eBay search query

[Richard]

Help!

Does anyone know how to drill down the main search categories on eBay?

For example,

Sound & Vision > Vintage Sound & Vision > Vintage Parts & Accessories > Valves & Vacuum Tubes

or

Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles > Classic Cars

The search pull-down only seems to show the main category headers. Once viewing a product I can choose the different levels from the string at the top of its listing but cannot see how to get there in the first place... The only way I've found so far is to enter Valves eBay or Classic Cars eBay in google and let it take me there but surely I must be missing something?

[snowman_al]

Morning Richard,
I'm not sure I understand or what you are trying to do - buy or sell?

If buying then starting in a specific category would often miss potential items. Lots of people do not use the correct section / category for their sales.
I usually start in the ebay search bar at the top and type what I am looking for. Example, ''Austin A30'' or ''valve amplifier'', then from there refine the search if needed from the left hand panel. Or try one of the other 'related' searches under the search bar, like 'tube amplifier' or 'vintage amplifier' etc.

If selling do the same search first, with the name of your item. Example ''Leak Stereo 20'', then see where most sellers put their item.

Sorry if I missed what you had in mind.

Alan

[Richard]

Morning Al and thanks.

I was looking for a way to go straight to a sub category.

When we open eBay the search bar says Search for anything and the cat says the default of All Categories.

I can click the All categories pull down and select any category heading but not drill down further.

Is there a way to drill down further in each category as we do when choosing a cat to sell in?

[Baggy Trousers]

Originally Posted by Richard

Help!

Does anyone know how to drill down the main search categories on eBay?

For example,

Sound & Vision > Vintage Sound & Vision > Vintage Parts & Accessories > Valves & Vacuum Tubes

or

Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles > Classic Cars

The search pull-down only seems to show the main category headers. Once viewing a product I can choose the different levels from the string at the top of its listing but cannot see how to get there in the first place... The only way I've found so far is to enter Valves eBay or Classic Cars eBay in google and let it take me there but surely I must be missing something?

What an interesting juxtaposition of categories!

I do hope you are not in the Classic Cars section looking for valves for a 1927 Trojan; the design was a two-stroke devoid of such and long ante-dated Electro Harmonix. Similarly, I should be surprised if you found their Wondersprings under Vintage Sound and Vision. Confusing indeed.

However, things may not be as divorced as you might think. A chap called Hounsfield invented the interesting Trojan engine and his son conjured up an ingenious safari bed and manufactured this in premises, part of which were let to Andre Rahmer for the production of the superlative Avantic amplifiers.

Small world.

[snowman_al]

''Is there a way to drill down further in each category as we do when choosing a cat to sell in?''

Well I've looked and cannot find one.
Only 'way' is to leave the search box empty, select for example 'sound and vision' then the left hand side has 'shop by category' pane appear. If you then select 'Vintage sound and vision items' you get the next sub menu and so on...

Does the 'Advanced' option next to the Search button give you any more choice?

Anyone else know a way?

Alan

[Richard]

Hi Al, no joy with the advanced button either as far as I can see. Thanks anyway, thought I might be missing something, back to searching via google first I guess haha!

Baggus, did you ever have a valve car radio? I saw the odd one when I first started driving as my cars were all old from the early 60's but you may have been luckier than me and had new old ones with valve radios! I was lucky to get a decent radio a couple of times, a Motorola or Radiomobile in a car, push button presets even better, or that immortal legend "transistor" on the front...

[Baggy Trousers]

Originally Posted by Richard

Baggus, did you ever have a valve car radio? I saw the odd one when I first started driving as my cars were all old from the early 60's but you may have been luckier than me and had new old ones with valve radios! I was lucky to get a decent radio a couple of times, a Motorola or Radiomobile in a car, push button presets even better, or that immortal legend "transistor" on the front...

No. I never had a radio in my own cars and did not enjoy that luxury until I was given company cars in the 'sixties, by which time transistors and eight-tracks had arrived.

But my grandmother had an Austin A90 "Atlantic" fitted with an HMV "Autocrat" which was the bees knees of car wirelesses in the early 'fifties. Of course, this pre-dated the "immortal legend" by a considerable margin. The tuner was dash-mounted but the rest of it was in a metal box in the boot and despite its remote location, you could still hear the wretched converter buzzing when the engine was not running. Fortunately, this wasn't for long as more than ten minutes would drain the battery to below engine staring voltage. The consumption of these sets which might have had half a dozen valves was horrendous. The wireless had manual tuning via a surprisingly large variable condenser but it also had, I think, six pre-sets which was a bit ambitious when only the BBC was broadcasting and then only in AM. I remember the mechanical presets because I had learnt to adjust the trimmers every so often as wandering off frequency was not uncommon. No doubt this comprehensive facility was, like the rest of the expensive car, aimed at the American market where they had (and still do) a radio station every 100 miles or so.

You did ask!