eBay Unleashes Machine Learning on Search Pages

by: TomH

In other words award their cronies and to hell with every one else...

by: alaska

What a totally messed up company. They say ''minimizing distractions?'' They have so many distractions on the search results page that I've had to set dozens of add blockers. I have so many elements of their search results page blocked in Firefox that many of my bookmarked searches no longer work. As for machine learning and Artificial Intelligence, go for it eBay! You're all too stupid to realize that your buyers and sellers are your best source of knowledge for improving search.

by: Rexford

The boobs at eBay and machine learning. What could go wrong.

Why can't eBay management get it through their VERY thick skulls that a buyer wants what he wants, not want a machine predicts that he wants.

As a seller, if I just look at completed listings to get an idea of what a selling price should be, these fools will think I want to buy that item and I'll be bombarded with anything related to it.

by: FeelingFroggy

OH DUH Machine intelligence.

Machine programed by human programmers that couldn't find their way to the bathroom without a road map.

Result on trip to bathroom is wet pants. Machines result incompetent as the Ebay programmers.

by: Volvo351

Selling "experience." Buying "experience." Search 'experience."

How about some freakin' RESULTS for a change? When I list an item, I don't give a rodent's posterior about the 'experience' - I want CASH!

Time for feeBay's [mis-]management to drop the mumbo jumbo and concentrate on stuff that WORKS!

by: RL15

Ridiculous, but not surprising.

Another waste of money and time.

Just show a buyer what they are looking for and watch sales rise.

by: Randy

Just this past Sunday I attempted a search on eBay. It took soooo long for the page to load that I eventually gave up, opened a separate tab and went to Amazon and a couple other web sites. The other sites returned their search results before eBay had finished loading. eBay is simply a waste of time!

by: White Rabbit

artificial intelligence? this is nothing more than search manipulation as they have done forever. a very poor choice of words for a way to ruin a site as it has nothing to do with intelligence. Simply more code to make what you are looking for... not be found or to be found for the sellers they deem worthy. Yes we know what this is all about.

by: bitbybit

Ebay's definition of the word manipulation: to apply statistical learning to optimize the whole page: reacting to the users' actions to reorder and prioritize the content in the search page, providing search guidance (steering) or access to top deals and top products in appropriate context while minimizing distractions (small sellers).

by: Owen

I thought eBay had been using artificial intelligence for many years, instead of real, logical intelligence. As they say, garbage in, garbage out. Someone has to program the artificial intelligence, and it will only be as good and logical as the designers of it. Not good, and not logical and definitely not useful. As a matter of fact, it is a detriment to the entire site, and is causing lost sales, few views and frustrated buyers.

by: Rexford

bitbybit, I think you nailed it.

by: aim04744

I stopped buying on Ebay during the last great idea, Cassini. It is so frustrating when no matter what I do, it changes what I search for to what it thinks I want to search for. I am sure this "great" idea is going to help that a ton.....  

by: rhawk

SOOOOO glad I gave up on these idiots and the cesspool that is ebay.

Why not show people what they are looking for, rather than what they already bought somewhere else?

Dumb@$$Es.

by: Scotty

Artificial Intelligence = Oxymoron

by: mcposty

Translation:

Gear search towards china, retaikers with back door deals.

End of story.

What buyer would want to buy from ebay if they knew they were not being shown what they were looking fir, instead they were shown only those things which ebay profits most?

No wonder sales have dropped overall on ebay..but ebay diesnt care cayse they make money other ways. Its fraudulent and dispicable.

Screw ebay and every worker and their families. Curse them all.


Search is only a tool.to redirect buyers to what ebay wants the buyer to buy, not what the buyer is actually looking for.

Amazon is guilty as well so curse them and their families as well.

by: Marie

Ebay seems to feel that the more complicated something is the better it is.  It shows in so many things they do.  Sometimes the simplest things are really the best things.  it is no wonder that so many people are frustrated with Ebay.  I'm sick and tired of being TOLD what I'm looking for as I am sure many buyers are.  Which is evident from the lower sales I've experienced over the past couple of years.

But this isn't just Ebay anymore.  More and more sites are adopting similar things.  I find it more and more frustrating.

It takes me far longer to shop for certain things than it ever has before.  And when I get too frustrated, I just wait until my next trip to town and buy it at the price I find it locally.  Or since I live rather rurally, I'll wait until i venture out into the BIG city, LOL.

by: Dhp3

Artificial intelligence? More like artificial stupidity.

by: corpuschristi1956

Why the heck they just don't open another website exclusively for all items is beyond me. Many people want stuff they cannot find on other platforms. They were willing to watch as the listings based on ending first came by and went. They paid good money for it so give it back to them. Get it?

by: White Rabbit

I really think this has a lot to do with them making their purchases of Artifical Intelligence Businesses recently look legitimate and not like a stupid bonehead idea for a selling venue.. they have to impress the stock holders

by: White Rabbit

if you want to see where they spent their money.. uh.. I mean YOUR fees...

https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-acquires-expe
rtmaker/