How to Game eBay's "Best Match" Search

[DC Dawg]

In the tech world, where I spend my professional hours, eBay is known to have quite a few technical challenges that they have not properly kept up with. Searches are basic and the monitoring of posts relies more on people reporting improper listings than automated checking.

 

One of the features eBay added is the "Best Match" search where the search engine tries to guess the best possible match based on your search criteria--technically called "proximity searches." Unfortunately, the way they implemented this feature opens the system to keyword spamming--a way to overload the title to increase the listing's best match score. Listings created with repeated keywords and overloaded with key phrases will raise the Best Match score over other listings.

 

Industry criticism against eBay notes that the company put a lot of money in marketing rather than upgrading their system--something that was suggested a number of years ago. In this case, rather than buying search technologies, eBay decided to develop their own system and they are making the same mistakes that plagued earlier versions of Google, Yahoo, and other search engines.

 

If you want to learn how to do your own keyword spamming so that you can be listed higher on searches, read this article.

 

Given this information, I have a theory as to how to do this better. I try it, I will let everyone know... stay tuned!!

 

Scott

[Dcoin]

If you focus your title on one or two words, you may be at the top of the list, but you may also be missing out on a lot of ‘walk in’ traffic that broad titles might pick up.

 

To me it analogues to dropping your net a mile deep rather than a mile wide.

 

[Oldtrader3]

This spamming is annoying on Ebay. When you search for, say a particular nickel and you end up getting everything the cat dragged in by spammers. They immediately lose my business for doing it. I wonder how many other people on this site will take a walkaway attitude toward spamming dealers on Ebay?

[CHABSENTIA]

I mentioned this earlier. If you type in your initial search for say American Eagle then the first thing you get is not onlt the American Eagles but the recent Bald Eagles and you are goinf to get both Proof and Mint State. The onlt way to get around this is to put in a date other than 2008 such as a specific date such as 2007. You can reduce it further by using "Proof" and " Mint state".

 

 

If you are going to search for a 1990 Eisenhower Commemorative and out in 1990 Eisenhower and put in 1990 Eisenhower than you are going to get anything produced for Eisenhower in that year so you have to put in Eisenhower Commemorative.

 

The next thing is that you will be getting the Best Match which will not be the auctions ending in order so you need to select "ending soonest" as opposed to Best match or number one choice might be two hours ending and 27 minutes might be the second choice.

 

It is a pain and worse than the original method. it just means that you have to be more specific.

[ant]

i to am not keen on the spamming. the other day i was looking at "diamonds" i went through many pages of diamond cut items and i was in JEWELRY/WATVHES>Loose Diamonds & Gemstones>diamonds natural> and what do i get anything that has the word diamond. not just diamonds, but truck bed liners ,artistic diamond cut stuff. when i was in jewelry. if it werent for all the spammers i wouldnt have to spend hours going through listing that have nothing to do with the item im looking for.