posted on January 19, 2008 12:35:43 PM new
Has ebay changed there search program?? I was trying to look up Betty Boop and I get shoveled over to this link. I sure hope this is a fluke and not the way it is going to be.
http://buy.ebay.com/betty-boop
posted on January 19, 2008 12:42:42 PM new
zippy,thanks in the past when I would do a search like that it would bring any and all Betty Boop items, not like this.
posted on January 19, 2008 12:44:04 PM new
That's odd. Half my post went missing.
The rest of my post should have read.. .this is what happens to me when I search for something like "jewelry" or "shoes." When I narrow the search, ("blue shoes" or "vintage earrings" I am directed to the regular search pages.
posted on January 19, 2008 12:49:50 PM new
Zippy, you are right. I narrowed it down and got the results I wanted. Never had anything like that happen before. Thanks
posted on January 20, 2008 05:16:56 AM new
WElcome to "Best Match" - supposed to be a test in 5 categories but appears to be more widespread. It is the default for "browse" and "Fixed Price" searches and not supposed to appear for keyword searches.
Many people reported they could not customize their search options - stayed stuck in "Best Match". The Best Match results are sorted in some way known only to the brain trust at eBay - not highest/lowest or vice versa, not ending soonest (or vice versa)- supposed to be based on "buyer behavior" (aka: rich get rich, poor get poorer". Some items never make it to page 1 of search results.
In their haste to roll this out and show their stuff they forgot to consider whether buyers WANTED items sorted this way. Based on postings on the eBay Search Board - I would say BUYERS WANT TO SEARCH IN THEIR OWN WAY. I think this ability to customize searches makes eBay unique and a fun place to shop for many users. Take it away and you have Amazon.
And here is the place to post if you want to be heard on the issue (it is a test so ebay is looking for input - probably won't heed it because they will SAY that buyers OVERWHELMING supported the new search behavior - but we know better )
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000628285&tstart=0&mod=0
posted on January 20, 2008 05:55:18 AM new
OK, now I am Really Mad! What happened to the wildcard in search? I just did a test for a term I search for that has a 's at the end of one of the words. I always run it with the 's and one with a * as a wild card because some people leave off the 's and some leave off the '. Did it today and the 's returned some items but the search with the wildcard returned none! Grumble, Grumble. I was using Ending Soonest for the sort.
Just tried another search to be sure it was not a fluke. Did a search of a term where I use a wildcard to get single and plural. With the wildcard I am getting only the single. Looks like I am going to have to start doing two searches. Wonder how many things I have missed by thinking I was getting both single and plural.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
[ edited by photosensitive on Jan 20, 2008 06:02 AM ]