Searching for an item (range confusion)
It seems that when I search for an item, say CountryX #145, the search engine recognizes the number, and the number within a range (say 140-150) but erroneously also identifies the comma as a range symbol so #130, 45 (where the seller added the value of the stamp, here a 45c valued stamps) is taken as a hit..when it is not! So the search constantly throws wrong results, and creates fake search ranges.)
One more thing, PLEASE make the search order a STICKY feature. I search sequentially for example on PRICE LOWEST FIRST, Or by COUNTRY/CAT # and I have to reset the order of the results on EVERY damn search, as it defaults back to the DEFAULT order (which could deserve a better name, as it means nothing to the searcher! Default what?)
Thanks
rrr...
One more thing, PLEASE make the search order a STICKY feature. I search sequentially for example on PRICE LOWEST FIRST, Or by COUNTRY/CAT # and I have to reset the order of the results on EVERY damn search, as it defaults back to the DEFAULT order (which could deserve a better name, as it means nothing to the searcher! Default what?)
Thanks
rrr...
Comments
Here is one more search issue of the same type...more or less, where strange things seem to happen.
saudi 901-906
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=saudi+901-906&parent_id=0
yields zero hit, but
saudi 901
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=saudi+901&parent_id=0
has 2 hits..etc...
rrr...
"Saudi Arabia 901-906"
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=Saudi+Arabia+901-906&parent_id=0
or if you enter in any keyword, and then explicitly set a Catalog Number using a number sign, such as:
"Saudi #901-906"
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=Saudi+#901-906&parent_id=0
In this specific case, it does not appear to our search engine that you're searching for a Country and Catalog Number range because "Saudi" is not a country, so we're just searching for items with "Saudi" "901" and "906" in the title (all 3 words). Almost every country in our Catalog has common abbreviations, misspellings and alternative spellings associated with them, but Saudi is not one currently set for Saudi Arabia. We periodically review our search history, to see how buyers are searching - and I don't believe this one has come up, but we can potentially review this further.
Search "portugal 463"
1 listings found. Showing results 1 to 1. SORT BY List viewGrid view
Portugal Scott # 642, 643, & 644 single unused OG NH
$0.30
Portugal Scott # 642, 643, & 644 single unused OG NH
https://www.hipstamp.com/search?keywords=portugal+463&parent_id=0
From the item listing page, if you click on the details tab you can review what information the Seller has provided for these fields. In this case, it appears the seller has made a typo, as they've entered 463 into the Catalog Number field.
And no engine will correct mistakes made by the sellers, although even typos seem to be caught some times by the Hipstamp engine. Definitely superior to ANY philatelic search capabilities elsewhere.
One thing that would improve my life tremendously: I need you somehow to make my choice of sort order for displaying the results STICKY. (This was mentioned before)
I will for example search a specific country for a large number of stamps in succession, to fill my voids. I search on country and sat number and want to list by price order...from low price to high price...(I assume most buyers want to do the same, if searching for a specific stamp). 2 extra clicks on every search, and some times more, when I forget, or my cursor hits the wrong line like it always does on my iphone!
Here, your software is totally annoying, to the point that I will give up after a while, feeling so frustrated!
Every sort result has to be resorted by click on " sort by" and click on my selection "price low to high". That is a minimum of 2 extra clicks,.
Minor but in the same vein. When the results yield a large number of hits, I would like to display all of them possibly without resetting the default sort 48 items set up. again the number of items displayed is not STICKY. That is another (but less frustrating to me, because it is less common situation) deficiency for the buyer trying to search large numbers of common identical stamps (say in the search for a specific cancellation on a very ordinary stamp example US 1258 used yields 987 listings that you display 48 or 96 (need to be reset for each successive search)
Now here is another feature that would greatly simplify what I as a buyer am trying to do...I can sort on a single stamp or a range, which will include the stamp. There is no way to direct the sort to ONLY search for the specific stamp, or ONLY to search on the full range (say c15-C20...because I only want to buy the complete set, or just C15 because I only want that stamp!) depending on what my purchasing need is. I wonder if the search engine could be enhanced at some future point to be directed to provide for these specific searches...for example by typing some code (I will use @ for example) in front like @c15-c20 which would eliminate anything except the full range listing or @C15 which would not list anything except the single stamp?
Again not complaining, but your attention to eventually providing continuous improvements are one reason I like Hipstamp so much. And I know you have set your priorities right now to streamline seller's functions. But it would be nice.....
rrr...
-- Dave
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/the-philatarium/?sort=catalog