Packard Forum Index » Packard Parts & Misc - For Sale, Wanted, Trade

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Google: problems with ebay search

About 45,000,000 results

Nuff Said

To DEP5,

I gave specific examples of how well ebay search engine works and my prev ones shold be of help to other forum members. Your first post and then this one give nothing helpful to other Packardinfo forum members. From one community member to another, I think it best we all stick to things that are helpful.

If you are just intent on badmouthing ebay, write them a letter with your suggestions.

To all forum members. I apologize for being a bit strident here, but I think I have to take the bull by the horns. Those who are damaging to the spirit of this site need to be told so in no uncertain terms.

Fred Kanter
Kanter Auto Products
Boonton, NJ

Fred,
This thread has a long history. The implication in the title that all exclusions are 'junk' vendors is unfortunate but originally that was what was being excluded (and originally the word 'junk' was considerably stronger). The purpose of this canned search is to provide a generic search of all parts Packard. I agree that the eBay search engine can be utilized to drill down to pretty much exactly what you are looking for but this search has a far wider scope.

Say I have a nice 1950 Packard Custom (as it happens, I do). I don't need anything specific but if a nice cloisonne hubcap emblem were to show up that is better than one I have on the car and the price is right... or a nicer piece of grill chrome, then I would like to know about it. Furthermore I would like to see the item without having to page through hundreds of examples of supposedly 'custom' car covers, antennas that have nothing whatever to do with Packard, or (and here is where I think you were taken aback) makers of replacement mufflers, floorpans, panels, hydraulic lifters, etc.

Nobody has anything against the vendors of these products, heaven knows I've purchased enough of them, but once you have the new muffler, hydraulic lifter, etc. you don't need to see them over and over in the display.

Looking at a recent return for a generic Packard parts display from eBay, I got over 1,200 items. Without some vendor trimming, you would spend hours looking at a lot of stuff you don't need to be seeing.

As it happens I don't use this particular search because I built my own search that scans eBay and send me an email daily. My search also deletes perfectly fine reputable vendors not because I have ulterior motives but because I don't need, or already have what they vend.

This classic example may get some Packard owners really excited, but I don't see me replacing the English wool broadcloth bench seat in my Custom with this, even though it's keyed to Packard and says it fits a Packard:

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JD,

I'm the first to admit that I will never master these computer things in my lifetime but as far a logic I think I studied with theGreeks in my former lives. I too suffered with irrelevantitis on ebay when I first signed on and I feel your pain. When I found out how to eliminate specific products from my search it added 10 years to my life expectancy.

I have outlined above how to do so twice I think. Here's how I would handle your specific problem. Say you are lucky enough to own a '50 Custom with perfect Mosstread carpets but just want to "cruise" ebay to see what's out there to upgrade you car or just have spares. You put in the search "1950 Packard Custom" and you get 3000 listings including 400 colors of Packard "custom carpets" , Packard custom "car covers" and Packard custom "seat covers" in flourescent fake fur.You put in after the search terms used -seat covers -car covers and carpet* which will take care of carpets and carpet sets.

Now you are down to 300 listings, 200 of which are antennas. You add -antenna and you are down to 100 and have preserved all genuine Packard items. Next week when you search again and there's someone who has added 365 new lisitngs for 50 Packard, "Original Air" for each day of the year 1950 so you can keep your car "all original". You then add -air and wait until next weeks' exciting addition. I hear it's a big seller to the Corvette crowd.

If you had instead blocked all the "offending " vendors you would miss the products of the one who sells original wool seat upholstery which you don't need but also the cloisonne emblems you do need, namely Bill HIrsch.

Take 3 minutes and try it, let me know how it works. Umbrellas and minds both work best when open, I own other cars than Packards but don't tell anybody.

Fred Kanter

JD

Practice what you preach. I just tried my own suggestion, put in 1950 Packard, got 631 listings. Put a few exclusions in -cover - seat etc, hit the search button, 195 listings. If I had put in - ads -bulbs would have gone down more. Total time was about 2 minutes, and that's being generous.

I'd also try 50 Packard, not sure that ebay has cross referenced 50 and 1950??

Ebay does equate 50 with 1950 also.

That's EXACTLY the seat i'm looking for!!!!!!!

I wish they would just separate vendors mass selling or selling inventory and smaller shops and individuals selling stuff they have one or a couple of. That way i could go to, say, garagesale.ebay.com to browse what's new and just in for a week until it sells or go to walmart.ebay.com if i want to see everyone selling 1000 of the same gasket that will be there forever when i need it.

To reply to Cortcomp's wishes

If only the world were the way each one of us wanted it! Yes, your garage sale type listing would be great, except ebay is a 2 way street. You bmuist satisfy buyers and sellers alike to have a successful company and with ebay's success I think they have struck a good balance.

Mass sellers do not want to be put out in left field where the garage sale buyers won't see them. After all they bare paying the same rate the other guys are and they should get the same exposure.

Ever been to Hershey? Do you think the mass sellers would be happy if they were segregated from the mom & pops, or the other way around??

The selection method I outlined above will do exactly what you want. You select Packard or 1956 Packard or ?? and browse 5 pages quickly. You see mass sellers with car covers, carpets, tire valve caps etc etc. You put them in the search line with a - before them. You may find a seller who lists original parts but absolute junk, rusty, broken. HIs name is mrjunk.
You can exclude him also. Save the search.

Each day you search and select "ending soonest". You review
only those items expiring in the next 24 hours. Very easy, it works for me.

Option B: Start you own, call it pbay

Happy shopping

Here's my search. Wenever I get a vendor cluttering up the search I add them to the SELLER category and save that search under a new name.

Keyword: packard -hew* -bell -frank -vance -kelly -mouse -hotwheels -"hot wheels"
Seller: -carpartswholesale, -discountautoparts, -carcoverman, -carpartsdiscount, -1stopautosalon, -38-rays, -goods_depots, -discountbodyparts, -thecarcover, -replacementautoparts, -carpartscanada

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They are NOT paying the same rate...after listing so many items (i believe like 50 or 100 at a time) at the same time, the rest are virtually free. They don't even do the same work as the little guy to list because they buy mass programs to do the work for them. The program keeps listing items that aren't real or they don't even have. Someone shouldn't buy a car cover or seat or whatever and wait 5 days for the seller to refund their money because it's not real, or wait 14 days to get it from some warehouse because they don't have it, or get some generic sheet to put over their car because they don't MAKE a 50 packard custom cover.

It's not the same theory as hershey, at hershey, the vendors actually HAVE the goods...those car covers, etc either DON'T exist or the item is 15 ship days away. Now ebay makes them specify if it's a stocked item or not, but even then most people just lie.

As for the mass sellers happiness, no, they wouldn't like to be in left field. But the mom and pops would like them there, so yes, the other way around would work.

I sell frequently at swap meets, but i won't pay $5 to get into one unless there's an awesome car show there (Hershey/Carlisle) or it's mostly regular guys and small businesses hawking stuff. I can go to a parts store and get waxes and cleaners and cheap tools without paying to get in and walking around and losing a whole weekend day.


Hit the goodguys show in Columbus...i think 10,000 cars this year? Does that compare to Hershey?

One side of the parade grounds is a building with mass vendors. I don't care to go in there. I can look up prices on an entire custom chassis or wiring kit or A/C retrofit kit or crate motors or paint samples anytime. Using the internet, i can see more options than they show there and can compare prices instantly. I don't need to go to a show to see off-the-shelf stuff. I can read reviews about how people REALLY feel about their products.


Back on the other side of the field is the car coral and an indoor swap meet...all mom and pops selling random stuff, books, collectibles, cars, parts cars, etc.

Works great for them, people can see what they want and not what they don't want and they're able to keep people moving better.


Now, am i saying kick all the big guys off of ebay? Of course not. Just give me the OPTION (like a check box or something) to NOT show people mass selling low price low margin goods that really don't apply WITHOUT resorting to constantly updating query strings like we're doing now.

I'm not saying the big guys shouldn't be there, i'm just saying they should list what they really have, and give me the option to opt out of their junk (or my interpretation of what junk is).

Not everyone feels the same way as me, i understand that, but i still feel that those ideas would improve eBay; i understand that others don't agree and that's fine. But i can paint the idea of an ebay world that i like, and that's pretty much it.

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Your list looks very similar to mine. When I add a seller or keyword to the appropriate negative list, I just overlay the old search with the new one.