Search No Longer Works Properly - Boolean operators ignored

[tomc3355]

I can't understand why when I search for "dishwasher powder" I get returns for all sorts of unrelated items. Even if I go into advanced and specify all words, I get returns for milk powder, chocolate powder .. all sorts of junk. Given all the unrelated sponsored rubbish I also have to wade through, it's making eBay unusable.  

Is this going to be fixed?

[gosimus]

@tomc3355 

< when I search for "dishwasher powder" I get returns for all sorts of unrelated items >    

This sounds like eBay is expanding your search to find things that you didn't want.  They do that. 

Learn about Automatic Search Expansion at this Singapore Help page  https://www.ebay.com.sg/pages/help/search/expanding.html   This article used to be in the US site too, but for a reason unknown to me they've removed it.  Note that the article says that using an operator will defeat ASE. 

What I usually do is to put one word inside quotation marks.  In your post, you placed "dishwasher powder" inside quotation marks.  Do you do that as a search keyword?  If so, the quotes should have defeated ASE.  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

They removed the functionality of most boolean operators a long time ago in search (YEARS), which frustrated a lot of people 😞   But you should still be able to use quotes like @gosimus  said above. 

[potterybyrobin]

 You can also use specific categories to filter results.

[eburtonlab]

You can still search using Boolean operators.

A Boolean AND search is automatically performed when you use multiple keywords. The results will be listings that contain all keywords in the title or item-specifics. Keyword substitution may affect your results, in which case putting one of your keywords in quotes will prevent substitution.

A Boolean OR search can be performed by putting the alternative terms you want to search inside parentheses separated by commas. Results containing one or more of the grouped keywords will be returned.

A Boolean NOT or exclusion can be performed by adding a minus sign in front of the keyword you want to exclude from your results.

Performing a Boolean OR search or using an exclusion will automatically disable keyword substitution.

Try this search for dishwasher or dishwashing powder:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28dishwasher%2Cdishwashing%29+powder&_sacat=259621&L...

[tomc3355]

Hi and thanks for that. Actually I muddled things a bit in my question.  I meant I put each separate word in quotes, not both words together. Thanks for the link re ASE - that certainly makes sense.

The returns I get seem inconsistent somehow - sometimes they seem to respect the Boolean terms and sometimes not. As someone else has said the category options affect the returns and sometimes the auto category selection seems to vary.

[tomc3355]

Yes and this can help for sure, provided there is an obvious category which applies

[tomc3355]

Agree re quotes, although it doesn't always work. More thoughts on this in my reply to eburtonlab 

[tomc3355]

thanks for that - yes I often end up with a search with gazillions of minus signs!

Your link is useful though it applies to US site I think. UK site seems different. 

Here's an example: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=dishwasher+powder&_in_kw=4&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ft...

I've selected exact words, any order. Note that I haven't ticked the "search including title and description" option. But lots of the returns don't have the word "powder" in the title. 

It's hugely irritating and counterproductive, because if the search doesn't, punters will get hacked off and go elsewhere. TBH I use eBay in preference to Amazon specifically because the search option works better.

[eburtonlab]

But lots of the returns don't have the word "powder" in the title.

The ones that I saw that do not have powder in the title had powder in the item-specifics. eBay considers a keyword in the item-specifics to be a match even if you are not searching the body of the description:

[simply-the-best-for-you]

---

@eburtonlab wrote:

You can still search using Boolean operators.

A Boolean AND search is automatically performed when you use multiple keywords. The results will be listings that contain all keywords in the title or item-specifics. Keyword substitution may affect your results, in which case putting one of your keywords in quotes will prevent substitution.

A Boolean OR search can be performed by putting the alternative terms you want to search inside parentheses separated by commas. Results containing one or more of the grouped keywords will be returned.

A Boolean NOT or exclusion can be performed by adding a minus sign in front of the keyword you want to exclude from your results.

Performing a Boolean OR search or using an exclusion will automatically disable keyword substitution.

Try this search for dishwasher or dishwashing powder:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28dishwasher%2Cdishwashing%29+powder&_sacat=259621&L...

---

You're right, I was thinking of the * (wildcard)  sign that they took away, but I thought they also took away - (NOT) & parens.  Maybe not, I'll go try it.  

Also OP, in some categories (I have no idea about detergent), values put in Item Specifics are used in the search also.  I know color used to be one for Clothing, so if you searched for a green dress, green didn't have to be in the title, if it was in IS's, it would be returned in results for a green dress anyway.  Mostly this can be helpful, but in some categories (music for example) it can create confusing results.  

[tomc3355]

Another utterly useless search today. I repeat, eBay is becoming unusable because of the obsession with  showing irrelevant returns. 

Today I searched for "Black furniture board", UK only. (all word any order) I got 9341 returns, of which  about 10 are actually for black furniture board. There are literally thousands of completely useless returns including for example:

1. Computer Desk Z-Shaped with Keyboard Shelf Home Office Study PC Table Furniture

2. Modern 2 Tier Coffee Tea Table Storage Shelf Console Table Living Room Furniture

3. Rabbits on board-Sticker-Funny-Stickers-Decals-Car-Wall-Mirror-Window-280x120mm

... and countless others. 

Apart from anything else, the default seems to be to search the entire page including description plus all the alternative options listed at the bottom.

What's is the point of a "search title and description" option under advanced when ebay searches the entire page whatever you do? 

[eburtonlab]

@tomc3355 

A search for black furniture board will find every listing that has black or furniture or board in the title or item-specifics. You can choose to search the entire item description, but that is not the default behavior. Only title and item-specifics are searched by default. But those keywords turn up in many listings.

If you only want to see items related to a particular category, you should limit your search to that category, such as Furniture or DIY Materials. Or add additional keywords. Or exclusions. Or filters.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/3197/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=black+furniture+board&LH_TitleDesc=0&_fcid=3

[tomc3355]

To be 100% clear, I specify in advance search,  "all words any order"... so I should get every listing that has black and furniture and board. Surely all words means all of the search terms??? Maybe not. Maybe I have misunderstood Boolean operatives these last few decades.

I am getting returns which do not have all those terms anywhere in the page.

Do the search I have described above - it is perfectly repeatable. Search black furniture board, go to advanced, specify all words any order. (and UK only)

Look at the first non-sponsored return: Rustic Scaffold Board Shelf Pair of Brackets Industrial Heavy Duty Steel Bracket

The title has the word "board" BUT  "black and "furniture" do not appear anywhere in the title or the specifics. So there is some bad scripting somewhere.

[tomc3355]

Edit to above, because further editing is now blocked. "Black" appears in the specifics, but furniture doesn't appear anywhere.