My friend wanted to sell his car but he didn't knew whom to sell so he asked me to help him by finding the potential customers for his car.

After a few days he phoned me and said:

Have you found someone who wants to buy a second-hand car.

I replied:

I'm sorry! I haven't yet found anyone but I have set many channels and soon I will be able to tell you.

Here by saying set many channels I wanted to say that I had told a lot of people about his car and I also told them to tell their friends and relatives as well about the car.

I have heard many non-native speakers using this phrase.

The logic, I think, behind the phrase is:

As water comes through channels of water, information and replies will also come through the channels.

How do native speakers say this?

My friend wanted to sell his car but he didn't know whom to sell so he asked me to help him by finding potential customers for his car.

After a few days he phoned me and said:

Have you found someone who wants to buy a second-hand car.

I replied:

I'm sorry! I haven't yet found anyone but I have set many channels and soon I will be able to tell you.

Here by saying set many channels I wanted to say that I had told a lot of people about his car and I also told them to tell their friends and relatives as well about the car.

I have heard many non-native speakers using this phrase.

The logic, I think, behind the phrase is:

As water comes through channels of water, information and replies will also come through the channels.

How do native speakers say this?