Search returning inconsistent results

[7366carl]

How come when I do the following search it sometimes shows 5 and sometimes 6 results? Keep hitting search a few times to see this behavior.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Sirocco+board+game&_sacat=0&LH_Tit...

[momcqueen]

I see six consistently.

This anomaly is likely due to indexing; probably a new or renewed listing is the culprit.

[femmefan1946]

EBay does say it won't always show all listings that might fit a given Search.

If your first Search doesn't give you a useful result, wouldn't it be a good idea that your second shows you a slightly different grouping?

If you do see something that is of interest, but not perfect, put it on your Watch List.

That also allows you to compare any three similar listings to see which is least suitable, delete it and then add another comparison.

Also, listings are constantly starting and ending, whether because they sell or because the seller has it set up that way.

[femmefan1946]

BTW- that Search gave me 18 results all of them Ended.

[7366carl]

Strange. Well the search is for completed listings. Now there is one more but some times it returns 6 sometimes 7. Same search. Just re hitting the search button.

[7366carl]

That link shows you 18 completed listings???? Strange. Why would it show you something different.

[ypdc_dennis]

Just checked and I see 6 listings plus a bunch more at the end under "Results matching fewer words"

eBay has returned variable results for over a decade. Each search starts from scratch. No guarantee that the search is run from the same part of the ebay computer network. And no guarantee that the search engine has timely access to all the data. The eBay data pool is huge with stuff being added and subtracted every second.

-..-

[tryubik-useonlyasdirected]

That search says it returned 7 results but actually returned 13 Sirocco Game Results (6 Sirocco's results below the "results matching fewer words" along with results for 36 other game listings).

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I recall once searching for an antique by a specific maker. It is unusual for sellers to sell using the maker name, typically they lie and spam the results with the name of a better maker.

When I searched by the maker two results were returned - my own listings.

Then when searching for another maker later in the day I ran across a person in Hungary who literally had a shop full of correctly listed items by the maker of my previous search - all with International shipping. NONE of them would show in the search results no matter how hard I tried. Even when searching from whichever Euro eBay he was using. It did not matter what variation I used their listings never shown in the eBay search results. Their shop had to be bookmarked directly to find the listings.

Its situations like that that make me paranoid about eBay. That person had quality unique items not often found outside Europe and was trying to get them to the current World market.