Searching Hints
Disclaimer: On this page we are providing information that may be useful to you as you search for eBay items. The final authority regarding eBay searches resides with eBay itself. If there is anything found in our discussion that is contrary to eBay's procedures and policies, eBay's information overrides what you find here. It is not our intent to modify anything established as official policy of eBay.
eBay Selling Categories
eBay has a number of ways items can be offered for sale by a seller. We'll discuss three that we use often: "auction", "fixed price" and "store inventory".
Auction - The auction category is the one we think of most often when we think of the way eBay operates. A seller creates an item "listing" that will be visible on eBay for a maximum of ten days. The seller sets a starting bid price and potential buyers bid on the item throughout the listing's availability. At the end of the auction, the winning bidder is obligated to buy and the seller is obligated to sell the item at the winning price.
Fixed Price - A seller using the fixed price category will establish a firm price for the item instead of allowing bidding to take place. The item will have a "Buy it Now" indication beside the price. A buyer clicking on "Buy it Now" will have the opportunity to confirm intentions. Once confirmed, the buyer is obligated to complete the purchase. Fixed price items run for a maximum of 30 days and may be renewed by the seller for additional 30-day periods.
Store Inventory - Items categorized as store inventory look very much like fixed price items. They also run for 30 days. The big difference is how they are presented to you when you search. This is discussed below.
eBay Search Basics
When you do a simple search for words in an item's title or title and description, eBay will present auction and fixed price items first. If only a few items match your search criteria, eBay may display store inventory items at the end of the presented list of items. If many auction and/or fixed price items match your criteria, eBay will not list store inventory items.
You can force eBay to list store inventory items. The "Advanced Search" page has a selection list near the bottom called "Show Only". One of the choices is "All Item Inventory including Store Inventory format". If you select this, eBay will list store inventory items at the end of the list of presented items. Unfortunately, you have to make this selection every time you search.
You have probably discovered that eBay requires precise search terms. This can be a problem for certain items. A good example is the sterling flatware pattern, Grande Baroque. Based upon our examination of search terms used by searchers to find our items, most people use the term, Grand Baroque, leaving out the "e". Sellers are as bad as the buyers. So, to make sure you find both, use this search term:
(grand, grande) baroque
The parenthetical expression means "or" to eBay; in this example, eBay will look for both Grand Baroque and Grande Baroque.
Often you will obtain search results that include many items in which you have no interest. For example, if you use the search term, "Gorham Sterling", you will probably see some bowls in the results. If you want to exclude bowls, you can use this search term:
Gorham sterling -bowl
This tells eBay not to include items that have the word "bowl" included.
But, you have to be careful. A seller of Gorham sterling spoons may have the word, "bowl", somewhere in the description, referring to a spoon's bowl. If you tell eBay not to include items with the word, "bowl", you won't see the spoon listing!
Take time to review the "Advanced Search" page. There are many ways to focus in on a very precise search. Just be careful not to eliminate valid items by being too precise.
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