Quote Originally Posted by Riverkilt
...Just wondering if there are any search tricks to filter out all this insanity and only come up with private parties wanting to sell their kilts...or do ya gotta wade through the 2,000 hits?
Ron,

I've been on eBay for a little over 5 years; maybe I can help. First, a link:

eBay's Advanced Search

Use this search to find specific sellers, bidders, etc. It's really only of use only if you know who you're looking for, if you know a specific item number or you want to seach eBay stores. Other than that, stick to a 'regular search'.

There's a simple 'trick' to sifting through a large amount of search results. Let's say you key in the word kilt and click the Search button: You should be taken to the eBay Keyword page for that word. This will show you a breakdown of the search results by category; it also shows similar related searches.
I suggest you skip this page unless you see something specific you're interested in. Otherwise, look to the right of where it says Matching Categories for the words Show items... and click on that. You should be taken to the first page of all items (5,982 items...120 pages!) on eBay that have the word kilt in the auction title. With me so far?

Here's the 'tricky' part: You'll need to filter your search results by doing the following: Scrolling through the first page alone I can see several items I could care less about; reading the displayed words for each item, I look for words in the auction title that don't have anything to do with what I'm looking for. In the search box, the word kilt should still be there; add the following to the Search box (as an example): kilt -sporran -brooch -collar -jacket -barbie -charm -ladies -novelty -punk -fly (putting a minus in front of the words eliminates items that contain kilt and each filtered word).

Voila! You've now narrowed the search down to 4,707 items. Keep looking for words in the titles that aren't related to what you're looking for until you're comfortable with the results. I will warn you and say that unless you're looking for something very specific, avoid clicking the "Search title and description" box underneath the Search button.

I realize it seems very tedious and can take more time than you like (eBay's far from perfect) but filtering your search results can and does help (I think you can add up to 50 filtered words to a search now). However, I strongly suggest you be as specific as possible in your initial search before adding filtered words (no matter what you're looking for).

Good luck.