eBay search algorithms are not working

[qualityrelics]

I pay ebay to promote my listings. 

I load 10-12 photos for all items. 

I fill out virtually every item specific field possible. 
Yet, I still can ONLY find my listings through eBay’s search engine if I use the EXACT words I have in my Title. 

None if those “important” keywords that I spend time adding into the Item Specifics help me find my own listings.

No important keywords I use in my listings drive traffic to me anymore or allow me to effectively find my own listings via eBay’s search engine.
My traffic has fallen by nearly 50 percent in the last few weeks. 
I pay ebay for a Premium store and I actively manage my older listings. 
My views, sales, and traffic is practically non-existent now and I’m doing everything right. 
Even for newly listing items. 
The search engine is not working and it’s severely impacted my eBay business. 
Anyone care to jump in and make me feel better???

I’m very concerned with my eBay business. 

[katzrul15]

I found your 2017 Barbie, by typing in Barbie Selma doll

[careumind]

Ditto all.
Yes, eBay's item specific is absolutely a joke.
eBay is trying to restructure its search engine, but did a very lousy job compare to prior version.
My sales is also crumbling.

Obviously this new eBay team's aimless effort trying to revolutionize eBay has failed big time.

[chapeau-noir]

Your vintage Executone amp came up #1 on best match with my searching only on Executone amplifier.

Your Van Briggle pottery (nice piece!) came up #1 on best match,  searching only on Van Briggle.

The Allessimo model kit did not come up #1 but did come up on the first page in best match, searching only on Allessimo kit

Your vintage Slotline chipper came up #2 on best match, searching only on vintage Slotline.

Your items are being found, at least in 'best match' which I think is a pretty good way to see if they're there (rather than having them sorted by another criteria).

[qualityrelics]

Thank you so much!

[laststopgeneralstore]

You need to remember that if your searching on your own computer or even ones in your house it may not always show up number one on your end but will on someone else's end. Algorithms cater to how peoples purchasing behaviors so lets say you have a buyer that mainly purchases dolls then most likely yours are going to pop up on the first page on his end when he searches. Don't get caught up if you stuff isn't showing up number one when YOU try and look for it. Sales are slow across the board right now in all categories. I believe all online sales are down roughly 30%, I can't remember where I found that information but If I do then I will site it here. Even when I go to search my listings they sometimes don't show up until the 2 or 3rd page but they still end up getting lots of views and selling. It all depends on what the buyers search habits are and how  they search. eBays item specifics are important & they do work despite what doom & gloomers say. Just keep listing every day, stay consistent and weather the storm, it's going to get much better. Another thing I would suggest is go back every day and edit older listings titles. Sometimes changing up the title a bit & the keywords, structure etc... could help. Do yourself a favor and don't get all worked up about it as you'll continue to stress yourself out. Looking at your store you have 244 listed & 319 sold in the past 90 days which is over a 100% sell thru rate which is super good. Good luck.

[inhawaii]

You are mistaken.

I chose one of your listings and found it in a ebay search using only partial words from the title.  

[fuzzface50]

Did someone else see the you tube video about asking about missing listings on the message board to get other people to look your items up and help gives you a pushup in search because so many viewed that item recently? looks like someone did.

[chapeau-noir]

Though I'm not sure how much of a lift is going to be provided by a few people looking up an item just to check where it is, particularly if no one clicks through. 

I do think 'personalisation' has a bigger impact, so eBay may not show someone their own items up front in 'best match'  - that can be confusing (I'm not crazy about that search metric in general to begin with, anyway).

[eburtonlab]

None if those “important” keywords that I spend time adding into the Item Specifics help me find my own listings.

Item specifics are not there to help you find your own items when searching via keyword -- they are there for your potential buyers so that when filter options are used in a search, your listings with the item-specifics matching those filter options will appear. Item listings lacking the item-specifics will not appear in a filtered search.

If you list a widget with the title Widget, anyone searching for a widget using that keyword should find that among the results (assuming there are 10,000 or less -- more results than that cannot all be displayed).

However, someone searching for a red widget using the keywords red widget would not find your item unless red is also in the title (or in the item-specifics).

If you list your item with a title of Red Widget, users searching for widget or red widget would see your item among the results. But someone searching using the keyword widget and using the Color filter to select the red option would not see your item unless you included the Color item-specific red in your listing.

There are many situations where keyword matching words in the item title alone does not work well enough, where using an item-specific works better to differentiate items.

Consider searching for a 1" pipe. Using the keywords 1" pipe would match any listing with both the keyword 1 and the keyword pipe -- even those listings where the 1 referred to a different measurement that the diameter, such as length or wall thickness, or if the 1 appeared in a fractional measurement. Many special characters like quotes, periods and slashes are not searchable at all. Text character matching has its limitations.

Using an item-specific for Inner Diameter removes any possible confusion, and the buyer can use a keyword to find pipe and then apply a filter by Inner Diameter to find exactly what is sought, and to ignore anything that does not match, even if all the same keywords are present elsewhere in the title or item-specifics.

Buyers like being able to find things they are looking for, and to be able to ignore things they are not looking for. That is why sellers must use item-specifics if sellers want their items to continue to be found as more and more buyers rely on filters to limit their search results.

[gamersbaystore]

Everyone's traffic has fallen, and promoted listings only work when there's actual buyers to serve those listing too. I'm currently using promoted listings for well over 1,000 items, I don't see any traffic either.

The reality is a lot of people dont like ebay and dont want to shop here anymore. As I've noted in past threads, ebay's reputation isn't so great today. ebay's campaign of harassing and threatening journalists didn't sit well with the public either.

ebay spent years burning bridges with sellers too. And we all know what happens when people aren't happy with a given business, they tell others to stay away from them as well.

Promoting listings on ebay is akin to putting up billboards in a ghost town.

[mycheaperstuff]

@eburtonlab @@

Buyers do this. Buyers do that. Statements arising from fact, supposition, self fulfilling prophecy?

Buyers use item specifics / filters only when they must.

Benefit of algorithms/item specifics/filter accrue to site operator as greater control over search results and consumer spending.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@mycheaperstuff wrote:

@eburtonlab @@

Buyers do this. Buyers do that. Statements arising from fact, supposition, self fulfilling prophecy?

Buyers use item specifics / filters only when they must.

Benefit of algorithms/item specifics/filter accrue to site operator as greater control over search results and consumer spending.

---

The side bar IS's are pretty standard on most sites - I know as a buyer I don't have a lot of time to waste combing through thousands of search returns, particularly as poorly as many sellers title their items.

 'algorithms/item specifics/filter':  See above - with 1.5 billion items on a site there needs to be some kind of search structure or everyone may as well just go home.  I may not like a particular search on a site, but I know why it's there.

[mtg_dom]

Whatever eBay did in this last update was an absolute train wreck.

[mycheaperstuff]

Understand it isn't the issue.

High level branching is one thing, 50+ item specifics is OVERkill.