Can ebay plz suspend the NEED for a UPC on new products Until ebay can recognize them all?

[sailinship]

I am tired of not being able to list something as new, just because the UPC I have on the product isn't recognized by ebay's system. I have put a UPC into a search bar on ebay before, and it brings up listings, but when I put it into the listing creator, it comes up as not found, and then wont let me list the item until I put in a valid UPC. I'm reading the UPC right off of the object, I know the UPC, it's just the listing creator that doesn't,  so please don't make it a requirement to enter a UPC on new items, if you don't have all the UPC's available yet. 
P.S. I now know the five zeros trick, but still, why should I have to leave the real UPC out of my listing just because the system doesn't know it? How is that helpful?

Maybe I'm missing something here? 

[anjofak]

We used to list dvd,Blu-ray, games And books using the barcode scan..but then a few months smooth sailing all of a sudden they all started showing up in the missing specifics list always the barcodes and other specifics changed or missing..

We Just started using the dose not apply tab, something obviously corrupted in there.

[slippinjimmy]

Where are you entering the UPC? Is it in the Item Specifics that it's not recognized?

[sailinship]

Yes, and if it doesn't recognize it, SOMETIMES, the black line that surrounds that rectangular input space becomes red. When it's red, it wont let me list unless I put in something it recognizes. Sometimes the five zeros trick works, sometimes it does not. 

[evelyb30]

I had similar hassles with two rolls of wallpaper.  Floral.  They were brand new, sealed from factory.  I copied the bar code right off the package and then the listing wouldn't go live, and ultimately contacted eBay for Business... who didn't know what was wrong either.  I had to list without a bar code and revise listing.  It was an oddball brand but back 10 years ago that's what eBay was FOR - selling the unique bits you couldn't find elsewhere.  Not any more; now they like mass market commodity stuff.  (Oh and shoes and sports cards.) 

[brightlightbookseller]

We simply type in "N/A" for a UPC or ISBN that doesn't exist and it allows us to move on.

[pargran3]

For something being listed as new?

[monster-deals]

@sailinship wrote:

I am tired of not being able to list something as new, just because the UPC I have on the product isn't recognized by ebay's system. 

---

I have never had that problem nor heard of it.

I just tried to replicate the problem and couldn't and we do a lot of barcodes

[retro_entertainment_collectibles · Accepted solution]

There's manufacturer UPC and sometimes stores use their own internal UPC's against an internal database.

There is no defacto database of every UPC or EAN that's ever existed.  UPC/EAN is important to search engines and price competing engines around the net.  Some general search engines will completely reject product w/o a UPC and some match against database (Google to be one) and will reject any false UPC.  They build product confidence on several factors one being how many times a UPC come up matching from multiple venues.  Google and Bing both (as will others) also will block content whereby they see an originator page(s) consistently falsing UPC or EAN, its better not provide it at all in those circumstances.

Some people may for example see a significant drop in aggregate traffic as search engines external of eBay suppress a listing, listing(s) or all listings by say a specific vendor.   I built webstores for several people who I tried impress upon them be accurate, at least two did not do so and they're entire eCommerce sites were suppressed, blocked from search engine spidering regardless of the sitemap submit.

Amazon had HUGE problems with people making up UPC's for new product that was actually already product listed.  People did so because they didn't like the "Race to the bottom" pricing.

"Oh gee, look low price is $7.00 and high price is $25 with 22 vendors between... I'll just make a new one and list at $20."  Was a disaster from Amazon's database and they just started terminating any seller who did so with no possibility of appeal.  Just done.

Whilst most organic traffic within the site doesn't likely search via UPC or EAN the exact opposite is the case for external shopping databases where they qualify items based on UPC or EAN.  One of the reasons external search engines use UPC/EAN as a primary or secondary index key in databases is also related to locating counterfeit items and pressure has been placed on search engines by government to do just that.

I can also tell you in chargebacks it can also play factor, been there done that back in the day w/ my own merchant account.  Was CRAZY.  See some software titles come out in a box and then be delisted and a new release occur, jewel case budget release.  Sometimes UPC be different sometimes reused by the manufacturer.  We used to have to note in big capital red letters the UPC match against said items in our webstores or any chargeback was indefensible REGARDLESS of which one they ordered!  So they order the boxed one at whatever, $25 and the fact the jewel case one have the same UPC at $9.99 no matter what, loose the chargeback, bam $50 atop it in fee's.  Was maddening!  

[sailinship]

N/A does not work if you are trying to list something as new.

[ms.rodriguez*]

I list mainly diecast and for the last year,  virtually every new Hot Wheel has a new UPC number.  Ebay insists that it's wrong. In the past, Mattel did not have so many new UPC number.  For me, the best solution is to skip it.  I have never ever looked up an item by the UPC anyway.   It's wrong for ebay to insist on this number and then they do not accept it.

[sailinship]

Well, factors, many factors, what are you listing, how etc. It happens to me, that's a fact.

[sailinship]

I think a lot of the Listing specifics that they require are problematic. Espeically the ones that make it difficult to list lots. I think that they are trying to control what we buy and sell a little too much lately. I want to be able to search for what I want and find it. 

I think ebay is following the Amazon model, which itself follows the Wal-Mart model, of selecting two or three brands of a particular good, and pushing that. I can't stand Amazon's search engine and I very rarely buy from them, and that rarity is increasing every year. 

Whatever is going on, I'll just work around it somehow. Adapt or die.

[1786davycrockett]

@sailinship 

"N/A does not work if you are trying to list something as new."

So don't list items as "New" -- list them instead as "Like New."

And then enter "Does Not Apply" in the UPC or ISBN space.  You'll receive a message that "Does Not Apply" is not recognized as a UPC/ISBN number; but go ahead, and click on "Enter," and continue with your listing.

[sailinship]

Thank you, but that solution doesn't work for me. Some of the things I sell will be made completely invisible if not marked as New. There are many things that people will hit the "New" box for, or just pass by any that aren't new, especially if the price is the same as those that are marked New. I appreciate you chiming in, but changing the truth about an item to manipulate a defect in ebay's listing procedure is not really going to help.