Thursday, November 20, 2008

EBay's Related Items


So I buy a book off eBay (BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1951) and, after I pay for it, I get a little advertisement on the Paypal checkout page: "Related categories to fiction books," with 3 examples of other things I might like to buy.

Now we all know that there are some highly paid computer genuises out there who have created logarithms and so forth and so on, such that a buyer is shown several items that are suggested from the keywords generated by the purchase, steering the consumer to new items to purchase.

The 3 items that are related to BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1951 are:
  • a Salvaltore Ferragamo handbag for $249.00

  • a Celtic Triquetra tote with a "Charmed Wiccan Pagan Vampire" for $9.95

  • and a "Goth Gothic Vampire Lace Frills Shirt Lolita Sexy Top' for $19.99

Am I being pranked? Or are my the cookies in my browser all stale now or what?

If I buy these accessories, I'll be the best dressed guy in the ticket line for tomorrow's TWILIGHT premiere, you betcha!

3 comments:

Tom McMahon said...

I ran into this sort of oddness on the Taylor Gifts site: People Who Bought The Naughty Knot Also Bought The Animal Nuisance Repeller

Hans Flagon said...

Mike has your wife or other SO of opposite sex been using your web browser for shopping?

That being said, Goth chicks usually go for Neil Gaiman Graphic Novels more than collections of political cartoons.

Mike Lynch said...

Tom, that's so weird.

Hans, are you saying that my wife is a closet goth chick? I'll have to search her undies drawer for hidden SANDMAN collections ....