ebay's silly search engine

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

If you want to make yourself crazy, try going into the collectible knife category and searching for "scallion" (a Kershaw Ken Onion knife). The ebay search engine *insists* on also showing you all the auctions for the Kershaw Leek. It will NOT limit the results to just the Scallion. I tried all the tricks I know - putting scallion in quotes, pre-pending a "+" sign (which is supposed to make that term mandatory) - no dice. No matter what I do, it still includes all the Leek auctions in the results. You can search using the model number (1620) and that will work as long as the seller has put the model number in the auction.

I was a software engineer for many years. I *hate* SW that thinks it knows better than I do what I really want and I absolutely loath fuzzy search engines.

[cody6268]

eBay and especially Amazon are bad when the results for a specific item (like Gerber tool the last time) I'm searching for gets muddied with completely unrelated "Sponsored" crap, usually cheap Chinese knives (and often counterfeits) which amounts to probably 40 percent of the search results.

[Beavertail]

When I'm searching for something on eBay or Amazon, and can't find the results I want,I do a google search and add eBay or Amazon.
Works fine for Me.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

When I'm searching for something on eBay or Amazon, and can't find the results I want,I do a google search and add eBay or Amazon.
Works fine for Me.

If I was only searching for buy-it-now listings of new items, then google might work OK for this, but not for actual auction listings. Google searches will often return old completed auctions, not the current set of auctions. It also won't sort the auctions by closing time, which is how I prefer to shop for items.

[tongueriver]

And how do you like it when the seller lists a (say) a Chinese Buck Creek and in the title he adds CASE, BUCK, SCHRADE, CAMILLUS. So, if I am looking for an early Camillus, what else do you think I will find? This is called search keyword spamming and is not allowed by Ebay. Yeah... right. I used to turn those listings in and guess who did not do a thing about it? Nor have they EVER done anything about any issue I have complained about.

[jerryd6818]

Suitcase, search on Knife Kershaw Scallion -leek ---► https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... k&_sacat=0

I don't get why it's doing that either but since their "upgrade" eBay has been doing several strange things it never did before. As far as I can tell, all are sales oriented.

[Mumbleypeg]

As far as I can tell, all are sales oriented.

Bingo! Ebay hopes while you're looking at scallions you'll see another knife you like and you'll buy it too.

No accident or poor programming. They did it intentionally.

Ken

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Suitcase, search on Knife Kershaw Scallion -leek ---► https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... k&_sacat=0

I don't get why it's doing that either but since their "upgrade" eBay has been doing several strange things it never did before. As far as I can tell, all are sales oriented.

Ahh! Very good Jerry! I should have figured that out - clearly I've been in management too long and my brain is not what it used to be...

[jerryd6818]

my brain is not what it used to be...

Oh, just wait. It gets worse.

[Modern Slip Joints]

Part of the problem is that some sellers whose knives do not fit the search parameters are being brought up anyway because they are paying extra for the exposure. Another part of the problem is that some sellers like SMKW who write in their ad that they accept payment by mail and or include their mailing address are being punished by omitting their items from searches. If you dig around in eBay's user agreement and rules you can find both policies. It appears that eBay's software was written to prioritize their proportion of Pay-Pal fees over total profits.

I strongly dislike a change that happened only a week or two ago. Previously when I watched an auction end the screen would change to one that showed the sale price. Now, unless I'm the winner, it changes to a somewhat similar item eBay hopes I will bid on as an alternative. The same thing happens if I click on a knife on my watch list that has ended. In both cases to learn what the knife sold for I now have to do an advanced search of sold items. Using the item number works best. So far the alternatives have been of no interest so I doubt eBay's wasting my time will ever do them any good.

[jerryd6818]

I strongly dislike a change that happened only a week or two ago. Previously when I watched an auction end the screen would change to one that showed the sale price. Now, unless I'm the winner, it changes to a somewhat similar item eBay hopes I will bid on as an alternative. The same thing happens if I click on a knife on my watch list that has ended. In both cases to learn what the knife sold for I now have to do an advanced search of sold items. Using the item number works best. So far the alternatives have been of no interest so I doubt eBay's wasting my time will ever do them any good.

I'll go one step farther, I absolutely despise this change. I grit my teeth every time I run across it. Certainly not something to make a buyers experience more pleasant, it's all about the money. Money grubbing &()&^%$#;'s.

[Dinadan]

I strongly dislike a change that happened only a week or two ago. Previously when I watched an auction end the screen would change to one that showed the sale price. Now, unless I'm the winner, it changes to a somewhat similar item eBay hopes I will bid on as an alternative. The same thing happens if I click on a knife on my watch list that has ended. In both cases to learn what the knife sold for I now have to do an advanced search of sold items. Using the item number works best. So far the alternatives have been of no interest so I doubt eBay's wasting my time will ever do them any good.

I'll go one step farther, I absolutely despise this change. I grit my teeth every time I run across it. Certainly not something to make a buyers experience more pleasant, it's all about the money. Money grubbing &()&^%$#;'s.

I hate that change, too. Like others, even if I do not win, or even bid, I like to see what things that interest me are selling for. The person who designed this change must not ever actually use Ebay or they would realize just how annoying it is to have something you are watching just disappear.