Ebay And Their "Best Match"

I set my "Favorites" to bring up items ending soonest.
Every few months eBay changes it to "Best Match" causing me hours of work to change my favorites back to items ending soonest

"Best Match" should be permanently removed from eBay because it means NOTHING!

Best Match for what? For Who? Never once in my 25 plus years using eBay has Best Match ever matched anything!!!!!!!!!

Telling this to eBay falls on deft ears as usual.

Yes, 'Best Match' tends to show rubbish. I always wonder why it brings up single stamps out of set when I search for 'Morrocco Agencies.' I want sets. It, also, is quite common to get absolute garbage stamps first. I suppose it is based on an algorithm that determines whom they earn most from.

You must have a lot of saved searches Timm!

I stopped asking ebay to send me emails of new items that matched my search because they continually unsubscribed me.

Now, I just have a browser bookmark. I don't even have to log in.

That's how I work, for years.

What's really annoying is that the Android eBay app resets sort to "Best Match" on every search. It won't keep your preferred sort order... at least I haven't found a way to do so.

While I generally prefer just opening eBay on the phone's web browser, the ability to use the phone's camera to scan a UPC code and have eBay search immediately is very handy when out shopping. I just wish I could make the result sorting stick.

B*stards.

Bobby:




I had this problem several months ago, and actually got someone in eBay technical support to look at the problem.

By some experimentation, I determined that their saved search code which ran each night when you selected the "save search" option, would always reset the unsubscribe flag each time it executed. After several email exchanges with their tech support, they finally figured out what I was talking about, and corrected it, and I have had no issues with this since.

My saved searches all run with the "most recently listed" option, and I have had no difficulties with this changing to "best match" [I agree with the assessments of the value of "best match"].

If you have not used saved searches recently, I suggest that you try it again and see if you experience the same difficulties as you did before.

Mike

My iPhone experience is the same...




I am kind of surprised how garbage their system is. You would expect some kind of analytics feedback on suggestion success, etc. I have been an eBay member for almost 25 years, and I have never clicked on a single "Best Match" lot - ever. They aren't even close to what I am interested in. 1000s of lots bought and sold, and they send me suggestions for entire categories I have never looked through, let alone purchased. Don't want designer bags or expensive Nike sneakers or whatever tat they are trying to get me to buy. It may be they are trying to entice us with "popular" things for an impulse buy.

Stamps and beer labels are pretty much all I pay attention to...

Thanks Mike,

I only have two searches, and I'm in the routine of just clicking on the bookmark now

That designer handbag could revolutionise your life. Release your inner Hermes.

Ahhhhh, nope.

I call it worst match.

Bobby:




Only "two searches"? I admire your self control.

eBay only controls the 'Best Match' algorithm, but it does not control the data that the algorithms utilize to generate the 'Best Match'. Since eBay 'Best Match' has dependencies upon seller listings data, the 'crap in, crap out' rule applies. It also analyzes things like seller performance and is not going to push a truly better match if that seller has, for example, a ton of returns or poor feedbacks. On the other hand, the algorithm is going to 'reward' (push to top) listings which eBay considers properly done. Things like accurate item descriptions, quality and multiple images, completely filled in Item Specifics.

I guess someone could argue that rewarding these things is not the best approach and eBay should tailor their algorithm to push to the top listings even if the seller performance or listing itself sucks.

eBay is not stupid when it comes to figuring out what works in terms of actionable click throughs, no doubt it has evidence that what they are doing is generating income for them. And of course, they are constantly tweaking this kind of thing to maximize the performance of their income. They do not simply throw darts in the dark; any changes have to be fully justified accompanied by a comprehensive ROI. And like any typical multimillion corporation, they have people whose only job it is to monitor the metrics of the algorithms that are in place.
Don

After ranting about this on the eBay forums, there apparently is a solution on Android; I'm curious if iPhone has the same. It goes to prove just how moronically stupid the developers are at eBay, over-engineering every [CENSORED] thing.

Next to every sort or filter option there is a little gray padlock icon showing it unlocked. If you press it, it toggles to blue and locked, and it will save that specific setting and not reset it to defaults.

Now a normal rational non-alien human being would, instead of forcing an additional manual step for every individual setting, would just save the sort/filter settings as selected by the user until they change it to something different or do a "Reset all to default", but noo....

I'm making it an official plural: "A fustercluck of eBay employees"

(Only tangentially related to an alternate spelling which is the formal plural of politicians).

"no doubt it has evidence that what they are doing is generating income for them"

i.e. best match for what they want to show us, which does not necessarily match what we want to see

And what do they want to show people? The highest profit listings that result in the most clicks and then a sale.

Just because stamp collectors may want see NY Stamps listings with crappy images and few Item Specifics does not mean that eBay is going to adjust an algorithm that helps drive 2 BILLION other transactions per day.

But that is just my opinion.
Don