A Really Important eBay Forum Thread about Search

by: Silver Ice King

Ebay will never comment on this because it would be giving away information that they consider proprietary and would also give credibility to what this person is saying.  By not addressing this comment at all since it was originally posted they hope that it will fall off the front page and be completely forgotten about.

That OP understands what he is talking about more than most of those at Ebay do and I just cannot imagine any of the Community Team and saying anything other than we have forwarded your comments to the appropriate team and will get back with you when we hear anything.
As we all know this is just  Weasel speak (the official Ebay Language) for we have no clue what is happening nor are we ever going to try and figure it out as it is way above our pay grades.  

We spend our day trying to justify our existence and that we deserve to continue receiving a paycheck from Ebay, which is paid for by the sellers we screw over daily. So please refrain from asking questions which require us to actually think or understand what is happening with our platform.

Thank you for bringing this useless information to our attention.

(fill in the name)
Your Useless Ebay Community Team member

by: Rexford

This makes complete sense.  Most of my eBay sales are sales of items that are newly listing. Occasionally we get a sale of a dated item, but not on a regular basis.  Most sales come from items that have not been on the site long.

On the other sites that we sell on, there is no pattern of dated items versus newly listed items.  Either could sell at any time.

This is actually bad for the sellers and the buyers. Buyers likely aren't being shown items that they might be interested in, or even items that they are searching for.

This week eBay is offering a deal to sellers to upgrade their stores. What fool would do that?  If you would, read the post above again. Know that it will not make one bit of difference in your sales if you upgrade.

by: maxmad

This also applies to seller id's

We  showed a HUGE boost in sales for about a year with creating  a new user id. same items same policies,

The people running ebay are complete and absolute idiots

The shear amount of manipulation hurts ebay and sellers, in the long run, best match is the one single feature that has led to ebays failure and  to where they stand today, it's so bad for ebay and sellers, they are destroying the natural flow of sales artificially, by injecting false data into best match, it upsets the natural balance

For example we know with absolute certainty that 3 of the items we have been selling for over 2 decades are our best sellers, no mater what venue or whoever buys our products we know these items are best sellers,  but there is only one venue in the whole world, that say no they are not, and that is ebay.  95% of the time these 3 items place last in best match compared to our other items.

Pure and absolute idiots









 

by: Frank Abagnale

Well...............if the guy had diversified his ecommerce business on multiple platforms.....

by: Deacon Blues

I sell long-tail items in Business and Industrial categories (electronic components, MRO, etc.). This article goes a long way in explaining why my sales have dwindled recently (despite increasing my inventory from 4000 to 6000 items). Page after page of zero views... I am starting to wonder if the effort is all in vain.  

by: pace306

Because eBay search is manipulated by eBay brass (pay for play) and NOT organic - any or all the items mentioned effect search.

Its a shady house of cards and of course as everyone here says - its not ethical, moral, honest, decent and its certainly not transparent.

What it IS, is basically a guessing game. You pay for the listing, you post your item and HOPE eBay out of the kindness of their hearts will show it - in the right place, right time, right category.

Of course, none of those things seem to ever happen.

Its a rigged card game, with the relevant authorities too afraid, too chicken, too greedy, too lazy to investigate.

I wrote to 2 Attorneys General, and I got back stupid form letters. IC3 isnt any better - nothing happens.

Unless you are a media personality or someone famous - and you get screwed by eBay and make a big stink .... nothing happens - ebay is ONLY afraid of "bad news".

You have to "go into using eBay" with the mind set that you WILL be getting screwed. It may not happen right away (unless you are selling a hot item aka an Apple iPhone etc), it may take forever (if you sell antiques or industrial items) but it WILL happen, and your "partner" wont be there to help - even if the fraud is OBVIOUS.

The search we all really need is the poll Ina took - a search for new leadership over in San Jose ...... I still say - the dead skunk.

by: Marie

The OP of that thread really did a lot of deep research and appears to be quite knowledgeable on the subject.  It also shows that it isn't affecting just small sellers, large sellers are suffering too.

I too have noticed a difference in my sales since the Spring update was release.  And it got worse with the Summer Update was released.  Some answers may lie in the research this OP did.  

It is a lot of information to digest and learn.  Not a simple subject in the least.

by: Bignfuzzy

This has been going on for at least four years.  (Maybe longer, but that's when we noticed it).  At least one company selling listing software compensates for it in their relist logic.

by: Marie

@Bignfuzzy

Which part of what the thread OP states has been going on for the last 4 years?  He brings up several points.

by: Rexford

Frank Abagnale says "Well...............if the guy had diversified his ecommerce business on multiple platforms....."

Amen!  That is a must these days.

by: Rexford

Marie says "I too have noticed a difference in my sales since the Spring update was release.  And it got worse with the Summer Update was released. "

Yep, same here.  I'm finding eBay to be a big fat waste of time and energy.  I won't even get started on the uptick in returns.  

by: I Must be Crazy

I could tell that something went awry over the last couple of months. It's nice to know that it isn't me, and there is some very convincing evidence to prove it. Most of the issues mentioned I have experienced within my own much smaller operation.

Based on the evidence provided eBay does throttle and control how much a seller can sell. They absolutely shift visibility to ''spread the wealth'' among sellers. Buyers are not getting the best deal as eBay would like to have them believe. Sellers are not seeing the increase in visibility for offering benefits as eBay represents. For the most part, everything within eBay's system is either broken, or programmed to the benefit of eBay ahead of both buyers and sellers. That makes eBay executives either stupid, or liars.

I hope many sellers, and buyers, have a chance to read and digest all of the information within the post. It is very comprehensive, well supported with a lot of graphs and information. The author certainly did his homework.

by: iheartjacksparrow

@Marie - Bignfuzzy never stated the OP said it had been going on for four years. He (Bignfuzzy) stated it had been going on for four years (quote: "[T]hat's when WE noticed it." [Emphasis added.]).  

by: Rexford

I Must be Crazy, this is why I love ecrater.  I don't think that they are using crazy algorithms to manipulate search.  Google may be (as it relates to items showing in Google shopping), but I feel pretty sure that if you search for an item ON ecrater this is not the case.

Algorithms and AI remind me of the crooked folks at carnivals or old time casinos who were behind the scenes manipulating the outcome of a games. Algorithms and AI are not always used in bad ways, but when these companies use it to favor their own bottom line or use it for one of their preferred brand sellers' bottom lines then it feels rigged and unethical, especially when other sellers pay eBay for a service--for items to be seen.

by: Grady

I would have to assert that entities like Google, Allstate, and the Chinese Government are not likely to be dumping billions of dollars into Artificial intelligence so they can improve the overall life of the common citizens. Thinking otherwise would be about as misguided as showing up at an ISIS meeting in a yarmulke and a Netanyahu T-SHIRT.  

by: 1st Armored Div. 1971-1973

When ebay took down 4,500 of my OOAK listings last year I did a check on my sales that year. 75% of my sales for the year where for items over a year old and many going back several years.

Ebay's business model now is based on velocity of sales. Who wants to put a lot of effort into listing items on ebay knowing at any day they can just be delisted on a whim or disappear in search. By the way my old listings still sell just fine.

by: Marie

@1st Armored Div. 1971-1973

That thread on Ebay says that the sales velocity is NOT a leading factory anymore.  It is what Ebay is defining as stale.  Which per the thread is 30 days with no sales.  

I'm currently testing that theory.  It appears it may have some truth to it.  But I haven't been testing it long enough to know for sure.

by: Whatever

are we talking about this thread?
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/EBay-statistics-inacc
urate-search-broken-impressions-issues/m-p/28644414#M1234676
if you wade thru it and are a small seller this is absolutely confounding to me - ebay should have sent a rep to this guys business! He's a mega seller - most of us are small fish. If he's going under what hope is there for the rest of us? I've spent the last 2-3 months deleting anything that was GTC - redid everything still no sales - it's a pitiful situation. I have started a website but of course that is slow. I have my house for sale an I am keeping my fingers crossed that it sells before the next recession.  I will be downsizing my store after nearly 20 years on ebay. I am not in denial that this is the end of ebay as we used to know it. I truly believe that things are so screwed up not they have no clue how to fix it - wenig chicken shite move with GM seals all our fates. Pitiful doesn't even begin to describe it.  

by: ZZ

Does 'selling similar' rather than relisting help, maybe with a slight change to the title?

by: LasVagueness

@Marie, I know you relist with fresh listings...would this apply to your account since your items are never technically stagnant?