Unfortunately not all web stores or auction sites offer a proper filtering section, and some of them don't even have a search widget available. One of the auction sites that I like and that I've been using for a while - MadBid, could really use one, and I hope they will add one soon. The site that offer a search section though, can save you a lot of time when browsing for the items that interest you. But have you ever wondered how the search mechanism works? 

 

It's rather simple. Behind any search box in a website, there's a database comprising all the products listed on the website. Each item has records grouped in categories, regarding its name, description, manufacturer, photos, reviews etc. Once you submit a search, the database will quickly look through all the files related to the keywords submitted, and present you with a report. 

 

Now, the search mechanism may vary from a site to another. Some websites have a simpler one. For example, a flat-file database works similar to an address book. There's only one file for each product, with not many records. On the othe hand, ampler sites employ relational databases, with different tables related to different information. A database like this will have a table for manufacturer addresses, one for product information, one for photos etc. When a keyword is submitted for a search, info from each table is put together and presented to the visitor as a single page, or just a part of a page. 

 

So, how can you filter your search to save time when looking for an item you're interested in? 

 

First of all, you should use a unique keyword. And a "unique keyword" may be composed of one or 2-3 words. In general, with only one word typed in, you can only get a broad search and you will end up with multiple results. For example, if you type in "shoes", the database will present you with all the shoes in the webstore, or all the shoes categories. On the other hand, if you add another word to it, you can make it way more specific and your search will considerably narrow down, for example "Gucci shoes". This way, you will see only a few results, evidently for Gucci shoes. 

 

Now, a type of search similar to this should work on most sites. However, major sites allow you to use advanced searches such as: "Find me dark brown leather shoes that go well with any casual outfit". 

 

Everyone thinks "eBay" nowadays when it comes to online auctions. And they have pretty good reasons to do that. eBay has built a lot of online reputation and popularity online ever since its launch. However, there are many other online auction sites where you can find good prices, and one of them is MadBid.

 

Although bidding on MadBid is available only for a few countries so far, such as United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, it's quickly gaining terrain and online ranking. So, here are a couple of reasons to check out some of the stuff here, when looking for a bargain online. 

 

1. Clean and friendly interface. MadBid is relatively new compared to eBay. Even if eBay has changed its interface more or less over the years, it still seems a little bit aged. On MadBid interface is more user-friendly. The bidding is more fun, and it's done in a slightly different way than on eBay. 

 

2. Only new items. That is correct, MadBid offers for auction only new items, coming from overstock surpluses, wholesale stocks, warehouse closedowns or directly from manufacturer stocks. All items are manufacturer sealed and packaged, brand-new, with use potential of 100%, and complete warranty. 

 

3. Mystery boxes also contain new items. Have you ever bid on a mystery box on eBay? Each one of them has "a catch" to it. Sellers cleverly make their description. Their boxes normally offer your money's worth, but many times what you buy has low re-use potential, and mostly nothing is new. On MadBid, mystery boxes always come with new items, particularly electronics of the latest generation. In other words, less of a mystery, but less of a gamble too. 

 

4. Very fast shipping. Considering that MadBid functions only within the mentioned countries, they can employ fast shipment. Each auction-won item is shipped to the new owner in 48 hours or less.

 

5. Returns are free of charge. Just in case you don't like what you've bought, returning the item is free of any charge and you get your money back.