eBay

airfix_twin · ‎07-08-2022

Having had a look at some recent reviews of the app, I don’t think I’m alone here. Basically, my searches are being autocorrected to something entirely unrelated because the app thinks I’m an idiot who can’t spell. Even my saved searches are being autocorrected when I click on them. It then takes several attempts of fighting with the autocorrect to finally get the search I want to work.

I’m sure you think you’re being helpful, but you’re really not. Please credit your users with a modicum of intelligence and remove the autocorrect feature. It’s just horrible.

eburtonlab · ‎07-11-2022

It appears that eBay has recently changed the way that search corrections are handled, and this may have caused some saved searches to no longer work correctly.

I do not think the issue is related to the app at all; you may actually find it easier to correct this using a browser, preferably a desktop browser.

Often when a search keyword provides few matches, but a slight variation in that keyword produces many results, eBay may substitute the more popular keyword directly. This can be very handy if the user has made a typo, but in some cases the substitute keyword is not what the user is searching for at all.

Using a desktop browser, when such a search substitution is done, there should be a message at the top of the search results alerting the user of the substitution, with a link to the original search without the substitution.

The app may have a similar message. If you follow that highlighted link, you should get the original search. Using a desktop browser it is relatively easy to open the saved search results in a new tab, unsave the old search, follow the highlighted link to the original "as intended" search, then save the new search. From then on, when that saved search is used, there should be no substitutions.

Alternatively, you can force eBay to search for your literal keywords with no substitutions or category changes by putting any one of your search keywords in quotes.

airfix_twin · ‎07-11-2022

Using my iMac, there are no issues at all with autocorrect, either in my searches or saved searches. As it works fine in the browser, it isn’t unreasonable to suspect the fault lies with the app.

I have also found that searches done on the app can miss a huge number of things that the desktop version finds. Both the desktop and app automatically apply “helpful” category filters, but even clearing these so that all categories are searched, the app still misses, in some cases, every single example of the item I’m looking for! Something is clearly amiss with the search function on the app and it really does need addressing.

eburtonlab · ‎07-11-2022

I see the same results whether using the browser or the eBay app, as long as I am doing the same search using the same sort order and using the same address to calculate shipping.

If the app is doing something that a browser is not, I have not seen it, aside from one issue when searching using multiple condition options at the same time.

Can you provide an example search that gives different results in a browser and in the app?

hughesjimmy12 · ‎08-04-2022

This is driving me crazy . It changes ja'marr to Jamar , burrow to barrow , and trey to trek and now tray .

airfix_twin · ‎08-05-2022

My autocorrect problem seems to have sorted itself out over the past couple of weeks. It’s still very annoying that eBay’s “helpful” features (such as automatically applying filters to searches) are anything but.
I just wish they’d leave everything well alone.

airfix_twin · ‎10-16-2022

Ok, we’re back to square one again. EBay is autocorrecting my saved searches once more. For instance, my saved search for “1/72 Stirling” is being autocorrected to “172 Sterling”, which obviously brings up different results from what I want. This keeps on happening and is absolutely maddening.

Also, the feature of my saved searches which indicates which of them has new items has been broken for weeks. It keeps showing me searches which have no new listings.

Do any of you developers actually bother to test your updates?
Come on, you’ve had it working before. Why do you keep screwing everything up?

eburtonlab · ‎10-16-2022

@airfix_twin

Try putting one of your search keywords in quotes:

1/72 "stirling"

That should force eBay to return only exact matches to your search term with no substitutions.

Unfortunately eBay's search does not distinguish between many types of punctuation marks, so 1/72 will also match 1*72, 1:72 and 1-72 as well as 1_72, even if the term is placed within quote marks.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-16-2022

@eburtonlab wrote:
@airfix_twin

Try putting one of your search keywords in quotes:

1/72 "stirling"

That should force eBay to return only exact matches to your search term with no substitutions.

Unfortunately eBay's search does not distinguish between many types of punctuation marks, so 1/72 will also match 1*72, 1:72 and 1-72 as well as 1_72, even if the term is placed within quote marks.

On an indirect theme recently searching for a book by exact title and author....word match items returned. Books were wayyyy down the line. Adding the word "book" after the author brings up book results first. Is this the new normal? Author should be the added extra to retrieve books specifically. Do you need to add CD to get CD's first? There can also be major variances to what shows up between dot ca and dot com. A few others have been wondering if home site gets preferential treatment...even when nearest is included.

-Lotz

eburtonlab · ‎10-16-2022

recently searching for a book by exact title and author....word match items returned. Books were wayyyy down the line. Adding the word "book" after the author brings up book results first. Is this the new normal?

It may depend on the keywords used and the sort order you are choosing, and whether those same keywords appear in many other titles in other categories. Rather than adding "book" as a keyword, you may want to limit your search to the Book category by selecting that category on the left side of the search results page where the results are displayed by category if you are using a desktop browser.

If the same keywords appear in the title or item specifics of items in other categories such as DVDs or Toys, and most other folks searching those same keywords are making purchases in those other categories, then those results may be given priority in a Best Match search.

airfix_twin · ‎10-16-2022

With the greatest respect, and I appreciate that you’re trying to help, I don’t think you’re quite understanding the issue. The issue is that my saved searches, many of which worked perfectly well for years, now have the autocorrect issue. Why can’t eBay disable the autocorrect? It isn’t wanted or needed. The fact that it used to work and will sometimes work intermittently means it can be made to work again.

The automatically applied filters are also extremely annoying. If I wanted a filter, I would select it myself. I can guarantee that if I repeat the search with the automatically applied category filters deselected, I will find several instances of my desired items that were not previously visible. Again, why does this happen as default? It’s annoying, wastes time and means that sellers can have their items not visible. Just stop it.

Ebay needs to stop treating its customers like idiots and accept that maybe, just maybe, they actually know what they are searching for. Is that too much to ask? Any developers want to chime in?

eburtonlab · ‎10-16-2022

The issue is that my saved searches, many of which worked perfectly well for years, now have the autocorrect issue. Why can’t eBay disable the autocorrect?

eBay could certainly disable the auto-correct feature, but most likely eBay will not do that.

The problem appears to be a gross misapplication of that auto-correct feature when it is not called for. If this is the result of an unintended change or a side effect of some other planned change, eBay should fix it at some point. That may not happen as quickly as you would like, even if eBay is alerted by many users and eBay recognizes that there is a problem.

In the mean time, you can still search and find the items you want by making a minor change in the way you search. If you would prefer to wait for eBay to fix the problem for you, that is your choice.