04-06-2023 12:29 PM
This has to be a technical issue.
I just did a search for "bohemian etched bell". Their first listing showed a bell, the next 7 showed earrings and a ring which had nothing to do with the word bohemian or bell. Most of the items on the page had nothing to do with what I was searching for.
How are customers to find items they are looking for when searches push out things that don't even pertain to what they are looking for?
This is happening more and more. And most of the listings that showed were being shipped from China. Are they getting preferential treatment? The same thing happens in other searches. Items that have been promoted are showing up in categories they don't belong in. Is it a money grab or a tech issue?
As a seller, we have to make sure our items are in the right category so buyers can find our items. But then they don't even show up.
What is going on? I think tech has some glitches unless you have a better idea of what is going on.
04-06-2023 01:16 PM
How exactly were you searching? If possible, include a link to your search. How you search and what sort order you choose has a great effect on what results you see.
When I enter bohemian etched bell into a general eBay search with no filters, this is what I see:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=bohemian+etched+bell&_sacat=0
Most of the results seem to have all of those terms or close synonyms in the title or item specifics. I did notice some jewellery items -- mostly bell drop earrings that included etched and bohemian or boho in the title or in the Theme item-specific.
How are customers to find items they are looking for when searches push out things that don't even pertain to what they are looking for?
What results do you find that do not pertain to your search terms? Perhaps the results you see do pertain to your search in a way that is not apparent to you. Perhaps altering your search slightly will allow you to see more of what you want and less of what you do not.
Most folks seem to be able to find things they are looking for by using a combination of keywords, category selection, and filter options. The search seems particularly well-suited to someone using a phone with little or no experience searching on eBay.
What sorts of etched bell items were you specifically looking for? Decorative collectible bells?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/261598/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=bohemian+etched+bell&_sop=7
Glassware?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/262388/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=bohemian+etched+bell&_sop=7
Brass?
04-07-2023 04:04 PM
I wish I would have taken a screenshot yesterday. The titles of the jewelry that were showing up didn't have any of the 3 words that I searched. Today, the search is totally different and is actually showing bells.
04-07-2023 04:06 PM
Some major change was made in the past two days. Whatever it was, it needs to be backed out immediately.
04-07-2023 05:18 PM
It is possible that eBay was testing some new search programming -- from time to time eBay will test new software on some "lucky" accounts. That can make it very hard to diagnose issues, as different users can get entirely different results when following the same link under the same conditions.
Also possible that eBay changed how certain individual keywords affect search.
In any case, I am glad to hear that the search is working better today.