Searching Completed Auctions

[c-hfinds]

When searching, completed listings pop up and then disappear??? Has been happening for 2 days now.

[eburtonlab]

@c-hfinds 

When searching, completed listings pop up and then disappear?

This particular issue seems to be related to ad blocking rules -- if you temporarily disable AdBlock Plus you should be able to search completed or sold items again.

See here:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/sold-ltems/m-p/29631954#M54866

[c-hfinds]

I am using the same desk top computer that I have used for years and have not changed any internal settings.  Everything worked properly until 2 days ago.

[eburtonlab]

@c-hfinds 

I am using the same desk top computer that I have used for years and have not changed any internal settings. Everything worked properly until 2 days ago.

Check your Ad Block Plus Advanced Settings. Your EasyList filter was probably updated within the last day or two.

Many programs have defaults set to update as soon as new updates are available, so changes happen even if you do not do anything.

[c-hfinds]

First, would like to say that I am in my 70's and NOT a computer tecky individual.  I DO NOT have Ad Blocker Plus, Easy List Filter, Easy Privacy.  Have no idea what these are.  I have never installed an Ad Blocker program.  I did go into my Tools (have Windows Vista - I know it is an old version but works fine for me) and added ebay.com to my list to allow pop-ups after I finally found it..........LOL.  Still doesn't work.  All I want to do is to be able to view completed and sold listings in search as I have ALWAYS been able to do until a couple of days ago.   

[eburtonlab]

@c-hfinds 

Which web browser are you using?

Ad Block Plus is a browser extension that prevents web page ads from loading. Two days ago people began noticing that they were unable to view completed auction searches on eBay until they disabled their ad blocking extensions. If you are experiencing the same symptoms, it is likely that Ad Block Plus is the cause.

If you have Ad Block Plus installed in your web browser, it usually shows up as a small red stop sign icon with the letters "ABP" in it, located in your browser status bar at the bottom right or address bar at the top right, usually by the search field.

If you go to a completed item search on eBay that turns up blank, and then click on that stop sign icon and disable Ad Block Plus, you should be able to reload the page and see the missing search results.

[c-hfinds]

THANK YOU!!!  I am using Firefox.  I found uBlock in the top right address bar.  When I clicked on it I was able to click on "disable/enable for this site" and it appears to have corrected my problem.  It seems to be working normal for me now after trying it a couple of times.  Thank you again.  I never would have been able to figure it out as I have never used the "uBlock".

[eburtonlab]

@c-hfinds 

Thanks for posting that follow-up! Yours is the first case I have heard involving uBlock instead of AdBlock, and the information you have provided may be very helpful in figuring out what is actually going on so that this can be corrected.

Glad to hear you were able to figure it out!

[handbanino]

Hey just so know know, I updated my Chrome yesterday and have adguard adblocker and my completed listings would not work until I turned it off.

[berserkerplanet]

General comment: I have never used uBlock Origin, but I have been led to believe that the rule syntax, and rule action of pretty much all the Adblockers are pretty much the same, (like they decided to have an industry standard - imagine that!), and that various subscription and downloadable rulelists like Easylist are compatible, universal and can be used in most or all adblock plugins/addons.

I think the problem isn't Adblock Plus or uBlock origin (they are just the tools that apply the rules), but is one or more overly aggressive rules in the Easylist ruleset that are going to town on elements on eBay sold/completed item search result pages.

So c-hfinds having the same trouble with uBlock Origin is not surprising. (edit: handbanino having trouble with Adguard is also no surprise if it also uses Easylist)

[*vintagetreasures]

This works without turning off any ad blockers - after getting the blank result - look up to your right and click on Advanced Search [smartphone users go to Advanced Search] - I scroll down to Location - tick mark Located in United States, scroll down to the bottom and click Search button. Using Firefox. Works for me. Try it.

[berserkerplanet]

>> Using Firefox. Works for me. Try it

Interesting. But I can't try it - I don't have the problem and can't make the issue occur no matter what (because it involves a lot of work to set up a browser instance with the proper tools that might manifest the problem - disabling everything armor-like in the Firefox browser's I've tried only get's me to the point where some ads show, but the vanishing search results issue won't occur)

Wish I could see the fail as your workaround is is another clue to exactly what it is about whatever Easylist element hiding rule is responsible is the cause of this. Suspect your workaround results in a slightly different search result page structure that the errant rule doesn't target.

I think this is a trivial user side fix if someone can nail down the specific rule in the Easylist subscription ruleset - that specific rule (or couple of rules) can be disabled with a click of the mouse in Adblock Plus (or whatever adblocker). At that point it can be reported to the Easylist maintainers and they can remove the rule from Easylist or fix it and make it more targeted, and push out an update to fix it once and for all.

The most current ruleset is dated Nov 2018, so it isn't a change in the ruleset that is causing this, but a change in the eBay page structure. It is still Easylist's and the users's fault and responsibility to correct though - not eBay's problem that they made a subtle change to their own webpage and a 4th party ruleset in a third party addon is doing evil things with essentially a false detect (in the same vein as antivirus suites that push out an update that false detects and blocks access).

[berserkerplanet]

I went ahead, set up a browser instance, installed ABP in it, and saw the problem. I think I found a solution using 2 new Adblock Plus rules that eliminate the EasyList issue:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/sold-ltems/m-p/29642924#M55023

I was wrong about how easy it is to fix up rules and rulesets in Adblock Plus - in my older version I use it's trivial, but the new versions are a nightmare, and simple things like disabling a rule in a subscription list are no longer possible.

And I was wrong about the Easylist ruleset date - they pretty much are updated at least weekly and more often every day or two.
(and impossible to find older rulesets, or at least I couldn't find a way.)

Someone else already posted a rule problem report on the Easylist forums about the time I posted the previous post here, so hopefully Easylist will fix the problem on their and and make a new ruleset available. In the meantime, the fix I posted in the thread above seems to resolve the issue.

[iamsaute]

In addition to taking more and more of Seller's money while providing less and less customer service and continually favoring Buyers in any dispute eBay now wants to subject us all to countless ads. How pathetically sad these cretins are.