Ebay Search Sorting Options Not Working

[talisman778]

Highest to lowest + shipping, and lowest to highest + shipping not working properly. Items with lower cost + shipping are father down the search when they should be at the top. Here is just one example:

Lowest to highest + shipping

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=sam+butera+rat&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15

The first result is $10.99 with free shipping and the the one that follows it is $14.99 + $2.99 shipping, then after that it's $4.94 + $3.19 shipping. That's not right at all! then $4.49 + $4.60 shipping.

[88toro]

SAME HERE, BEEN THAT WAY FOR DAYS

[talisman778]

Thanks for the reply! I've noticed it also not always displaying my search criteria, like showing the sellers user ID.

[eburtonlab]

@talisman778 

I was all set to reply that the search was sorting correctly for me, but I decided to check a different browser just to make sure I got the same results there as well. In the second browser I noticed the same behavior you describe -- the top two listings were out of order; after that the list seemed to be reasonably well sorted.

Then I noticed that the top two results were sponsored items. I went back to my original browser and turned off ad blocking. The sponsored results then appeared at the top of the list.

Oddly, when my ad blockers are on, the sponsored listings still appeared, but minus any indication that they were sponsored, and more importantly in the correct sort order.

Now I understand why so many users have been complaining about sponsored listings when I had never noticed any.

TLDR: Get an ad blocking extension for your browser such as AdBlock, Ad Block Plus or uBlock, and you need not be troubled by sponsored listings altering your sort order.

[eburtonlab]

A followup to my recommendation.

If you want to use an ad blocker to remove the sponsored listings from the top of the search results page, be sure to uncheck the box for "Allow Acceptable Ads" -- I believe that box is checked by default for Ad Block Plus, and in that state the sponsored ads get through. Unchecking the box removes the sponsored ads from the top of the list and lets them sort correctly.