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Anybody else notice ebay search is not working correctly?

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    Further, you could still use the category filter to limit the search to the nickels category.

    You can also use "Product Research", it's different from eBay's main search function.

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @jmlanzaf said:
    Further, you could still use the category filter to limit the search to the nickels category.

    You can also use "Product Research", it's different from eBay's main search function.

    Apparently, there's too many options. Lol

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    Further, you could still use the category filter to limit the search to the nickels category.

    But that'd exclude any nickels not in the nickels category.

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭


    returns the quarter listing pictured above that does not contain the word "nickel" in the title because the search function is broken. the "all words, any order" is the default search methodology. it is broken.

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @jmlanzaf said:
    Further, you could still use the category filter to limit the search to the nickels category.

    But that'd exclude any nickels not in the nickels category.

    Yup. You also won't find the 1979 nickels that the seller listed as 1989 by mistake. Lol

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    RedRocketRedRocket Posts: 1,746 ✭✭✭✭✭

    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    that searching 1979 nickel ms 66 turns up some quarter listing; therefore, the search function is broken.

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 14, 2026 4:53PM

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    That some people can't be pleased.

    edited to add...

    And if you don't believe me, what was the response (from some, anyway) to getting an explanation of how to structure a search to provide the desired results- "Thanks! That works just like I wanted!" or "Well, it's still broken!"?

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    alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,915 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    That ebay is broken and that some people say it's our fault for not using the search correctly
    Pretty simple
    If you put in a search for a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 you would expect to get a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 in the results and nothing else. Instead ebay wants you to see "what THEY want you to see
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

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    YQQYQQ Posts: 3,457 ✭✭✭✭✭

    guess who does not care 1 bit??? and is always right and knows always what's good for all of us???
    you have 3 guesses and each has to be right...

    Today is the first day of the rest of my life
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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

    Prediction:

    "like me" - could happen.
    "and I hope millions of others" - won't happen.

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    a failure trifecta!

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    That ebay is broken and that some people say it's our fault for not using the search correctly
    Pretty simple
    If you put in a search for a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 you would expect to get a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 in the results and nothing else. Instead ebay wants you to see "what THEY want you to see
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

    Actually, you SHOULDN'T expect that because search does NOT look for all words by default. Try it in google and see what happens.

    I must be a frigging genius because I managed to do the "impossible ".

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @YQQ said:
    guess who does not care 1 bit??? and is always right and knows always what's good for all of us???
    you have 3 guesses and each has to be right...

    Ebay?

    I think they care.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:

    a failure trifecta!

    We'd need to know the search string to know how you failed.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,915 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @alaura22 said:
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

    Prediction:

    "like me" - could happen.
    "and I hope millions of others" - won't happen.

    Has happened
    And
    We'll see

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    alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,915 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @MsMorrisine said:

    a failure trifecta!

    We'd need to know the search string to know how you failed.

    You mean "how ebay failed"

    I must be a frigging genius because I managed to do the "impossible ".

    Maybe in your own mind............

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    That ebay is broken and that some people say it's our fault for not using the search correctly
    Pretty simple
    If you put in a search for a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 you would expect to get a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 in the results and nothing else. Instead ebay wants you to see "what THEY want you to see
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

    here is where the broken search actually succeeds. it finds 5C as Nickel. Also, this is where using "Nickel" in quotes fails because it would exclude it

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 14, 2026 6:42PM

    @alaura22 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @MsMorrisine said:

    a failure trifecta!

    We'd need to know the search string to know how you failed.

    You mean "how ebay failed"

    I must be a frigging genius because I managed to do the "impossible ".

    Maybe in your own mind............

    Actually, you can't know that without seeing the search string.

    Actually, appears to be in your mind. I've never said it was impossible or even hard. I didn't a lot of time trying to explain how to do it in MULTIPLE ways. You seem to prefer to just vent.

    I hope it makes you feel better.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:

    @alaura22 said:

    @RedRocket said:
    So, what is the takeaway?
    What have we learned?

    That ebay is broken and that some people say it's our fault for not using the search correctly
    Pretty simple
    If you put in a search for a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 you would expect to get a 1979 Nickel PCGS MS-66 in the results and nothing else. Instead ebay wants you to see "what THEY want you to see
    Ebay should remember it is the customer that makes them money and if they make it imposable to do a simple search people will get fed up and stop searching, like me, and I hope millions of others.

    here is where the broken search actually succeeds. it finds 5C as Nickel. Also, this is where using "Nickel" in quotes fails because it would exclude it

    And I've already explained two simple ways to get both.

    Good luck to you.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    And I've already explained two simple ways to get both.

    Some people would rather look for ways to make it not work than use ones that do.

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    another where using "MS" in quotes would fail

    to find this you'd have to search on ("MS", "M S", "Mint State", "M. S.", "M.S.", "MS.","M S.", "M.S","M. S") using the "put it in quotes" method. lol

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:

    another where using "MS" in quotes would fail

    to find this you'd have to search on ("MS", "M S", "Mint State", "M. S.", "M.S.", "MS.","M S.", "M.S","M. S") using the "put it in quotes" method. lol

    Funny you should say that. I would never use MS at all. Are you trying to differentiate from proofs?

    You don't have to put everything in quotes, by the way. Although there's no reason why the search would even see the MS as meaning Mint State.

    And did the "old ebay search" before they took away your couple of filters act any differently?

    And, again, your picture is meaningless without the search string that found it. Or did you actually use a search string to find it?

    I'm not sure what you're trying to prove. We ALL know there is no such thing as a perfect search. There wasn't before and there isn't now.

    I have faith in you. You could actually learn to search better if you wanted. But you don't. So good luck to you.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:
    another where using "MS" in quotes would fail

    The seller created the listing and title, why is that eBay's fault? You don't really think there is someone reviewing every listing to ensure that it includes all the terms you think it should, do you?

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 14, 2026 7:14PM

    @MasonG said:

    @jmlanzaf said:
    And I've already explained two simple ways to get both.

    Some people would rather look for ways to make it not work than use ones that do.

    Yeah. That appears to be Morrisine's game. As though there was ever a perfect search that found everything you wanted and excluded everything you didn't.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    I have faith in you. You could actually learn to search better if you wanted. But you don't. So good luck to you.

    He seems to be searching for better ways to fail at searching. ;)

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @jmlanzaf said:
    I have faith in you. You could actually learn to search better if you wanted. But you don't. So good luck to you.

    He seems to be searching for better ways to fail at searching. ;)

    Well, at least he's not resting on his laurels. I really do not understand the refusal to just tweak the way you search and go on with your life. The hack isn't even that complicated. And, in addition, it's a better way to search using search engines, so it's a universal skill worth having.

    But, of course, people hate change.

    I'm going back to talking to cladking. Lol

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:
    But, of course, people hate change.

    You misspelled "eBay".

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    alaura22alaura22 Posts: 3,915 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I'm not sure what you're trying to prove. We ALL know there is no such thing as a perfect search. There wasn't before and there isn't now.

    Now that is funny
    I just went to Great Collections and in the search bar I entered
    1979-D Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS-66 and guess what
    It showed me a 1979-D Jefferson Nicle PCGS MS-66, nothing else!
    WOW what a concept
    I'll have to contact Ian and tell him that his search engine is broken because it didn't show me all the coins that DIDN"T match my search, like ebay does

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:h
    Instead ebay wants you to see "what THEY want you to see

    ebay as the evil empire? I see this as incompetence. they do us a favor and find 5C instead of Nickel and "Mint State" instead of MS, but start showing dimes, quarters, half dollars and more. the "what 'THEY' want us to see" is there: Sponsored listings. they don't forget about that. the other dimes are incompetence. in an effort to make search better they ave made it worse. they broke it

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    I'm not sure what you're trying to prove. We ALL know there is no such thing as a perfect search. There wasn't before and there isn't now.

    Now that is funny
    I just went to Great Collections and in the search bar I entered
    1979-D Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS-66 and guess what
    It showed me a 1979-D Jefferson Nicle PCGS MS-66, nothing else!
    WOW what a concept
    I'll have to contact Ian and tell him that his search engine is broken because it didn't show me all the coins that DIDN"T match my search, like ebay does

    Yo

    I've showed you exactly how you can do the same thing on eBay. You just don't want to change how you search. That's your prerogative. But it also seems to be making you very unhappy.

    The problem with ALL searches from eBay to Google to GC is that they are prone to errors due to listing or search variations. Closed curated ecosystems like GC or Heritage can get around that by listing all coins identically using the same parameters. eBay can NOT do that because eBay doesn't list anything itself. It relies on millions of individuals to list it and, as a result, has wider variation in listings.

    If you always list everything as "1979-D Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS-66", you find everything. As soon as you list it as "1979-D Jefferson PCGS MS-66", it won't find it because it's missing "Nickel" or, if you relax the search criteria to find it both ways, then you also start getting other results because you are not enforcing exact matches.

    In the case of GC, the variations are almost non-existent because they don't have anything other than coins (and 90% US coins). Even on Heritage, for example, search will yield results that are not perfect matches and, often, not even coins UNLESS YOU RESTRICT THE SEARCH PARAMETERS.

    The issue is not how GC searches versus eBay, it's how GC LISTS which makes the search easier..

    It really is not my fault (or eBay's) that you don't want to change the way you do the search.

    Hey, look! I searched on eBay and only got 1979-D Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS-66 results. I guess eBay is FIXED.

    Hey, look! I searched on eBay and only got 1979-D nickels in MS-66 from either PCGS or NGC.


    if I can do it, I'm sure you could do it! Just tell yourself, "I think I can. I think I can. I KNOW I CAN!"

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MasonGMasonG Posts: 7,322 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 15, 2026 8:03AM

    @jmlanzaf said:
    if I can do it, I'm sure you could do it! Just tell yourself, "I think I can. I think I can. I KNOW I CAN!"

    Too late. He said he has already stopped searching on eBay.

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    jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 42,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MasonG said:

    @jmlanzaf said:
    if I can do it, I'm sure you could do it! Just tell yourself, "I think I can. I think I can. I KNOW I CAN!"

    Too late. He said he has already stopped searching on eBay.

    Lol. I'm not sure why he's mad at me for simply pointing out ways he can get what he wants out of a search.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

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    MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 39,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @alaura22 said:
    I just went to Great Collections and in the search bar I entered
    1979-D Jefferson Nickel PCGS MS-66 and guess what
    It showed me a 1979-D Jefferson Nicle PCGS MS-66, nothing else!

    you want to infuriate yourself?

    search 1909 cent ms 66 pcgs on ebay and look how clean the results are. there are a LOT of Sponsored listings all over that list but it appears to be all ms66 pcgs cents. some listings are for different years but the user put (1909-1958) in the title.

    it just highlights that the search is broken

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions

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