topic Re: Block sellers from search criteria? in Buying

Block sellers from search criteria?

bsal6160 — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 02:49:09 GMT

I do most of my ebay buying from the Antiques section here. I am getting sick of wading through the pages and pages of "Brand New" items that certain sellers are trying to palm-off as Antiques. How can I block certain sellers from showing up in my search list?

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

digital*ghost — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 03:07:41 GMT

After conducting a search, click Specify Sellers from the left-hand menu. A window will pop up - tick 'Only show items from:' and make sure the dropdown is set to Exclude as opposed to Include, then type in or copy/paste all the seller IDs you want to exclude from the results.

I don't think it's a permanent setting, but if you use the same search terms often enough, saving the search should keep the setting for that individual search.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

bsal6160 — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 04:10:43 GMT

Thanks DG. I will try it.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

***super_nova*** — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 05:33:14 GMT

I wish eBay would be doing more about these kind of sellers. I like fine art deco jewellery, put in art deco sterling silver and you'll get pages and pages of carp, not art deco, not silver and not even attempted reproductions. After while I stopped looking on eBay. I really feel for the genuine sellers whose items get totally lost among all the rubbish. There were times I got so frustrated that I reported every brand new trinket i came across, and nothing happened, 2 days later they were still listed in the same wrong category. :_|

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

c0mpute — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 01:14:27 GMT

@ Digital*Ghost Thank you, I will look into this and try it also..

@ Super_Nova This is what i was basically trying to put across on the answer boards ect.. lol

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

cottagechic1 — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:38:20 GMT

Drives you crazy, doesn't it? Go to the LHS of the page and hit the ORIGINAL bit. That MIGHT get rid of the new rubbish that is in the Antiques category. For searches in Pottery and Porcelain, hit the USED part and all those pretty, but ghastly in the flesh, new sets disappear.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

peternt2001 — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 10:47:35 GMT

I agree, lately i have been browsing TAG HEUER watches, and when i do a search i regularly get 1700 on the list, but so many of them are cheap chinese watches that use the phrase TAG in their listing.

The same as i have been checking out gym equipment and quiet often the gym equipment section is flooded with muscle building supplements by the page full.

I wish there was a simple way that you could filter out the stuff you dont want to see.

Say for example a box you could tick next to a product that isnt relavant to your search so that any of that product will not show up

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

digital*ghost — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:32:17 GMT

I agree, lately i have been browsing TAG HEUER watches, and when i do a search i regularly get 1700 on the list, but so many of them are cheap chinese watches that use the phrase TAG in their listing.

That is really strange, because those listings remain even after filtering the search to show only TAG Heuer brand watches, and they don't use the word Heuer in the title or in the item specifics - in fact on the first one I looked at, the brand said HOTARU so it should be filtered out of the list when it's refined by brand name. ?:|

Either there's some weird kind of manipulation going on that I can't see, or it's the result of Cassini...the search engine that shows you what it wants you to see, not what you tell it to show you.

Keyword searches are often pretty useless without a few key refinements these days, though, and vice versa for category browsing.

You can remove unwanted results from a search fairly effectively with using - before keywords. It works even without typing any other keywords if you're within a category, so you can leave the search bar essentially blank except the words you don't want in results (so you can go to Sports > Fitness and just type the main keywords, eg -supplements -protein and filter out the majority of them).

You can also tick boxes to remove the supplements from your results, depending on how much refining you're prepared to do - they're primarily listed in a sub-category of Sports > Fitness > Accessories, so if you're only looking through the Accessories category, you can click "Choose more..." from the menu, then select all the sub-categories you want shown in results, leaving out supplements.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

writingcj — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:13:28 GMT

'antique style', 'antique inspired' - item is categorized as NEW. With all of Ebay's filters, how can a NEW item even get listed as ANTIQUE., or anything other than NEW..If I won't be bothered wading through dozens of deceptive listings, how many prospective buyers are being lost to genuine traders?

Once a seller has had 3 (for instance) deliberately deceptive listings reported they should be prevented from listing ANYTHING in the categories previously used for their goods.

Antiques should be antiques. I tried searching Genuine Antique - got things like 'genuine opal antique inspired ring'.

Ebay - get it together, stop these deceitful sellers, maybe add some new categories for them, but don't lose buyers for genuine sellers.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

bobbyboos — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:59:47 GMT

I am glad someone brought this up. I sell antiques and collectables and agree with you before anyone gets to my listing has to go through a load of other items which are new and therefore probably don't even get to mine.

I hope ebay is listening as this cuts out business for people like me.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

peternt2001 — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:46:27 GMT

thank you for that information " Digital Ghost "

another choice i would like to see, instead of just 2 choices under Location, i would like to be able to pull up a list of every country alphabetically so i can delete countries i do not want to buy from , but still be able to search the world

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

digital*ghost — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:36:19 GMT

thank you for that information " Digital Ghost "

another choice i would like to see, instead of just 2 choices under Location, i would like to be able to pull up a list of every country alphabetically so i can delete countries i do not want to buy from , but still be able to search the world

No problem - and I would love the option to filter out certain locations from some searches, too. I don't like the chances of it being implemented much, but I live in hope. 😄

The search engine eBay is currently using - IMHO - barely makes a good idea in theory, let alone practice. I conducted a search earlier today (keyword only) for 'black wing charm', and within the results were pages of lace garters. o_O They all had black and charm in the title, but no wings anywhere to be seen - not in the title, item specifics or description.... I guess Cassini thinks lingerie is a bit like Red Bull and gives you wings....? ?:|

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

debra9275 — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:42:58 GMT

has anyone looked at 'decorative arts" under the antique section lately???

"shakes head"

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

bsal6160 — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 03:23:22 GMT

That's what I mean Debra...full of junk, page after page.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

coxsteve — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:09:25 GMT

It is far from just the Antiques section in most sections of ebay.com.au but not ebay.com yopu increasingly find what actually amounts to fraudulent listings because of the practice of being basically sneaky with listings so they appear in more than one catagory.

As an example you will find listed under Trail bikes Kawasaki in a search catagory something like Honda followed by (Not Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha etc) this then allows what is not obviously a Kawasaki to waste your time during searches. because it becomes listed under Kawasaki as well as Honda which is clearly Fraudulent listing activity.

Why is there no catagory available to report this type of listing in the report section.

The greatest offenders commonly seem to sell Chinese Rubbish in all catagories in this fashion.This is clearly in breach of Legal standards for advertising misrepresentation and Ebay must address the issue.

Also in a similar vein you specify Australia and items appear in the Search from overseaqs especially China or Hong Kong when you clearly have specified Items actually located in Australia not available for purchase from Australia.

This does not appear to be such an issue on ebay.com so there is a solution,So could Ebay Australia please fulfill your LEGAL OBLIGATIONS under AUSTRALIAN LAW and fix these issues regarding misleading and fraudulent listings.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

digital*ghost — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:21 GMT

As an example you will find listed under Trail bikes Kawasaki in a search catagory something like Honda followed by (Not Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha etc) this then allows what is not obviously a Kawasaki to waste your time during searches. because it becomes listed under Kawasaki as well as Honda which is clearly Fraudulent listing activity.

Why is there no catagory available to report this type of listing in the report section.

That's keyword spamming, and you can report it under Listing Practices > Search and browse manipulation.

When conducting a keyword search, you can also avoid those listings by typing in Kawasaki -not (all the listings with 'not' in the title will then be excluded from the results).

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 07:59:32 GMT

As a buyer,

I agree. I frequently look to buy real gold jewellery and therefore go to the FINE jewellery section.

It is full of junk, ie; plated or filled gold. Most annoying so I usually go to the used section and don't see what real gold sellers have available.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

csmi5169 — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:45:54 GMT

Also so many things are listed as 'french provincial'. Someone was selling a white 60s chest of drawers and claiming it to be french, drives me crazy.

Re: Block sellers from search criteria?

banf15 — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:52:27 GMT

Agree OP,

Same thing happens in the jewellery section, type solid gold and you get flooded with fake Chinese gold tone items. Best method is to refine your search selecting used items.

That works for me to a point but then your dealing with unscrupulous local sellers with solid gold in their titles with the words gold layered or filled in their description fine print.