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ebay distances
JoelP - 4/1/10 at 09:40 PM

anyone else noticed that ebay's distances are all well out? Bid on something that said it was 130 miles away, got the postcode and its 161 miles! Noticed one tonight that reckons workington in cumbria is 100 miles from leeds, but aa route finder says 135. Ebay definately has my address right as things arrive just fine!

Do you think they underestimate distances to encourage bids?

flak monkey - 4/1/10 at 09:41 PM

Its probably done on a radius thing rather than an actual road distance.

JoelP - 4/1/10 at 09:43 PM

suppose that would save a lot of computing power, but how convinient for them that it makes things look easier to collect!

Steve Hignett - 4/1/10 at 09:43 PM

It's done on Town radius too, so I know if it says 10 miles, it could be any town up to 25 miles away!

flak monkey - 4/1/10 at 09:46 PM

It could probably be made more accurate with some simple statistics, but that requires research etc

bj928 - 4/1/10 at 10:03 PM

think you'll find its done as the crow flys, i live down in kent and i have to watch its not in essex just a few miles across the water. southend is listed as about 20 miles away, but its more like 80 miles+ by road.

Danozeman - 4/1/10 at 10:04 PM

Autotrader site is way off aswell. Even more so than ebay i think.

scootz - 4/1/10 at 10:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bj928
think you'll find its done as the crow flys, i live down in kent and i have to watch its not in essex just a few miles across the water. southend is listed as about 20 miles away, but its more like 80 miles+ by road.


Same here... East Lothian to St Andrews is not far across the water, but it's a fair trek by road!

Peteff - 4/1/10 at 11:56 PM

I bid on an ebay item before Christmas which according to the description was 40 miles and it was actually 67 miles via shortest sat nav route although I did actually check it before so it was not so bad fetching it. I look on it as a road trip if picking stuff up, day out and a ride round can't be bad.

Danozeman - 5/1/10 at 07:37 AM

quote:

I look on it as a road trip if picking stuff up, day out and a ride round can't be bad.


Same here. I like a little trip no and again. Normally take a mate with me and have a laugh. or take the missus for a night away then tell her wev just got to slip and pick something up on the way home. Good for brown points.

Daddylonglegs - 5/1/10 at 08:43 AM

Totally agree! Maybe we ought to all send in complaining emails to vent our displeasure?

S'pose nothing will happen but at least it gets it off the chest

JoelP - 5/1/10 at 09:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Danozeman
Good for brown points.


nick205 - 5/1/10 at 09:41 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Danozeman
Autotrader site is way off aswell. Even more so than ebay i think.



Certainly agree on this - looking over Xmas and some of them were 30+ miles out on actual road distance.