Why Does Cassini Search This Way?

[ohsogifty4]

On my selling account I was trying to see where a couple of my items were when searched with relative words. (not exact words) thinking like a buyer.

its is for a black suit. If I put in boys black formal suit size 10, item is not on first page (25 per page).
if I take the word "size" off and just have 10, my item is on the first page in search. I have the word size in the title. why would it not come up on the first page using the word size 10?  No wonder buyers have same item with different titles.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Isn't that the million dollar question. 

Many times I can figure out how to search to find the results I want, but then there are times I search and the results are like yours were---or worse---with exact keyword searches showing up below in "items similar to" which is very frustrating. If the keywords are in the search, the results should show those items that match those keywords as near exact as possible, yet that is not what Cassini does. 

Cassini is supposed to mimic I suppose some form of human intelligence through a computer program, yet often it fails miserably, and sometimes laughably. 

The real question is what can you do about it? You could take the word "size" out of your title and then see how you come up in search. If it improves your placement then leave the word size out of the title. 

[ohsogifty4]

funny because others coming up on first page have the word size in title.

[ohsogifty4]

And I searched my item with the word Size in title and went to page 7 without finding my listing.

[ohsogifty4]

Now 10-15 min later I search again without the word size, and my item is now on the 2nd page. No clue. I do know that not everyone can be first! lol

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

IMO... I feel that Cassini was developed (utilized) for a much smaller number of sellers. AI [at this juncture] can only deal with so many possibilities.  Or, more aaccurately, can deal much better developing it's OWN possibilities, rather than dealing with incoming data.  Cassini is [likely] working with an out-dated algorithm, which is as close as a search engine can get, to the decision making process. Think of it as trying to fit 30 people in a Cooper Mini.....Or two 500 lb. men, passing simultaneously, through a doorway... It doesn't work very well.

[mistwomandancing]

When it comes to Cassini search, I remember George Carlin when he said,  “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”   

When we talk about Artificial Intelligence, maybe Cassini search was designed to help that other half too. 

Actually, I believe many sellers these days OVERburden their titles with search words, and those additional words push their listing further and further down the page.  So many words sellers tuck into their titles are superfluous and actually drive their listing down the page instead of bring it up higher.  In a way, today's search performs very poorly if the seller is using titles based on the past search engine.  Irrelevant search words bog us down now instead of helping!

Then too, there is so much more to our placement under Cassini... relevance of our offering to what the buyer is wanting, value of our offering in the eyes of the buyer.. good item at a good price?, trust in this seller on eBay and the appearance of his past dealings with buyers here, and convenience of buying from this seller, and how well & quickly will that seller perform.

So Cassini doesn't just present listings brought up by the buyers' exact search words, it arranges those listings according to all these additional factors as well. 

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

Cassini is a hit or miss proposition. A item search may work differently, for one living in CA., than it does for one living in CT. Also, smart phones, one's cache and cookies (a search predisposition) even play in to the search. Our PCs, and websites, have a language/communication, that is all their own.

[mistwomandancing]

The single thing I dislike about Cassini the most is that you can't *build UP* using it, you have to *subtract out*

It took me awhile to understand WHY I was having everything plus the kitchen sink dumped onto my head when I was doing a simple search for a basket.  I'd be getting switch plate covers and pot holders along with baskets.

[ohsogifty4]

interesting thoughts
I did another search for my item but in brown. title has chocolate brown in it

boys brown formal suit size 10 - not even in the running! did not even show up.
boys Chocolate formal suit size 10. first one on first page!
Boys Chocolate brown formal suit size 10 first one on first page again
My item is not just for size 10. multi vari sizes. so my title says size xxx-xxx
I did not have these sizes in my item specifics. so went back and wrote in sizes
Baby size xxx
Toddler size xxx

Boys size xxx

Husky size (if relevant) xxx
It will take a bit of time for the search to pick up the tweak in the title and the item specifics. Maybe your right with to many words in title

[ohsogifty4]

Searched boys navy blue formal suit size 6m

got everything except my listing including women's dresses in navy blue. go figure

If I search with the word size xx mine do not come up

search without the word size and it comes up. even with the word size in my title. its really messed up. and this is under best match

[crownnationalindustries]

It is a joke, everyone knows eBay's search engine is now tainted with Promoted Listings, look at the top of the forum and the threads going on, eBay is trying to brainwash sellers even on this forum with threads about Promoted listings.

I won't even waste time reading them, eBay is going under due to bad management, a terrible search engine, and executives who are misguided, they don't want to sell, they want to promote programs that have no logic in the first place.

[ohsogifty4]

I went and looked at other listing for boys suits that were popping up on first page when searching for mine. I found that each one of them are listing in 2 categories! Since my suit listings are from size 6M & up to 20 Husky, I see others are listing in 'boys suits size 0-4T' & then in category 'boys suits size 5 & up'.

I went in and changed 2 of my suit listings, and put them in both those categories. well surprise, mine showed up on the first page and had not before I put them in 2 categories, searching exactly the same words. Of course I am being charge .20 for the 2nd category.
Is that like "sponsored listings" because I am paying I get better visibility? *lol* (*joke*)

[timemachine777]

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@ohsogifty4 wrote:

On my selling account I was trying to see where a couple of my items were when searched with relative words. (not exact words) thinking like a buyer.

its is for a black suit. If I put in boys black formal suit size 10, item is not on first page (25 per page).
if I take the word "size" off and just have 10, my item is on the first page in search. I have the word size in the title. why would it not come up on the first page using the word size 10?  No wonder buyers have same item with different titles.

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I think the same item with different titles is their way of getting around the dupe listing policy. Cassini works off an algorithm that is data point driven. You mix up your title in the craziest combinations in your search query, and can place on top of best match some times. eBay has some major problems when it comes to search relevancy and Cassini. That's why it was coined "Can't see me". 

[coolections]

When you do a search it is always best to start with the fewest words then after the page loads you add to it. You have to learn how to search. There is post after post saying Ebay hides a sellers item. I have never been given proof in all the years I've been hearing that. Too many sellers think all those words is better but as you started your post you have to think like a buyer. A buyers is not going to type "mens brown button shirt size XL long sleeve with stripes". You would get zero results. As a seller, if you are worried about best match, keep the title minimum but most relative words. Do not add all that fluff, buyers are not looking for that. "Mens brown shirt XL". The good news is after the results comes up almost all buyers change the default and do not purchase straight from the best match page. As a seller it does not matter so much, people get too hung up on where their items are. The only way to move up is have a better "score" than others which IMO the most important is your sell-through rate.