eBay to make changes to search in 2024!

[siamjane8]

I saw that an eBay moderator said that the search team has seen all the complaints about irrelevant eBay search results and is going to make changes in 2024. 

   Wonderful news. It has gotten worse month over month for the last 7 or so years. Sarah decline in showing what people actually type in the box.

   What do you think they need to focus on?

Less PL add placement?

less manipulation and more focus on accurate organic results?

   I think they finally realized that buyers must use Google to find eBay listings because the dumb AI eBay search engine can't find active ebay listings!

[mam98031]

We will just have to wait and see what that really means.  Right now it is just us guessing, which isn't really very productive and just could cause more disappointment.

You and all of us just have to wait.

[mightymouse]

Their search is based on their NEW ITEM SPECIFICS which I keep complaining about. They do not think about HOW A REAL PERSON THINKS but how their AI thinks. Ebay needs to get into the real world.

[mam98031]

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@mightymouse wrote:

Their search is based on their NEW ITEM SPECIFICS which I keep complaining about. They do not think about HOW A REAL PERSON THINKS but how their AI thinks. Ebay needs to get into the real world.

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Only time will tell what the changes are that are coming.

[siamjane8]

I think search should go back to a simple and accurate title word search matchup. That is when you could find things on eBay.... Then use the item specifics for the drill down menus on the left. 

   I'm sure it's more complicated than that but..... Google can find eBay listings with one search and it's searching infinitely far more than eBay search had to look at, and eBay search just shows bogus results and PL with nothing to do with the search.......

    I have sushi noticed that when you promote, your items do not show up as much in original search where a buyer is expecting to see results- instead your promoted item shows up in sliding carousels within other listings.... Makes no logical sense to make people click on unrelated listings originally to find what they were looking for hidden in PL spots!

     They have allot of of work to do in 2024..... And most of it is undoing what they have done for the past 5 years. They went in a wrong direction and need to do a 180. 

[buyselljack2016]

Most recent search issue that I had was because of seller "keyword spamming". Wasn't an AI fault.

One seller with 25,000 listings. eBay is not going to step on their toes.

[adkhighker]

A long time ago eBay fixed search by making it way worse, so don't get your hopes up too much.

[bennotbill]

Expect things to get worse then you won't be disappointed.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

Google is not a good comparator.  They do not take account a plethora of things like performance data and other nuances nor do they care if transactions are made either bad or good.  They are also changing up much of their technology towards AI based machine learning.

One of the problems with sellers here is they tend use devices with allot of real-estate whereby shoppers are mostly on cellphones these days.  The best ways to have accurate results is limiting product listings and having sellers have offers within the listing, Amazon, Walmart use that formula.

Whilst common thought might be "People know how to search via keywords" that's completely wrong, you may know how, you're a seller.  Consumers are often quite ambiguous in inputs and "Drilling down" to find what you want is easy peasy on a PC but not so friendly at all on cellphones.  You're product may never be seen if it were not for "Fuzzy search."

Key based inventory can suit some, sell automobile stuff yea, those home brew mechanics or parts shops be quite specific.  Yet if you're selling say something along lines of collectibles a fuzzy search can expose you're product whereby a keyword search never find it.  Trying balance it all is a very very formidable engineering task UNLESS product become focal.  Aka:  There is but one listing for whatever, "Die Hard The Movie" and all sellers list under that.  It has its advantages and disadvantages yet it is literally the sole mechanism that catapulted Amazon into #1. Force sellers to compete for sales.  But need UPC's or EAN's or apply for a GTIN from Amazon to list against.  Vastly cut database needs and have a new plethora of other opportunities.  Can block product from being listed against such as iPhones lets say,  or Coach purses requiring authentications etc.  Can use other vendors to fulfill problem transactions.  All sorts of different things but sellers wont like it.  Now they cant try define their own perceived values of product, its defined within the listing by nature of the actual sellers.  Can also be a bad kick in revenues and a great kick in others.  Be issues with "Lots" how are they defined?  Be issues versus Buy it Now and Auctions, how's that defined and partitioned.

Someone put whatever, Pokemon this up which might bid up to say $50 except for the fact more sit there or someone lists into the SKU at $25 by it now.  Nothing is simple.

If any of us self-included were to see the coding and resources that are eBay we'd go, "Oh my gosh!  All that for just what we see outside looking in!!!!  Oh my gosh!"  Fact.

Now there is product which favors organic search whereby folks actually come to eBay to search for something.  There are also a literal plethora where Google is far far far more likely be a consumers first stop for something.  If the seller doesn't realize Google be first stop or know how target Google effectively they are relying on the exact wrong mechanism to find what they are peddling.

30% of all my views are external, likely Google and thats the engine try target as A. I know how as a developer assuming they don't vastly alter the landscape in which case I adjust and B. Try target eBay organic "into the mix."

Forms of AI are probably the best solution to all of it but that's not any sort of "Oh my gosh we deploy and all things turn up roses."  It's emerging technology.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I am confident that whatever the changes are in the search results they will not eliminate sponsored ads or promotion, and the number of sellers complaining about the new search will be as large or larger as they have been now and in the past.

Somebody wins and somebody loses. Hopefully the new search will not discourage too many buyers.

[mam98031]

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@bennotbill wrote:

Expect things to get worse then you won't be disappointed.

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Wow, that is a sad outlook.  I hope next year is much better for you.

[martin2001]

ebay search is just one terrible mistake. If you put two words, abc and xyz, and want to search in the titles only for the items that contain both words, is it so difficult to accomplish that? When searching my inventory, I get all the results that contain abc and all the results that contain xyz. So I get 1000 results when I should only get 50 or whatever.

Another problem: I search my inventory for portraits (portraits of people). Most of them have the words 'portrait' and 'print' in the title.

Look at the jpgs. This is from page three result (out of 2,253) searching for 'portrait' and 'print' in the titles ONLY. As you can see, the results have nothing to do with these search words because there are none in the titles. Most of them are not portraits. It took me some time to figure out what is going on. All of them have item specifics with the image orientation set to "portrait"   (vs. landscape). The proof of it is that some of the results show landscape orientations, but when I checked that setting, I made a mistake and specified a "portrait" orientation, so searching for portraits resulting in showing all prints that have 'portrait' image  orientation.

21st century, artificial intelligence.....and we get this?

[chapeau-noir]

It would be nice to know *what* changes are being made, too.

Poshmark decided to change their search and it was a disaster - even the CEO admitted it.  They tried to fix it but it has never really been the same.

Makes me a little wary but hey, it seems that eBay is approaching this in a more step-wise fashion, not just dropping it on us and then saying "oops" as Posh did, so I'm also hoping for positive changes.

[mam98031]

They will likely tell us next year.  IMHO this conversation is premature and just full of guesses and assumptions.

[rugerskick]

Don't assume the changes will make it better.