eBay

jpgranton · ‎05-31-2018

Almost daily, I review my bookmarked searches for new items as well as sold searches for things I may have missed. Sometimes there are more items included in a listing than are noted in the title or shown in the first photo and sometimes details of missing items or damage are given that help explain why an item sold for as little or as much as it did.

Tonight in going through my searches, I find I cannot view individual completed listings. When I try, I get a new page that says, "The listing you’re looking for is no longer available. Check out this similar item we found for you," and it shows me something different. Of course the "simiar" item is never even close to what I wanted to see.

This has not happened prior to today, so I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing this. Has there been some permanent change? Does ebay now feel threatened by sellers' ability to look at a sold item (which would seem the most plausible, knowing how paranoid they are)? Thanks for any responses or insights.

ednkarens · ‎05-31-2018

I just looked at one of my Completed items that went unsold and I received the same message you received. As a Buyer I can see being steered to another same type item being helpful. HOWEVER, as a Seller, this new feature does not help me at all!

As a Seller, what if the item I was selling was priced at $19.99 and didn't sell. Maybe I would like the chance to re-list it at $16.99. If a Buyer looked at my Closed item, and then found the same item for a lower price, this doesn't help me compete.

ALSO, before I list an item, especially a collectible, being able to view someone elses Sold item helps me with how to describe my item and also how to stage my photos for success.

I hope this feature is just an ebay test and not permanent.

jpgranton · ‎05-31-2018

Right...completely understandable view.

As an example of what I was talking about myself, perhaps I see a sold listing for "Set of Plates in Eventide pattern" and the set sold for $12.00. The main photo shows a single plate. The price seems very low, so I have to wonder:

How many plates were in the set?

What size were the plates? Were they all the same size? If not how many of each size?
What was the condition? Were a few OK with the rest exibiting varying degrees of damage, or were all in excellent condition?

If I can't see the completed SOLD listing that (hopefully) contains that type of information via description and/or photos, then I can't determine whether it was an average price for what was listed, a steal of a deal, or a discounted price in line with noted damage. If I had some of the same pieces to sell, knowing this would be helpful in determining a realistic starting price (if I didn't already know what that should be).

Now, an update: I looked at a bunch of other sold items and some return a "similar" listing as I've already described (and I can't see what I wanted to see), and others show me the completed listing I want to see exactly as has been the norm up until today. Ugh!

lintbrush* · ‎06-01-2018

@jpgranton

I saw that very late last night and then figured it out.

The word "listing" in the The listing you’re looking for is no longer available. Check out this similar item we found for you is clickable and will take you to the actual sold item

It's absolutely ridiculous. If I'm looking at a Sold item, I want to see a Sold item.

d.clawed · ‎06-01-2018

AAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!! Screaming right now.

labs118 · ‎06-01-2018

@lintbrush* wrote:
@jpgranton

I saw that very late last night and then figured it out.

The word "listing" in the The listing you’re looking for is no longer available. Check out this similar item we found for you is clickable and will take you to the actual sold item

It's absolutely ridiculous. If I'm looking at a Sold item, I want to see a Sold item.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Last night I was having the same issue and it took awhile but finally I figured out that word listing was clickable !! Why ? who knows why they do what they do

clu3 · ‎06-01-2018

I'm having this problem also. So aggravating. Immediately went to Twitter askebay. They generally respond quickly on there.

On some of the pages I'm directed to I can ignore what delight Ebay has decided to show me and click the blue LISTING link for what I'm really looking for - the sold item details. However, a lot of books aren't even showing that link, it's just gone. So if I'm looking for a 1st Edition, 1st print, signed book that sold, Ebay will show me a $10 reading copy that's available for sale, clearly relying soly on the title. (Sort of like what they do with the emails on saved searches).

Dear Ebay: I'm NOT necessarily looking for the the absolute lowest price on something - WHY DO YOU KEEP PUSHING THEM ON ME?! arrghhh! Every item does not fit in your tidy little catalog system. The moment something is used or collected, it becomes unique.

d.clawed · ‎06-01-2018

Instead of the blue bar, I get something that is not clickable. Even the i (info circle) is not clickable. This item I was trying to see sold last night. Maybe it's an archiving thing...maybe it's the future.

cbx6 · ‎06-01-2018

I noticed this change today as well. It took a while to figure out that you can click on the word 'listing' to reach the original item.

This is another classic case of obnoxious Ebay programming - they will waste a million users' time with a (really stupidly matched) "similar item" just to make a few extra sales. This is called SPAM - everyone hates it in all forms, including this, but Ebay clearly does not care.

sai83her · ‎06-01-2018

WHAT IS GOING WITH EBAY???? Urrghhhh. Very irritating.

First of all, I can't even see my sold item listing anymore to see what items the buyer bought. When I click on the item title of the item I sold, I am referred to another similar items. I can't even view my items to know what I just sold anymore.

pm-g3 · ‎06-01-2018

I never would have seen that very faint blue link on the word "listing" which blends into the blue background to know to click on it to get to the sold listing if I hadn't come to this thread.

As we all know, eBay has a detailed seller rating with "communication" being one of the details - I think eBay needs a detailed rating system for themselves and for this very, very poor communication - lack of link visibility and lack of communicating this new format to sellers so they wouldn't freak out thinking they'd lost a very valuable tool to help them list their auctions - they would score ONE STAR.

Thank you all for sharing so we would know what the heck was going on!

ekmadonna · ‎06-01-2018

It is just like REGULAR SEARCH now. I searched the sold listings for a painting and got an active auction listing for a LAMP! they are just catching up with the new improved AI standard search for what you want to buy, I mean what they want you to buy!!

menyc11 · ‎06-01-2018

The biggest obstruction I have ever seen for both for buyers and sellers. It will stop all 'relisted' transitions.

clu3 · ‎06-02-2018

This is what I've DM'd Ebay on Twitter...

RE: SOLD LISTINGS

I frequently "share" my listings on Pinterest, Facebook & Twitter. If an item sells, the link in those shares is essentially dead and we all know the internet is forever. A more useful hyperlink direct would be options:

1) this item is no longer available but here's the info (good for 90 days)

2) Here's a link to the ALL SELLING page of the person that listed, and is responsible for driving traffic to the Ebay website

3) Here are some similar items that you may be interested in offered by other sellers

electrola_man · ‎06-02-2018

This is really upsetting. It appears to have been a consciously made change, and it ruins the way so many of us use Ebay to check current values of items we're considering selling. Even if a used item is associated with a catalog entry (a topic that on its own is a real problem), there is no apples-to-apples comparison between any two given listings. We need to see the specifics of each listing.