eBay's Search Sucks.... but....

Cougar Community The Garage
1

Since eBay changed the way their search feature works you see a bunch of crap you don’t want. eBay’s search feature works similar to Google’s search engine and so do a the little known commands. These will help you better target your search results if you’re seeing a bunch of non-relevant items pop up.

Example: if you’re searching for 1969 Cougar and want to filter out the non-relevant items you can add negative search words like -fits -interchange etc. Also adding quotations around the search term like “1969 Cougar” will target your results. Try it!!

Here is the Google info link for other helpful commands http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=136861

2

It also helps to pick the correct category, so rather than searching in all of eBay Motors, refine it to only search in the Cars or Cars and Trucks category.

You can also put lists of items of which only one must appear for an auction to be returned in your result set. The list goes in parenthesis, separated by commas.

So for example:

(1967, 1968, 67, 68) Cougar

Will return all '67 or '68 Cougars. If you have it set for the Cars category only, you’ll only get auctions for cars (not parts, or posters, or keychains) for any Cougars from either of those two years.

You can have multiple lists, too. For example

(1966, 1967, 1968, 67, 67, 68) (ford, chevy, dodge)

Will return all cars made in 66, 67, or 68 by Ford, Chevy, or Dodge.

I personally find ebay’s search system to be excellent. I have amassed quite a handful of saved searches over the years and I check them pretty much every day and get good results.

I recently added one for every relevant US auto manufacturer I could think of (even AMC) for any year between 66 and 70, just to see if there are any cool cars out there that come close to the 67/68 Cougar. Other than the Camaro of the same vintage, nobody is coming close. :slight_smile:

3

Yes that way works too!

I agree if you select the category you can find what you need, but if the seller lists it in the wrong category this won’t help. I found some real nice deals in the “toys & diecast” catagory for NOS Mercury parts :slight_smile:

4

I totally agree with Tim. I loved to just make searches in all categories on something like 1966 Mercury Park Lane, and that way found a NOS grill listed in wrong category and lots of other nice memorabilia and strange dealer stuff I never could have found today. If I make a search like that I get hundreds of auctions for light bulbs, plastic wheel covers, and all the other stuff that the seller believes will fit a 1966 Mercury Park Lane and that I can buy somewhere else for less. Usually I loose interest after scrolling through 5 pages filled with auctions from these spammers. It is a pity as eBay used to be fun some years ago. Today I just don’t have time to find the real good stuff and have lost interest.

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The worse thing eBay has done for the search is when they put in that fitment thing. Yeah I know those cruddy HID driving lights will fit my 67 Cougar but I do not want that junk showing up in my search. They could fix this easily by permitting you to turn that function off in the advance searched mode. But they made a way for the sellers to spam the search and will not change it.

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I use the Ebay advanced search. Where you put in year make and model and it works great.