ebay search

[bobk100]

Why is the Ebay search engine not returning my specific search criteria and taking so long to do it?

For instance, when I place items to look for such as "Used engine for Citroen 2cv"  it displays so much other unrelated items?

Surely in this techy world Ebay could zero in on my specific words it would exclude all else?

The same happens for new items - so much so that I'm using Amazon much more to a targeted response and to get a fast response to my search as Ebay seems to be taking a month of Sundays to search and display.

[campanaelia]

Sellers pay extra fees for promoted listings so they just pop up every where to increase exposure. Ebay is hoping you might like some even though it's unrelated to your current search.

[mudshark61369]

@bobk100,

I think your problem is that you are connected to the U.S. based site (ebay.com) In the U.S. even when Citroen was partnered with one of the big 3 GM, Ford or Chrysler, the 2cv was not sold in this country. So ebay's search not finding what you were looking for, tried to show you related items. 

Try logging into your home site (ebay.co.uk) then try your search.  I doubt even Amazon would have a Used 2cv engine listed even in the U.K..

[bobk100]

Regretably this is on the .co.uk site as well.

[eburtonlab]

Avoid using "Best Match" sort order to limit the results you see. "Best Match" will often display items that are only marginally related to your search.

Try this UK search:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/33615/i.html?_nkw=engine+Citroen+2cv&_sop=10&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=3000

If you examine the results, you should see your keywords in the title or item-specifics even though many of the results are not engines.

If you are having problems with searches being slow to load, try temporarily disabling your ad blocker to see if that makes a difference, or try another browser.

[mudshark61369]

@bobk100,

Still you might receive better answers about searching for things like used engines on the U.K. site's community. 

It might also help to add the type, years of Mfr, displacement, and other engine specifics, to your search. If you haven't added your CV2's year and other specifics to your garage, doing that may help narrow down search results.

On this site I just did a search for a Chevrolet 283 cui, (cubic inch) V-8 engine in the ebay Motors category. The initial search did return a lot of other parts but under the main search bar was a related search for  283 Chevy complete engine When I clicked on that suggestion, I received 57 results with only a few being the block only or main engine components.

[reallyhardtofind]

Ebay's search engine is terrible I can give many examples of how bad it is when searching for specific things.

[mudshark61369]

@reallyhardtofind,

"Ebay's search engine is terrible I can give many examples of how bad it is when searching for specific things".

Believe me I know how messed up the Search can be. I'm just offering suggestions on how one can limit results to display more relevant results.  Sometimes too many key words give more unrelated items, other times too few key words does the same thing.

  On a search results page, if I see a high number of results I start using the suggested filters under the search title, or the filters in the left column to get fewer more relevant results. In some categories that return a very high number of results the first filter I use is "Location: U.S. only" to dump the china based listings.  My biggest fear is that ebay and other sites will start using AI 100% of the time for search results.

[reallyhardtofind]

Type in Robert Horry or Atmos Clock here are two searches and I can name plenty more. Ebays search engine is broken and its driving away customers. Buyers shouldn't have to do anything special to search what they are looking for. Ebay will only decline if they don't fix this problem. Buyers should be able to search for what exactly what they type in the search bar.

[reallyhardtofind]

Again you're telling people how to search in ebay forums. New and most buyers aren't here reading this **bleep**. They are just trying to search items they are looking for. Its pretty simple. 

[eburtonlab]

Buyers should be able to search for what exactly what they type in the search bar.

Buyers that search that way will get plenty of results that contain those keywords in the title or item-specifics. Whether you think they should or not.

If buyers want something other than that, they will have to change the way they search. Whether you think they should or not.

[eburtonlab]

Again you're telling people how to search in ebay forums.

Yes. Exactly. I am telling the people that are reading here how to use the existing search as it is right now to actually find things.

People who are not reading here, or who are reading here but are not willing to change the way they search, will not be helped by my responses here.

Those people will not be helped by your responses here either, though.