Why is search manipulation so rampant on eBay?

[smartdummy]

Has anyone ever tried to search for the best deal their money can buy? After carefully putting in all the search criteria and sort by price low to high, only to find searching results filled with garbage $a~$b red herrings. Why? Because eBay has decided to sort item based the LOWEST priced variation in a group listing. The sellers are exploiting this by including a really cheap accessory option in their listing. This way, their listing will get a head start on the rest of competition by appearing cheaper than they actually are. Reporting them as "Search Manipulation" doesn't do anything because apparently eBay doesn't care enough nor punishment server enough to discourage sellers from using this exploit.

Any thoughts?

[smartdummy]

On 2022-09-19, looks like eBay does care and is aware of this category of search manipulation. However, past efforts seem to be spent on spoting and taking down such listings. I have suggested to eBay the following solution: take away the incentive so that doing so no longer gives their listing an advantage. Currently, the advantage is gained because group listing uses the cheapest item for sorting in search results. What if all group listings use their highest priced option for sorting instead? This way, adding in a cheap option will no longer make them appear cheaper than they actually are (as far as sorting lowest to highest price goes).

[padi*0409]

Use the "advanced search" function to weed out the lower priced items.......simple.

[smartdummy]

😄 Thanks, but wouldn't that weed out the real deal as well?

[padi*0409]

"Thanks, but wouldn't that weed out the real deal as well? "   Only if the lower price was a "too good to be true" price.

[countessalmirena]

There is a 99.99% chance that the amazingly low-priced deal is not an amazingly low-priced genuine deal, but rather it’s a cheap knock-off, or stolen, or a lure, or bait-and-switch, or a misused variation listing.

The .01% chance that it’s a genuine amazingly low-priced deal with no catch is probably a statistical anomaly.

My inbuilt TGTTT meter kicks in and I ignore items that really are too good to be true.

[davewil1964]

@ the countess - I use a TGTBT meter

[countessalmirena]

I bought a TGTBT meter

‘Twas shaped like a radar and egg-beater

Alas! An errata

crept into the data

Three Ts and no B made me teeter.

Bad bad typo…

[davewil1964]

Radars and eggbeaters tend to produce anomalous results when used together

[countessalmirena]

davewil, that explains the “No problem here” reading which my device gave in the presence of a Nigerian Prince.

[gutterpunkz05]

Get used to it, because variation  listings are here to stay and unfortunately there is always going to be someone willing to exploit it.

Usually you can spot them pretty easily by from price   from$  to $,  if you are not interested in supporting these sellers, then simply scroll past.

[smartdummy]

I don't trust human either, which is why a systematic solution to eliminate the exploit would be preferred.

[smartdummy]

Thanks for your reply, I can see you and I share the same feeling towards these variation listings.