Successful searching (bargain gold mining) is really more than just entering a keyword or two. To assure you find exactly what you want, you must fine-tune your searches.  Lucky for us, there are a variety of ways to search on eBay.  Here is a concise cheat sheet of ways to find exactly what you want.

1.  Be specific.  When searching, many use a single search word -- the result?  Too many ads and too few are truly relevant.  So, fine-tune your results with more than one keyword to describe what you're looking for.  For example, do a search on "blazer," you'll be overwhelmed by jackets, cars and trail marking supplies.  Be more specific with "Ralph Lauren Wool Blazer Jacket" and your results will turn up as many Ralph Lauren Wool Blazers as there are.  Beware of being too specific because you may pass over important results and might not find the item you are looking for.  An example here is searching for "Ralph Lauren Wool Double Breasted Navy Blazer with Brass Buttons."  This is so specific it may not turn up anything, or will probably miss what you are looking for if the button type is not mentioned in the ad. 

 2.  Search for an Exact Phrase.  When entering two or more keywords in your search, eBay automatically assumes that you want to search for items that match all the words you provided (and not necessarily in order).  It is the equivalent of having "and" in the phrase.  So, if you enter Gerald Ford, eBay will search for items that include both the words "Gerald" and "Ford."  Rather than finding Presidential memorabilia, you are likely to find guys named Gerald selling stuff with their name on it and Ford cars in eBay Motors.  If you want Presidential memorabilia related to Gerald Ford, put quotation marks around the words "Gerald Ford" in your search (an exact phrase search).

3.  Narrow your search in steps.   Perform a general search, (Books) and then use the options along the left side of the search page to narrow the results list.  You search for books and the options break down on the left of the page to; fiction, non-fiction, etc.  Keep clicking on the appropriate category.  You will eventually be on a page related to your main search. You may then fine tune the results to find exactly what you want.  Ebay will show you items available with PayPal, Buy It Now, gift items, completed auctions (for research), those priced within a specified range, items that are part of a lot (collection of items), items that begin or end auctioning today (or within the next five hours),  or that offer fast shipping. Select the option(s) that appeal, then click the Search button again. This generates a new, more targeted list of matching results.

4.  I want to find all results except......  If you want to look at everything in a category except those connected to a specific word, you can use a minus sign in front of that word.  This gets you all results with that word excluded from your search.  For example, to search for all crystal goblets except Waterford, your search would be "crystal goblets -Waterford."

5.  Creating Complex Searches.  Even though eBay searches do not use Boolean Logic, they do have operators that work in a similar manner.  The following are some of them:  The "OR" function lets you search for auctions that include one keyword or another (as opposed to both words together).  To perform an OR search, enclose both the words within parentheses, separated by a comma, with no space after the comma. An example is (blazer,jacket).  The magic continues with as many keywords as you want to string together using the same process (blazer,jacket,coat,outerwear).

6.  Expressing numbers.  When your search involves numbers there is no way to know how the seller has listed the title.  The DVD can be listed as "Ten Things I Hate About You" or "10 Things I Hate About You."  If your title involves numbers, always search for both the numeral and the word -just in case.

7.  The words AND, OR, or NOT in eBay Searches are Useless.  EBay doesn't permit the use of Boolean operators (And, Or or Not ). If you enter them, eBay will treat them as keywords and search for them, bringing you tons of results you don't want!  Only use these words if they're actually part of an exact title in your search.  An example is "Pride and Prejudice."  Conversely, if you want DVDs of Abbot and Costello, just use "Abbot Costello."

8.  Wild Cards are for more than Poker!  Like most search engines, eBay lets you use the wild card character (*) to indicate one or more unknown letters at the end of keyword. Wildcards are super when your spelling isn't...That is, the wildcard character (*) replaces the letters you are unsure of in your search.  Is it Limoges or Limages?  enter Lim* -- results include both spellings, then you can refine your search with the correct spelling.  Wildcards are perfect for locating all variations on a keyword.  For instance, if you are interested in all things Diana, Princess of Wales (even the misspelled ones); just add the wildcard.  Diana* will find all Diana items, then fine tune from there.  This is a great way to locate items produced within a particular timeframe too.  Just drop the last digit of the year date and insert the wildcard instead. An example is "196*" which will return all items listed with 1960 to 1969 in the ad.

9.  Singular Form Always - Not the Plural.  Ebay automatically searches for the plural form of any singular form of a keyword that you enter.  So, to search for both singular and plural, just enter the singular form.   If you search for the plural version i.e. "Teddy Bears," your results won't include any auctions for a single teddy bear only those with multiple teddy bears for sale. Search for "Teddy Bear" and you'll get both single and multiple Teddy bear listings.

Hope this helps you find everything you want on eBay.  If you have time, stop by my eBay store "The Write Place" where you name the price you pay!!  Also please visit my Auctions "Pepper120851" for great bargains, shipped fast with uncommon customer care!  Thanks for stopping by....