MegaAntiques Search!
Instructions and Tips
How to make the MegaAntiques search engine work for you.
1) The MegaAntiques search engine searches all the dealer booths which reside at MegaAntiques. There are a few dealers whose inventories reside elsewhere: those dealers are identified with an asterisk (*) in the Mall directories.
2) Every dealer uses different abbreviations for their merchandise. With books, for example, book club edition, book club ed, or bce, etc. Be sure to try several abbreviations to make sure you find everything.
How to use the MegaAntiques search engine.
AREA TO SEARCH:
There are currently four separate sections of the site you can search, just pick the one you want. See the GREAT time saving tip at the bottom of this screen for the fastest way to search all of MegaAntiques.
SEARCH FOR:
Enter one or more words, separated by spaces. (For example, Hummel or Department 56 or Steiff Teddy Bear.) This option is very powerful when used with the AND/OR option. The more words you enter in the SEARCH FOR field when AND is selected, the fewer matches you'll get. The more words you enter when OR is selected, the more matches you'll get. A few experiments with the company and pattern you collect will show you the most effective selection of words to use.
AND/OR:
If you only enter one word in the SEARCH FOR field, you can ignore this field. If you enter more than one word, choosing AND means the search engine must find ALL of the words in a dealer's inventory to say a match has been found. Choosing OR means the search engine will count it as a match if it finds ANY of the words you entered. Choosing PHRASE means the search engine will only count it as a match if it finds all the words you entered in the order you entered them.
MAXIMUM MATCHES:
You can select how many matches you would like to see (if that many exist). The more hits you specify, the longer the search will take.
CASE:
Insensitive means it doesn't matter if the letters are upper or lower case to be considered a match. Sensitive means it must match the upper and lower case letter exactly. (Since all of our dealer enter their inventory differently, it is STRONGLY recommended you leave the insensitive choice selected.)
SEARCH TYPE:
Quick Search means if the search engine finds SEARCH FOR word (or words) once on a page of merchandise, it considers a match to have been found and continues searching. Comprehensive Search means the search engine actually counts how many times it finds a match on a particular page of merchandise before moving on. The Comprehensive option can take much longer.
Great Time Saving Tip!
If you want to search all of MegaAntiques for a particular item, here's the fastest way. Select the first mall, complete the other search criteria and click on the "Begin Search!" button. This, of course, generates the Search Results Page for you from the first mall. Once you are done with the first Search Results Page, click the "Back" button on your browser until you return to the MegaAntiques Search! page. The original search criteria you entered will still be displayed. Then, all you have to do is select the next mall, and click "Begin Search!" again. Just repeat the steps for all the malls, and you can be sure to have searched all of MegaAntiques in the most efficient way possible.
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MegaAntiques Search Engine