How to Build a Classifieds Ads Platform in Bubble

In the Data tab, create 'Category' as an Option Set with options like Vehicles, Electronics, Furniture, Housing, Jobs, Services. Add attributes: 'icon' (text — emoji or icon name), 'subcategories' (text — comma-separated). Create a 'Listing' Data Type with: 'title' (text), 'description' (text), 'price' (number), 'category' (Category option), 'images' (list of images), 'location' (geographic address), 'seller' (User), 'status' (text: active/sold/expired), 'is_featured' (yes/no), 'created_date' (date), 'views' (number).

Create a 'post-ad' page with input fields for title, description, price, category dropdown (from Option Set), multi-image uploader, and a Search Box for location (with geographic places enabled). Add a 'Post Listing' button with a workflow that creates a new Listing with all field values, seller = Current User, status = 'active', and created_date = Current date/time. Add validation to require at least a title, category, and one image.

Create an 'index' or 'browse' page. Add category buttons or a grid at the top showing all Category options from the Option Set. Add search inputs: text search for keywords, category dropdown, location Search Box, price range (min/max), and a sort dropdown. Below, add a Repeating Group of Listings with constraints matching the search filters. Sort by featured first (is_featured descending), then by created_date descending. Each cell shows the listing image, title, price, location, and time since posting.

Create a 'listing' page that receives a Listing via URL type parameter. Display all listing details: image gallery (Repeating Group of images with a large preview), title, price, description, location on a mini map, seller name and join date, and creation date. Add a 'Contact Seller' button and a 'Report Listing' button. Increment the listing's views count when the page loads (Make changes to the Listing, views + 1).

When 'Contact Seller' is clicked, show a popup with a text area for the buyer's message. The workflow creates a Message record (or uses your existing chat system) with the buyer, seller, listing reference, and message text. Send an email notification to the seller with the buyer's message and a link back to the listing. Add a 'My Messages' page where users can see all conversations about their listings.

Add a 'Promote Listing' button on the seller's listing management page. When clicked, show pricing for featured placement (e.g., $5 for 7 days). If using Stripe, charge the seller and set is_featured to yes and a 'featured_until' date. In the browse page search, sort featured listings first. Add a visual badge ('Featured') on featured listing cards. Create a scheduled backend workflow that resets is_featured to no when featured_until passes.