How we select
The Repair Capital shows places and events where you can repair, borrow, buy second-hand and pass things on the right way. Many of them are businesses: the cobbler, the second-hand shop, the package-free shop. So that this does not turn into a business directory or an advertising space, these rules apply:
- A place in Berlin: a shop, a workshop, a drop-off or collection point you can visit – or a mobile service based in Berlin. We do not include online-only shops or mail-in buying services.
- The service itself is about reuse: we include those who repair, lend, sell mainly second-hand goods, fill customers’ own containers as a matter of principle, or accept items for reuse. A refill shelf in a supermarket or a take-back box in a fashion store is not enough.
- Specific, not sweeping: we name documented features, not labels such as “climate-neutral” or “green”. We only mention certificates as the business’s own statement, with a date.
- We do not include commercial clothing containers or street collections, door-to-door or flyer buying without a shop, pawnbrokers or gold buyers, subscriptions built around new goods, or offers centred on discounts.
- Every branch is a place of its own. A chain only appears a limited number of times, and we show whether a place belongs to a chain or a franchise.
- If you can only shop at a charity shop or clothing bank with proof of eligibility, we say so – and show where anyone can drop off items.
- Everyone is treated the same: commercial, non-profit and public providers have the same required details. Inclusion is free of charge. Results are sorted by relevance, distance, date or name – never by partnership or payment.
- No advertising: our editorial team writes descriptions in a factual way – without prices, discounts, voucher codes, promotions or affiliate links. Businesses can correct their details but cannot add promotional text.
- If in doubt, leave it out: if we cannot verify a piece of information, we do not include the entry.
Each entry shows whether the provider is commercial, non-profit or public, when the information was checked and where it comes from. Initiatives, associations and their events follow the same rules as everywhere on hauptstadt.net. We do not act as a go-between for private individuals – there are no swap, giveaway or classified ads here. Inclusion is not a recommendation or an assessment of quality, prices or environmental impact.