Mea Culpa From A Search Manipulator

[flubberdoo]

Listing Title: Vintage Heavy Brass Lock Medieval Soldier. No Key.

Policy Violation:

Your listing didn't follow our Search manipulation policy. Manipulating search results to gain unfair visibility of a listing is not allowed.

What activity didn't follow the policy

 Please understand that you used the keywords "No Key" in the title and description of the listing. Keywords are often used for the purpose of diverting members to a listing, which is not permitted. Also, usage of different keywords in the title results in a poor search experience. Keywords can be defined as brand names, celebrity names, designer names, specific products, or other much searched words, which are unrelated with the actual item for sale. You can relist your item by removing the unrelated keywords from your listing.

________________________________

I just want to apologize for telling potential buyers the lock had no key. This was straight up manipulation and unfair to those selling locks that did have keys. I should have lied by omission. I'm glad that after probably 40 or 50 re-listings of this item, justice has been served. Again, I'm sorry.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@flubberdoo 

😆🤣 well we are just going to lock you up and throw away that key!!

Unbelievable, geez!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I'm no expert on key word manipulation rules, I think the issue here may be that Search doesn't really pick up words like "with" or "no". So someone searching for a "lock with key" is going to be shown "lock no key" because the word key is in your title. I'd guess someone looking for only locks with keys complained to ebay.

[soh.maryl]

What would have happened if he had said "keyless lock"? Just curious.  

[donsdetour]

Lock with no key. do not separate it from the rest with period or coma etc..

Now that "Soldier"  i could see as key word manipulation.

Bot don't care man. Bot don't think. Bot just do what it instructed to do.

You get the ding man.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@soh.maryl  I wouldn't advise it, because a "keyless lock" is a type of lock that does not require a key. His lock requires a key, which he does not have. So, two different things. Obviously, the OP wasn't deliberately trying to manipulate search, and I suspect most of us would do the same thing without really thinking about it. 

I'd suggest: making sure "no key" is front and center in the condition field, mention it in the description field, and create a custom Item Specific if one doesn't exist for this. 

[soh.maryl]

Oh, I thought the problem was that the word "key" was used at all.  

[donsdetour]

---

@soh.maryl wrote:

Oh, I thought the problem was that the word "key" was used at all.  

---

I suspect you are correct as such is used with coins such as key date, meaning a date of value due to rare...

The pay to play (promotion) is what is causing this mess.

[titipeo]

How about:

Vintage Heavy Brass Lock Medieval Soldier. Missing its opening mechanism.

[maxine*j]

And that's the problem with so much so-called "artificial intelligence.," isn't it?   Artificial it is.  Intelligent it is not, far too often.   Stupid bots.

=

[donsdetour]

---

@maxine*j wrote:

And that's the problem with so much so-called "artificial intelligence.," isn't it?   Artificial it is.  Intelligent it is not, far too often.   Stupid bots.

=

---

More like round and round the little square circle I go: cant change it so......

That is the so called AI today.....

[d-k_treasures]

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I'm no expert on key word manipulation rules, I think the issue here may be that Search doesn't really pick up words like "with" or "no". So someone searching for a "lock with key" is going to be shown "lock no key" because the word key is in your title. I'd guess someone looking for only locks with keys complained to ebay.

---

Yes, they  seem to ignore the part about 'ALL words, ANY order' search default.

[evelyb30]

Meanwhile, if the OP lists the lock and puts the missing key in the description only, some renter would return it SNAD because there's no key.  Some days you can't win.