Search

12sell has search baked into every major feed: Deals, Showcases, Explore, and a separate user search for finding specific businesses. This page walks through what each search does, what filters you can stack on top, and how to find what you're looking for fast.

The three search modes

Every keyword search runs in one of three modes, depending on where you opened it:

In all three modes, you type a keyword and get instant results — title matches, description matches, brand matches, and category matches all surface.

Blocked users' content is automatically excluded from search results, even if it would have matched on keyword. See Hide & Block.

Searching for businesses

Different from content search — to find a specific business (not a deal):

1. Open the search field on any tab.
2. Tap the Users filter, or open the dedicated user-search modal from your inbox / messaging.
3. Start typing the business title — matches appear as you type.
4. Tap a result to open their profile directly.

Useful when you have a business name on a card or website and want to find their 12sell page.

Filters on the Deals feed

In addition to keyword search, the Deals feed has a structured filter panel. Open the filter icon at the top of the feed to access:

You can stack filters on top of keyword search. For example: keyword "iPhone 15" + Categories Mobile Phones + Brands Apple + Region UAE + Condition Brand New gives you a tight list of relevant deals.

Filters on the Showcases feed

Same structure as Deals, minus condition (showcases describe a catalog rather than a specific transaction):

• Categories
• Subcategories
• Brands
• Regions

Top-of-feed switches

Above any feed are the quick switches:

• WTS / WTB (Deals only) — Want to Sell vs Want to Buy. The platform default is WTS.
• All / Following / Region — see everyone, only people you follow, or only content from your selected region.

These work on top of any filters you've set. You can have keyword + category + brand + Region filter + Following switch all active at once.

Saving and resetting

• Filters are remembered between sessions on the same device — set once, they persist.
• Tap Reset in the filter panel to clear everything and go back to the default feed.

Search tips that find what you need

The search index works on titles, descriptions, brand names, and category names — but not on every word equally. Patterns that work well:

• Use the brand name + model — "iPhone 15 Pro" finds far more than "phone".
• Use abbreviations as written — "OEM", "NIB", "BNIB", "CPO" match if posters used them.
• Combine with region — searching "AirPods Pro" + Region "UAE" surfaces stock physically near you.
• Use the WTS/WTB switch deliberately — searching the same keyword in WTB shows what buyers want; in WTS shows what's available.
• Check both Deals and Showcases — a brand that's not in active deals might have permanent showcases. Use Explore to search both at once.

Discoverability flip

If you're posting and want to be found by other businesses' searches, the inverse rules apply:

• Put the brand name + model + key spec in the title — that's what appears in search results.
• Put the subcategory name verbatim in the description — fuzzy keyword matching will surface your post.
• Pick categories, subcategories, and brands precisely — they're indexed and used as filter targets.
• Use the right deal type (WTS/WTB) — half the platform searches one or the other.

Common questions

Why didn't my search return anything?

Either no posts match, or your filters are too restrictive. Try:

1. Clear filters and search the keyword alone.
2. Use a shorter or more general keyword ("laptop" instead of "M3 MacBook Pro 16-inch 2024").
3. Try the Explore search to look across deals and showcases together.

Can I search for deals by user?

Searching for a business title returns the business's profile. Tap into their profile and you see all their active deals and showcases.

Why is a result missing that should show up?

If the poster is in your block list, their content is hidden from search by default. Check Hide & Block.

Are search results personalized?

The list of results matching your keyword and filters is the same for everyone. The default order, when you don't apply filters, is influenced by your profile setup categories so the most relevant deals to your business surface first.

How do hashtags work?

12sell doesn't use hashtags — search is full-text against titles, descriptions, brand names, and category names. Just type words.

Can I search inside private lists?

You search within a private list by opening the list itself and using its search bar. Private list content doesn't appear in the public Deals or Showcases search.

Why are some results greyed or marked "expired"?

Deals have a duration — once expired, they drop out of feeds but may still appear briefly in search until the index updates. Tap to view; you'll see the expired status. Showcases don't expire.

Next steps

• Deals — the feed where most searches happen.
• Showcases — search for permanent product catalogs.
• Profile — what surfaces when a search hits a business name.
• Hide & Block — control what gets excluded from your search results.