We are testing a reduced set of item specifics in the listing flow

[selling_team@ebay]

We’ve heard from our sellers that item specifics is one of the most complex parts of our listing experience. 

As a part of simplifying the listing flow, we are testing a reduced set of item specifics, optimized for the selling and buying experience. As a result, in select categories, some sellers may see fewer item specifics to fill out when creating a new listing on web or mobile. We’re actively monitoring performance and taking seller feedback into consideration.    

We’re constantly evaluating how to make listing on eBay easier and will keep you informed about any site-wide listing changes. Feel free to leave feedback in a comment below or via our survey during the listing process.  

As always, thank you for selling on eBay. 

Update as of 10/16/23:

Thank you to all sellers who shared their feedback. We have listened to your concerns and ended the test. We will continue to work on improving item specifics and keep the community informed of any site-wide changes.

The full list of item specifics will automatically reflect on your account for future listings. If you wish to add more item specifics to your previously published listings, the full list of item specifics is available when you revise your listing.

[gloryglorygifts]

I can't even begin to tell you how many times ebay has told me to add more item specifics to my listings that have nothing to do with my item. Whatsoever. I consider myself a smart cookie and know what item specs to include and do a good job at putting them all into my listings and the short descriptions. If it doesn't apply I'm not going to fill anything in, so I do not need to be reminded that there are blank spaces that ebay thinks needs to be filled in.  That would be grand if you did away with those pesky reminders. 

[ittybitnot]

 if you are in fact getting rid of certain specifics then why do the listings keep going into the  fill in the "recommended item specifics" alert. 

@selsa84 
Very good question, and I hope selling_team@ebay will answer that.  With all the posts about this from sellers in the past few days wondering what is going on, I suppose the announcement of a new test is a bit late. 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

They made listing take 5 times longer on their last update, now their testing speeding it up???? Thank god I sell replenishables and rarely create a new listing. They ain't got the sharpest knives over there.

[wastingtime101]

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@gloryglorygifts wrote:

I can't even begin to tell you how many times ebay has told me to add more item specifics to my listings that have nothing to do with my item. Whatsoever. [..clipped for brevity..]That would be grand if you did away with those pesky reminders. 

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I agree with you @gloryglorygifts and it's too bad there are a lot of sellers that fill everything in because they think they have to, even stuff that's not relevant. That's probably the type of seller eBay is targeting with this change.

The good news is you can turn off those reminders in your communication preferences. Sure there's still a place on the Seller Hub Overview page that tells you how many listings are missing recommended IS, but you can 100% turn off those email reminders. I haven't gotten one in years.

https://commspreferences.ebay.com/commsprefs

I'm not sure which setting it is, probably one of these under Selling Activity:

Listing Improvement Recommendations

Recommendations to revise instantly

Recommendations to improve your items and sales

[wastingtime101]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

With all the posts about this from sellers in the past few days wondering what is going on, I suppose the announcement of a new test is a bit late. 

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Past month @ittybitnot ! I think last week they expanded the number of categories though, and that's why there's a sudden increases in posts by confused and frustrated sellers.

[m60driver]

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selling_team@ebay wrote:

We’ve heard from our sellers that item specifics is one of the most complex parts of our listing experience. 

As a part of simplifying the listing flow, we are testing a reduced set of item specifics, optimized for the selling and buying experience.

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Ignoring the long list of "recommended item specifics" was never complex.  I suspect that the sellers have now entered enough data on items that, given the advent of AI, Ebay no longer need sellers to do this work for free.

[worldwide_ship]

No wonder my sales were cut in half all of a sudden. Thanks for the update, I hope it's worth it!

[fern*wood]

Probably might as well set the better late than never announcement to read only.  The love isn't happening today.

[clown_car_driver]

We’re constantly evaluating how to make listing on eBay easier

Yea, um, will you STOP DOING THAT?

Do us all a favor, and find a system that works, get it running smoothly then STOP.  Jeeze Louise, do you have to 'constantly' change stuff, just for the sake of changing it?

Does it provide job security for your IT Department?

I don't even care it is not the best system ... we can deal with that if there is STABILITY.   Will you give us a STABLE platform to work from?   Even if its a little bit off-kilter, it's better than constant changing and bobbing and weaving.  Working on this platform is like standing on the deck of a barge in a storm.  

I went to Google the other day and put in "How do I -whatever- on eBay".  You should have seen what I got.  All kinds of wrong stuff.  Know why it was wrong?   Because it was changed like four times in the last 13 months, and Google couldn't keep up with you.  

Fire half of your IT Department.  Tell the other half to take a vacation.  Let us work.

I KNOW that nobody of any import will read this.  If they do it will elicit a chuckle (maybe).

Doing a good job here is like wetting your pants in a dark suit:  Nobody notices, but you get a warm feeling.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

I fill everything out that fits in the item specifics because I believe the key word play in title description is not what it used to be. 

When it was just the title search, you found what you wanted for the most. Then the item specifics came and finding things in your word / description search seemed a little more difficult. You really have to mix up the word play at times to see everything listed. 

Whatever happens after this test, I hope it does not make sellers have to rework / revise listings and what also seems to be common is this that sellers who are hit by a new update, see sales fall for about 10 days. 

[b86fiero]

Haven't reached an opinion on whether this will be a good thing or another seller headache.

Hopefully it will reduce the number of listings where half or more of the item specifics are filled with sellers typing in Does Not Apply or n/a.  Sorry, bit those king of listings just look bad to me, does the buyer not know their product or too lazy to fill in the correct info or eBay overkill that confuses the buyer?

I'd much rather see fewer specifics that are correct than a bunch of DNA's and n/a's.

[cbacal]

Last time I remember a big "change" to item specifics in the clothing categories not only was every listing screwed up, it took them months to try and catch people up.. and in many cases they never completely fixed the issue

This should be fun..

[wastingtime101]

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@b86fiero wrote:

Haven't reached an opinion on whether this will be a good thing or another seller headache.

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Therein lies the rub. It will be a headache for the sellers that pay attention and know what they're doing. The sellers that know how to fill out relevant-and-important-to-their-item IS and leave the rest blank.

It will be a good thing for the type of seller you describe here:

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Hopefully it will reduce the number of listings where half or more of the item specifics are filled with sellers typing in Does Not Apply or n/a.  Sorry, bit those king of listings just look bad to me, does the buyer not know their product or too lazy to fill in the correct info or eBay overkill that confuses the buyer?

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I think the idea behind the change is good, but the execution is poor.

[dhbookds]

selling_team@ebay 

With others.......this really makes me angry.........when IS "started", sellers begged to have experienced sellers suggest IS for  SUB categories......  Instead, ebay seeming threw every thing AI could find into every category, ignoring the differences in sub categories,  and ended up with, in some cases, more than 50 IS......some of which were duplication or total mismatches.  Compound that.......there was no explanation of what to do if the IS didn't apply....so we now end up with listings with 3/4 IS with N/A......

NOW you want us to figure out which categories may have been deliberately changed......or, as most wonder......is it a normal Ebay Glitch.......or are they hidden somewhere ............as the questions previously have indicated.  Those who give any sort of feedback may/may not have the knowledge to answer, be totally confused by the process...or be listing in the wrong category.  Your AI will not come up with the best answers AGAIN.  And the real work some sellers will go thru to help will go down the drain, yet again. 

I CHALLENGE you to do this right this time.  Choose a  sub category......choose 5/6 sellers......present the before and after IS and ask them to critique with explanations.   Just TRY it ONCE......just once....and see if it isn't alot faster with alot less hassle to everyone. 

[thelongball]

Here is the example in the trading cards category of not needed specifics;

1st Question - Is the card autographed ? Answer No

2nd Question Who signed it ?  Answer None

3rd Question Autograph Authenticator ?  This I cant answer as none of the choices are correct and can't enter my own None in

   End result is it then comes to me the next day under Recommendations, and I then can choose to don't ask me again. 

  If thats not bad enough we then have to go into is the card Graded or Not ? 

Answer No

Next question is What is the cards graded Number ? Can't answer because can't do anything but choose a number only.

Then who was the grading Company ? Can't answer None as not one of the choices.

Here we go again the next day as it becomes a Recommendation. 

    Now if you list 50 of these in a day, You know tomorrow you have to clean up 50 recommendation's. 

Would be such a easy thing to fix.