eBay search results are bugged on desktop?

[crowvania]

Hi,

When I search for my items on eBay on the desktop using chrome, they don't show up, nor some items I saw existed before. The search results will tell me there are 26 results shown, but when you count there are only 16!!!

The search on the android app works just fine, but when using the desktop browser it seems there are issues. Not sure if it's on my end or not, but I did clear everything, the cookies and search history and nothing seems to work

Any idea?

[evry1nositswindy]

Part of the difference could be variation listings.  A listing for a shirt looks like one listing, but if it has multiple sizes and colors, the count includes each one as a choice.  One individual listing may count as 10.

[crowvania]

It seems that this issue is only with chrome. Works fine when using Edge.

[crowvania · Accepted solution]

Ok so I found the souloution. 

You need to clear up all the history and cookies on chrome, them go to settings > Advanced > Reset and Clean up > Restore settings to their original defaultes. This fixed it for me!

Edit: It seems that the AD block exttention is what causing me this issues. When I enable it it brings back the issues, when I disable it, it gets fixed!

[books_n_more]

I've paused my sponsored listings campaign for the time being and that sorted it.  There isn't much point in paying for sponsored listings if adblock is just going to kill them.

[myhomeschooldelights]

@crowvania 

I am experiencing the same thing and appreciate your post about chrome causing the problem.  I also use chrome and if I do a general ebay site search for a specific listing of mine using the main title words, I have found a few that are not in the results at all.  BUT - and I'm just adding this for additional info - when I clicked on "advanced search" at the top right of the results page, and then from that screen, without adding a single parameter or change of any kind, clicked "search" - the ones that were missing from the first results showed up.   I hadn't tried another browser or clearing cache, etc. because I just now saw your post.

I would think this is a glitch in the search function on eBay.  It's like the "advanced search" isn't really advanced, but is accurately returning results, while the general search is not.  This would account for no sales activity on those items.  It's a bit concerning.  These are promoted listings as well.  

If you search for the listing in your eBay store, can you see it?  Mine says listing found, but the page is blank, so it is not visible from the store.  I have reported both these issues to eBay for business FB page, but they have not helped yet.

tyler@ebay

[dtowncomics]

I've been playing around with it. It is definitely adblock, maybe a new update is causing listings to be flagged as ads or something. It happens on both chrome and firefox for me with adblock on. It only occurs when I'm viewing on list view, if I switch to gallery view they show up fine. My items are among the ones missing and they are not sponsored or promoted. On a couple random searches, with a 1st page of 120 items, I could only see 50 out of 120 and 62 out of 120.

[backpacktreasures]

It is happening whenever you use an ad blocker regardless of whether your item is sponsored or not. I was going crazy trying to figure it out yesterday. I disabled ad blocker and bingo my items reappear. I use Chrome as well. However a potential buyer is not going to realize this. About 25% of computer uses use ad blockers. I too believe that this could have something to do with the latest update. Please fix this ebay so that our listings can be shown to everyone.

[eburtonlab]

Can you provide an example of a search that gives different results depending on the use of an ad blocker?  And a description of the ad blocker and blocking subscription (such as EasyList) that you are using? Are you using any custom ad blocking rules that might be affecting your results?

In the past it was possible to block sponsored listings with an ad blocker, but since then eBay has changed the way that sponsored listings work, and I do not think that ad blockers will block sponsored listings by default any longer, unless someone has changed something recently.

I have not heard of ad blockers affecting organic search results prior to this.

[myhomeschooldelights]

@eburtonlab  Hi there!  There's a similar discussion on this on the selling board today also.  I also spoke with eBay for Bus. FB people about it.   It has been confirmed by several sellers that use ad blockers that their listing(s) does not show up in a search, but when the blocker is disabled, the listing appears.  I personally use Ad Blocker Plus.  I searched for a couple of my listings by words in their titles in a general eBay site search - nada.  I did nothing but turn off the Ad Blocker, tried again and they popped right up.  They also showed in my Store search by doing the same thing.  They were both promoted.  Although others have noted in this thread that the same thing has happened with non-promoted listings.  The problem is the ad blocker.   I asked social media team to please create a ticket, but I'm not sure they will.  They stated they can't control users' ad blockers......Nevertheless, as a result, a fair amount of potential buyers are not seeing listings.....I would think eBay would look into it.

[dtowncomics]

My search is for a graded comic I am currently selling. The search term is : "Amazing spider-man 361 CGC 9.8 2nd print".  Here are results with pictures...i've checked on both chrome and firefox with the same results.  

With Adblock Plus (no special rules or anything, just the regular browser extension):

in "list view" :  It says 21 listings, I can see 16 (missing my own).

in "gallery view": It says 20 listings, I can see 18 (mine is visible).

With Adblock Plus turned off:

in "list view" : It says 20 listings, I can see 21 (there is a random Amazing Spider-Man #799 showing, it is not sponsored). Mine is there.

In "gallery view": It says 20 listings, I can see 20 including mine.

I don't see a correlation between the listings that are hidden...they seem random. Mine is on sale but the others aren't. Mine is not promoted or sponsored.

This happens on essentially whatever I search for. If it is a search term with thousands of listings, the number of pages of listings seems correct but there may be a random number of listings hidden on each page. Sometimes more than half of them.

[backpacktreasures]

Here is the problem. We are sellers trying to figure out how to resolve this. A buyer is not going to think about jumping through all these hoops. 

[eburtonlab]

I did some experimentation and found a sample search that gave me different results depending on whether I had an ad blocker active or not. The numbers shown at the top of the search results did not change, but the actual number of listings shown did by a significant margin (about 20% in one instance).

I have not done comprehensive tests, but so far it appears that at least in my case the rules that affect the search results are part of the ABP filters -- specifically the abp-filters-anti-cv:

https://github.com/abp-filters/abp-filters-anti-cv

The ABP filters are anti-circumvention filters aimed at ads that are specifically designed to avoid detection by ad blockers. The only direct references to eBay in the ABP source file I can find relate to sponsored listings. It is possible that the rules in the ABP filter list are overly broad and are causing non-sponsored listings to be blocked inappropriately.

Disabling that set of filters seems to allow me to get the full search results on eBay -- that is, the number of search results shown at the top appears to match the numbers of listings shown (not counting sponsored listings).

[eburtonlab]

We are sellers trying to figure out how to resolve this. A buyer is not going to think about jumping through all these hoops.

If we can figure out why certain listings are being blocked, sellers may be able to change the way those items are listed so they are not blocked, or the authors of the blocking rules can be alerted that they are causing collateral damage. Possibly then the rules can be fixed so that they no longer block those listings.

[backpacktreasures]

This is not a solution. What you have proposed is a solution for sellers who have reported the problem. I have disabled my ad blocker temporarily. But this is not a solution for buyers who have no idea that this is occuring and will have no idea or even want to disable their ad blocker. So what is the solution for buyers who are looking for our items and not finding them? Is there a way to change this post back to not solved?