posted on April 12, 2003 03:06:50 PM
I've been a buyer and seller on eBay for several years now, and I was noticing they are constantly adding to the Category list. (Have you ever printed out the entire Collectibles Category list? Don't do it! Copy, paste to a w/p, and edit first!) I try to list my item as precisely as possible and I suspect most serious sellers do too, although sometimes I see very funny mistakes. But I digress...
What I'm wondering is whether you, in you vast collective knowledge, have heard why eBay does not facilitate a search using the Category number. It would certainly help those potential buyers who are interested in one particular type of item and don't want to waste time constructing a keyword search or browsing the results of same. Or maybe such a thing is already possible and my ageing eyes overlooked it! What say you? (I would ask eBay, but that's like teaching a pig to sing - it won't work and you'll piss off the pig.)
posted on April 12, 2003 06:07:37 PM
It should be a search option certainly. It would be good for sellers but not buyers.
If you enter search words only (not a category number) you'll get a variety of items that fit the description which may span several categories -- that's good for the buyers. The only reason for a category number search would be for the seller (me and you) to see what the competition is doing -- not all that good for eBay itself.
But that's just my take on your question.
LEWIS (ebay username: honestyplus)
http://www.stores.ebay.com/burchettenterprises
posted on April 12, 2003 07:12:00 PM
there is a way to do a category search ...first you do a word search and then, when you find the widgets you are looking for, you can click on the category at the top of the listing which will bring up all the other items in that category..you can broaden your search or make it more specific by searching within the category..or clicking on a broader category..at least that is how I search when I am in a buying or snoopy mode
posted on April 12, 2003 08:30:16 PM
Good advice, neglus. This is exactly what I do when trying to select a category for one of my odds 'n' ends items. It is helpful and often yields a category that I had not thought of before. This still points out why the word search option helps the buyers and certainly not the sellers! It takes much more work on our part.
LEWIS (ebay username: honestyplus)
http://www.stores.ebay.com/burchettenterprises
