Is it possible to make eBay pay attention to the words that I enter in search?

[bitsquad]

eBay's search algorithm seems to be entirely broken lately.

I type in 20" TV and I get 4,400+ results, most of which don't even have 20 in the title. I see plenty of 32", 39", 24", 12", and a very small number of 20" TVs.

"Search in Description" is not selected.

I tried going to advance and selecting the option "exact words, any order" and then I get 190,000 results.

Is this really how search is supposed to function? The site is becoming unusable.

[dhbookds]

If you use the filters on the left, you can narrow screen size to "20-29" and get 275............

[inhawaii]

I know you shouldn't have to do this, but if you put the "20" in quotation marks you'll get more accurate search results.

[mam98031]

Ebay's search engine doesn't just look at the title of the listings.  It also considers the ISBs [item specific boxes].

[mam98031]

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@dhbookds wrote:

If you use the filters on the left, you can narrow screen size to "20-29" and get 275............

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Excellent advice.  Using the additional filters in the left rail can be very useful.

[redlinear]

The search function pulls up Best Match 1st.
This is a combination of:
1) Words in the Title
2) Info the seller entered into Item Specifics (even if not accurate/correct/item related)
3) Promoted listings paid for by seller
4) Seller Performance
5) Time (how long a listing has been on eBay)
6) Item Price
7) Quantity of like/similar listings
😎 Activity/Views (maybe)
     And wouldn't it be great to know which of those was most important......
     eBay is deciding what the "searcher" wants. 
     What the "searcher" actually wants? Not so much.

[coolections]

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@bitsquad wrote:

Is this really how search is supposed to function? The site is becoming unusable.

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Yes, it is exactly how it is suppose to work. They have one of the best searches on the web. When you type 20" tv, look to your left. You can choose from there any size and any brand you want. Good luck with your new purchase.

[coolections]

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@redlinear wrote:

    wouldn't it be great to know which of those was most important......    

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@redlinear   Sell-through believe it or not. Then the obvious, top rated, # of returns, promoted etc. In all reality very few buyers just grab the first thing they see; most change the default to lowest price, ending soonest and newly listed.

[rabites-n-chocobos]

It's just a game that you need to play. A real search engine hasn't been a thing since about 2010.