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From eBay Technical Issues Forum
Do you people EVER test before turning something loose?
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000444333&tstart=0&mod=1191448628477
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:mwuScww1GrQJ:forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa%3FthreadID%3D2000444333%26tstart%3D0%26mod%3D1191370435917+%22do+you+people+ever+test
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jamie*n (327 ) Oct-02-07 00:08 PDT
Here we go again. You rolled out a new search with FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONALITY that's JUST PLAIN BROKEN.
I bring up an item from a seller I like. I click "View seller's other items - List" (I hate the Store concept, don't tell me to use it). I see everything that seller has listed. Fine - so far, so good. Now I type a search string into the search box at the top, then click "Show Items" down at the bottom of the left side bar, which is CLEARLY LABELED AS "NARROW YOUR RESULTS". What do I get? THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of items matching my search term FROM EVERY SELLER ON EBAY!
NO! NO!! NO!!! That's not what I wanted. That's not what the box said I would get. The box for "Items from seller" was CLEARLY checked, and I did NOT uncheck it. I wanted things matching that search term from THAT SELLER and ONLY THAT SELLER. Ebay, this used to work, and it's such a FUNDAMENTAL USAGE. Did ANYBODY on your development team actually USE this abomination before turning it loose on the public? Please get some of your monkeys in there to fix it? Please?
Don't get me started on the fact that it's stripping *'s from search terms. That makes my day, too.
14 replies Date posted Reply #
kathyseven (1025 ) Oct-02-07 00:46 PDT 1 of 14
You need to go to the Search Discussion board and post on the locked thread at the top.
I've been told that's the only one the "finding" team reads.
Beware the 
button that takes you to a "Log In" page. Check My Messages First!
kathyseven (1025 ) Oct-02-07 00:52 PDT 2 of 14
One more thing.....don't sign into the boards and expect your search preferences to work. They WON'T!
I have to sign out and then sign into the ebay side for them to work at all.
I'm suspecting that you've been included in a beta test.
It sounds like what I went thru when I found myself in a beta search one day.
It was a very frustrating experience!
Look at the bottom of the page and see if there is an opt out link. If not, try dumping temp file cache and ebay cookies. Some members claim that helps them to get the "old" search back.
Beware the button that takes you to a "Log In" page. Check My Messages First!
jamie*n (327 ) Oct-02-07 01:11 PDT 3 of 14
Sorry, but no - I'm trapped in this nightmare and I'm just going to quit.
Cleared all cookies & cache (which FireFox very nicely does FOR me every time I close it and restart anyway). Went directly to "www.ebay.com", didn't use any bookmarks or links in emails. Clicked directly on "sign in". Signed in. Didn't go anywhere near this "Playground" abomination. Entered a search with a "*" in the term. What do I get? ZERO results, because the stupid search stripped the "*" out and gave me NOTHING in return.
Started over. Cleared it all, started at "www" again. Signed in. Went to a closed item from my watch list. Clicked "View sellers other items - List" Got the list of everything that seller is selling. Added a search term to the box with a * in it. What did I get? MORE THAN SEVEN THOUSAND RESULTS because now I'm looking at results from EVERY SINGLE SELLER on ebay for a search term that was now MISSING THE * I had explicitly added!
I'm stuck with this worthless piece of crap search. I can't opt out. I can't use any of the methods I've developed over time to actually get MEANINGFUL results from the search. I've needed to break the habit of SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH MONEY ON BUYING THINGS FROM EBAY for a while now. I think this time they may have finally succeeded in stopping me.
dewskis_dewings (31 ) Oct-02-07 05:18 PDT 4 of 14
Aha! OP said the magic word:: "FIREFOX". Dunno why, but FF has major big problems with the new search. I've learned to use my IE6 for searches because there's so many FoulUPS when using FF.
alwayszero (0 ) Oct-02-07 07:12 PDT 5 of 14
Hi Jamie,
First wish me a Happy Birthday! hehe....anyway when I do a search in the seller list I don't use the * or ". For instance, I get the list (I don't use the store either), I'll type at the top.....capris or sweaters, etc. with no * or " or whatever and I get the seller's list of that item. Try that and I also use Foxfire.
Also, when searching I use the Advanced Search and type in what I"m looking for without the * or ". Such as....Baby Face Galoob Doll or Barbie vintage white purse. Seems to work fine for me. But I have noticed that I'm not getting a full list or it seems small.
Several times I've searched a few times and get different results? Which is strange. If eBay would just fix what is wrong and STOP changing what works, might be nice for a change?
scambusting (0 ) Oct-02-07 09:25 PDT 6 of 14
No one at eBay uses eBay. The employees come here for the paycheck. Meg's team comes here for feel good backslapping and to check their stock options.
They do the same as the rest of corporate America. Hire by price, get the cheapest. They hire kids out of college who took a few programming classes, in a variety of languages. They now know everything. They're gurus and will tell you so. They expect to be systems analysts. They don't want to take the time to learn to program first. They already know how.
But the big problem is that no one uses eBay. It's a bunch of used junk and new phoney crap. Yeech. Just give me my paycheck and let me get outa here. Yippee it's friday.
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[email protected] Oct-02-07 12:05 PDT 7 of 14
Good Morning jamie*n
I have not been able recreate your issue. Here are the steps I am taking, please let me know where your steps vary from mine so I can report it correctly.
1) Find any item where seller has multiple items for sale:
http://tinyurl.com/2way2z
2) Click View All other items (List)
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/beachgal707
3) In narrow search box, enter term to narrow items from that seller, e.g. helmet
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/beachgal707?_rkw=helmet
results: items found with that KW that are true for seller
Thanks for your time,
MarniSue
Finding Team
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scambusting (0 ) Oct-02-07 12:29 PDT 8 of 14
OPs not allowed to post a user name or an item number. Unless he finds an item from his seller with a title so unique that only one comes up, The two of you can't be on the same page.
jamie*n (327 ) Oct-02-07 15:59 PDT 9 of 14
So let's crank the frustration up a level. *MY* searches have all gone back to normal today. *'s ()'s, and -'s are all back to working the way they always did. I can properly narrow down a seller search with additional terms. My bookmarks of saved searches that do seller-specific searches with multiple alternate words (word1, word2, word3, word4) are now back to working when they were decidedly broken last night.
However, my husband's account (he uses Seamonkey instead of FireFox, not sure if that matters since the behavior is exactly the same) has now STARTED behaving like mine was last night.
I think we're both going to lose our sanity if we're not careful.
Ok, here goes using one of HIS items.
Finished item from a few days ago:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160159752437&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006
Click the "View seller's other items - List":
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkalisiak
(I did notice that this already looks different from your "shop.ebay.com" URL)
7 items visible.
Enter "loop" into the search box at the top - a clearly visible searchable word that should get ONE hit.
Note that he's double-checking that the box for "items from seller" on the left side bar IS checked, and the seller name is properly filled in.
Submit search.
http://search.ebay.com/loop_W0QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ32QQlredZloopQQrprZ138
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, almost FIVE THOUSAND results for "loop" from every ebayer in the system, including Men's Accessories, Women's Accessories, and so on.
We are NOT imagining this. Something is not right here. But I will admit, the exact same steps work perfectly for me, where they were behaving as they are above last night.
Help? And before you suggest it, cookies and cache are being cleared - with alarming frequency - as we go through this looking for a solution.
soupac332 (682 ) Oct-02-07 16:30 PDT 10 of 14
When I follow the steps you list, entering "loop" returns only the one item (also get the 5,000 hits with the last link), using Ffx 1.5.07 and Java 1.42. I have never cleared cookies nor cache for as long as I've been using this version (over 6 months). What version of Java is your husband using? Usually you have to install the Java plugin(s) "manually" with all versions of Mozilla/Firefox/Seamonkey/Thunderbird, although this might not be the case with the WIn versions (I don't use Windoze, any version).
coreshmoo (18 ) Oct-02-07 17:13 PDT 11 of 14
I get one item also with Firefox 1.5 which is the version on the CD that I use to boot Linux. I don't change nuttin, just boot the CD. It's Mepis.
I find that when there's a problem it's always eBay as since I don,t fix nuttin or change nuttin when something starts working I give the Bay the credit. I do sometimes reboot instead of running a virus scanner. I have rarely cleared my cache and cookies.
permacrisis (526 ) Oct-03-07 10:33 PDT 12 of 14
coresh I hear ya. I use Knoppix and LOVE it.
Of course knoppix can't fix the mess between ebay's ears 
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[email protected] Oct-03-07 13:45 PDT 13 of 14
jamie*n,
I think the confusion may be around which search box was used. The search box at the very top of the page always conducts a new search. If you want to refine your search (e.g., search within the seller) you need to use the search box that appears below the tabs and "Items for Sale by kal*****." I suspect that is why people experienced a different behavior. Those who got one result used the lower box. Those who got 4000+ used the very top one. The top search (we call it global header) is always a restart. It will preserve none of the search settings you've done previously. Please let me know if the above info doesn't address the issue you saw.
Thanks,
john
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[email protected] Oct-03-07 14:57 PDT 14 of 14
We have identified an issue where a small group of users are losing some of these filters when they try to refine their search. We are pushing an update tonight so if you are one of the few people who experienced this issue, it should be all okay tomorrow morning.
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