Jumping In and Out of Categories While Searching
Narrow your searches by confining them to certain categories, and filter categories while you browse.
eBay uses an extensive hierarchy of categories to group similar items together. This not only enables sellers to improve the exposure of their auctions, but it helps bidders find what theyâre looking for and even discover new items.
When you perform a standard search, no thought is given to the categories in which the items are sorted; toaster ovens are listed right alongside antique car parts. By the same token, when you browse a category, youâre simply looking at a list of every item placed in that category by sellers, whether itâs relevant or not.
Category listings and search results are essentially the same thing: subsets of the massive auction database that is eBay. This means that when you search or when you browse a category, youâre really just changing your filtering criteria. Fortunately, you can combine the two quite easily. Think of it as either narrowing a search by confining it to a single category, or filtering a category listing with search terms.
Tip
See [Hack #12] for a more in-depth look at categories and how they relate to searches and auctions.
Search Within a Category
Click Browse at the top of any eBay page to view the top-level categories. Choose a category here, and then a subcategory from the assortment displayed on the next page. At three levels deep and beyond youâll see standard category views, including ...
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