Search Keeps Changing My Search Words

[MadGirlRetro]

I'm trying to search for "vintage brown spongeware bowl." The search bar keeps changing "spongeware" into "stoneware." Doesn't matter how I change it up or if I put quotations. I simply typed in "spongeware" and it changed it to "stoneware." I change it back. It changes it again. I change it back. It changes it again. Then I have pages and pages of things I am not looking for. Do I have to go to Google to search on Etsy? I'd really like to buy the bowl on Etsy and not eBay. Any ideas? 

[whiteoaksocks]

That is SO odd.  I got the same result in Etsy.  But when I searched in  Gggle, the result shows Spongeware items that are for sale on Etsy and have that exact word in their title.  I can't explain, but at least you know you're not crazy.

[LastCentury]

That's what Etsy wants! You can't find it here. You find it on Google search available on Etsy, click on the ad, and cha-ching, ad fee for Etsy!

[MadGirlRetro]

@LastCentury that's exactly what I suspect. So I saw some bowls I liked after finding them on Etsy through Google but if I buy them, the seller will have to pay an added fee. It's not right. 

[LastCentury]

@MadGirlRetro that is kind of you to consider the seller in that way. I'm conscious of that as well.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's only if you click on an item in google search results that says Etsy Sponsored where the seller gets dinged for ad fees. I think if it is in regular images, it's not an ad fee.

[MadGirlRetro]

@LastCentury well, I'm a seller myself so I know how it is.

I don't know if it has to actually say "Etsy sponsored ads," but I know if a buyer clicks on something in your shop from Google ads, even if he doesn't buy that particular thing in your shop and finds something else, the shop gets charged for it. Also, I think, I could be wrong, that if he buys anything from your shop in 30 days, you pay the extra fee. Anyone know for sure on this?

[BagmakerSupply]

@MadGirlRetro: "If a buyer clicks through an offsite ad promoting one of your listings and then purchases from your shop within 30 days, that order will be attributed to the ad." and "If a member clicks an ad and purchases from your shop multiple times (in separate orders) within the 30-day window, each order is eligible for the Offsite Ad fee."  https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000338367-How-Etsy-s-Offsite-Ads-Work-?segment=selling

[SewlyButtons]

Yup...  Right offhand my mind is blank, but there are any number of other "words" that etsy's search AI switches out. Sometimes you'll see a "search for instead" message under the search results... but not always. I've actually put the WRONG word in a listing as one of my tags, just so shoppers can actually find MY item (hopefully it's also what they're looking for...).
Just another example of how horrible etsy search is...

[MadGirlRetro]

Wow, that's wild. You actually resorted to putting a wrong word in so buyers could find it. This is very worrisome. 

[JMOldeVintage]

I just went to eBay & typed in your search term. 118 results & all seemed quite accurate.

Enter that term here on Etsy & I had your results "stoneware bowls". But maybe quantity out weights 'quality' when it comes to results since I had 5,261 items to look at. 

[MadGirlRetro]

I got so frustrated looking through 5,000 bowls that were complete unlike what I was looking for that I went to Google. Thank you for checking.

[nineteen27]

yes you have to look under the first row of stoneware items and click on...

search instead for spongeware?

click and then...you see.

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=spongeware&explicit=1&spelling_correction_show_original=stoneware

and you can see in the url... that they did a spelling correction to change it to spongeware which is dumb since that was the word i put into the search bar to begin with.

etsy has the absolute worst search feature on the internet.

[MadGirlRetro]

That worked! After three tries. But worked nonetheless. Geez, will our customers be able to figure that out if I was having a hard time with it? 

[LastCentury]

Yep, but don't dare use any of the filters as that takes you back to where you don't want to be.

Stoneware?
no Spongeware!
filter to vintage
back to stoneware

it's great ain't it?

[nineteen27]

@MadGirlRetro 

maybe you can put...

"not stoneware" in your tags.

the least etsy can do is put..

"search for spongeware instead" at the top and not rows down in small print.

that word is probably not searched enough so ai thinks we cannot spell.

[weekendjewelry1]

I got the same result - I put "spongeware bowl" into Etsy Search, and got (of course) a row of "most loved in 'Stoneware bowl'.

But below that row of stoneware items, there's a link that says "Showing results for Stoneware bowl. Search instead for spongeware bowl". When I clicked on that, I got a row of "most loved in spongeware bowl".

Of course below that, were more spongeware plus stoneware bowls... but it's a start!

ETA: Hey, my DH did a little gif to show me a search he did to find the spongeware bowls!  Check it out:

Etsy Spongeware Search 

[BagmakerSupply]

We must remember that the Artificial (Lack of) Intelligence behind the Etsy search engines knows better than you do what you really want so the solution is to buy what they present to you not what you erroneously think you want.

[MadGirlRetro]

eBay's artificial intelligence is a lot more intelligent. 

[C20Ceramics]

Etsy is not very useful for searching for specific items.....they only show you what they think you might want ......not what you are actually looking for......best to use google which will take you to exactly what you are looking for on etsy.....quite ironic really. 

[MadGirlRetro]

Hence, the added fees we pay when buyers come from Google. 

[dayspringcollectible]

I put up a thread a couple days ago regarding the same problem, different word.  It happens fairly regularly that search substitutes words.  Really poor, and as said above, probably done deliberately to gain off-site ad fees.  It's one of the many reasons sales are so bad on Etsy right now.

[MadGirlRetro]

One time I listed a painting by an artist with an unusual name. I wanted to see if there were any other paintings on here by him. I type in his exact name. NOTHING came up, including the painting I listed! 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

I put "spongewarespongeware spongewarespongeware spongeware" in the search bar.

Etsy changed it to "spongewarespongeware spongewarespongeware stoneware" BUT the page was actually full of spongeware.

I'm being silly, no one will do this so the search still sucks, of course.
But it proves how badly educated the Etsy AI is. Poor thing, I think it wants to learn:(

[MarchAir]

I think that Etsy is not so smart as they think they are… When I have trouble with search in similar ways, I conclude (perhaps wrongly — but I can’t find it) that nobody on Etsy is selling it. So I go to Ebay or Amazon to find what I was looking for.

[LanaLuckyFinds]

I spent good 15 minutes  searching for MRF frame on Etsy. Etsy changes it to Mrs frame. I click on Search MRF frame and then click on Vintage filter, the search results revert to Mrs frame. I know these frames are there (I have at least two in my shop). Google images also show them in their search but Etsy does not allow you to retrieve those items. No wonder my sales are much lower than usually at this time of the year. Etsy search is dysfunctional.