Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Prospector?
Prospector is software for locating, managing and bidding for items on eBay. It has a superior search interface along with tools for tracking and bidding.

Auctions by their nature are short in duration, and search repeatability is desirable for collectors and bargain hunters. With Prospector, you can save all your searches and replay them with a single click.

Q: How does Prospector improve on the current search interface?
eBay's interface is flat in that one search yields one set of results. A flat interface works well where items are predictably indexed, but is less suitable for auctions where there is great variability in sellers' item descriptions. Flat searches also do not work well if you are looking for a range of things that span multiple searches (e.g. a shopping list of items, or a list of alternatives). Prospector has a Search Tree that lets you organize your searches and control how you want to see the results.

Q: Does Prospector modify or replace eBay's listings?
No, all item links click through to eBay.

Q: Does anyone else have access to my searches, watch list and other settings?
No, all your searches, watch lists and settings are completely private and stored only on your machine.

Q: Do searches go through any of your servers?
No, when you run Prospector, all searches and network communications are entirely between your machine and eBay.

Q: What can I do to improve speed and performance?
If you're doing a lot of searching, 1Gb or more is recommended.

Q: What is there by way of intellectual property protection?
There are patents pending for the novel aspects of Prospector.