Search glitches

[deanosaur1972]

As reported to support on June 7th

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When the search engine was altered a few months ago it has created a bit of a nightmare for buyers...
For example, do a search for: Christmas Card

This is now swamped by postcards - if someone searches for Christmas
Post Card then the return would be fine. But having a search return like
that can kill a category, likewise Birthday Cards etc... The search
engine should not assume to include postcards based on the keyword of
just card - when it includes the multi keyword of 'post card' it is
fine - but not just card.

When the Greetings Card sellers find out this they will go nuts -
with that search return they will be losing sales. Also it is
encouraging sellers to leave out vital keywords because the eBid
search engine will pick it up - but ultimately that will clobber your
outside exposure and the ability of new buyers and sellers to find
eBid, just to cater for lazy sellers.

Also....

The search for St Leonards-on-Sea brings up 31 results - the search
for St Leonards on Sea brings up 93 results.

Those searches should bring up the same result and just read the - as
a blank.

Likewise....
Do a search for: St Mary's Church
844 returns
Do a search for: St Marys Church
1,238 returns

Those should both return the same search results.
And there is a whole lot more similar to the above....

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And why has nothing been done? I received the response that it was being looked into, but that was over 2 weeks ago. With the tinkering that has gone certain items have been made almost impossible to sell - with no benefit provided to anyone else whatsoever - and it has been like this for months.

If buyers are getting search returns which are completely irrelevant to their search keywords then they will go elsewhere.

[Gill]

I've just done a search for Merry Christmas Card which gave me 188 listings but also includes toppers, I didn't check how many, but this search IS NOT picking up these keywords in handmade goods.

Obviously the 'toppers' listings are in the wrong category.

I'm not going 'nuts' as deano puts it but I am wondering if eBid is worth the effort of making, photographing, listing/writing unique descriptions etc. even with the low fees.

[cambrensis]

This is very important. i have given up on any attempt to find items I wish to buy in eBid as it stands, unless to go to a seller I know may have what I want. Logic has gone by the board. I am not saying "logic" to mean "commonsense", but in its particular meaning which has been around for a very long time. Really, everybody involved in setting up any sort of search system should have read the first two chapters of "The Traditional Formal Logic" After that, all is easy! Come on...it's only been around for about 2500 years, or so!

[astral276]

The annoying thing is that they can find the time to add bling (e.g. lists) but can't find the time to fix core functions, and nothing is more core for a site such as eBid than the search facility. Even simple fixes don't get addressed; for example, drop down the advanced search bar at the top of this page and the eBid Forums Home button is on top of it - a simple z-order change needed, no coding necessary and would take a few seconds to do.

It does get disheartening when eBid asks you to report bugs and they then pay no attention - unless it piques their interest.

[Gill]

The annoying thing is that they can find the time to add bling (e.g. lists) but can't find the time to fix core functions, and nothing is more core for a site such as eBid than the search facility. Even simple fixes don't get addressed; for example, drop down the advanced search bar at the top of this page and the eBid Forums Home button is on top of it - a simple z-order change needed, no coding necessary and would take a few seconds to do.

It does get disheartening when eBid asks you to report bugs and they then pay no attention - unless it piques their interest.

Maybe the 'new' site will have enough bling and absolutely everything in place so that eBid sellers are inundated with buyers. Maybe? Possible? No?

[billsstamps]

I've just done a search for Merry Christmas Card which gave me 188 listings but also includes toppers, I didn't check how many, but this search IS NOT picking up these keywords in handmade goods.

Obviously the 'toppers' listings are in the wrong category.

I'm not going 'nuts' as deano puts it but I am wondering if eBid is worth the effort of making, photographing, listing/writing unique descriptions etc. even with the low fees.

I seem to get on OK doing searches in Ebid. I use Boolean logic

[kreativebargains]

I seem to get on OK doing searches in Ebid. I use Boolean logic

The problem is Bill that there is frequently no logic whatsoever in some peoples searches, a lot of the time I have to track stuff down for the OH.

As for the current problems one of my new listings, well several actually are for Skimpie boots, socks & laces. As they are in pairs people can quite correctly pluralise it to a pair of Skimpies. Search Skimpie and all my listings appear, search Skimpies and you get nothing. I had already done the listings when I noticed but will have to go back and either add the 's' and see if that works for both, or add 'Skimpies' to the title which will make it a bit untidy.

[billsstamps]

Yes, so the problem is in the search which expects searchers to be experts, not beginners - search for Skimpie*