eBay is beta testing a Search by Image feature on its desktop website, allowing users to upload a photo, drag and drop an image, or paste a link to find matching listings, nearly a decade after the feature first launched on its mobile app in 2017. Early testing showed the tool correctly identified subjects in some cases but struggled with product category accuracy, suggesting a console cover instead of a mouse pad and returning mismatched mug styles despite correctly recognizing a Starbucks logo. The desktop rollout comes despite eBay’s image search having a troubled history, including a 2021 removal due to technical issues and ongoing user complaints about irrelevant results even after it was restored in 2022.
