[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

What do you guys type in to search for gear on e-bay.

I'm getting cheesed off with looking on it now - if I type in carpet cleaning I get about 1000 products, most of which are carpet sweepers, domestic rug doctor type rubbish or paid for adverts.

Am I going about this the wrong way ?

Steve

[Jim_77]

Yes

You need to get eBay doing the searching for you.

Do a search, for example "carpet cleaning machine" and yeah you'll get loads of rug doctor etc.  Now do a search "carpet cleaning machine -doctor" and there won't be any rug doctors.

Use the minus sign to filter out stuff you don't want.  Keep re-doing the search until you get mostly the right kind of stuff, then save the search.  eBay will email you whenever new items match your search.

You can update the search terms and keep adding on filters such as "-vax", until you're getting good results.

[Jim_77]

actually saying that, I just got a pretty relevant set of results with just "carpet cleaning machine"

h ttp://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=carpet+cleaning+machine

!

The technique does work though, I have a search for a truckmount, but kept getting bugged by CB radio crap, stuff for lorries.  Here's the search term I use now:

"truck mount -tamiya -mirror -traxxas -monster -buggy -hub -touring -spreader -suspension -michelin -amateur -boat -gutter"

and i also have an almost identical search except it is "truckmount and not truck mount, cos some folks put a space in between

Every time it emails you with stuff you don't want, pick a word to filter out the useless ones, but not one that'll obviously filter out the things yuo're looking for

[Mike Halliday]

I go to;

Business, Office & Industrial

then search; cleaning equipment & supplies.

[carlton care]

Like Steve, I've been doing it wrong..............well done gents for clearing that up

[Joe H]

I think I know what Steve may be referring too

few weeks ago you could search for "carpet cleaning" and you might get up to 100 items.

do that search now, and as Steve says, you get mutitudes inc bissell shapoos and all sorts.

cant find that Woodbridge truck mount although I know it was there as I seen it.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Thanks Jim and Mike, I'll give that a go.

Joe - yes that's exactly what I have found, it's only changed in the last month or so.

Steve

[Jim_77]

try this search, then sort by price high-low

carpet cleaner -vax -bissell -george -dyson -miele -kirby -jcb -philips -mop -sweeper -eurostar

No woodbridge truckmount though!

[Joe H]

Do you have to type all that lot in every time you do that search Jim?

[Len Gribble]

Steve

Think a few are holding off till the climate gets better.

Len

[Barry Livingstone]

got a carpet cleaning section on this site just for you guys...http ://www.the-swapshop.co.uk/

[Jim_77]

No Joe!

When you've done the search, there's an option to save it!  After that, eBay will email you results from that search whenever something new gets listed that matches your search terms.

In My Ebay you can go through your saved searches and alter or delete them.

Have a play

[Jim_77]

Do your search, then click on "save search" and call it whatever you want (1st pic)

Then when you go to "My eBay" you can play around with the searches (pic 2)

[Joe H]

Thank you Jim, thats good.

[Jim_77]

No probs Joe

Where was it Clinton?!

[derek west]

whats the item number for this trucky, be easier.
derek

[Jim_77]

Strange, i searched for "woodbridge" last night and got children's climbing frames, hats, leather holdalls, postcards, Italian shoes and ordnance survey maps!

No truckmount

[Jim_77]

Well that explains it... the word woodbridge only appears in the text of the description  :

[derek west]

thats one ugly looking truckmount. but cheap so who cares.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

I think for the £12k he paid for that a year ago, he got have something better from HM or prochem - could have bought 2 prowlers for that !