In an effort to help people buy and sell more used items, eBay is rolling out to new visual search tools. These tools, called Image Search and Find It on eBay, will make it even easier to find the exact item you want to buy. Unfortunately, they won't help fund your online shopping sprees.

No one talks about eBay any more, but millions of people still use it to buy and sell things. There are so many items available on eBay -- 1.1 billion at last count -- that it's sometimes hard to find exactly what you want. Which is where eBay's new tools could prove invaluable.

Who Needs Keywords Anyway?!

According to TechCrunch, eBay has launched two new visual search tools to help users find items for sale. Both of these tools use images instead of words, so you're no longer required to choose the right combination of keywords to find specific items. Instead, eBay will search for visual clues.

Image Search lets eBay users use their own images to search the site. You can either find an image already in your camera roll, or take a fresh photo, and eBay will return listings for items that are a visual match. This could prove useful for finding cheaper versions of expensive items.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU43233/https://vimeo.com/226972601

Find It on eBay lets users start a search using any image they find online. So, if, for example, you see a celebrity wearing a pair of desirable shoes, you can share that image on eBay, and the app will return listings for similar-looking items. You probably don't need any more shoes, but still.

Both of these visual search tools are mobile-only for now, with Image Search available both on Android and on iOS, and Find It on eBay only available on Android for the time being. Desktop users are stuck using tired old words until eBay decides to push these out to more platforms.

Image Search Is the New Black

It should be noted that eBay isn't the first website to offer visual search tools. Google and Bing both offer invaluable image search engines, and in February of this year Pinterest launched a trio of visual discovery tools. Still, eBay's own efforts could prove invaluable for online shoppers.

Do you regularly buy things on eBay? Or do you prefer selling things on eBay instead? What do you think of eBy's new visual search tools? And can you see yourself using them? Do these search tools make you more likely to shop on eBay? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: OnInnovation via Flickr