Advanced search keeps refining listings by my own username

[gurlcat]

Anybody else ever have something like this happen?  Starting a few days ago, whenever I go to look up comps, the down-page refinement By Seller keeps checking itself and putting my name in.  So if I don't remember to scroll down and uncheck it, then I get zero results or only my own listing(s) if I have that item listed.  It's not a big deal but kind of annoying. 

If this can only be fixed by doing something involving "cookies" or whatever, can you explain how to do it like I am a 2-year-old?  It seems like whenever I have done that procedure it made no difference  to whatever problem I was having, just made my computer forget important things that I didn't know how to restore.  Anyway I don't think this is some kind of thing where it's "haunted" by a past search, because I've never typed my name in that box, ever.  

[ittybitnot]

If this can only be fixed by doing something involving "cookies" or whatever, can you explain how to do it like I am a 2-year-old?

@gurlcat 

What a funky choice for eBay to have a "sticky" selection.  It would be better if they had it on the Feedback Page where for Latest instead of Most Relevant.  

If you use a computer I can tell you how to clear your cache/cookies.   However, it would be best to clear cookies ONLY for eBay, for if you do them all, you are going to have to sign in to every site you use. Tell me what browser. 

[eburtonlab]

Starting a few days ago, whenever I go to look up comps, the down-page refinement By Seller keeps checking itself and putting my name in.

Any chance you are using a bookmark to search sold or completed items? If you inadvertently bookmarked a page that you had used to search your own listings, or if you used the "Advanced" link when starting from such a search, that information would be encoded in the page URL and would reload each time you used that particular bookmark or link.

Try starting from this link, which should have no username information appearing:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/ebayadvsearch

If you see your username filled out on that page after using that link, then something very odd is happening -- either with your saved form data in your browser or with eBay itself. If you see the same behavior using a different browser, that would point to an issue on eBay's end, I think.

[adamcartwright]

You probably don't need to clear your cookies, only your cache aka "browsing data."

I don't know which browser you're using, but if you're in Safari: Develop tab, Empty Caches

[gurlcat]

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@eburtonlab wrote:

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I clicked your link, and sure enough it's the same.   Before typing anything, if I scroll down to that section my name is in there, but the box is not checked.   

Then if I scroll back to the top and type any character into the keyword box, then scroll back down, the seller box is checked.  



Now I'm going to log in on a different browser and see what that does. I'll post a new reply for that result.

[gurlcat]

So, normally I use Chrome, but when I log into my account on Safari, the advanced search is normal, nothing happening down in that section even after I enter characters in the keyword box. 

[eburtonlab]

Then if I scroll back to the top and type any character into the keyword box, then scroll back down, the seller box is checked.

Very odd. It is almost as if a password manager-type program is feeding that information into the page automatically.

It may still be an eBay issue -- but it certainly is an odd one.

[eburtonlab]

At least one other user is reporting the same issue:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Report-eBay-Technical-Issues/eBay-searches-for-sold-completed-items-ar...

[gurlcat]

Ah thank you very much for that.  What is the best way I could report my issue to eBay?  

[eburtonlab · Accepted solution]

What is the best way I could report my issue to eBay?

This is such an odd issue that I am not really sure who at eBay could look into this. But it should be passed along to someone. I will tag Devon.

devon@ebay 

Devon, there seems to be a really weird interaction between Chrome browsers and the eBay Advanced Search page where the user's username or email address is automatically and repeatedly being inserted into the "Seller" "Only show items from" entry field, making advanced searches not work correctly.

I have been able to recreate this issue in Chrome and Chrome Beta, but not other browsers.

Deleting the eBay username/password entries from Chrome's password manager seems to fix the immediate issue, and then adding the entry back has, so far, not caused the problem to reoccur again.

Not sure if this is an eBay problem or a Chrome problem -- or a password manager problem, or something else.

[gurlcat]

Hey I didn't see the notification when you made this reply on the 3rd, but I'm glad I saw it now!  
I just tried what you did: "Deleting the eBay username/password entries from Chrome's password manager seems to fix the immediate issue, and then adding the entry back has, so far, not caused the problem to reoccur again."  And it worked!!!  Thank you SO much for going to the trouble of figuring that out!  I had of course already tried simply signing out then back in, but I never would have dreamed it could have anything to do with the Chrome autofill!  So weird.  

Here's something I didn't mention before.  I don't have an up-to-date Chrome version running.  The last time it updated (several months ago) I couldn't do it, because my Macbook is on Catalina (the newer Chrome version requires the newer o.s. version) ...... and this old 2011 Mac simply cannot go past Catalina.  I took it to the Geek Squad an everything.  I basically just need to buy a new Mac and I know I could get one a decent used one here for only a couple hundred bucks (got one for my daughter -yes, more up to date than mine) about a year ago, and saved the seller, but right now I'm just breaking even on income/expenses.  

Anyway, not sure how you were able to "recreate" this freaky advanced search issue, but you also said there was at least one other person having the same issue, so I take that it's not related to my outdated Chrome version.  I wonder why Devon hasn't replied.  -Maybe they got an extended weekend, starting July 4th.  

[eburtonlab]

You are very welcome! Your complete description of the issue was exactly what I encountered when I tried an Advanced Search in Chrome, though my wife is the primary Chrome user on this computer, so actually it was her email address that appeared in the Seller field. I did not want to change her password manager settings, so I tried Chrome Beta and experienced the same issue with my credentials appearing. Deleting the credentials seemed to work and have no ill-effects, even when saving the credentials again.

So apparently the version of Chrome is not relevant; both my Chrome and Chrome Beta are the latest version for Windows 10.

I have since seen a couple of more users describing similar symptoms, and at least one responding reporting success deleting password manager credentials.