eBay

jgrit · ‎09-02-2019

As a buyer, I search for cyan colored product. There are 50 search results. The first two results are for yellow and the second result is magenta (the word cyan is not in either title). These two results are what I see on my screen ( I am an ignorant, lazy, newbie, or nutty buyer, so I do not scroll down). I go to the river with my money.

orangehound · ‎09-02-2019

The River's search can be maddening as well ... I've actually found that I can have much better results sometimes using Google rather than the native search engines.

However, some of the newer sites have wonderful search interfaces.

upgradedendmills · ‎09-02-2019

Were they sponsored listings? Thanks

emerald_door · ‎09-02-2019

In the earlier days of eBay, the words you search would have to be in the title, unless you checked the box to search the description as well. Nowadays, the search is much less effective and I've heard from people who have stopped buying on eBay because they can't find what they're looking for in all the irrelevant search results.

jgrit · ‎09-02-2019

I double checked and no - not sponsered. But, it should not make any difference. I am an ignorant buyer and see what I want to see. In this case, I do not see it, so I take my cash elsewhere.

inhawaii · ‎09-02-2019

@emerald_door wrote:
In the earlier days of eBay, the words you search would have to be in the title, unless you checked the box to search the description as well. Nowadays, the search is much less effective and I've heard from people who have stopped buying on eBay because they can't find what they're looking for in all the irrelevant search results.

I am old enough to remember that. I liked it.

Cannonball - Supertramp

eburtonlab · ‎09-02-2019

@jgrit

I am an ignorant, lazy, newbie, or nutty buyer, so I do not scroll down

The real newbie buyers are likely still using the default "best match" sort, so their results are actually better than the ones you see.

For the users who know a little bit about how searches are supposed to work but just not enough to figure out why those searches are now failing, eBay's search can be a very frustrating experience indeed.

ten_o_nine · ‎09-02-2019

@jgrit wrote:
As a buyer, I search for cyan colored product. There are 50 search results. The first two results are for yellow and the second result is magenta (the word cyan is not in either title). These two results are what I see on my screen ( I am an ignorant, lazy, newbie, or nutty buyer, so I do not scroll down). I go to the river with my money.

The word cyan must be in the description or item specifics if not in title.

jgrit · ‎09-02-2019

@orangehound wrote:
The River's search can be maddening as well ... I've actually found that I can have much better results sometimes using Google rather than the native search engines.

However, some of the newer sites have wonderful search interfaces.

Yes. As an experienced buyer, I think the river is actually worse. There is a term used in the parts trade known as cannibalization - to take good parts from a nonworking item and use them to make something else function again. Ebay and the river are not cannibalizing - they are eating themselves to death. They are deteriorating their own search to make a fast buck from "sponsers" or other sellers who give immediate cash for these tricks. These tricks are going to eat away at their profits in the long run and drive buyers to independant websites or other more easily used buying platforms.

jgrit · ‎09-02-2019

@ten_o_nine wrote:
@jgrit wrote:
As a buyer, I search for cyan colored product. There are 50 search results. The first two results are for yellow and the second result is magenta (the word cyan is not in either title). These two results are what I see on my screen ( I am an ignorant, lazy, newbie, or nutty buyer, so I do not scroll down). I go to the river with my money.
The word cyan must be in the description or item specifics if not in title.

But, totally useless and irrelevant to the buyer who has left for another website or buying platform.

moondogblues · ‎09-02-2019

In my experience searching here, I get results that have NONE of the words I am searching for. I have better luck with the results that show up under what the search engine shows me...the 'unrelated' results.

Then most all the time the ones I am looking for will show up in a row under an item I 'look' at. And at less cost too. I have learned to search in a very different way than eBay thinks people should. But I am very determined and have learned over the years how.

eburtonlab · ‎09-02-2019

@ten_o_nine

The word cyan must be in the description or item specifics if not in title.

Not necessarily, although that is how it is supposed to work, according to eBay. A search of the title should also match the item specifics, at least. The description should only be searched if you have chosen that option specifically.

In many cases eBay's "search expansion" is making unwanted keyword substitutions. To bypass the faulty "search expansion", users can include a nonsense exclusion term such as -octopus or use another Boolean search expression.

An old link from the Canadian eBay site about Search Expansion:

https://www.ebay.ca/pages/help/search/expanding.html

eburtonlab · ‎09-02-2019

@moondogblues

In my experience searching here, I get results that have NONE of the words I am searching for. I have better luck with the results that show up under what the search engine shows me...the 'unrelated' results.

Try adding a nonsense exclusion term such as -octopus to you search keywords to bypass those faulty keyword substitutions.

jgrit · ‎09-02-2019

@eburtonlab wrote:
@moondogblues

In my experience searching here, I get results that have NONE of the words I am searching for. I have better luck with the results that show up under what the search engine shows me...the 'unrelated' results.

Try adding a nonsense exclusion term such as -octopus to you search keywords to bypass those faulty keyword substitutions.

WOOSH.... You guys just flew over my head. Nonsense exclusion term, Boolean and faulty keyword substitutions? Is there a mad scientist controlling eBay search? Theoretically, I (newbie, nutty or nonreading buyer) just took my money and went to another website or buying platform.