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MG TD TF 1500 - Dumb ebay question...

Off the subject of "T" cars but...I do a search offten for "MG TF" on ebay. Normally returns just under 200 or so items. Last night, 600 items. About 400 of them for "neon windshield washer lights". (Something all we TD / TF owners really need for our windshield washers!)Does anybody have a clue what the advantage is of listing the same item so many times when there are like no bids on any of them?
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

Yeah, David, and I also partially blame MG for this pickle. They reused the name MG TF, so when I search for stuff from my car, I get a whole lot of useless crap intended to be sold to owners of some modern car that is nothing like it.

Most of the bogus listings are for some kind of device to bollix the feedback loop on the ECU, which they say will give you increased horsepower. They must have a whole lot of these devices, because they list the damn thing about 20 times in a row, and this repeats about once every two days, so you see the same ad about 100 times or so. The 'old' TF doesn't even have EFI, so these devices are useless to TF owners, even if they work, which is debatable. At least I don't get the grounding wire that supposedly adds 20 horsepower on the TF search, which some enterprising eBayer is trying to sell to MGB owners.

Ebay isn't going to stop this, because they get paid per listing, but it's damn annoying.
Mark B.

Mark,
It was "annoying" when MG released the new "tf" (my "id" as opposed to the "TF"....the imposter should always be refered to in the lower case!) It was bad enough going through the mutiple offers for the "CD" that's been on there for a few years...never seen a bidder for it either as I think most of us feel as I do and if we had assembled such a thing would do for free to our "T brothers & sisters" out there. I am just trying to understand (because ebay gets paid by the listing) if it is possible that some of these folks have found a "glich" in the ebay listing system that lets them do mutiple listings and only get charged once for it? How else could they afford to list a $3.00 item 50/100 times (@ $1.50 per listing?)when they are not even getting a single bid? Considering filling a complant with ebay about it and was wondering if anyone else has done so?
Cheers,
David
David Sheward

If you select "Advanced Search" under the "Search" option you can specify keywords to exclude. That means any eBay listing containing those keywords will not be shown. For example, you could exclude "neon" in which case all the "neon windshield washer lights" listings will be excluded.

After choosing (and fine tuning) a selection of keywords to include and other keywords to exclude, you can "Add to My Favorite Searches."

Finally, you can enter "Preferences" for these favorite searches, for example, have new listings e-mailed to you once a day.

Once a day I receive an automated e-mail from eBay of MG TD "stuff" which seldom has a stray entry.

You will find additional information about how to use these features on the eBay website.

Happy hunting!

Larry
Larry Shoer

Larry,
Thanks, never really looked at those options under "Advanced Search"....guess I'll have to find something else to "B & M" about! I was up till 3am surfing through all that crap...never gave much though about filtering it instead!
Still don't understand how that kind of advert / listing could be cost effective.....but then I could never understand relentless telephone sales calls at dinner tyme either!
Since it's cold out there I'll share a good one with you...my answering machine for 12 years has proclaimed "if you are a telephone solicator please leave your home phone # and an inconvient time for me to return your call"...some idiot actually left me his home # to sell me dance lessons. I woke him up at 3:00am and he went through the sales pitch noly to be ask at the end if they had a "special discount price" as I would only require the "right foot" cutouts as I have no left foot!
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

My search is lower case with a space between mg and tf.....mg tf

I have never seen the neon or other parts for the new (bogus) tf
D Clark

I search using lower case and usually get 1-2 pages of listings under mgtf and 2-3 for mgtd, and no bogus stuff other than "T" type, even without using an advanced search.

Peter

Peter Falconer

I too have seen listings for the same thing BY the the same seller repeated over and over on the same page right in a row . I figured the guy just stutter's !
A.L. Gerstle

"mg tf" is also the search I was using...try it lately guys?
573 items 12+ pages....mostly "endlessly repeated" items with no bids.
I actually wrote the guy and ask him why he has so many listings for the same item....got no answer.
I think I will follow Larry's advise...but still pose the question to ebay as to if these sellers have slipped in due to a "glich" in the system.
Cheers
David Sheward

Larry's advise works great....just tried again with a block on : LED / ALL CARS ....returned 102 items 3 pages!
That's more like it!
You can teach an old dawg nue tricks!
Thanks again Larry!
David Sheward

I use mine every day but now I know what to do if I start having problems.
D Clark

This thread was discussed between 10/01/2004 and 12/01/2004

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