Ever tried to do an eBay search, and come up short? eBay is one of the world’s leading auction sites, with literally millions of transactions, listings, and customers. However, finding something you want on eBay isn’t always as easy as it should be. That’s where this list of five ways to search eBay comes in handy: a list of shortcuts you can use to find what you’re looking for on eBay with a minimum of effort.
Use the Sitemap
The eBay Catalog, or sitemap, search is the “umbrella” over the entire eBay range of offerings, from clothing to pets to motors. It’s a good place to start a general search with a wide focus, especially if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, or if you want to see all the offerings that eBay has in one glance.
Use Advanced Search
eBay Advanced Search is available simply by clicking the “Advanced Search” link next to the eBay search bar, located on the top of nearly every eBay page. Here you can use a variety of filters to narrow your search, browse within eBay Motors, search by seller and bidder, find a specific item number, and much more.
You can use Advanced Search to search by keywords, item number (and specify how you’d like those queries to be arranged); search within one category, search by title and description, browse through completed and sold listings (especially useful if you’re trying to sell something and want to see how much it’s going for in the current market), search within price ranges, buying formats (auctions vs. Buy It Now listings), and many more options, including:
Items
- Find items currently for sale based by price, location, buying formats, and other criteria. You can also limit your searches to be from a particular seller, currency, or shipping option.
- Find items from eBay Motors sorted by vehicle make, date, location, etc.
- Find a seller by entering in their eBay user ID and see what they’ve been up to on eBay.
- Search by bidder to see what someone has been bidding on lately (need a user ID for this one too).
- By item number: locate an eBay auction item by its unique ID.
Stores
- Search for store items much the way that general auction items are found. This is very useful since store items don’t always show up in a cursory eBay search.
- Find a store: Is there a store on eBay you’re trying to find? This is the place to do it. You can search by item or store name.
Members
- You can search for eBay members by their unique user ID, found in their profile, listings, or store information; or, if you have an email address, you can see what eBay ID is tied to their email.
- You can also obtain contact information from an eBay member you are currently doing business with. If you request this information, your information will be shared with the member you are contacting (this is a security measure to discourage inappropriate requests).
Search through eBay stores
eBay Stores – online listings organized around a specific person, topic, or collection – can be a great way to sample all that eBay has to offer. Use the eBay Stores search page to find just what you’re looking for: premium stores, anchor stores, or advanced store search offer something for any eBay buyer.
Search what’s trending
There are a number of ways to quickly find out what’s trending as far as sales and popularity at eBay. eBay Pulse used to give you a daily summary of popular searches, stores, and items. There used to also be a Popular Products page that gave buyers an extremely detailed view at the most popular eBay items in every category on the site. eBay Deal Finder showcases the fastest moving/best deals on a number of different products as compared with other popular retail sites on the Web.
Five Ways to Search eBay
You can also use Marketplace Research by TeraPeak if you really want to get all the details of what is selling well on eBay; this is especially useful if you’re looking to make the popular auction site into a side business, as many people do all over the world.
Use eBay on your mobile device
If you’ve ever used eBay to buy or sell something, you know that it can be a bit of a chore to keep up with what you’re bidding on or selling. However, with eBay on a mobile device, these tasks are made simple.
How do I access eBay Mobile?
In order to access eBay’s mobile site, you’ll need to have a mobile device that is able to go online. Most phones available today have this capability, especially the increasingly popular smartphones.
Viewing eBay’s mobile site is absolutely free; however, you’ll need to check with your individual carrier to ascertain whether additional charges apply.
What can I use the eBay Mobile Web site for?
eBay’s Mobile Web site is set up so you can perform the same tasks on your phone as you would on your desktop. Searching for items, “My eBay”, bidding, and checkout (PayPal) are all available.
eBay Mobile Web
There are several eBay Mobile services that you can use to make any kind of eBay transaction easier to manage. The main eBay mobile site, m.ebay.com, is specially designed for the smaller screens of mobile devices, and includes the basic features of what you can find online. Available for several platforms.