eBay

sunny-side · ‎02-25-2025

I have one single 1961 corvair hubcap I want to sell with Buy It Now. To set a price, I searched for "1961 Corvair hubcap" and got a few returns. I then selected "Completed Listings" and got more than 3700 returns, the majority of which had absolutely nothing to do with my search. I looked at a couple of the unrelated items, and in both descriptions there is a section called "Item Specifics" which lists probably every year and every vehicle ever made. So of course my search would include that item, because my search terms are in that huge list of item specifics.

My question is, how do I only get returns related to the item I'm looking for, without all the unrelated items?

Thanks!

redmodelt · ‎02-25-2025

Some parts sellers put every make, model and year under the sun in their listings. Start your search by adding -fits to your search. Pull up that search 1961 Corvair hubcap -fits and see how that looks. If it is still overpopulated, look at some of the listings and see what is in the specifics category. You may note that many might have for instance, Hudson (nothing against Hudson). Add space comma -Hudson after the -fits. 1961 Corvair hubcap -fits, -Hudson and see if that helps. Also, make sure you are searching for only used parts by checking the box over on the right and either USA or North America for location. I have never found using " before and after the search words being of much help.

redlinear · ‎02-25-2025

@sunny-side
You really can't. Most of this is due to all that keyword stuffing in item specifics in the part number boxes.
Thousands of words that have nothing to do with what was listed.
Promoted listings have an effect on search results also.
It's not so much that YOU can't find items. There are some tricks/hacks that will help you with your research.
The real problem is that potential buyers can't find your items.

meme6253 · ‎02-25-2025

Potential buyers not able to find your items, Is a big problem that many of us have due to a very overly complicated system that is difficult to navigate.

a_c_green · ‎02-25-2025

@sunny-side wrote:
I have one single 1961 corvair hubcap I want to sell with Buy It Now. To set a price, I searched for "1961 Corvair hubcap" and got a few returns. I then selected "Completed Listings" and got more than 3700 returns, the majority of which had absolutely nothing to do with my search.

Searching for auto parts on eBay is basically hopeless, for the reasons already given. (Why they advertise auto parts so heavily on TV/radio is baffling; it would be more profitable to put the money into cleaning up that area of the site so that prospective buyers can actually find what they're looking for.)

If you don't already have the original GM part number for your hubcap, seek that out elsewhere and then try using that for a search here.

Worthpoint.com is another resource to search for similar listings, though you will not be able to see the final sale price without a subscription. In a roundabout way, though, you might be able to use Worthpoint search results to get more details about your own item, and try refining your own search here (such as via part number, Hollander interchange number, or year and model) to cut down on some of the rubbish results.

I also tried plugging in "1961 corvair wheel cover part number" on Google, and that returned a wide spectrum of matching listings from eBay and elsewhere. Pricing seems to average around $30-$40 each for a clean used example. Good luck.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎02-25-2025

Don't put in "1961"- just use corvair hubcap

redlinear · ‎02-25-2025

@meme6253 wrote:
Potential buyers not able to find your items, Is a big problem that many of us have due to a very overly complicated system that is difficult to navigate.

Potential buyers not being able to find what THEY are searching for

tobadger · ‎02-25-2025

If it is truly a hubcap and not a wheel cover, you might try using "dog dish" hub cap in your title and searches. "Dog dish" is a common term amongst gearheads (car people).