Changes to Contact Information Policy - email from ebay

[ramonv-majorleaguepins]

Anyone else get this?

It starts by saying that I have contact info in my listings.  Um, no.

Then it says I can add my phone number to my Q&A so buyers can call me.

Um, HUGE NO.

If they ever make this mandatory, it will be the last straw for me. 

Do they really think I want people calling me at every hour of the day (and night)?  

No, no, no. 

[usgamecollector]

yup got the email. I've never written a phone number in my listing. These emails are really insulting and ebay does it all the time accusing people.

[mebuck1234]

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@ramonv wrote:

Anyone else get this?

It starts by saying that I have contact info in my listings.  Um, no.

Then it says I can add my phone number to my Q&A so buyers can call me.

Um, HUGE NO.

If they ever make this mandatory, it will be the last straw for me. 

Do they really think I want people calling me at every hour of the day (and night)?  

No, no, no. 

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I got the same email. I also don't have contact info in my listings. Seriously, why state something that isn't true--why not just say starting October you will be able to add phone numbers ( and I agree-not doin' that--no way)

[jerryfinds]

Got it too. And I'm scratching my head trying to see where any BOT even could mistake anything in my listings as "contact info"! The only numeric values that are in my listings are dimensions of the item I'm selling, or date signed on the bottom.

This is getting ridiculous.

[cynthealee2]

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@ramonv wrote:

Anyone else get this?

It starts by saying that I have contact info in my listings.  Um, no.

Then it says I can add my phone number to my Q&A so buyers can call me.

Um, HUGE NO.

If they ever make this mandatory, it will be the last straw for me. 

Do they really think I want people calling me at every hour of the day (and night)?  

No, no, no. 

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They don't want you to ADD it... something in your listing made the bot go off... If you don't want your number in your Q&A don't put it there.

But you DO need to know if the buyer wants your info they can get it.

You need to figure out which listing/listings triggered the bot and fix it. (there should be a list in the email of eBay listing numbers)

I got the email cause I DO have contact info in the listing... and it's perfectly eBay legal, it just wasn't set up quite right to make it pop open in a new screen.  But every link in my listing goes back to an eBay page of one sort or another.

PS It's not just contact info that the bots are looking for it's ANY links in the listings... so look for links even if it's something as simple as a picture enlarger that takes the buyers off eBay's site to look at the bigger pic.

[mcguire-hd]

I just got the email as well saying I have contact info in my listings, which I do not. 

Not too happy about the phone call thing, but at least it will only be while at work for me. I absolutely hate talking on the phone though. 

[usgamecollector]

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@cynthealee2 wrote:

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@ramonv wrote:

Anyone else get this?

It starts by saying that I have contact info in my listings.  Um, no.

Then it says I can add my phone number to my Q&A so buyers can call me.

Um, HUGE NO.

If they ever make this mandatory, it will be the last straw for me. 

Do they really think I want people calling me at every hour of the day (and night)?  

No, no, no. 

---

They don't want you to ADD it... something in your listing made the bot go off... If you don't want your number in your Q&A don't put it there.

But you DO need to know if the buyer wants your info they can get it.

You need to figure out which listing/listings triggered the bot and fix it. (there should be a list in the email of eBay listing numbers)

I got the email cause I DO have contact info in the listing... and it's perfectly eBay legal, it just wasn't set up quite right to make it pop open in a new screen.  But every link in my listing goes back to an eBay page of one sort or another.

PS It's not just contact info that the bots are looking for it's ANY links in the listings... so look for links even if it's something as simple as a picture enlarger that takes the buyers off eBay's site to look at the bigger pic.

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uh no there is not a list of listings, and no ebay is fine with certain links, so it's not any links.

[the_ibis_print_gallery]

Yes, I got that as well, and no, I don't have contact information in my listings. I'm wondering if possibly eBay's bot is reading my product dimenions as a phone numbers. 

My main concern is that those listings aren't automatically disabled in October. If this is just a question of receiving an email in error, then I'm happy to ignore it. I just don't want my entire inventory suspended.

[cynthealee2]

@ramonv-majorleaguepins

Found one and it didn't take long...

Do a "revise" on this one 121535230985 and then when the screen pops up go to the "mobile friendly checker" and then click the "non-compliant" links... all links in all listings must pop open in another screen not change the screen you are on.  (legal links MUST point to an eBay page).

You have to add _blank to em to the legal eBay links (ie to another place in your store, your store home page, or speciality pages you created in your store)

The one I grabbed... 10-1 it's the Enlarger that goes back to Auctiva.  (at least for that listing)

Now Auctiva has been great for the most part they are cleaning these up really quickly... if you want it to go faster you need to check that pop up page on Auctiva when you sign in... it gives you instructions on how to fix em.

[cynthealee2]

@usgamecollector

so you emails don't look like this: 

It didn't have a phone number... what it has was my link in the contact information area that didn't have the _blank in the link, once I added it the warning went away.  It TOLD me it had to add the _blank part which is when I went to Auctiva and mass edited current listings and all future listings.

[cynthealee2]

@the_ibis_print_gallery

Pretty sure it's your click to enlarge photo's in your listing... the enlarged photo is taking them off eBay.

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2017summer/listing-policy-updates.html#m17-1-tb1

Remove links in your listings to off-eBay websites

We are updating our links policy to limit the types of links and domains that are permitted in listings and other eBay pages. The updated policy will go into effect in September 2017.

Links that direct customers to a site other than eBay are only permitted from approved domains and for the following:

• Product videos (reviews, product demonstration or installation)
• Freight shipping services
• Other legally required information

No other links are permitted. You'll need to remove links that don't meet the above criteria. For permitted links, please follow these new guidelines to ensure they open correctly beginning June 2017.

Where we USED to be able to link to photo's as long as it wasn't selling something on the new page... that is no longer legal.

[ramonv-majorleaguepins]

I don't think I've ever seen a pop-up to "go to the mobile-friendly checker."
I don't understand the "add _blank to em" thing you mention.
As for Auctiva. I can't get Auctiva and ebay to play nicely together, so Auctiva can't remove those things for me, and I have removed them at a pace of about 1 a week, because all my listings look fine to me, and to one ebay CS I spoke with. So, there is no fast, easy way for me to remove the Auctiva scrolling thing (not enlarger), but that does not contain any contact info.

[ramonv-majorleaguepins]

Mine didn't. No listings named at all.

[ramonv-majorleaguepins]

ebay should make "Remove Active Content" an option on the bulk editing page. That would solve my Auctiva problem. I did see that they now have it on each listing if you click to revise a listing. Still, painfully slow when you have hundreds of listings.
But I still have no contact info in any of my listings.
Still didn't see the "mobile friendly checker" thing.

[the_ibis_print_gallery]

@cynthealee2

You're right, it probably is the image links, but unfortunately that's about 40 hours of work to fix. Also, they haven't identified which listings are noncompliant or stated that they'll supress the listings (as opposed to the links themseves), so I'm hesitatnt to start manually revising 2,000 listings without being sure that 1.) it's absolutely necessary and 2.) I'm revising the right thing.