Example of eBay’s Inadequate Seach Engine

[larrys.basement]

I have Nora Fleming platter in the Swiss Dot pattern. Item #265102212270

When I search “Nora Fleming Swiss Dot” (first 4 words of the listing title), the item is NOT displayed. 21 Results.

When I search “Swiss Dot Nora Fleming” the item is shown (24 results).

Sad thing is that when I do a Google search, only 2 eBay listing display on the first page.  All others are on other selling platforms.  I thought we were to get better visibility on outside search?

Extremely disappointed to say the least.

PS Same results on other computers and 2 mobile devices.

[rfmtm]

I am afraid that's the way ebay designed it to work.  It is no longer a true search engine, same on Amazon, and even Google has succumbed to this type of inquiry manipulation.  And as soon as you think you may have figured it out, they change it.  This has both sellers and buyers totally frustrated, but unable to do anything about it.  There is no clue to why, other than to think somehow it generates more revenue, otherwise it make absolutely no sense at all.

[eburtonlab]

Your item is listed in the following category:

Pottery & Glass > Pottery & China > China & Dinnerware > Other China & Dinnerware

A search for nora fleming swiss dot is steered into the following category:

Home & Garden > Kitchen, Dining & Bar > Dinnerware & Serveware > Platters

Depending on the search terms that are used, eBay may steer an auction into a particular category. Items in other categories will not appear in the search results unless the user takes extra steps to change the category manually or change the search.

If you want your item to appear in a default search using those search terms, you need to list your item in that latter category, even if you think another category is more appropriate.

Google search rank may depend on many factors such as how long a page has been published and the number of other popular pages that link to the page.

[larrys.basement]

Thanks for your replay and comment.  You highlight an even a greater problem.  There is a long line of other products within the Swiss dot pattern.  Not just platters.  Just as the Nora Fleming Pearl Dot pattern.

Nor does it answer why changing around the first 4 words give different results.  In almost every search, you begin with BRAND and then MODEL. Or in this cast, pattern.  You don’t search Mustang Ford?  You search Ford Mustang.

And for Google.  It pickup the listing within my online store on page 2.  eBay's listing is a no-show.

Given that I’m paying for the listing, it seems fraudulent.

[eburtonlab]

@larrys.basement 

There is a long line of other products within the Swiss dot pattern. Not just platters. Just as the Nora Fleming Pearl Dot pattern.

eBay's search is assuming, rightly or wrongly, that users searching with those keywords are typically looking for platters, and that providing those results will produce sales. Perhaps users looking for other items are using additional keywords or are performing different searches when they see the the initial results are all platters.

Not every search keyword to category mapping works perfectly, obviously. There are some truly perverse results in some cases. Nonetheless eBay seems to think that, on average, providing those mappings causes greater sales overall compared to not providing those mappings. eBay certainly has incentive to maximize sales per search given certain constraints, and eBay also has a large body of data in the form of past searches and sales to work with.

Nor does it answer why changing around the first 4 words give different results. In almost every search, you begin with BRAND and then MODEL. Or in this cast, pattern. You don’t search Mustang Ford? You search Ford Mustang.

eBay's search will recognize and group certain words together; put the words in a different order and the grouping may not occur, and the words may be treated differently. For an example of this, try searching burberry body versus searching body burberry. The former search turns up a lot of bags and robes along with the occasional teddy bear, while the latter search turns up fragrances.

You may not like that eBay's search works that way, but that is the way it is. What you do with that information is up to you.