How to use the search page

Searching can be rather simple. But it can be fairly powerful too.

On the main search page, there are several filters that you can apply to all of your searches. Availability lets you limit the results to puzzles that people are offering for TRADE or BUY so you don't see things that are not available on this website. Click on any of these options to change the filter values.

If you leave the text filter blank, you get all the puzzles with the newest ones showing first. It is best to some limits on your search. Type in the text filter and get a limited number of puzzles back. At most, 500 puzzles will be displayed.

The three buttons under the text filter let you start the search, clear all of your filter settings or scan the barcode to start your search. If you are not getting good results back from your searches, use the clear button and search again. This will put all of your filters back to the defaults and get you the largest number of puzzles listed. If you want to scan the barcode, use the scan button. You can use the camera on your mobile device to quickly search using the puzzle barcode. Scanning or typing in the barcode will disregard your other filter settings because you are now looking for a very specific puzzle.

Depending on the filters you select, it is possible that no puzzles could be found. But in most cases, you will get a list of puzzles matching your search. Those with offers from other members will show TRADE or BUY in the top corners. We have many puzzles that are not currently being offered by our members for sale or trade. Those that are not being offered by members, will not have the have the markers in the top corners. You may still be able to find these puzzles listed on Amazon.

When you search, you can use the key words AND as well as OR to improve your search. For example, if you wanted all puzzles with lions that also have tigers, you would search for "lions and tigers". But if you wanted all puzzles that had either you would search for "lions or tigers" and you would get a much larger list.

You can use this AND/OR searching when on your own profile page as well to look through your collection. There you have the added ability to use the status of HAVE, HAD and WANT.

Searching can be as simple or complex as you need in most cases. Play around and see how different combinations work for you.