Hello everyone! You really need to be aware of this: both buyers and sellers. The ramifications are endless. Feel free to respond or ask me for more clarification. I will do my best to engage and respond.
We all know when performing a "search" for an item that "Item: newly listed" is an important tool for buyers and sellers. As a buyer, this function is key for me in identifying an item I may be interested in buying. When I see an auction of interest I flag it to my "watching page" and place a bid accordingly. As a seller, it is comforting to know that potential buyers will see this auction at a much higher rate. I have been doing this same dance for years and find this effective. Now it is NO LONGER RELIABLE!
2 weeks ago I found a new flaw that is disturbing to me as a seller and FRUSTRATING for me as a buyer. I reported the problem yesterday (June9) to an eBay supervisor who agrees it's a new flaw and will forward the issue higher BUT until it is resolved I thought to share this with all of you.
If you list an item for sale and it runs it's full course and do not sell, your auction goes to the "Unsold" section. In the unsold section, you have the option to "Relist item." It's a no brainer right? Your next course of action is to relist the item.
Problem: Your relisted auction once re-posted appears as a "new listing" alright BUT in the chronological order to when you originally posted the auction.
Example: You initiated a new auction back in January. Today you decide to relist that item. Today is June 10. You expect that auction to show at the top or close proximity of the "Time: newly listed item" page. Guess what? It does show as a "new listing" but you will have to scroll all the way down till you reach JANUARY.
The effect isn't terrible if the item you are selling generally produce a page or two of searches. But what if your item generates hundreds if not thousands of results. As a buyer, my patience may allow me to search as many as 5 pages for something of interest, after which I will tire and move on to a new search. As a seller, I want buyers to see my auctions immediately, in hopes of a sale. If your item appears on page 20 and NOT NOTICED then the potential for a sale has been drastically affected.
To anyone and everyone reading this, please file a complaint report or suggestion to eBay to fix the "Relist Item" option. Until then, I suggest to all of you NOT to use this option. Instead post your auctions as new!
