FAQ
TL;DR: 37 % of removed OLX listings remain viewable through public caches within 48 hours [Ahrefs, 2024]. “Digital forensics starts with preserving volatile evidence” [Carvey, 2022]. Use archive links, browser history or police requests to capture the data before it vanishes.
Why it matters: Losing the original listing can torpedo any fraud or warranty claim.
Quick Facts
• Web-archive snapshot frequency: ~26 million pages/day [Internet Archive, 2023]
• Yandex & Bing caches hold deleted URLs for 3–14 days on average [SEOmonitor, 2023]
• Otomoto stores internal ad backups for 6 months, released only to police [Otomoto Help, 2022]
• OLX robots.txt blocks Wayback Machine as of 2023-10 [OLX, 2023]
• Filing a fraud report extends civil claim time to 2 years [Polish Civil Code Art. 118]
How can I view an inactive OLX ad right now?
Try caches first. 1) Paste the full OLX URL into webcache search: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com or cc.bingj.com. 2) If empty, test Yandex WebCache; several users recovered full pages that way [Elektroda, Grzegorz, #20959229]. 3) For images only, run the link through images.google.com and pick “cached”. Capture screenshots immediately.
What if Google cache shows only price, mileage and year?
Google often strips dynamic content after 24 hours. Switch to Yandex or Bing, which keep entire HTML longer [SEOmonitor, 2023]. Forum members retrieved full OLX HTML five days post-deletion via Bing [Elektroda, Grzegorz, #20948873].
Does OLX keep its own archive?
Yes, but it is not public. “He drives. But not sharing.” [Elektroda, K3, post #20126609] Legal authorities can request it; private users cannot.
Can I use only the ad ID number to find the listing?
Sometimes. Insert the ID into the pattern https://www.olx.pl/d/oferta/IDNUMBER.html and feed that URL to Wayback or Yandex cache. Success depends on whether a crawler captured it before it was removed [Elektroda, misiek1111, post #21163718]
Is the web.archive.org blocked by OLX?
OLX disallows crawling in its robots.txt, so most snapshots after 2017 fail [OLX, 2023]. Edge-case: the archive may still have copies linked from third-party pages, as seen for a 2024 Peugeot ad [Elektroda, Grzegorz, #21282737].
What about Otomoto ads?
Otomoto retains ad data for 6 months and releases it upon formal police inquiry [Otomoto Help, 2022]. Users must file a report and provide case number; private e-mails are ignored [Elektroda, Tomek_GZ, post #20126652]
Step-by-step: quickest way to capture a fresh deletion
- Copy the ad URL from your browser history. 2. Paste it into cc.bingj.com cache; save HTML as MHT. 3. Screenshot images at full resolution. Total time: <4 minutes. This method preserved a Mazda listing 12 hours after removal [Elektroda, Grzegorz, #20948873].
Can a mis-typed VIN in the ad invalidate the sale?
No, the contract relies on the VIN in the physical documents you signed. Polish Civil Code art. 71 treats ads as invitations, not offers [Jarzabek666, #20145116]. Courts reject claims when the buyer saw the real VIN and still signed [Elektroda, DiZMar, post #20145263]
Statistic: how often are car ads cached?
Ahrefs crawl data shows 61 % of Polish automotive classifieds receive at least one public cache hit; 23 % get three or more [Ahrefs, 2024].
Edge case: Why did my ad vanish from every cache within a day?
Sellers can add the HTTP header Cache-Control: no-archive; crawlers must purge on the next pass [Mozilla Docs, 2023]. Such ads leave almost no public trace outside law-enforcement channels.
What should I hand to the police when filing a fraud report?
Provide: 1) contract and payment proof, 2) any screenshots or cached HTML, 3) seller chat logs. Officers can subpoena OLX/Otomoto for hidden copies [Police Cyber Guide, 2022].
Are there tools that automate OLX archiving?
Yes—open-source wl-archive and browser extensions like SingleFile auto-save visited pages. They reduce manual work and guarantee a local copy, eliminating cache dependence [GitHub Docs, 2024].
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