Keyword search and categories

There are two ways into the marketplace: type a keyword, or pick a category. Most buyers use both — keyword to narrow it down, category to make sure they're looking in the right place. Here's how each one behaves.

Keyword search

The search bar at the top of /equipment matches against:

• Listing title — full text, case-insensitive.
• Description — the long-form text the seller wrote.
• Brand and model names — both the structured fields and free-text variants.
• Parameter values — where the category has structured parameters (e.g. registration markings, part numbers).

Multi-word queries are treated as all terms must appear by default. So "komatsu pc200" returns listings that have both komatsu and pc200 somewhere in their indexed fields, in any order.

Tips that actually work

• Brand + model is usually the strongest signal. "liebherr 580", "cessna 172", "caterpillar d6r".
• Year ranges belong in filters, not in the search box — typing "2018 excavator" is less effective than typing "excavator" and using the year filter.
• Part numbers match exactly when present in the listing. If a buyer knows the OEM part number, that's the best query they can type.
• Cyrillic, Chinese and Arabic are indexed when the listing was created in those scripts. Cross-script search (typing Latin to find a Russian-language listing) is hit-or-miss; if you don't get hits, switch the page language or try the brand name in the original script.

Categories

The category tree groups listings by what the equipment is, not what it does. The top level is sector (Construction, Aviation, Marine, Energy, Agriculture, Transport, Industrial, Components & parts, Services). Each splits into more specific categories until you hit a leaf like Excavators or Single-engine piston aircraft.

Picking a category does three things:

1. Filters the result set to that category only.
2. Unlocks the category-specific parameter filters — see How search and filters work.
3. Reorganises the suggestion bar with brands and models common in that category.

Categories vs keywords

You can use either or both:

• Browsing: pick a category, refine with parameters. Best when you're exploring.
• Targeted search: type the brand/model you want, then optionally pick a category to disambiguate.
• Hybrid: pick a category and add a keyword. E.g. Excavators + "caterpillar" to narrow a wide category.

Sale modes

Cutting across categories there's also a sale mode filter — Sale, Rent, Auction, Wanted. Most buyers stick to Sale by default. Switch to Auction to see listings with an active bidding window, or Rent if you're looking for short-term equipment. Wanted is the inverse — these are buyer requests waiting for sellers. See TradeHub posting an inquiry for that side.

When search returns nothing

If your search comes back empty:

• Drop the rarest term first. "komatsu pc200 2018 ukraine" filtering to zero is usually one word too many.
• Switch from category to broader sector. Excavators might have nothing matching, but Earthmoving might.
• Post an inquiry in TradeHub. When the marketplace doesn't have it, posting an open inquiry gets verified providers to come to you instead.