# Ebay semi-not working for me on my home PC? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464 "2013-07-14T06:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/1 "2013-07-14T06:51:08Z")
What could cause this? I can see individual auctions, but I can’t search at all, and now there’s an item I want to buy but it also says “webpage not available” when I click buy it now. My roommate doesn’t have this problem, any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/2 "2013-07-14T12:57:53Z")
You’re not logged in but you roommate is? ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/3 "2013-07-14T17:56:37Z")
I meant my roommate doesn’t have this problem on his PC. Logged in or not the search box gives me “This webpage is not available” error. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/4 "2013-07-28T06:11:53Z")
Okay so it’s not something wrong with my desktop, my netbook which I forgot I owned also cannot search ebay. Seriously this board of nerds and no one has a single suggestion for what is causing me to time out when searching on ebay? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/5 "2013-07-28T07:02:40Z")
I totally know the answer but nerds don’t talk to cool kids. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/6 "2013-07-28T08:23:22Z")
I fix arcade games as a hobby, I was kidding around, chum, we’re all nerds here. Help me out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/7 "2013-07-28T15:31:49Z")
I’d guess DNS issues, but that doesn’t explain why your roommate, presumably using the same DNS servers, isn’t having the same issues. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/8 "2013-07-28T15:40:22Z")
One question. Can you login to eBay on your roommate’s PC and successfully search? If so, is there any difference in the network settings between the two systems? Also, what are the operating systems and browser versions for both systems? ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/9 "2013-07-28T15:44:08Z")
Could be browser related. Had a similar problem using ebay, switched browsers from IE to Google Chrome, end of problem. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/10 "2013-07-28T18:04:57Z")
update java ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/11 "2013-07-28T18:47:37Z")
First things first: have you tried clearing the cache and other stored information? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/12 "2013-07-29T19:51:48Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > update java You sure he knows enough to know you are kidding? Because, yes, he’s kidding, OP. The newer versions of Java now automatically disable being able to work online. That’s how dead Java is. > [@scr4](#): > > First things first: have you tried clearing the cache and other stored information? That’s a possible problem, but odd to be happening on two different computers. Happening on two computers is quite odd. You didn’t do something like delete your SSL certificates, did you? I recently found out that some dumb websites recommend doing this “for increased security”–and I guess it works, in that it breaks a bunch of sites that ask for your personal information… You didn’t turn JavaScript off, did you? That’s another option that can kill your browser. (And is why Firefox 24 will no longer include these options where you can see them.) I guess you could also have the same malware on both computers, and it’s failing, because it’s trying to redirect you to a phishing site that has been shut down. In other words, if it did work, the website would be stealing your info. Check your proxy settings, and make sure they aren’t set–that’s the most common way of pulling that off. That’s the best I can do without more information. Fixing computers is one of those things that is so much harder when you don’t have direct access. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/13 "2013-07-29T20:34:52Z")
I’m pretty sure it isn’t the computer and must be something in the router settings or something because I have barely turned on my netbook for the past 4 months, and I turned it on for the first time in over a month yesterday to see if I could use ebay on it, same problem. > [@squeegee](#): > > I’d guess DNS issues, but that doesn’t explain why your roommate, presumably using the same DNS servers, isn’t having the same issues. It seems like a DNS issue to me since I can’t even ping ebay, but my roommate can use ebay fine. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > One question. Can you login to eBay on your roommate’s PC and successfully search? If so, is there any difference in the network settings between the two systems? Also, what are the operating systems and browser versions for both systems? My desktop PC-Windows 7 Netbook-Windows 7 standard Browser doesn’t make a difference, I just DLed Opera to test out and no difference. I’m assuming I just need to tell my roommate what to check and he can fix it, but I am not network savvy enough to know what to say. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/14 "2013-07-29T21:15:51Z")
Is the working computer using the same anti-virus as you? If he logs on to your netbook with his ebay account, do searches work correctly? What about if you take the netbook to another wifi network? ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/15 "2013-07-29T21:57:34Z")
Sorry I didn’t clarify, the netbook is on wifi but the desktop is wired into the router. When I disable Avira I still cannot use ebay, so I don’t think it’s anti virus. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-semi-not-working-for-me-on-my-home-pc/663464/16 "2013-07-29T22:57:03Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > It seems like a DNS issue to me since I can’t even ping ebay, but my roommate can use ebay fine. If you ping ebay from the roommate’s computer, you’ll get an IP address. Can you ping that IP address from your machine, even though you can’t ping [ebay.com](http://ebay.com)? (It looks like 66.135.205.13 to me..) ETA: although I’m not sure how it could be a DNS issue since you say you can see some pages. Unless it’s; redirecting you to something like [ww3.ebay.com](http://ww3.ebay.com), and that isn’t resolving. ETA2: Any chance http is working, but https isn’t? Or vice versa? Maybe it’s a security setting.