G Gauge/Scale Search criteria in eBay

[JimmyB]

Over the last few months eBay has changed there categories and search filters. I currently have 2 saved searches "G Gauge" and G Scale", both of these are otherwise identical parameters, and there are significant differences in the results returned. Difficult to gauge (puns again ) but I would say less than half the returned results from both searches are the same, this would indicate that if you only search with only gauge of scale you will miss a third the results.
I know not many of you use eBay, but thought this may be useful for the few that do.

 

[trammayo]

Over the last few months eBay has changed there categories and search filters. I currently have 2 saved searches "G Gauge" and G Scale", both of these are otherwise identical parameters, and there are significant differences in the results returned. Difficult to gauge (puns again ) but I would say less than half the returned results from both searches are the same, this would indicate that if you only search with only gauge of scale you will miss a third the results.
I know not many of you use eBay, but thought this may be useful for the few that do.

I use the two searches too! It's a PITA - it's not progress but regression on eBay's part!

 

[dutchelm]

To get anything to show on ebay you now have to put G scale & G guage in as many places as you can on the listing, starting with the title. I've listed things & been unable to find them when I looked later

 

[Paul M]

Try ."garden railways" that covers most things. I find ebay a waste of time TBH, there seems to be more traders then genuine sellers

 

[JimmyB]

So doing simultaneous searches for G Gauge (1650); G Scale (1525); Garden Railways (408), and ticking the Gauge "G" box the figures in the brackets indicate the number of returns. I have tried a number of combinations, and I do not seems to have found one that covers all items, something seems to be missing from each list. An advanced search with ( ("g,, gauge",, "g,, scale") ) exactly as the italics with "all words any order" gives a return of 3074, so it would seems this is the de-facto search criteria for the best return.

 

[SevenOfDiamonds]

We had a canter through some of these issues in this thread (before the thread drift kicked in) . . .

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/changed-ebay-categories.317494/

The issue here is that, as a buyer, you can use filters and the like to find things that you are looking for, but those lists are not necessarily complete because it now requires the seller to not only select the best category, but also to set the filters correctly (and many sellers don't set any filters at all). "G Gauge" used to be a sub-category, under "Model Railways" which was under "Collectables" (here in the UK). Now the category under "Collectables" is "Model Railroads & Trains" then the next tier down is "Railroads & Trains" (unnecessary???) and the only categories under that are "Locomotives", "Wagons", "Track", "Coaches" etc. No segregation by gauge/scale, which is what most buyers would want.

Since the change occurred, I have saved as a Favoutite a seach with no search term but just the "G" filter set (though that still means that I'm not seeing the items listed by German sellers under "IIm"). I do this for "Continental Europe" (UK plus any items in the EU where the seller is willing to post to the UK, even if at exhorbitant rates). Just now, that search delivered 5399 matches (though by using "Newly listed" and "Ending soonest" I only need to view a much smaller number of them). If I add the search term "LGB" there are 8300+ matches (still in "Railroads & Trains", but there is no longer a "G" filter to choose) so my original search is missing very many of the items I might want to have seen (for that, and no doubt other, brands)!

As others have said, the changes that ebay made last October have probably saved me money (buying a lot less) . . . but that's not necessarily good news for sellers.

Cheers

David

 

[Madman]

Evilbay has changed a number of things, including listing items for sale. It used to be so simple to list train items. Now you have to go through a ridiculous process just to get started on a listing. To make matters worse, the same obstacle course must be dealt with for each and every listing, even though it is in the same category.

And searching for items in our hobby is another nightmare.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Over the last few months eBay has changed there categories and search filters. I currently have 2 saved searches "G Gauge" and G Scale", both of these are otherwise identical parameters, and there are significant differences in the results returned. Difficult to gauge (puns again ) but I would say less than half the returned results from both searches are the same, this would indicate that if you only search with only gauge of scale you will miss a third the results.
I know not many of you use eBay, but thought this may be useful for the few that do.

I search variously, dependent upon how determined I am to find something.

So, I search:

• G scale
• Accucraft
• Bachmann Spectrum G
• G45
• SM32
• Aristocraft

 

[JimmyB]

I search variously, dependent upon how determined I am to find something.

So, I search:

• G scale
• Accucraft
• Bachmann Spectrum G
• G45
• SM32
• Aristocraft

When I am after something specific, then I tailor my search criteria accordingly, however for general browsing then I will be using the newly found criteria

 

[viaEstrecha]

EBay invited me to complete a little survey yesterday - guess what aspect I chose to have a little rant about in the 'how could we do better' part.

 

[voodoopenguin]

The issue here is that, as a buyer, you can use filters and the like to find things that you are looking for, but those lists are not necessarily complete because it now requires the seller to not only select the best category, but also to set the filters correctly (and many sellers don't set any filters at all).

When I sell on eBay my items have a paragraph of information concerning payment and shipping which is the same for every listing so after a listing has been put up I click 'Sell similar' option and then tweak the information for the next item. This used to be very simple but the new system with all the different filters means I have to be very much more careful to untick the ones that don't count. Each listing takes that much longer. Is there a positive to this new eBay system? Well, in a way that eBay probably didn't mean there can be. If sellers do the same as I do and click that 'Sell similar' but then are not so vigilant about the multitude of filter boxes their items end up with the wrong ones and so buyers using filters will miss them. All my eBay life I have actively searched for mislists, searching for 'Traing' as opposed to 'Tri-ang' or 'Triang'. Looking under Toys rather than Model Railways (or Railroads as it now is) and many other ways. Sometimes I have let the seller know their mistake and still snapped up a bargain but sometimes if it's an obvious large volume dealer I don't say anything and pick up an item cheaply. These new multiple filters means more mislists.

Sneaky Paul

 

[Ralphmp]

Is the search syntax documented anywhere? There seems to be an assumption that people know what it is but, like on this forum, when you want to search on multiple terms many search engines ignore everything except the first.

 

[JimmyB]

Is the search syntax documented anywhere? There seems to be an assumption that people know what it is but, like on this forum, when you want to search on multiple terms many search engines ignore everything except the first.

Not to the best of my knowledge, I used what I know of boolean search in the advanced search box.

 

[Homo Habilis]

There are ebay search syntax pages that may be of use.

 

[playmofire]

What puzzles me with eBay searches that sometimes when I add a - descriptor to a search to say exclude this value, the number of items retrieved increases!

 

[PhilP]

What puzzles me with eBay searches that sometimes when I add a - descriptor to a search to say exclude this value, the number of items retrieved increases!

That'll be an 'inclusive-always', as opposed to an 'exclusive-never'..

 

[Bolendo]

Over the last few months eBay has changed there categories and search filters. I currently have 2 saved searches "G Gauge" and G Scale", both of these are otherwise identical parameters, and there are significant differences in the results returned. Difficult to gauge (puns again ) but I would say less than half the returned results from both searches are the same, this would indicate that if you only search with only gauge of scale you will miss a third the results.
I know not many of you use eBay, but thought this may be useful for the few that do.

Thanks for that tip Jimmy. I have a large collection of G scale locos, coaches and track to sell. It has become something of a nightmare. First I considered advertising them through this site, but noticed that you needed a special permission from the moderators if selling more than the monthly limit. I duly wrote to first one moderator, then another. Three weeks have passed without a reply. I then contacted a dealer, who studied my list, then gave me an offer of less than a third of the original buying price. I tried a private G scale Facebook group (on recommendation from someone on this site), again some weeks ago, and haven't yet had a reply to my request to join. It was beginning to look like I was on the outside of a closed shop. Dead ends all around. I finally (and reluctantly) tried one item on Ebay to test the water, and encountered the listing problems mentioned in this thread, together with their new system of paying direct into your bank account, instead of through Paypal, which was the system before. The payment issue still hasn't been resolved, despite several hour-long electronic chat and phone calls to their Customer Support. Ebay seem to be in a real mess at the moment. Should I just advertise the list on the sales bit of the forum here? Can I post a link here to my item for sale on Ebay?

 

[playmofire]

I'd say give it a go here. As regards eBay, I think people have posted links before or maybe just given their username.

 

[beavercreek]

Yep Ebay have continually changed the goalposts for sellers.
I will soon have the list of items for sale that I posted about earlier on the forum and I know a lot will eventually end up on ebay.
I have sold all sorts of items on Fleabay over the last 20 years and bought a lot of stuff too.
The search parameter of ‘G Gauge’ and ‘G Scale’ used to bring up nearly everything unless the seller had misspelt gauge or not even put ‘scale’ or ‘gauge’ in the title!
It is now the responsibility for the seller to make clear what the description and filter parameters are, so that buyers can easily find the posted items.

Ebay is still a good place to buy and sell and I can honestly say that having sold hundreds if not thousands of different items, and also probably bought the same amount over the twenty years ( some very expensive), I have only had a couple of mishaps on both selling and buying. This compares favourably with doing the same outside Fleabay!

 

[dunnyrail]

I recently put a dozen items on Ebay with some trepidation as I had not sold for over a decade. I found the experience harrowing as I found the setup was directing me to Categories that were not appropriate for what I was offering for sale. After much faffing I got it right. After all that and the auction ended I spoke to my pal who said yeh don't do that, sell via some sort of commercial option that allows you to select Categories. Just looked at that and it does not appear available. Will have to ask him again.

In other news of the 2 items sold, one paid to my Bank today the other on hold due to ‘Payment on hold
Add a payment method to get paid‘. Ebay never used to be this complicated, always worked fine when I first started in around 2010. Reckon I would have given up then with the fafe it is now.