Assuming that most posters buy from ebay at least sometimes so question for you?

[margomeoz]

Only asking here because it appears to be the only board that gets used at all, and I would like more than one answer in  a week.

When you are looking for something you may want, how do you search?

Free post.

Ending soonest.

best match

Other?

[just_me_karen]

I've only used best match once, by choice...and that was when the item had an ambiguous name. It annoys me how best match is set as default and I wish I knew how to make my preferred settings default. Is it even possible?

I usually search by price for cheap things like vegetable peelers from china...or by store, for some things.

[chuk_77]

newly listed

never use bad match

[colic2bullsgirlore]

I use price plus postage lowest first if I am looking for a postable item and a heap of scrolling.

I use distance nearest first for looking for cheap "heffy' or awkwaerdlt freightable things like the Castle's jousting sticks

...never know when you are gunna need a pair and a heap of scrolling

I have a number of saved searches with preset parameters with email notification upon a seller listing which saves me

having to continually search

I never use best match. I "help' a lot of friends with their ebay searching and almost invariably ....the inexperienced ones

use the original ebay best match default and an amount are unaware that the search protocols can be altered

I would like 5 cents for every phone calI I got from mates that start with the phrase " Heeeeelp I can't find the thing I

just bought...and I want to pay for it"

[cosmosgrove]

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@just_me_karen wrote:
I've only used best match once, by choice...and that was when the item had an ambiguous name. It annoys me how best match is set as default and I wish I knew how to make my preferred settings default. Is it even possible?

I usually search by price for cheap things like vegetable peelers from china...or by store, for some things.

---

 You can change it, I did. Try going to advanced (the grey word next to the big blue search button). Down the bottom you can change to ending soonest or whatever you prefer (at least thats how I think I did it).

[shoptilludroptara]

lowest price and postage

and free postage

i also search for specific(ladies size 12)

than go from their if i wanting something in a hurry i go to ending soonest

tara

[colic2bullsgirlore]

the info is here

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/search/customize-results.html

When you customise your results, we save your settings.

You can change them any time. If you want to remove your preferences, you can restore the default settings or clear all of them. To go back to the original defaults, click Restore defaults. To clear the settings, clear the box next to the option.

Organising your search view

After you've run a search, you can organise how you'd like see the listings that appear in your search results. 

To get to the search results page, search or browse for an item.

You can:

• Click the Auctions only tab to see auction listings only. Click the Buy It Now only tab view to fixed price listings only.

• Use the View as menu to select a different view such as Gallery or Snapshot.

• Use the Sort by menu to sort by criteria such as time, price, distance, Best Match, and category.

• Click the Customise view link to display the columns you want to see in each listing, such as picture, title, bids, price, time, and postage cost. Click the Restore defaults link to return to the default settings.

[freshwater-2]

My regime is....

Item

From Australia only

Lowest price...(quality & value),

(I prefer BIN)

Feedback of seller

If none suitable....only then do I go overseas to search.

[katymatey*]

If I am looking for a specific item I check every couple of days and use newly listed. Bulky items I use nearest me. 

[jawsnine]

Always price + postage lowest first

              Australia only

              List view (so I can see the postage)

There is no such thing as "free postage", it's part of the price so I never search for it

[margomeoz]

Interesting replies thanks.

I can't believe how few people use best match, even though this is just a smallcross section of people, I would say it could apply to most buyers.

I don't use best match myself, just put in search for an item I am looking for.

Funny that ebay keep plugging best match though and tell you to be seen you need keywords.

Seems to me most people use time soonest ended.