The Ebay search engine is broken

[fmwsells]

I noticed something that doesn't work properly when you search for items and I would like to report that problem to the ebay technical team. Does anybody know how to do that?

In case you are curious this is what I noticed. If you search for the following keywords the ebay search engine returns 0 items even though there are several listing with those exact same keywords. I'm sure this is not an isolated problem and is affecting everybody. It does not help our buyers find our items. I've been using ebay for a long time and this is not normal.

MARVEL Super Heroes Figures MGA

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, i input your exact keywords. It came back with no matches, but it also showed me a page worth of near matches, see screen shot. Some of those should have been in the prime results. Things like categories chosen by the seller effect the returned results.

This subject of broken Search comes up often since the launch of Cassini several years ago. To reach the technical team, you’d have to call Customer Service and lodge your complaint. Or come to the weekly chats here in the forum every Wednesday.

[ed8108]

Search engine broken

Hopefully ebay accumulates enough money to someday install one that works.

Unfortunately that day may not be soon enough to keep manny buyers here.  :

[coolections]

Found plenty with no problems. Try skipping the word figures and just type Marvel super heroes mga if you prefer even more choices.

[eburtonlab]

I agree that this is an example of a broken search.

This is different than the other current issue with search, where the search returns too many results that are not related to the search terms. At least when that happens, it is obvious that there is a problem.

In this case, the search does not return matches that it should, or it hides them under "results matching fewer words". Searchers are left with the mistaken impression that there are no items that match all their search terms.

Experienced users may know that many of the smart search keyword substitutions can be bypassed by adding a nonsense exclusion term or putting a keyword in quotes. But that does not help sellers who have no way to tell their potential buyers that they need to update their saved searches to find the items they are looking for.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@coolections wrote:

Found plenty with no problems. Try skipping the word figures and just type Marvel super heroes mga if you prefer even more choices.

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Hi, you and I know how to manipulate search keywords to optimize our results. But what of inexperienced buyers and nubies? They may take the 0 results at face value and not continue to look.

[tunicaslot]

Exactly - when I make up a title I think how will a buyer search for this item. The OP provided us an example of how they would search and listings should have appeared as the one listing that fashun provided had all the key words present.

Maybe why buyers refuse to use Ebay as search does not provide them with results. The OP like other buyers was smart to put in figures - they don't want pages of listings coming up that include comic books, backpacks, DVDs ect.

When I search Marvel super heroes mga - my results are 2 die cast car listings - under sell similar I see 1 super hero set and the rest are comic books. Everyone's results may be different as we have no idea what the algorithm is that provides the results. When I type the same into google with the word figures I am presented with all ads for figures, all images for figures, - which is as a search result should be.

Why should search have to be manipulated? 

[eunster1313]

( I would like to report that problem to the ebay technical team. Does anybody know how to do that? )

Technical Issues

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/bd-p/technicalissues-db

[aquajoe07011]

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@fmwsells wrote:

I noticed something that doesn't work properly when you search for items and I would like to report that problem to the ebay technical team. Does anybody know how to do that?

In case you are curious this is what I noticed. If you search for the following keywords the ebay search engine returns 0 items even though there are several listing with those exact same keywords. I'm sure this is not an isolated problem and is affecting everybody. It does not help our buyers find our items. I've been using ebay for a long time and this is not normal.

MARVEL Super Heroes Figures MGA

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Nothing new, eBay's search engine has been broken for years.  It is a miracle that buyers can find what they are looking for.  LOL!

[spittser]

No need to buy one. Just knock the cobwebs off the old one that worked nearly perfectly from 1995 to whenever they installed the garbage they're trying to using now.

[hillbillymedia]

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@fmwsells wrote:

I noticed something that doesn't work properly when you search for items and I would like to report that problem to the ebay technical team. Does anybody know how to do that?

In case you are curious this is what I noticed. If you search for the following keywords the ebay search engine returns 0 items even though there are several listing with those exact same keywords. I'm sure this is not an isolated problem and is affecting everybody. It does not help our buyers find our items. I've been using ebay for a long time and this is not normal.

MARVEL Super Heroes Figures MGA

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I buy a lot on ebay. I buy more than I sell and in many different categories. I`ve also been buying here for 17 years. I`ve been finding "0" as a search result a lot lately. It`s not the only issue either. I can`t even imagine what a new buyer thinks when coming here. As a seller....I`m really tired of the workarounds. As a Buyer I`m speechless that I HAVE to do workarounds.

It`s my opinion that reporting this is futile. We have dealt with a broken shopping cart for over two years now. Search has been broken in one way, shape or form for even longer and a list could be compiled of many other things. I`m convinced that they either don`t know the answers, they don`t want to pay out to get these matters resolved or they just don`t care because it hasn`t cost them enough yet.

I`m deeply saddened by it all.

[gracieallen01]

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@coolections wrote:

Found plenty with no problems. Try skipping the word figures and just type Marvel super heroes mga if you prefer even more choices.

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I believe that is the OP's point.  One shouldn't have to edit to fewer words, especially IF the word(s) to be left out can be found in the title, to find what they WANT to find.

Although, if one could be explicit about what is being searched, ebay wouldn't have an excuse to toss in 'other "related" things that might be of interest'.  You know, like wanting to search for a USB cable to charge a Walkman and getting 'Jumper Cables' for that old Edsel.

[gracieallen01]

You mean to say there really is a 'Technical Team'? 

Maybe they can't be easily found because of being buried under so many, um, glitches. 

[dhbookds]

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@eburtonlab wrote:

I agree that this is an example of a broken search.

This is different than the other current issue with search, where the search returns too many results that are not related to the search terms. At least when that happens, it is obvious that there is a problem.

In this case, the search does not return matches that it should, or it hides them under "results matching fewer words". Searchers are left with the mistaken impression that there are no items that match all their search terms.

Experienced users may know that many of the smart search keyword substitutions can be bypassed by adding a nonsense exclusion term or putting a keyword in quotes. But that does not help sellers who have no way to tell their potential buyers that they need to update their saved searches to find the items they are looking for.

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@Anonymous 

Any info on this?  seems like if there are matches, they should show? 

[turquoisetulips]

Nothing new, eBay's search engine has been broken for years.  It is a miracle that buyers can find what they are looking for.  LOL! aquajoe 

 I wonder how many people out there are even aware that e bay  still exists or  if it's just become a faded memory ? And now with their brilliant new strategy  to cut back on advertising   this year  those numbers should grow even larger . But  don't worry  they've found lots of ways to make up for the lost revenue for themselves  like  with the  new promotional  fee's many of us now pay them .IMO may as well forget about the  broken search engine  when so many potential buyers  have forgotten e bay . Tulips