• slazer2au@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Step 4 is a bit optimistic. Usually when I search something there are 30 products of what I specifically don’t want before finding the single listing of what I do want.

    Recent example. Needed a 8v 1A transformer
    Searched AC to AC 8v 1A
    Every listing on the first 3 pages were universal AC to DC adaptors that didn’t have an 8v setting. the dials all went 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12.

    • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      also, all the search functions are deliberately broken so they can feed you algo slop instead of letting you find the product you want.

      • Tja@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Yes, e commerce sites which want revenue, developed a search that worked and then broke it to give you less relevant results, hoping you will go to the competition.

        It is well known that companies have revenue. Line must not go up!

        • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 day ago

          they broke it so they could sell you what THEY want to sell you, and hope you just settle for whatever that is. which is fine sometimes. I just want a cheap shitty table or a folding chair, that’s a simple generic item, anything works, and they’ll fuck me over a little on cost:quality.

          sometimes you’re looking for something really specific, and you just cannot find the page to add it to your fucking cart no matter how you search, despite knowing it exists, and sometimes even a manufacturer name and model number. a lot of times I bet people just make do with something that kinda works, or those lost sales are small in comparison to the increased profits from selling you advertised slop.

          • Tja@programming.dev
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            23 hours ago

            It’s been a long time since I worked on e-commerce but what you say makes no sense. Search is hard. Humans are unreliable. Data quality is shit, especially if you allow third party participation. It’s hard enough to do it without shenanigans.

            • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              18 hours ago

              they literally do things like remove search operators. you can’t even search the names of items. you cant do a - or a “” or whatever on amazon.com. you used to be able to. there are a lot fewer on google than there used to be too; they removed them a long-ass time ago, but the shit I learned about advanced search in high school no longer exists. it’s more profitable to just give you the slop they want you to have.

              • Tja@programming.dev
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                9 hours ago

                Google is not a shop. They do want you to click on ads, you are the product after all. They cater to their customers, the advertisers.

                For Amazon, I don’t remember that ever being supported. Even if it was, code needs to be maintained and if people didn’t use it, it doesn’t make sense to keep it. They have metrics for that.

                • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  6 hours ago

                  I don’t think corporations or capitalism work how you think they do, and I have no idea how someone can still think that way this far into the 21st century.

    • aarch64@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 days ago

      You may have already figured this out, but a variac would fit the bill.