Policy on service adverts
Only services that are lawful, safe and compatible with the platform’s rules may be offered or sought on suchen.expert. The user is responsible for accurately describing the actual content of the service and for complying with all legal requirements applicable to their activities.
Not everything that could in principle be offered outside the platform is necessarily permitted on suchen.expert. Certain services may be excluded on the basis of the platform’s rules, even if their legal assessment in individual cases depends on further conditions.
The assignment of a suitable category or the approval of an advert does not mean that suchen.expert confirms the legal permissibility, professional qualifications, safety or quality of the service. The platform is no substitute for official authorisation, professional assessment or individual legal advice.
Which rules apply?
Before publishing, check the current version of the General Terms of Use and the Prohibited Services and Goods Policy.
A distinction must be made between two levels:
- services that are already prohibited under applicable law may neither be offered nor sought.
- In addition, suchen.expert may exclude certain services from the platform under its own usage and security rules.
The following examples are intended to provide guidance, but do not replace the complete and currently applicable guidelines.
Excluding unlawful or harmful services
Services are prohibited if their purpose or actual performance contravenes applicable law or endangers other persons.
These may include, in particular:
- assistance with fraud, deception, extortion or document forgery,
- the procurement, alteration or use of forged documents and evidence,
- assistance with theft, the sale of stolen goods or concealment of their origin,
- circumventing official orders or statutory prohibitions,
- manipulation of examinations, certificates, accounts or proof of identity,
- unauthorised surveillance, stalking or intimidation,
- preparation or commission of acts of violence and other criminal offences,
- exploitation, human trafficking or unlawful employment,
- discriminatory, offensive or defamatory content, or content that incites hatred,
- calls encouraging harm to oneself or others.
A prohibited service does not become permissible simply because it is offered under a generic-sounding name, using abbreviations or only later in private messages.
Observe the areas excluded under the platform rules
The currently published usage policies exclude, among other things, offers connected with the following areas:
- drugs, intoxicants or accessories for their manufacture or consumption,
- weapons, ammunition, explosives or certain military and security-related items,
- radioactive, explosive, highly toxic or other hazardous substances,
- medicines, veterinary medicines and certain medical products,
- medical, veterinary or cosmetic services,
- nutritional and health advice,
- unauthorised financial, credit, investment or insurance services,
- gambling, lotteries and betting,
- trading in personal data, contact lists or confidential information,
- covert surveillance, espionage or unauthorised information gathering,
- pirated copies, bootlegs and unlawful reproductions,
- circumvention of licence, activation or other protective measures,
- fake reviews, documents, goods or statements of origin,
- academic ghostwriting and the trade in school or academic papers,
- certain modelling, casting or photography offers without the necessary authorisation,
- offers that breach provisions protecting animals, species, the environment or cultural property.
The full and current classification can be found in the Prohibited Services and Goods Policy.
The existence of a category does not constitute permission
The fact that a category exists on suchen.expert does not mean that every conceivable activity within that category may be offered.
Even within a category that is generally permitted, a specific service may be prohibited if:
- it is prohibited by law,
- it is excluded by the platform rules,
- a required licence or qualification is missing,
- it infringes the rights or personal data of other people,
- the actual purpose is concealed in the advert,
- the description is misleading, discriminatory or dangerous.
Select the category based on the actual main service provided. Do not use a general or inappropriate category to make a problematic advert appear less conspicuous.
Further guidance is available in How do I choose the right category for my advert on suchen.expert?
Correctly describe activities subject to authorisation and regulation
Unless a service is already excluded by the platform rules, its provision may require legally protected professional titles, licences, registrations, certificates of competence or official authorisations.
Depending on the specific activity, this may, for example, relate to the following areas:
- legal and tax advice,
- financial, credit, investment and insurance brokerage,
- guarding and security services,
- certain craft, construction and installation work,
- passenger and goods transport,
- care and support services,
- childcare,
- estate agency and brokerage activities,
- certain animal-related, environmental or waste disposal services.
Only claim to hold a qualification, licence, membership or insurance if this is actually the case. Do not use a protected professional title without authorisation.
Receiving consideration through barter rather than money does not alter any legal or platform-specific requirements. A regulated or prohibited service does not become permissible simply because it is to be provided free of charge or in exchange for an item.
Do not trivialise hazardous activities
Certain types of work may pose significant risks to people, animals, property or the environment.
Depending on the nature of the work, these may include:
- work on electrical, gas or safety-critical installations,
- handling asbestos, hazardous substances or contaminated materials,
- work involving weapons, ammunition, explosives or pyrotechnics,
- work on load-bearing structural elements,
- hazardous transport or waste disposal services,
- security-related locksmithing, guarding or access services.
First check whether the specific service is permitted on suchen.expert at all. If it is not excluded in principle, it may be offered only within the legally and professionally permitted framework.
A lack of authorisations, specialist knowledge or safety requirements must not be concealed by using more general wording.
Protecting accounts, data and technical systems
Lawful IT repairs, system administration or software installation may be permitted if carried out with the consent of the authorised person and within the scope of a clearly defined assignment.
In particular, the following services are prohibited:
- unauthorised access to accounts, devices, networks or data,
- obtaining or circumventing passwords, security codes or access restrictions,
- phishing, identity misuse or account takeovers,
- installation or distribution of malware,
- spying on, selling or publishing other people’s personal data,
- covert surveillance or information gathering,
- manipulation of reviews, profiles or platform functions,
- circumvention of technical protection or moderation measures,
- unauthorised automated extraction of third-party data.
Do not portray access as being covered by blanket authorisation when the client may not themselves have the right to authorise it.
Respect third-party rights in software and media
A computer repair, software installation or media editing is not prohibited solely on the basis of its description. The decisive factor is whether the specific service can be carried out lawfully and whether the necessary rights are in place.
The following, for example, are prohibited:
- installation or distribution of illegally copied software,
- circumvention of licence, activation or access protection,
- unauthorised reproduction of protected films, music, images or texts,
- the use of third-party trade marks, logos or works without sufficient authorisation,
- the removal of technical protection measures without a legally permissible reason,
- the creation or distribution of fake reviews and content.
In the case of a software or media service, clearly state that the necessary licences and rights of use must be in place.
The previous blanket wording about a ‘software reinstallation without a licence’ is too imprecise. What matters is whether the software used is lawful, a valid licence exists and the person is authorised to carry out the specific installation.
Comply with employment, trade and consumer-protection requirements
A service advert must not be used to circumvent obligations under employment, tax, social security, trade or consumer law.
The following are particularly problematic:
- offers of undeclared work or deliberately unregistered employment,
- circumvention of statutory wage or social security obligations,
- misrepresentation of a commercial activity as purely private,
- concealment of unavoidable costs,
- misleading claims about prices, guarantees or results,
- hidden fees or prohibited advance payments,
- business models whose true purpose is disclosed only after contact has been made.
Commercial providers are responsible for complying with the information, pricing, tax and consumer-protection obligations that apply to their activities.
Correctly presenting multiple related services
An advert need not be rejected solely because it describes several steps involved in the same main service. Closely related services may be presented as a clear service package.
This is appropriate, for example, if:
- all components form part of the same main service,
- the advert type and category are appropriate for the entire offer,
- the scope and pricing basis are clear,
- the necessary qualifications are held for all components,
- no prohibited service is concealed among permitted activities.
Services that are objectively independent should be published in separate adverts. For example, an advert for building cleaning should not also include IT consultancy, pet care and transport services.
In the case of a multifunctional device, different functions of the same device may be described, provided it remains clearly recognisable that it is a single item or a coherent offer.
Do not subsequently turn an existing advert into a different service. Further guidance can be found in What should I do to avoid product or service substitutions in my advert?
Check the entire advert
Prohibited content may appear outside the description itself.
You should therefore check:
- title,
- description,
- images and any text visible within them,
- price and service details,
- linked external pages or profiles,
- uploaded documents, where this function is provided,
- terms and conditions that are only disclosed when contact is made at a later stage.
Features that do not exist, such as ‘tags at the end of the advert’ or a specific list of additional options, should not be mentioned in the help section.
External links must not be used to offer a service on another site that would be prohibited on suchen.expert.
Avoid discriminatory and degrading conditions
Even a service that is generally permitted may be prohibited due to the way it is presented or its terms and conditions.
In particular, avoid:
- offensive or derogatory language,
- unjustified exclusions based on personal characteristics,
- sexual harassment or unwanted sexualised demands,
- exploitation of financial, health-related or personal hardship,
- pressure, threats or manipulative conditions,
- unnecessary requests for intimate or particularly sensitive information.
Describe necessary professional requirements in a factual manner. An objectively required qualification should be treated differently from a blanket personal exclusion.
Further details can be found in Avoiding discriminatory content in adverts.
Correct a rejected advert in a targeted way
If a service advert has been rejected, read the reason shown in full. Do not replace the service with wording intended to conceal its nature, and do not immediately create several slightly altered versions.
Depending on the reason for rejection, a sensible correction may involve:
- completely removing a prohibited service,
- clearly defining the permissible scope of services,
- correcting a misleading statement regarding qualifications or results,
- describing the price and additional costs transparently,
- removing prohibited contact details,
- removing problematic images or personal data,
- correcting an incorrect category, where this is still possible,
- creating a new, correct advert if the fixed core details cannot be changed.
If the main service itself is not permitted on suchen.expert, it must not simply be renamed or concealed amongst permitted services. In this case, republishing the same service is not the correct remedy.
Do not publish qualification, identity or permit documents in full in the advert, and do not send them to other users unless requested. If suchen.expert requests documentation, follow the designated submission method and the specific request.
Further help is available in How do I edit a rejected advert and resubmit it? and Rejected adverts / What should I do?
Assess the review process and possible measures realistically
New adverts are reviewed before they are first made public and may be approved or rejected. No fixed timeframe should be promised for the review process.
Approval does not constitute a binding legal or professional assessment. Even an advert that was initially approved may later be restricted or removed because of new information, a report or a reassessment.
In the event of breaches, various measures may be taken in accordance with the General Terms of Use. Depending on the nature, severity and frequency of the breach, these may include:
- rejection or removal of the advert,
- a warning,
- temporary restrictions,
- in the case of serious or repeated breaches, measures taken against the user account,
- where required or permitted by law, referral to the relevant authorities.
Do not state that a user profile will automatically be suspended every time an advert is rejected. Likewise, revising an advert does not guarantee approval.
If the permissibility remains unclear
If you are unsure whether a service may be offered on suchen.expert, do not publish it in a veiled form.
Check the current policies first. If the classification remains unclear, contact support using the contact form.
Describe the planned service objectively and, where applicable, provide the advert ID and the reason for rejection shown. Do not send passwords, one-time codes or complete security links.
