Too Many Unrelated Items Showing Up In Specific Search

[foosme]

I am about to list some Disney Princess PVC figures and when I type in that exact search in current and closed listings to see what I should price them at, way too many unrelated items are coming up (over 17,000 results).  I shouldn't say "unrelated" as a lot of various PVC figures do show up, but the majority are NOT Disney Princess!  The only filter I have set is US only.  And, in my opinion, one shouldn't have to set any filters (as far as brand, character, type, etc) to bring up what you're looking for in the first place.  There is nothing in any of those titles that say Princess nor is there anything in the listing itself.   Very frustrating!

[esg-enterprises]

The search is a mess, I list mostly car parts all day.

I search for a Ford item, I get Dodge results that say "fits Ford".

[eburtonlab]

@esg-enterprises 

I search for a Ford item, I get Dodge results that say "fits Ford".

The search is doing basic text matching; if one of your key words is "Ford", then any item with "Ford" in the title will satisfy that condition, even if it really says "not a Ford" or "Harrison Ford".

If you are searching a specific enough category, see if there is a "Ford" filter on the left side of the page, or else try adding "-fits.ford" or "-dodge" (without quotes) to your search terms.

[esg-enterprises]

Thank you for proving the point. 

When I search a Ford radiator cap, I should not get Dodge radiator cap results that say (fit's Ford)

I know all this search hocus pocus that exists now because I have been around ebay since the beginning, but......

Why would the average guy visiting ebay to look for an item jump though all those hoops, a couple clicks and he is gone when the results are cluttered with unrelated items. 

My 67 year old father used to buy on ebay weekly, he hasn't purchased a thing in over a year, because he is so frustrated with results.

[eburtonlab]

@esg-enterprises 

When I search a Ford radiator cap, I should not get Dodge radiator cap results that say (fit's Ford)

You are not actually searching for "Ford radiator cap", though. You are searching for any item that has "Ford" "radiator" and "cap" in the item title. So a title that says "Dodge radiator cap (fits Ford)" satisfies the conditions of your search.

If you searched "Ford radiator cap" (with the quotes this time) then you will not get the Dodge "fits Ford" items, but you will get "Ford radiator cap gasket" and other matches that contain the exact phrase. Even then, the actual manufacturer might be listed as Ford, Motorcraft, Stant or "unspecified".

Keep in mind that you are using a computer to match text titles that are written by ordinary people who want their items to show up in your search.

[rpalma]

Those item specifics that are selectable will only find items where the seller entered the item specifics (and did it correctly).

If you are searching as a buyer for collectibles and select the item specifics, you may miss many items of interest.