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Coin collecting is my hobby -- but my profession is a computer programmer. So learning the somewhat cryptic eBay advanced search techniques came pretty easy to me. But in recent conversations with collector friends of mine, I learned that they are often frustrated with eBay and spend a lot of wasted time scanning through hundreds or thousands of listings rather than filtering searches for the types of items they are interested in. Just in case some of you are in the same boat, I decided to do a How-To post with examples specific to coins.
Tip 1) People often list coins in the wrong category -- or a category that you would not think to check. If, for example, you only look in the "Error" sub-category under US Coins for Error coins, you just might miss something. I normally start my searches from the US Coins category or the World Coins category, depending on what I am looking for. Searching from a higher level will pick up items in the sub-categories as well. Also - sellers often list the same things using very different language. But often, there are common terms used in most listings of the same type of item. So try to use key words in searches that are most frequently used for the item(s) you are looking for. If you search for 1999 United States Mint Set, then you will not see most of the listings because United States is most often abbreviated as US or not used at all. 1999 Mint Set would be a better search to pick up as many of the listings as possible.
Tip 2) Use the -keyword "Exclude" command in your search to eliminate unwanted items in your search results. If the word following the minus sign exists in the listing title, it will be removed from the results.
Example: Say you want to find 1999 US Mint Sets and you go to the US Coins category to start your search. From my experience, if you enter 1999 MINT SET as your search, most of the items listed will not be US Mint issued uncirculated sets. A good many of the items listed will be 1999 Proof sets. Adding the -PROOF phrase to your search...
1999 MINT SET -PROOF
... will eliminate a large number of unwanted items from the results. You can use multiple 'exclude' commands in the same search...
1999 MINT SET -PROOF -GOLD -COLORIZED -FROM
to further refine the results. With this search, you now get mostly US Mint issued uncirculated sets in the search results. Important: Be sure you do not have a space between the minus sign and keyword. If you do, it will not work.
Tip 3) Using the "OR" command in your searches. The format is (keywords1,keywords2, keywords3). Sometimes, you may be looking for coins of multiple specific years (1941 or 1942 or 1944). You can use the "OR" command to return results for any of the criteria specified. Also - sellers list similar things in many different ways. A Doubled Die listing might have any of the following words in the title: Doubled Die, Double Die, Dbl Die, DDO, DDR, WDDOxxx, CDDOxxx etc. You can use the "OR" command to pick up on the many different ways an item can be described. Examples:
If searching for 2005 doubled die coins...
2005 (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,WDDR,CDDR)
Any listing containing 2005 and any one of the items listed between the () will be included in the results.
If searching for doubled die coins from 2005 to present...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die)
The results will include doubled dies from 2005 through 2008.
Now if you want the above items, but only in ANACS or PCGS holders...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die) (ANACS,PCGS)
Conversely, if you want the above search excluding items in PCGS or ANACS holders, just adding the minus sign to the front of the "OR" group...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die) -(ANACS,PCGS)
... will list only the doubled dies from 2005 to 2008 that do not include PCGS or ANACS in the title.
Tip 4) Using the wildcard command (keyword*) to filter for words that begin with the letters/numbers specifed. Examples:
If you want to list one cent coins from the 1790's...
Cent 179*
will pick up anything that begins with 179 and contains the word Cent. You can also use the wildcard in the "Exclude" command to eliminate listings with words that start with the specified letters...
Cent 179* -HALF -COPY -REPLICA -REPR*
The -REPR* will remove from the results items that have words beginning with REPR - like REPRO or REPRODUCTION. The -HALF gets rid of half cents in the results.
Some items, like coins with Crawford, Wexler, FS or CONECA ID numbers can be easier to find with the wildcard...
195* (WDD*,CDD*,FS*,DDO*,DDR*)
This search will pick up variety coins with file IDs from the 1950's. Note that it will also pick up "Full Step" nickels, since FS (the prefix for CPG numbers) is also a common designation for full steps.
Tip 5) Build and refine complex searches that include any combination of the commands above and then save your favorites for easy reuse later. You can create a "Favorites" folder specifically for eBay searches and then use "Add to Favorites..." to store your frequently used searches. You can also just drag the link in the Address field (the http://search.ebay.com/...) onto your desktop. Be sure to give your links descriptive names so that you can remember what they are for. Examples:
(195*,196*,197*,198*,199*) (cud,die break,brockage,broad*,off center) -ANACS -NGC -PCGS -icg -PCI -Certified
You might name this link Uncertified Error Coins from 1950 to 1999.
And one of my frequently used searches...
2005 (ddo,ddr,double* die) (OIV,Ocean,minn*,mn,or,oregon) (1,4,002,004,1,001,33,38,47,49,54,sms,satin,sf)
is described in my favorites as 2005 OIV, Oregon and Minn Satin Finish Doubled Dies
Tip 6) Once you've done your search and see active items you are interested in, don't forget to check completed listings to see what items have sold for in the past. You don't want to pay too much.
A couple of other comments:
I tend not to check the 'Search Titles and Descriptions' box -- I normally search just the titles. It most cases, searching descriptions yeilds way to many results that have nothing to do with what I am searching for. For me, the only time I search Titles and descriptions is when I'm after something very specific and a regular search yeilds no results, such as a 2006 D WDDR-003 cent. Sometimes a seller will not put the file ID in the title but will put it in the description. So occationally, searching descriptions is actually helpful.
It is possible to build a search command that is too big. I'm not sure exactly what the limit is -- but I know I've had searches that did not work as intended. When it gets too big, any words or commands beyond the size limit are simply ignored. There is no error message telling you it is too big.
The Ebay search tries to be 'smart' when it comes to the plural "s" on key words. Sometimes you will enter a search word in the singular, such as DOLLAR, or ROLL and get search results that incude DOLLARS or ROLLS and vice versa. In some cases, this is not what I want. Say I want to search for multiple roll lots of modern cents and I don't want single rolls in the results. You can fix this 'smart' behavior problem by adding an Exclude command to remove what you did not ask for. So if my search criteria is ...
200* (Cent,penny) Rolls -Roll
... the -Roll will remove the single roll listings from the results that would otherwise show up.
It is also helpful to know how the search treats special characters, like a comma (,) or dash (-), that sellers may put in their title. Near as I can tell, they are ignored or treated as a SPACE character. Effectively, this can break apart key words that you might think of as a single key word. Example: if the seller has the file ID DDR-047 in the title of a listing, as far as searches go, it is treated as two words - DDR and 047. So if you happen to be searching for a 2005 Minnesota 25c DDR-047 and you put DDR047 in your search, you will not pick up listings were the file ID was entered as DDR-047. Using the "OR" command (DDR 047,DDR047,Die 47) will pick up the common ways a seller will list this particular variety.
Some items can only be found by browsing through page after page of catigorized listings. If a seller has the title A WIERD OLD PENNY and nothing more - then you will most likely never see it in a search. And who knows - that "Wierd Old Penny" might be a $1000 error coin. But I'd still rather search for what I want and catch most of them vs. searching through piles of items that don't interest me.
Well, this got a little more detailed that I thought it would. Anyway - if you use these commands regularly, they will become second nature and you will have much more productive searches on eBay. Hopefully this will be of help to you. If you have any eBay Search related "How do I..." questions, feel free to post them. Perhaps I can help.
Tip 1) People often list coins in the wrong category -- or a category that you would not think to check. If, for example, you only look in the "Error" sub-category under US Coins for Error coins, you just might miss something. I normally start my searches from the US Coins category or the World Coins category, depending on what I am looking for. Searching from a higher level will pick up items in the sub-categories as well. Also - sellers often list the same things using very different language. But often, there are common terms used in most listings of the same type of item. So try to use key words in searches that are most frequently used for the item(s) you are looking for. If you search for 1999 United States Mint Set, then you will not see most of the listings because United States is most often abbreviated as US or not used at all. 1999 Mint Set would be a better search to pick up as many of the listings as possible.
Tip 2) Use the -keyword "Exclude" command in your search to eliminate unwanted items in your search results. If the word following the minus sign exists in the listing title, it will be removed from the results.
Example: Say you want to find 1999 US Mint Sets and you go to the US Coins category to start your search. From my experience, if you enter 1999 MINT SET as your search, most of the items listed will not be US Mint issued uncirculated sets. A good many of the items listed will be 1999 Proof sets. Adding the -PROOF phrase to your search...
1999 MINT SET -PROOF
... will eliminate a large number of unwanted items from the results. You can use multiple 'exclude' commands in the same search...
1999 MINT SET -PROOF -GOLD -COLORIZED -FROM
to further refine the results. With this search, you now get mostly US Mint issued uncirculated sets in the search results. Important: Be sure you do not have a space between the minus sign and keyword. If you do, it will not work.
Tip 3) Using the "OR" command in your searches. The format is (keywords1,keywords2, keywords3). Sometimes, you may be looking for coins of multiple specific years (1941 or 1942 or 1944). You can use the "OR" command to return results for any of the criteria specified. Also - sellers list similar things in many different ways. A Doubled Die listing might have any of the following words in the title: Doubled Die, Double Die, Dbl Die, DDO, DDR, WDDOxxx, CDDOxxx etc. You can use the "OR" command to pick up on the many different ways an item can be described. Examples:
If searching for 2005 doubled die coins...
2005 (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,WDDR,CDDR)
Any listing containing 2005 and any one of the items listed between the () will be included in the results.
If searching for doubled die coins from 2005 to present...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die)
The results will include doubled dies from 2005 through 2008.
Now if you want the above items, but only in ANACS or PCGS holders...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die) (ANACS,PCGS)
Conversely, if you want the above search excluding items in PCGS or ANACS holders, just adding the minus sign to the front of the "OR" group...
(2005,2006,2007,2008) (DDO,DDR,Doubled Die,Double Die,Dbl Die) -(ANACS,PCGS)
... will list only the doubled dies from 2005 to 2008 that do not include PCGS or ANACS in the title.
Tip 4) Using the wildcard command (keyword*) to filter for words that begin with the letters/numbers specifed. Examples:
If you want to list one cent coins from the 1790's...
Cent 179*
will pick up anything that begins with 179 and contains the word Cent. You can also use the wildcard in the "Exclude" command to eliminate listings with words that start with the specified letters...
Cent 179* -HALF -COPY -REPLICA -REPR*
The -REPR* will remove from the results items that have words beginning with REPR - like REPRO or REPRODUCTION. The -HALF gets rid of half cents in the results.
Some items, like coins with Crawford, Wexler, FS or CONECA ID numbers can be easier to find with the wildcard...
195* (WDD*,CDD*,FS*,DDO*,DDR*)
This search will pick up variety coins with file IDs from the 1950's. Note that it will also pick up "Full Step" nickels, since FS (the prefix for CPG numbers) is also a common designation for full steps.
Tip 5) Build and refine complex searches that include any combination of the commands above and then save your favorites for easy reuse later. You can create a "Favorites" folder specifically for eBay searches and then use "Add to Favorites..." to store your frequently used searches. You can also just drag the link in the Address field (the http://search.ebay.com/...) onto your desktop. Be sure to give your links descriptive names so that you can remember what they are for. Examples:
(195*,196*,197*,198*,199*) (cud,die break,brockage,broad*,off center) -ANACS -NGC -PCGS -icg -PCI -Certified
You might name this link Uncertified Error Coins from 1950 to 1999.
And one of my frequently used searches...
2005 (ddo,ddr,double* die) (OIV,Ocean,minn*,mn,or,oregon) (1,4,002,004,1,001,33,38,47,49,54,sms,satin,sf)
is described in my favorites as 2005 OIV, Oregon and Minn Satin Finish Doubled Dies
Tip 6) Once you've done your search and see active items you are interested in, don't forget to check completed listings to see what items have sold for in the past. You don't want to pay too much.
A couple of other comments:
I tend not to check the 'Search Titles and Descriptions' box -- I normally search just the titles. It most cases, searching descriptions yeilds way to many results that have nothing to do with what I am searching for. For me, the only time I search Titles and descriptions is when I'm after something very specific and a regular search yeilds no results, such as a 2006 D WDDR-003 cent. Sometimes a seller will not put the file ID in the title but will put it in the description. So occationally, searching descriptions is actually helpful.
It is possible to build a search command that is too big. I'm not sure exactly what the limit is -- but I know I've had searches that did not work as intended. When it gets too big, any words or commands beyond the size limit are simply ignored. There is no error message telling you it is too big.
The Ebay search tries to be 'smart' when it comes to the plural "s" on key words. Sometimes you will enter a search word in the singular, such as DOLLAR, or ROLL and get search results that incude DOLLARS or ROLLS and vice versa. In some cases, this is not what I want. Say I want to search for multiple roll lots of modern cents and I don't want single rolls in the results. You can fix this 'smart' behavior problem by adding an Exclude command to remove what you did not ask for. So if my search criteria is ...
200* (Cent,penny) Rolls -Roll
... the -Roll will remove the single roll listings from the results that would otherwise show up.
It is also helpful to know how the search treats special characters, like a comma (,) or dash (-), that sellers may put in their title. Near as I can tell, they are ignored or treated as a SPACE character. Effectively, this can break apart key words that you might think of as a single key word. Example: if the seller has the file ID DDR-047 in the title of a listing, as far as searches go, it is treated as two words - DDR and 047. So if you happen to be searching for a 2005 Minnesota 25c DDR-047 and you put DDR047 in your search, you will not pick up listings were the file ID was entered as DDR-047. Using the "OR" command (DDR 047,DDR047,Die 47) will pick up the common ways a seller will list this particular variety.
Some items can only be found by browsing through page after page of catigorized listings. If a seller has the title A WIERD OLD PENNY and nothing more - then you will most likely never see it in a search. And who knows - that "Wierd Old Penny" might be a $1000 error coin. But I'd still rather search for what I want and catch most of them vs. searching through piles of items that don't interest me.
Well, this got a little more detailed that I thought it would. Anyway - if you use these commands regularly, they will become second nature and you will have much more productive searches on eBay. Hopefully this will be of help to you. If you have any eBay Search related "How do I..." questions, feel free to post them. Perhaps I can help.
Thanks for the extra help. Excellent information for a computer novice like me.
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