Search function? No way!!!
Summary: A participant criticizes eBay's search function because it breaks terms apart and shows irrelevant items. They call for it to focus on the entered search term. The discussion does not include any further details on solutions or reactions from other participants.
I’ll chime in too...
The ......
..."search function" has become a joke.
You should really be clear about this: Anyone who can’t find anything here at first glance, or at least partly at first glance, is looking somewhere else.
Not even well-meant "advice" from the moderators helps here ("Go ahead and try things out...")
The intention of offering the searcher a wide selection of also non-matching articles goes COMPLETELY wrong - the searcher expects a result of THEIR explicit search - and not "well-meant suggestions".
I keep wondering who, in your ivory tower, is allowed to make all these decisions
a) without punishment
b) let them through without punishment
c) implement them half-heartedly.
d) defend them helplessly/stupidly against all common sense (well... HAS to defend them...)
bricks*import
·11 months agoit’s going back to how it was before
EDIT
oh no, I thought you meant how in my complaint the search in the seller cockpit.. in my own inventory. ..that works again.
the others mmm meh
micblanmich
·1 year agoHi
It really isn't fun anymore to have things shoved in front of your face that you aren't looking for.
But the worst thing is that when you try to improve the search by adding extra search criteria, the search results get so much worse that nothing displayed has anything to do with the actual search.
The search urgently needs to be overhauled. Either by AI or by capable employees with more imagination about what the customer really needs and is looking for.
Just tested on A...zon: 100% match
Test it yourself?
940nm IR Infrared Spotlight 12V
voli-maus
·1 year agoDay before yesterday at Amxxxxon tested: searched for shoes of a brand and plain bedsheets, @micblanmich .
Yeah ..... 😩
mullewapp
·6 months agoHello 😊
.....and even after a long, long time, it still doesn't work.
I just wanted to browse in my local area and maybe buy something. In the search function I can only enter Germany, not like before, e.g. a 10 km radius. I’m definitely not driving 500 km for a flower pot. What a shame for the sellers....unfortunately you have to look on other platforms.
de3trader
·1 year agoThanks @zerappelzappel
Wow! Rarely seen so much participation here:
And ebay still doesn’t get it 😄 Instead, they try coming up with excuses that would make even Lavrov/Zakharova turn green with envy. Simply delicious!
Speaking of delicious, where is my popcorn? And then ebay gives me these categories for popcorn (pro tip: "Fine food" would make sense):
Still, "Carburetors for motorcycle & scooter" does have a certain entertainment value.
PS: The search using EAN is still broken-optimized, by the way - if you happen to have one...
2009gabstat2
·1 year agoSince EBAY thinks it can stand up to **bleep**, EBAY is indeed trying to improve the UI ( user interface ) as well as the range of listings....but it quickly becomes obvious that “some items are being mixed into the search as ads.
Okay, I can live with that as long as they’re at least related items...
NOTHING OF THE SORT..
PS: to everyone here who thinks “just entering simple search terms” is enough, I can only say...have you only been on the web for a few months? O.o
Example: B&W ( Bowers and Wilkins )
Have fun - 80% third-party brands ( ads ) will then be your results.
Thank you very much.
der_einzig_unwahre_heino
·2 years agoAll the years of this nonsense with the ever-worse search software only makes sense if you assume that it is meant to be exactly like that.
I also see degradations in other functions, with which the user is apparently only supposed to be kept in front of the monitor. And with which the portal obviously just wants to collect clicks, which can gladly be pointless too.
Don't think about how great the search functions used to be here! Only as an insult does all of this still make any sense.
pc-ing
·2 years agoI don’t want to ignore that. Because the example I described is definitely NOT an isolated case. Since eBay supports that, unfortunately I also see it as complicity in behavior that does not comply with the rules, or fraud by the sellers.
Another example (as I reported to eBay):
Dear eBay,
the item description at ebay#404639673911 is "Men's wool coat winter trench coat coat outerwear line long sleeve buttons jacket E".
The category is "Jackets, Coats & Vests".
The jackets cost EUR 34.97 each.
So that the expensive jackets still appear at the top of the search when sorted by price ... and so that even in an unsorted listing, items with a comparatively low price attract buyers, ...
... the seller yjfashion88 has, in the (rule-breaking) wrong category, coupled the offer for the jackets with the offer of a white shirt (more like a sweatshirt). This is offered at a price of EUR 13.28 each.
Please get back to me with an explanation of why eBay tolerates these violations of the rules (not just from this seller).
Please also explain whether, in the next step, consumer protection or dealer protection is the more appropriate body for us to consult.
Thanks
pc-ing
·2 years agoFor months now it has been getting on my nerves that when searching in all sorts of categories, some cheap junk gets **bleep**ed into the search alongside the actually sought-after higher-priced item.
Example: eBay offer ****, seller *** sells in the light sources category "LED Panel recessed spotlight ... ". In the same offer, you can also select "1x paper". Apparently the seller wants to sell some poor idiot who selects this a sheet of paper for one euro. (Price-gouging report has been filed, but nothing happens. Thanks, eBay.)
Seller's intention: The cheap price is also used in the search to be listed at the very very top by price. (A report has also been filed about this, but nothing happens either. Thanks, eBay.)
Result for me: I'm annoyed. I'm reducing my bidding activity from what is usually around 1500 bids per month (not with this type of seller) to maybe only 1000 (definitely not with this type of seller either). Sounds like little. But for the platform, especially in auctions, it is not insignificant when strong competing bidders drop out and final prices fall.
n.b.:
If there is another fan discussion thread about this "phenomenon", please let me know and move this post to the appropriate section. Thanks.
nota plusquam bene:
I would also be quite happy with a solution to the "phenomenon". Thanks!
pompanz
·2 years agoHey there, fidgeter.
No, no more raising mountains of questions. Just go. Quietly close that door behind you. If you think this would come with a certain heaviness: deception.
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago...I still believe in the good deep down inside people.
Maybe in the specialist departments you just need to give someone a big hug and squeeze them a little...
zerappelzappel
OP2 years agoGreetings to the specialist department:
...I also found my part for the Lupo.
With your little ex-brother.
Type in:
VW LUPO or in my case LUPO 3L.
And... BAM: You get EVERYTHING where the seller has typed in LUPO (3L).
Cars, parts.
(You never know how the seller ticks & how he advertises his sale - then you can forget a super-specific search. It often fails because of spelling.... "Kopresor" is well meant, but "Kompressor" would be the first choice...)
But ONLY for the search term LUPO.
Within SECONDS.
VW LUPO also works - the database is so clever and doesn't include the VW.
You can also specify the whole thing a bit more:
ALL
CARS
PARTS
via drop-down.
There's nothing more - which also makes it MUCH easier for the seller, because they don't have to fight their way through endless subcategories just to be able to sell something.
Well - and radius.
Because:
In case of doubt, I'll just pick up the part and press some cash into the seller's damp hands.
Should work, they say.
That's it.
Comprehensive.
And not also sorted by colors in subcategories and years from to, horsepower from to, etc.
And above all no well-meant preferences that stretch across ZIG pages.
sunrise1605
·2 years agoThe new guy (GF) can do that then 😂
luden_hut
·2 years agoHas anyone actually ever seen these supposed departments with their own eyes?
I only ever read about them in the blue-bordered posts from the many accounts the lone forum moderator here writes with
I don't believe anything here anymore 😜
old-euro
·2 years agoAll these specialist departments are like eBay search. Something is being made up to obscure reality.
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago...there will be some, I'm sure of that.
But I think you leave your common sense out in the parking lot
and then inside you just do your job blindly - maybe against your better judgment and conscience.
steffi@ebay
yes I @luden_hut - just like my colleagues, who look after the community together with me 🙂
luden_hut
·2 years agoThanks for the feedback, dear @steffi@ebay, only 11 days after my post
Well, if all colleagues have seen that, then it will surely be correct, just like everything you write here 😎
Maybe you can also answer my question from message 11 straight away:
Aren't the imprecise results of the search function not intended and deliberate?
steffi@ebay
Better late than never! @luden_hut
steffi@ebay
Oh, that question was serious? If inaccurate results occur in the search function, they are of course not intended or even on purpose. eBay is fully aware that the more precise the search, the happier the members are 😍. That's why we always encourage sellers to describe their items as accurately as possible and in all details.
luden_hut
·2 years agoOh, I see, @steffi@ebay
As for "community support" and the professional competence of the so-called "specialist departments," I learned a great deal from the following thread:
Collectible sold / return / current status
erwerbsregel
·2 years ago@luden_hut
By the way, I also heard something about a Rolex for 12.5k where the transfer apparently didn't go well for the seller either, I'll see if that thread still exists ...
old-euro
·2 years agoold-euro
·2 years agohajumark
·2 years agoAnd as for the "excess" search results - there's a nod to the big neighbor.
But I find the search even worse. Still, that's no excuse for all the failures here.
hajumark
·2 years agoOk, Miriam.
I'm searching for "Kudamm" in tickets.
-->
7 results for Kudamm, of which 3 in Frankfurt
I don't want to go to Frankfurt, so "Kudamm -Frankfurt"
-->
1 result for Kudamm -Frankfurt
Do you see what I mean?
miriam@ebay
Hello @zerappelzappel! It’s good that you’re getting involved here and voicing your criticism - feel free next time to leave your comment directly in the thread you’re referring to. That would make things clearer.
Yes, I agree with you - if you can’t find what you’re looking for, that’s frustrating and you start looking for alternatives. Of course, we want to avoid that at eBay. For this reason, search is being continuously optimized, as are the category structures, so it’s easier to find your way around.
In order to be able to bring improvement suggestions forward internally in a suitable way, we need concrete examples of exactly how a search is carried out. Unfortunately, we also won’t get any further if, for example, a search term that does not clearly match is used or the categories offered are not taken into account during filtering by the best results.
Even though I had some follow-up questions, we are already preparing responses on the topic of eBay search in the background so that we can bring them forward together accordingly.
Is there a specific situation in which you would want certain search results, but because of the way you searched you couldn’t find the items you wanted on eBay?
Kind regards
Miriam
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago"To be able to raise improvement suggestions internally in the right way, we need concrete examples of how a search is carried out exactly."
....Uh....... Sorry for that many man....
But ARE YOU SERIOUS?????
...after more than 20 years, THIS is the question????
I'm about to faint.
....
Brief oxygen tent.
Wait.
When I search for something, I enter:
search terms.
As short and concise as possible.
If I'm looking for an Adaptec RAID controller, for example, I enter:
Adaptec Raid.
Result:
Hopefully all RAID controllers from Adaptec.
And NOT EVERYTHING with RAID or ADAPTEC!!!
If I'm looking for a RAID controller, I enter
Raid Controller.
Result: Hopefully all RAID controllers.
And NOT EVERYTHING with RAID or CONTROLLER!!!
If I'm looking for a faulty JURA coffee machine, I enter
JURA faulty
Result: All FAULTY JURAS
NOT ALL Juras PLUS spare parts and everything else that has anything to do with JURA incl. books about jurisprudence!!!
...that reminds me of a former colleague... he was looking for a fridge.
"What are you looking for?"
"A fridge."
"Just type that into the search!"
"It finds nothing."
"What did you enter??"
"Into the search field? *a fridge*"
...I don't know what became of the guy... does he work with you????
🤣
miriam@ebay
Okay, @zerappelzappel - many thanks for your effort. I can work with these examples and we can recreate that and thus pass it along accordingly 🙂.
For example, when searching for a defective JURA coffee machine, we would recommend using the filter "defective" (= item attribute that has to be set by the sellers when listing the item) instead of including the term in the search field. But since I can understand that you want to get to the desired results as quickly as possible, I’m taking this feedback on board and have since passed it on accordingly for you.
Kind regards
Miriam
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago....in a certain sense understandable.
Unfortunately, though, you don't know how the seller ticks and where they list what and how.
So when searching, you limit yourself to the essentials and hope the item - in this example, a JURA would be nice - is described as DEFECTIVE (important item feature!!!).
WHERE the thing is then listed should and must be irrelevant.
Some think: SPARE PARTS because broken.
Others think: Doesn't matter whether broken or not - COFFEE MACHINES
Others get it completely wrong and list it under stamps.
The search should therefore return:
12 items found (3 here, 5 there, 1 there and 3 under stamps)
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago"But since I can understand that one wants to get to the desired results as quickly as possible..."
VHS: "Databases for Beginners"
This is covered in detail on day 2 in lesson 3: "How do I search in the database - and how do I do that best???"
No idea what YOU are doing there - and no idea either what your intention is for constantly tinkering with everything - but JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!
And I really cannot understand how one can pass on such a "problem" with an explanation to the ... "specialist department".....
....if the people there don't know the basics, what they are doing and how to optimize something (for the CUSTOMER - not because it's sexy....) - then they don't belong there... just like the responsible "boss".
zerappelzappel
OP2 years ago"With these examples I can work with something, and we can reproduce that and thus pass it on accordingly."
...do you have project week (....we're building ourselves something with computers!!)?
...in 5th grade????
Guys... you're a highly paid stock exchange outfit that's been around for decades - and not some beginner shack with three hobby nerds.....
This whole - really absurd - approach literally takes your breath away.
But if my pitiful "examples" help any further: GLADLY!
Do I get a commission? Do I get on TV?
🤣
pennystocknomoney
·2 years agoThe beginner pad with three hobby nerds will be as sure as amen in church
technically be perfectly equipped. @zerappelzappel
luden_hut
·2 years agoAren’t the inaccurate results of the search function intentional and deliberate?
In any case, I’ve long had the impression that the “search” is meant to entice interested people to browse around here for ages.
That way, you can also sell people quite a lot of extra stuff they weren’t actually looking for.
So why should the search function deliver usable results?
zerappelzappel
OP2 years agoYes.
That’s how it is, or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be.
But I don’t want anything shoved on me — I want to explicitly find what I’m looking for.
rotoskop-kulturfilm
·2 years agoHello @zerappelzappel ,
I’ve got another nice example too:
If I search for the DVD "Meet the Feebles" using only the title, eBay decides to show me results for "Meet the Febles". There is a note about it - but what on earth is that supposed to mean?
If I then, just for fun and out of curiosity, search for "Meet the Febles" (no idea what that is supposed to be), I get results for "Meet the fables".
eBay? Knock knock - is everything still clear in your head? Can’t you handle vowels? Or do you simply think you’re smarter than the users? Is something wrong with you? You’re a search engine...
I’d call that a fundamental failure.
Best regards
RKF
erwerbsregel
·2 years agoGood morning @miriam@ebay
As a "Buyer only" on ebay, I would like to point out that your approach of breaking up search terms and thus also showing items that have absolutely nothing to do with the original search term simply shows a certain detachment from reality on your part.
Simply fix the search to the entered search term and only show relevant results — what's so hard to understand about that?
Or does ebay now have to use the current search function to mask the fact that the "variety of items" in 2024 is not as great as it is being advertised by you 🤔
2014salviaofficinalis
·2 years agoFor this reason, the search is continually being optimized, and so are the category structures, to make it easier to find your way around.
This can really only be satire, right? 😣
old-euro
·2 years agoold-euro
·2 years ago*Departments should not be confused with experts.