Why do so many searched items vanish when you click 'low to high'?

[infohelps]

Does anybody know why when you do a search for something and you get, for example,  146 items on 'best match', and you then click your sorting option from 'low to high price', (or any other sorting option), the number of items shown drops to, (again an example),  93?   

I understand that promoted items will  throw the order of things out, as they do on sites like Amazon and Etsy,  but why do so many items totally disappear?   I assume it's some sort of streamlining process but it is so annoying it makes me buy elsewhere -  I now just come on here to get a price guideline!   Clearly if price is an issue for the customer they are not being given access to all available products, which seems unfair.

[style_wise]

Yes, I noticed that too. After watching closely I think the answer lies in eBay algorithm. (The algorithm does not bring up exact search results, but instead shows you what will lead to a sale.) So in this initial search I'm seeing a lot of similar items (e.g. same brand and style but different shade). For some reason when I switch from Best Match to Low to High, these results disappear and I'm left with a more exact group of items.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"Clearly if price is an issue for the customer they are not being given access to all available products, which seems unfair."

Yes I've noticed that.  Particularly I've noticed that sponsored items are taken out of the organic listings, whereas I would have thought that sponsored listings should be *in addition to* inclusion in the organic listings, not excluded from them.  For the buyer, it's annoying not to see all the listings included in price order.  I often don't look at the sponsored listings anyway.

[goodibags]

"I would have thought that sponsored listings should be *in addition to* inclusion in the organic listings, not excluded from them"

I wonder how many sellers that use promoted listings have spotted this? Possibly might explain why their 'organic' clicks are so low?

[thepillenwerfer]

Internet shopping searches are very mysterious things, and e-Bay's is better than a lot.  What the blazers constitutes "Best Match" anyway?  As has been said, they aren't designed to help you buy what you want but to help the owner sell you what they want to.

I've also noticed different total matches appear with different result orders — Ending Soonest is also different.  The same goes for filters.  Ticking UK Only should preclude foreign listings reducing the total but I've know it INCREASE it.

You also get things coming up where words in the search term are not in the item title or even the description.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

I used to use the simplest of database programs.  It was so simple that the software manufacturer decided to pull it and to bring out a more complicated one instead 🙄  But my simple little program was able to return 100% accurate search results, and it's a constant source of bafflement and frustration that ebay's search function - with all ebay's vast technological and human resources - can't perform with the accuracy of my little database program.

[infohelps]

I've just done a search for something that went from 9700+ to 281 when I clicked 'low to high'!!!   They admitted that the results were 'streamlined', but when I clicked on "Show more results" the number of items only went up to 287!   That's not streamlining,  that's extermination!  

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"You also get things coming up where words in the search term are not in the item title or even the description."

Next time that happens, check the Subject line in Item Specifics.  On skewed results that I've been getting, it's the Subject line that contains the search term, even though it may be totally irrelevant.  It probably happens because the seller has duplicated a listing and forgotten to change the Subject.

[goodibags]

I've had 6 different numbers come up just by switching between 'highest first' and 'lowest first' 5 times.

I have no idea which items are being added or dropped but it's so random it feels a bit useless.