eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

September 10, 2008

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

By: Ina Steiner

Wed Sept 10 2008 16:39:00

Reports are coming in from readers that Best Match search results are showing in reverse order. According to an email from a seller on Monday, he's been emailing eBay for two weeks begging them to fix the problem. (He also said his "30-Day DSR's Have "Jumped" this time an amount that is once again Mathematically Impossible over the past 6 Hours.")

Today, reports came in from multiple readers about Best Match results coming back in reverse order.

eBay has posted something to a back page (you see it if you go to Contact Us to report a Technical Issue), but there's nothing yet on the Systems Announcement Board. I've got a question in to eBay as to the nature of the problem and an expected time for a fix.

Here's the message, let us know what you're experiencing by leaving a comment below.

Best Match search results appear to be in reverse order September 10, 2008 09:53:30 AM PDT

We are aware that some members are intermittently seeing search results that appear to be backwards of the normal sorting order.

We are currently investigating the cause of the confusing search results. While we are investigating, please note that most members report that after refreshing the page a couple times, the normal search sort is appearing.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we actively investigate this issue.

This post was edited on 9/10/08 to include full eBay message.

Update 9/11/08: eBay declares the problem is fixed

Comments (93) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Chris

Wed Sep 10 17:14:11 2008

Our eBay sales are tanking today due to this. I also have been seeing this sporadically for over a week. Ebay needs to fix this asap.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Doctor Deals

Wed Sep 10 17:40:49 2008

We have also been reporting this problem with screen shot evidence to eBay for two weeks and thus far we have yet to even get an acknowledgment of the problem let alone any time frame on a resolution.

Our sales have plummeted the past two weeks just like they did when our account was hit by the DSR debacle THREE times in a single week and then suffered the eBay ''Fix'' for more than a week after that.

I cannot understand how eBay could possibly IGNORE a problem with their most basic and most important site function, SEARCH. It is unfathomable that it has taken them so long to address the issue. They should all be embarrassed and ashamed to have ignored the reports and screen shot evidence for so long.

DD

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: shotzeescloset

Wed Sep 10 18:09:58 2008

I have had the same problem with my auctions. I had a hugh Wii Fit system close out for over a 100.00 less then it sells for when worst match is working. I contacted live help and trust and safety and got the usual lies. When I get home I will post their inept email on here so everyone can see what a joke EBAY has become.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: RJ

Wed Sep 10 18:51:52 2008

eBay would like to sweep problems like this under the rug. Thus, why they did not post a single mention of it on their Systems Announcments Board.

I listed 25 items yesterday, and if I had known of the site-wide issue, I would never have listed a single item. I feel like eBay is a site that is not to be trusted and I have scaled way back on listings due to that fact.

Did they intentionally create this bug on the old, regular search engine? Why would they allow something like this to go so long?

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: SHOTZEECLOSET

Wed Sep 10 18:57:54 2008

I think they are gearing up for the OCT 1 chages where BIN listings are going to take over. They implimented it earlier then expected.

I have also confirmed that the more fees you pay the higher you show in Best Match. Dont think so then test it yourself. Run one listing as just a three day featured auction, has to be featured. Then run the identical auction as a featured auction with a subtitle and list it as a 10 day auction (extra fee there). Your 10 day auction will show above your 3 day auction 100% of the time. BINS get an even better boost when you do this.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Daisy

Wed Sep 10 19:22:52 2008

Hey, you're not paying for their services; you're paying for the priviledge of selling on Ebay.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: MIng the Merciless

Wed Sep 10 20:00:53 2008

RICO! RICO! RICO!

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: mikethemag

Wed Sep 10 20:05:18 2008

Whacky best match results are not the worst of it - core index and retrieval functionality is broken.

Specifically, a search of title only will find an item. Then repeat the search using titles and descriptions, the item is not retrieved. If it was found searching titles only, why wasn't it found when searching both titles and descriptions? Who knows, but it ain't right - it's more horribly wrong than best match sort problems.

There are many, many auctions impacted.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Ming the Merciless

Wed Sep 10 20:12:13 2008

EVERY SELLER with a high feedback score and high DSRs MUST DEMAND refunds during thisd time period!

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Julia

Wed Sep 10 20:27:37 2008

My usually consistent sales plummeted last month when Best Match was broken, & again last week when they started running backwards/differently/wrong. I've been sending emails which are responded to by a bot or someone who tells me that I can improve my listings by ''x'' & ''x'', which I ALREADY do. I even got desperate enough to contact Live Help last night, & was even more insulted by their insistence that everything is fine.

I have been selling on eBay since 2001, sell over $10,000/month, & know when something is wrong. I truly hate being lied to, & not having anywhere to turn to find out what is actually happening.

eBay is simply a mess. It's unstable, & the decision makers either ignore sellers or lie to us.

This 2nd broken Best Match with-no-support-from-eBay debacle is the straw that breaks the camels back for me. It's cost me much time & money to adapt to the poorly implemented & communicated changes, & I've been flying blind as these problems happen & are not acknowledged in a way that allows me to try to handle them.
eBay shouldn't be so very high maintenence to sell on, & after all the time it has required with LESS return, I have concluded that the time spent on eBay is no longer worthwhile.

If eBay cannot give those of us who pay to sell on the site the respect of a stable platform & communicating what we need to know, then clearly eBay is broken overall. It's simply become a bad relationship, & I'm leaving.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Nan

Wed Sep 10 20:45:06 2008

Best Match is the WORST search engine on the web. It's a total embarrassment. eBays whole system depends on search (or 'find' which is the lamest name ever). It should be cutting edge. Instead it runs upside down. Please.

Give it up as a bad job eBay, and give us back a search engine we can use.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: tj

Wed Sep 10 21:02:21 2008

Good old eBay ..you can always trust them...to do nothing, of course it's the moaning sellers at fault as usual>>>>>pathetic a business that makes billions from it's customers but don't give a XXXX about them...thats eBay

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: WorstCompanyEver

Wed Sep 10 21:05:27 2008

This is so idiotic and irresponsible. This has seriously got to be the worst managed company in the entire free world. Let the world know: digg the story:

http://digg.com/business_finance/eBay_Best_Match_Glitch_
Results_in_Worst_Match

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: voodoo

Wed Sep 10 21:20:32 2008

Whats the problem folks. Why should anyone be surprised by this. Ebay is circling the drain. They are ruthless, arrogant and incompetent. They couldn't set the time on a clock much less fix all the stupid glitches they have. They have no programers that know what they are doing? To bad. Used to be a nice company but now it funny watching the uproar day after day.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: kevin

Wed Sep 10 21:36:14 2008

Guys, I read these posts day after day about constant glitches and problems. We left ebay 3 weeks ago for bidtopia. Low seller fees are great (your first month is free) and we found our sell through rate is a little higher than on ebay, and we're actually getting higher average sale prices too. I was a little surprised at the success, but my point is DON'T BE AFRAID TO LEAVE EBAY! You can make it work on other sites that are more seller friendly! You'll never find a perfect site, but there are options out there for you as ebay is about as far from perfect as you can get right now.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: BashDaddy

Wed Sep 10 21:48:30 2008

I would normally go on and on about this, but I'm so us to hearing things like this that I will save my words for another day. eBay just change ''Best Match'' to ''Best Hope'', since your engineers programmed this crap and said I ''hope'' it will work. This is not a mistake… it’s a planned effort to do something that we are not yet totally aware of. Best of luck to all..

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: The Graduate

Wed Sep 10 21:54:47 2008

Best Glitch

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Betty L. Johnson

Wed Sep 10 23:19:39 2008

My sales started dropping dramatically last week. Barely a 'watcher'.. By the second day I emailed Ebay, to see if there was a problem with the system? I was told that my listings are showing up fine, and the lack of sales was due to the 'Economy'. I continued to list more items- day after day. STILL no bids. I didn't learn UNTIL TODAY that Best Match has not been working correctly ! Ebay KNEW this, all along, and LIED to me. They didn't report this in System Announcements (Never report ANY system problems anymore) Because they KNOW that we aren't going to spend money listing items that will never be found in 'Search', and THEY don't want to LOSE that income !! They are actually STEALING FROM US ! If Ebay were honest- they WOULD refund for listings- listed during this 'down' period. But Ebay is NOT honest and they DO lie ! When I look at my auction, and I have over 100 listings- and NO bids... I KNOW something is WRONG with the system. Ebay is absolutely the WORST Company in the WORLD- But, they ARE commiting suicide...So it won't be long now. Betty

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: Ming the Merciless

Thu Sep 11 00:14:37 2008

EBAY LIES. They have always lied and will continue to always lie.

EBAY CHEATS. They have always cheated sellers and will continue to cheat sellers.

EBAY STEALS. Ebay has always stolen money from sellers and always will steal money from sellers.

The reversal of Best Match is just ebay's newest scheme to lie, cheat, and steal from sellers.

Glitches have been used as excuses for ebay to lie, cheat, and steal. There are many, many others that no one seemed the least bit concerned with until this year.

File complaints with the California Attorney General and the BBB of San Jose.

See an attorney.

Demand listing fee refunds for every unsold item in the last wo weeks.

Ebafia: the most despicable corporation in the world run by the most despicable executives in the world.

eBay Best Match Glitch Results in Worst Match

by: shotzeescloset

Thu Sep 11 00:21:23 2008

Here was EBAY's reply when I requested a refund on my fees due to their broke search.

Dear eBay member,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to your recent listing ending. I
would be happy to assist you with that today. After reviewing your
email I am currently showing that however frustrating this situation may be we are unable to give credit for this issue. eBay does not guarantee that listing upgrades, regardless of which one you use, will place your
item on the first page of the searches. Members have multiple ways of
searching for an item including time ending soonest, nearest first and
best match to name a few. Unfortunately because there is this variety
of search criteria and multiple ways for your item to receive
appropriate exposure we do not credit for items not appearing on the
first page. Again I apologize for the frustration this situation has
caused for you.

In order to help you in a more timely manner next time a situation like
this should arise please don't hesitate to contact Live Help. Live Help lets you chat one-on-one with an online representative who can help you
right away with most issues. Links to Live Help appear throughout the
eBay site, including the Home page and the Sell Your Item form.

Clicking one of these links will connect you to a private chat room
where you can ask an eBay representative your question -- live. Live
Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To reach Live Help, go to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/n-livehelpemail.html

1. Click the "Get Help Now!" button.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Sincerely,
Robin Ev.

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