John Donohoe confirmed this week, as part of eBay reporting its Q4 results, that the new search system Cassini is now live across the world on all eBay marketplaces. It’s been live in the UK (we think) for some months although it’s clear that there’s been tweaking and optimisation over that time.
It’s been a long time coming and has been much heralded, and eBay have been very cagey about what has been going on so it’s good to have an unequivocal answer that it’s now out there, everywhere.
But what does it mean? The previous search architecture that was used (voyager) was a fairly primitive and old search solution. Cassini is supposed to provide better, more targetted results to buyers using the site. Plenty of sellers are unconvinced about that. You’ll notice that eBay like calling their search systems after NASA satellites.
There’s a lot of speculation out there on how it works and these articles will likely be of interest:
Auctionbytes: From the trenches: an eBay seller’s guide to Cassini search
Make eBay’s Cassini search work for you
Terapeak How-To: Crucial Factors in eBay Search for the New Cassini Platform
I’d say that there are two action points for eBay sellers. Firstly, try it out and see how you find it and discover something about how it works and what items it shows you. And secondly, how are your items faring? As we say, we don’t know exactly how it works, so it’s best to make sure you’re items are showing and getting top billing. If not, it’s time to start remedying that as best you can.
45 Responses
If this is already live then it isn’t very good. It seems to have just exacerbated the problems with the previous search engine.
I checked a couple of listings over the last few days on quite specific search terms and here what I found for identical items.
I offer Ebay Premium Service, Fast and Free, 1 day shipping, 100% feedback, best prices on many items, and identical or fuller title than the comparative product.
I am beaten out in Best Match results by sellers who do not offer any of these or only some of them. I don’t have a problem if a seller is as good as me. That is competition. But to be beaten out by a seller with much higher price, worse service record, no Fast and free, no Premium Service, slower shipment and delivery is frankly very poor. I do everything ebay advise to achieve good search results, and the least they could then do is deliver on that investment I make. There is no point in making that investment in time if a higher priced seller with 98.6% feedback, no fast and free, no premium service, slower shipment can outrank me in Best Match
Has it ever occurred to anyone that if ebay promote a higher priced product as Best Match, they actually make more money? We know that many buyers don’t look below the so called Best Match item. Yet surely what Best Match means to most buyers is the best option for them, but ebay doesn’t actually provide this time after time.
I guess cassini is coverting lookers to buyers then, at a percentage ebay are happy with.
I think if cassini likes you, your getting a hell of alot of sales and if it doe not and you relied heavily on ebay for income then maybe its time to cut stock levels, overheads and look for a part-time job.
Ive been on ebay 11 yearsand thats exactly what ill be doing in a few months
AT last, now I can finally close my business safe in the knowledge that it cannot be saved as all hope has gone of a return to good times on ebay.
After 7 years full time, employing 4 members of staff and by ebays own figures selling over £1.3 million in goods via one ebay channel alone (we have 5 platforms) the time has come to cut our losses and get the hell out of dodge city.
Ebay, your system does not work. Your customer service are ignorant, lie and do all they can to avoid their duties if it takes an hour to avoid and frustrate when to fix an issue should take 5 minutes.
Ebay do not know how to boost your sales. They are subject to Googles algorithms the same as any other website now.
Any ‘proper’ ebay businesses must grasp this or face ruin. Ebay do not have their own market anymore, they just make sure they tie you up to work on their listings rather than your own website which can achieve equal standing with google ad investment.
Ebay just make up new rules and trust their best sellers (like us) to do their system testing for them to find out if something works or not.
Well ebay after 2 years of empty promises of ‘boosts’ ‘international markets’ and multiple status names of powerseller, TRS, premium rated etc with ever reducing rewards for each change that requires massive upheaval, your times up.
Your misleading has lost me money, placed my home at risk, lost hard working employees their living and furthermore your staff aggravate your sellers to the point of near mental and physical illness through a wilful intent to avoid dealing with reported issues.
Congratulations. By stating Cassini is your sellers ticket to wealth and glory, you just confirmed that you are a dead duck marketplace with only an ever shrinking pool of buyers and ever increasing burden on sellers for ever reducing returns.
Like Davelovesbay says, time to focus on amazon and small websites and pick up titbits from ebay as a sideline and get a part time job.
The boom time is over on ebay, the wild west has been tamed and google rule the roost.
You either stand in front of the incoming waves shouting at them, and drown, or you walk away with your life and shirt on your back and let the waves reclaim your once vibrant business to the tax dodging, cash in hand mob and chinese/usa import duty evading flood that is underway in the UK.
RIP ebay, I give you 2 years once Paypal income is split from ebay and therefore from falsely propping up your balance sheets before you are sold off to a venture capitalist group as another dot.com has-been.
What a load of tosh. eBay comes up higher on Google than almost any other site. If your stuff isn’t selling, you’re either doing it wrong OR NO ONE WANTS YOUR STUFF!
I think we have here parties for whom cassini works and those for whom it doesn’t.
Ive been on ebay for eleven years and wotnobadge 7 years and all of a sudden we are in trouble and need to make serious changes or even close our ebay businesses, Because all of a sudden people don’t like what we sell. Even we need to find part or full time work, to sustain our ebay selling to clear stock.
We got it so wrong and our stock desirability changed so much in only 3 months.
(We have one day despatch, and are TRS BTW)
Yeah we are to blame, our stocks wrong and methods are bad. How dare we have 100% feedback and TRS and now change our stocks massively after 11 years within the last 3 months.
Cassini, Best Match etc are also discussed by various experts on my blog post here: https://www.webretailer.com/lean-commerce/ebay-business-sellers-need-know-now/#cassini
I’ll add an update now this has been confirmed!
Nice to hear it’s been live for a while in the UK, as traffic is up.
Sales have been fantastic, post and pre Xmas and with the recent fee cap eBay is now more profitable than ever.
2014 is looking really good.
“3) Sales. The $10 item we just discussed that sells more if it’s priced at $15 with free shipping will sell even more if it’s priced at $20 with 25% off. The sum of this, by the way, is still $15. This is basic marketing. Just remember, Cassini likes sales, which is the reason why you should like them too.”
Dam.
Slight downside is that buyer receives a $10 item when they were expecting a $20 item.
get real Cassini is there to make ebay money not any particular seller , were owed nowt were all just hitching a ride as it orbits past
Thanks for a very informative article and some good links. Very useful.
I frequently get caught in all the ebay initiatives trying to do too much in too many different ways. Rationalisation of energy is so important. There are some great tips to maximise sales but they seem to involve ditching GTC listings and tinkering with item titles to make ads a little different each time.
Sales collapsed on ebay – only £90 sold on a Sunday! Amazon running as normal….