Make the selections in the specified order
Advert creation under Place an advert follows a set sequence:
- first, the type,
- then the category,
- followed by the situation,
- and finally the location.
This order is important because the available categories and situations depend on the type selected previously. Therefore, do not choose based on a single keyword alone; instead, first consider the purpose of the advert.
The type, category, situation and location cannot be changed once the advert has been published. Check all four details before submitting the advert.
Distinguishing between type, category, situation and location
These four details serve different purposes:
- The type describes the advert’s overall purpose, such as loss, finding an item, selling or providing a service.
- The category describes what the advert is specifically about, for example, a bicycle, electronics, pet supplies or a repair service.
- The situation describes the direction or reason, such as ‘Selling’, ‘Buying’, ‘Found’ or ‘Witnesses sought’.
- The location assigns the advert to a geographical area, such as the place where an item was lost or found, the collection or service location, or the event venue.
A precise title and appropriate search terms are also helpful, but do not replace this structure. An advert with a correct description but the wrong type or category may appear in irrelevant search results and be harder for the intended audience to find.
First, determine the purpose via the type
The following types are available on suchen.expert:
- ‘Lost’ for lost, presumably stolen or missing items, animals or other permissible search cases,
- ‘Found’ for items you have found yourself or a known location where they were found,
- ‘Give away’ for items sought or offered free of charge,
- ‘Incidents’ for personal observations or a search for witnesses,
- ‘Services’ for services sought or offered,
- ‘Marketplace’ for selling, buying or swapping,
- ‘Events’ for event requests or creating an event.
The main purpose is decisive. A bicycle therefore does not automatically always belong in the same section. Depending on whether it has been lost or found, or is to be given away, sold or repaired, a different type must first be selected.
For offers, services, Marketplace adverts and events, further guidance can be found under How do I create a listing for products, services or events on suchen.expert?
Categories depend on the selected type
Once you have selected a type, the form displays the corresponding categories. The available categories therefore differ between ‘Lost’, ‘Services’, ‘Marketplace’ and the other types.
A category with a similar name may serve a different purpose depending on the type. ‘Electronics & Accessories’ under ‘Marketplace’, for example, relates to the purchase, sale or exchange of a device. Repairing an electronic device, on the other hand, falls under the ‘Services’ type and should be placed in the appropriate repair category there.
If a category you expect to see is not displayed, this does not automatically mean that it is missing from suchen.expert. First, check whether the selected type actually matches the purpose of your advert.
The same item can belong to different types
A bicycle illustrates the difference:
- If you have lost your bicycle, select ‘Lost’, a suitable bicycle category and the situation ‘Lost’.
- If there are specific indications that it was stolen, select ‘Lost’ and the situation ‘Stolen’. An advert does not replace any required report to the police.
- If you have found someone else’s bicycle or know where it was found, select ‘Found’ and, depending on the circumstances, either ‘Found’ or ‘Location known’.
- If you wish to give away your own bicycle for free, select ‘Give away’ and the situation ‘Give away’.
- If you are looking for a bicycle that someone will give away free of charge, select ‘Give away’ and the situation ‘Looking for’.
- If you wish to sell, buy or swap a bicycle, select ‘Marketplace’ and the relevant situation.
- If you are looking for a bicycle repair service or offering one, select ‘Services’ and the situation ‘Looking for’ or ‘Offering’.
- If you are looking for witnesses to an accident or theft involving a bicycle, ‘Incidents’ with ‘Witnesses sought’ may be appropriate. The stolen bicycle itself should also be described in a separate advert under ‘Lost’.
The item alone does not therefore determine the type. What matters is what you hope to achieve with the advert.
Choosing between similar categories
Where possible, select the most specific category that accurately describes the main item or service. Ask yourself what an interested person is likely to search for.
Helpful questions include:
- What is the main item or service?
- Is the main item or the accessory the key factor?
- Is an item being offered, or is work being carried out on that item?
- Do several parts form a recognisable set?
- Which category describes the predominant content without obscuring important components?
A smartphone with a case normally belongs in the device’s category if the smartphone is the main item. If only a case is being offered, an accessories category is more appropriate. Repairing a smartphone belongs under ‘Services’, not ‘Marketplace’.
Do not select a category that is only vaguely relevant or one that is supposedly particularly popular in order to gain additional reach. This makes the advert less relevant to users and may result in it being flagged during moderation.
Then select the appropriate situation
After the category, the situation options corresponding to the type appear:
- ‘Lost’: ‘Lost’, ‘Stolen’ or ‘Missing’,
- ‘Found’: ‘Found’ or ‘Location known’,
- ‘Give away’: ‘Looking for’ or ‘Give away’,
- ‘Incidents’: ‘Was a witness’ or ‘Witnesses sought’,
- ‘Services’: ‘Looking for’ or ‘Offering’,
- ‘Marketplace’: ‘Selling’, ‘Buying’ or ‘Swapping’,
- ‘Events’: ‘Search’ or ‘Create’.
Select the situation based on the actual facts. An item that simply cannot be found should not be labelled as ‘Stolen’ without concrete evidence.
Anyone who has not taken possession of an item but knows where it was found can use the situation ‘Location known’ under the ‘Found’ type.
For incidents, ‘Was a witness’ means that you personally observed something. ‘Witnesses sought’ is intended for a factual search for people who may have observed a specific incident. Do not publish unsubstantiated accusations or private appeals to trace people.
Use ‘Frequently searched categories’ and ‘Other’ correctly
After selecting the type, the ‘Frequently Searched Categories’ section may appear in the form. If categories are listed there, this section serves as a quick reference. The order in which they are displayed is not a recommendation for your specific advert and does not guarantee a better ranking in the search results.
Also pay attention to the guidance on category selection provided in the form. If in doubt, compare several suitable terms. The decisive factor remains which category most accurately reflects the actual content.
For many types, the ‘Other’ category is available. Only use this if no more specific category appropriately covers the item, service or event.
Check beforehand:
- whether the correct type has been selected,
- whether the category is listed under a more common umbrella term,
- whether an accessories category, a collective category or a more general category applies,
- whether the content actually consists of several different areas.
‘Other’ is not a fallback option for adverts that would be prohibited in an existing category. The content, images and description must comply with the General Terms of Use and applicable laws there as well.
Grouping multiple items sensibly
Several items can be presented clearly in one advert if they are factually related and have the same type, the same situation and essentially the same category. This may be the case, for example, with a matching set or a bundle of similar items.
Separate adverts are advisable if the items:
- belong to different types,
- require different situations,
- fall into distinctly different categories,
- are being offered or sought in different locations,
- are to be sold, given away, sought or swapped independently of one another.
For example, an item for sale and an item to be given away do not belong in the same advert because their type and situation are different. Likewise, an offer of a service should not be combined with the sale of a product.
At the same time, avoid duplicate or almost identical adverts. If several components form a set that belongs together, select the category of the main item and clearly describe the full scope of the set.
Further guidance can be found under Is it permitted to give away or sell multiple items in a single advertisement on suchen.expert, and if so, under what conditions?
Checking for missing categories and searching within a type
The search field on a type page searches only within the type currently selected. If you are in the ‘Marketplace’ section, it does not search categories or adverts from the ‘Services’ type.
If you think a category is missing, proceed as follows:
- Check the purpose of the advert and the selected type again.
- Look for a common umbrella term in the list of categories displayed.
- Check the selection tips provided and similar categories.
- Compare possible categories based on their actual focus.
- Use ‘Other’ if no more specific category really fits.
- If you are still unsure, contact Support via the contact form.
Tell support the intended type, the situation and give a brief description of the planned advert. Do not submit passwords, one-time codes or complete security links.
Support can help you find your way around. This does not guarantee that a new category will be created or that the advert will be approved.
Keywords are no substitute for the correct category
In the title and description, use natural and accurate terms that interested parties are likely to search for. The make, model, type of item, type of service or event name may be useful if they genuinely apply.
The following are unsuitable:
- irrelevant keywords,
- lengthy repetition of the same term,
- names of popular brands that have nothing to do with the advert,
- place names with no connection to the actual location,
- hashtags used as a substitute for a clear description,
- an inappropriate category chosen solely because of its presumed reach.
Keywords can help improve discoverability within the appropriate structure. However, they do not change the type, category or situation.
Further guidance can be found under How can I make sure my advert is easy to find in the search results? Can I use hashtags or keywords?
Final check before publication
Before submitting, check the following once more:
- Does the ‘Type’ correspond to the main purpose?
- Does the ‘Category’ describe the main item or service?
- Does the ‘Situation’ match the actual event?
- Is the ‘Location’ set correctly for a loss, find, collection, service or event?
- Do the title, description and images match this selection?
- Has different content been divided among separate adverts where necessary?
The type, category, situation and location cannot be changed after the advert has been published. Changing the title or description does not correct an incorrect structural classification.
Further information is provided in the article Fixed listing details.
If you only notice an error after publication, check the available management functions. If necessary, deactivate the incorrectly categorised advert and create a corrected version. When doing so, avoid having two active adverts with identical content at the same time.
If a correctly categorised, active advert does not appear in the search, the article What can I do if I can't find my advert in the search results? may help.
