With literally MILLIONS of items for sale the task of finding the exact item you want on eBay can seem overwhelming. However, with the right techniques, and a bit of know-how the search process on eBay can be both exciting & rewarding.

The purpose of this article is to help you better understand the basics of how the eBay search engine works and offer you some tips on how to use that engine to find exactly what you are looking for quickly & easily. You might even find yourself having fun!

Almost every page of eBay includes a basic search box. Simply enter your search terms and click "search" or hit Enter on your keyboard. This will perform a search of auction titles from all 80,000+ categories.

Some tips on basic searching

1. Search terms must be entered following a simple format; a single word or multiple words with one space in between. Additional spaces before, between or after search words will result in poor search results.

2. The eBay search engine considers the singular and plural forms two different words. For example, searching for bracelet will display auction titles containing the word bracelet, not bracelets.

3. Recognize accepted seller shorthand. Item titles are limited in characters to sellers have developed shorthand versions of commonly used phrases. For example, NIB means "New In Box." NR means "No Reserve."

There may also be category specific shorthand. For example, CBK means "Cabbage Patch Kids," SS means "Sterling Silver."

When browsing your category of interest, make note of these terms & include them in your search.

4. Generally speaking, using a basic search will yield results from auction or BIN (Buy It Now) listings only, not store items.

5. Experiment with synonyms. Try searching for cell phone, cellular phone and mobile phone. You will end up with totally different results.

6. Consider alternative spellings and/or names when performing your search. For example, try both television and TV or phone and telephone.