Writing a great listing

A good ad is easy to find, easy to understand at a glance, and answers the questions buyers would otherwise message you about. This guide covers how the site uses each part of your ad, then offers practical tips from the hobby.

How does the site search my ad?

When someone types in the search box on an area page or the Every listing page, the site matches their words against three things:

• Your title
• Your description
• Your town (the optional "Your town" field)

It does not search the category name. So if someone searches "shrimp", an ad titled "Blue dreams, 20 count" in the shrimp category won't match unless "shrimp" appears in the title, description or town. Use the words people actually type.

Search ignores capital letters and matches part of a word, so searching "neo" finds an ad that says "neocaridina". It doesn't work the other way: searching "neocaridina" won't find an ad that only says "neo". Spell names out in full, and include both a common name and a scientific or trade name when they differ.

Writing a strong title

Your title (up to 120 characters) is the biggest line on listing cards and your listing page, and it's the start of how your ad appears in Google and when shared.

Tips:

• Lead with what it is: species or item, then the key detail. "Blue dream neocaridina, adult breeders" beats "Shrimp for sale!!".
• Include the words a buyer would search: common name, variety, size or gallons. "40 gallon breeder with stand" or "Java fern, 10 rhizomes".
• Mention quantity or bundles: "6 Corydoras sterbai, 1 inch".
• Skip "for sale" and your city. The site adds "for Sale in (your town)" and the price automatically when it builds your ad's search engine title, so you don't need to repeat them.
• Avoid all caps and strings of emojis. They're harder to read on a small card.

For Wanted ads, the site shows your title as "Wanted: (your title) in (your town)" in search engines, so start with the item: "40 gallon breeder" rather than "Looking for".

Setting a price

• Enter a number in Price (USD). It shows as "$25" or "$25.99".
• Leave it empty to show "Contact for price". Those ads sort to the end when buyers sort by price, and many buyers skip them. A real price usually gets more replies.
• Enter 0, or choose the Free ad type, and your ad shows as Free with a green tag. Free ads come first when buyers sort by Price: low to high.

There's no "or best offer" setting. If you're flexible, write "OBO" in the description. If you're not, write "Price is firm". For bundles, list individual prices in the description if you'd sell pieces separately.

Hobby tip: check what similar items are listed for in Every listing before you price. Livestock prices vary a lot by size, color grade and region.

What should go in the description?

Only the first two lines of your description show on listing cards, so put the most useful facts first. The full description appears on your listing page under Details, with your line breaks kept.

For livestock, buyers usually want to know:

• Species and variety, with the scientific name if you know it
• Size and approximate age, and how many
• Sex, if known, and whether they're breeding
• Your water parameters (temperature, pH, hardness or salinity)
• What they're eating
• How long you've had them and whether they're healthy. If anything is being treated, say so plainly: the listing rules require it.

For tanks and equipment:

• Brand, model, dimensions or gallons
• Age and condition, including scratches, chips, or anything that doesn't work
• What's included (lid, light, stand, filter)
• Whether it held water recently or has been sitting dry

For every ad:

• Pickup area and when you're available
• Whether you'll meet somewhere, or buyers come to you
• Whether you'll consider trades

The form's own hint sums it up: "Size, age, how long you've had it, why you're rehoming it, pickup details." For Wanted ads: "What you're after, size, budget, how far you'll travel."

Can I put links or formatting in my description?

Descriptions are plain text. Line breaks are kept, so short lines and simple lists with dashes work well. Bold, italics and headings aren't supported, and web addresses aren't turned into clickable links.

How long can my description be?

The form doesn't set a length limit. Search engines only use about the first 155 characters of your description as the preview under your ad's title in results, so make your opening sentence count.

Should I add my town?

Yes, if you're in a big metro area. Your town shows on cards and your listing page, it's searchable, and it replaces the broad area name in your ad's search engine title. See Choosing your area.

Pick the right category and ad type

• Choose the category for what the item is, since buyers filter by category.
• Use Free for giveaways and Wanted for wanted ads, so your ad gets the right tag.

See Listing categories and ad types.

Photos make the biggest difference

Ads with photos stand out on cards and get far more replies. Put your best photo first, since it's the cover everywhere. See Listing photos.

Keep your ad fresh

Listings sort by Newest first by default, based on when they were posted or last renewed. Tapping Renew 45 days in My listings moves your ad back up and resets it to 45 days. Editing does not move it up. See Editing, renewing and expiry.

When it's gone, tap Mark as sold so people stop messaging you. See Marking sold and deleting.

Things to avoid

These are against the listing rules and can get your ad removed:

• Wrong species names, stolen photos or fake prices
• Restricted species hidden as a "free gift", in a bundle, or described in code words
• Anything unrelated to the aquarium hobby

Common problems

People can't find my ad when they search. Search only looks at your title, description and town. Add the words buyers would type, including common names.

My ad gets views but no messages. Check that it has a clear cover photo, a real price instead of "Contact for price", and a description that answers the obvious questions (size, quantity, pickup area).

My ad has dropped down the list. Newer ads push it down. Tap Renew 45 days in My listings to move it back up.

My formatting disappeared. Descriptions are plain text. Use line breaks and dashes for lists.