Items not showing up in ebay search even when the exact title words are searched
Summary: jaymp23 raised a concern about items not appearing in eBay search results, even when using the exact title words. They noted that other parts with different part numbers were appearing instead and suspected the issue might be related to no longer promoting their listings.
Has anyone else noticed there items aren't showing up in a search when searching for the keywords in the title?
Sales have been terrible for pretty much the last three months or longer. I figured it was just ebay fading into oblivion or the customer base passing away.
I'm wondering now if it's not that items aren't coming up in searches.
I listed a few Chevy sales brochure lots last night. I search myself for inventory to buy using the key words brochure lot (only) . I noticed this morning that 3 of my lots didn't show up, so I had to keep adding more keywords to finally make them appear, yet they should have shown up with just those 2 as they are clearly in the title. Has anyone else noticed something similar?
I know sometimes when I'm searching for a specific part I have to use google to find it on ebay as ebay says there are no matches, yet google found it not ebay.
Since my items are all auctions they only show up on Google because I bought and run my own website, that drives customer to my ebay page. Pretty bad i have to do that for what I pay a year to sell on here, just so people can find my items.
jaymp23
·3 days agoIm literally putting in my listing word for word and there not coming up in a search. Other peoples parts are coming up and there a totally different part #. I stopped promoting so im assuming thats why
eburtonlab
·3 days ago@jaymp23
What is the item number and how are you searching?
fm2000
·3 months agoPutting the car models inside the brochures in the title is a great idea. I think he might have put "original" in the title so buyers (not the algorithm) can see and distinguish his from reprints, which are very common. I sell similar items and modern reprints are common when searching for old car brochures and such (and are often priced well above what a real vintage printing would cost for some bizarre reason.) Reprint sellers often don't put "reprint" in the title, making them frustrating to sort through, so you can't sort them out by excluding the word "reprint". (If I do sell a reprint, I put "reprint" in the title so buyers see and know right away so I don't waste their time or get an INAD if they don't actually read the description... wish other reprint sellers did, but I digress...)
onefootflipper
·3 months agoWhen I search for the exact titles of any of your listings I find them, every single time.
However I have noticed something, your titles consist almost completely of throwaway words.
"1964 Olds Oldsmobile Sales Brochure Booklet Catalog Old Original"
Every single one of those words is an endless listing black hole in its own and who knows how many the search engine is ignoring. If the brochure has its own title then why aren't you using it? If there is a Starfire on the cover then why aren't you putting the word Starfire in the title?
Secondly. Why are you listing these in the wrong category. You seem to be listing all of yours in.
eBay Motors > Parts & Accessories > Car & Truck Parts & Accessories
While they should be in this category.
Collectibles > Transportation > Automobilia > Brochures & Catalogs
So instead of listing them in the correct category where a browsing customer might find them you are listing them in what is pretty much the single must junked up and hard to search category on ebay.
Your issues are based on the combination of listing in the wrong category and not using any non-generic keywords in your listings.
redlinear
·3 months agoBuyers don't know what they want.
That's eBay's job
jossom-61
·3 months agoI have noticed the same even when using the exact same description in a search on the EBay app.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoThe "Best Match" search results are not intended to be based on the literal word matches.
It is a complex algorithm based on the item name, item specifics, price and other undocumented criteria including your search history. It also is affected by paid promotion.
You might get a different result if you were not logged into your account.
The search is not a tool for sellers to look for what they want to look for. It is a tool for buyers to buy something from Ebay - anything from any seller.
The same complaints are frequent from the sellers on other internet marketplaces.
The seller's idea of their best interest differs from the buyer's and Ebay's best interest. The seller's idea is of less importance to Ebay.
umccars
·5 months agoI don't check my own, but I do get bad search results. Something I looked at yesterday won't show up today without more, or different words in title. Ebay is noy very consistent on search results. If you see something you're interested in, add to your watch list.
embcreative
·5 months agoembcreative here is South Florida. Frustrating. Exact title and it can't be found. As others have said, I search on Google and it shows up that it's listed on eBay?
randyshotrods
OP5 months agoOk 24 hours later, actually 36 hours later and those items still don't show up in a search. Why are we even bothering to offer stuff for sale on here, if ebay can't even do their part of having it come up in search results. I get lots of crap that doesn't match the words in my search box, when mine are actually in the title of listing.
More lots listed last night and only some of them are visible. Beyond frustrating.
Is anyone going to fix it, or is this the new norm to chase sellers away? Seems we keep pegging away while Rome burns around us.
redlinear
·5 months ago@randyshotrods
It's a car part thing. Probably everything, but I notice car parts.
Searches are manipulated.
I've been listing some semi rare stuff lately.
Find nothing on eBay. Take it to google and end up finding it (on eBay). Same words I'm searching on eBay.
Kinda sinks when it's your own stuff hidden down under "results matching fewer words"....and by that I mean, the EXACT WORDS.
randyshotrods
OP5 months agoWorst part is I list auctions only so my stuff doesn't even come up on a google search as only buy it now items show up on google. That was the reason I had to start a website with godaddy , buy a domain etc, just so that people could see the stuff I am listing as it will come up with that, but it's another site I have to upload everything to every night, just to drive traffic to my auctions.
As far as I know ebay doesn't have any offsite promotions available for auction items only buy it now.
I sure wish it was the way it used to be, half the work for twice the money. Now we are mice scrambling for the random crumbs. 😞
redlinear
·5 months agoI agree. It's for sure gotten to be twice the work and it sure seems like a lot less money.
A lot less $$ vs time for sure.
deltilogical
·5 months agoI'm sure the start time is accurate so you get the full 7 days - but the start time isn't immediate when we upload them.
I've had similar issues searching for my own items - the ebay search is historically lousy especially now that is loaded with paid preferences. I've found if I search by exact title if I leave out a 'the' or 'and' or add an extra space the search will bomb out. and the paid preferences are always in the way. I do NOT enjoy the little quiz I get now in my search results. It is **bleep**ed. NOTE: The censored word is not one of George Carlins it is the censorware doing its thing. As a test will it censor Microslop?
randyshotrods
OP5 months agoI was wondering why the no show as the others, many listed basically from the same one and the others actually listed as relists I added more brochures to. Figured they would all come up about the same time. So instead of a 7 day auction we are getting a 6 day auction and anyone looking by newly listed misses them. Sound like a great recipe for poor sales. Wonderful!
It just can't get much better around here.
'Funny part is they do eventually show up with enough keywording, so its not about time listed as much as items not being picked up by the search engine.
cambriachick
·5 months agoIt can take 24 hours for a new listing to show up.
meme6253
·5 months agoI have never understood why the 24 hours wait period, It should be an immediate thing!
randyshotrods
OP5 months agoMany do seem to list almost immediately. Some must not, but they all sure do end exactly 7 days later at that exact time they were listed. I list every night about the same time, takes a half hour to 45 minutes and that's the exact span and usually the exact order they end in. Of course sometimes the system messes up and they end out of sequence which is a little frustrating as I have them organized a certain way and when they end out of order it's a little more confusing and time consuming to pull them.
Someday maybe there will be some competition and things will get better, but I'm not holding my breath for that.
dhbookds
·5 months agoI found one of yours pretty easily.........3 more are shown after the first........