Exactly that !

When the search matched the words buyers wrote in the search box with the words sellers wrote in their item titles it was intuitive and worked very well.

All the "extras" are there for is to help ebay channel searches towards the items ebay wants buyers to see and buy and exclude those it does not.  Hence the whole arcane 'science' of SEO.

It was some clever seller on here that explained to me that I would get more results in my  "Walther and Sohne" search, if I wrote it "Walther & Sohne".  Totally counter-intuitive when many know that searches ignore "special characters". 

Add in I.S that are supposed to 'refine' the search but so often do not have the specific word that defines the item being sought on their endless lists.

And add to that ebay's stated intent to 'refine' the results by excluding some results by not searching all categories or by searching taking a buyers previous searches and purchases into account. 

It all gives endless permutations of un-necessary 'refinements' that ebay can fill with promoted listings.

To paraphrase something I wrote on another thread:

"There would be no need for "Best Match" if the search searched for what I wrote in the search box.  I.E. blue glass vase.

Instead it throws up results for 'blue glass bowl/candle holder/stained glass window and quite possibly blue grass music, various non-blue vases or anything else with blue/glass/vase in the title".

If ebay ever was trying to be helpful by reducing the number of irrelevant results, those days are long gone as with I.S most searches now start with(tens of) thousands of results that buyers are supposed to whittle down to find what they are looking for and which so often results in failure.

Something else I've said before.  "I sell more items on a smaller site, not because they're my better items, or because they're cheaper.  But simply because buyers can find them there when they can't find them on ebay." 

Why is that possible?  Because the other search is still Key-Word based and searches for what buyers write in the search box.