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.

[76c]

Item specifics are a waste of time!  95% of buyers don't even read these specifics.  Heck, a lot of buyers don't even get past the 1st sentence in the description!  Most buyers go by the title only.

[steve_stuff]

"If not showing the recommended item specifics at the point of creating the listing is supposed to be making the listing process easier, then why when the item is listed do all the missing item specifics reappear and ebay shows them in the 'add recommended specifics' section under active listings?"

It's very simple - What's the old saying, 'the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing' - the people who are doing this test seem to have no idea that there is a ''Quick filters" thing with an 'item specifies - recommended' part [because it's handled by the 'filters' department] on the 'seller hub - active listing' page [handled by the 'active listings' group of the seller hub department] that will catch their changes because they didn't tell those other guys what they were doing - It's not their 'department' so it's not in their 'job description'

Ebay reminds me of a place I worked at - One guy drills holes - other guy said we need 'bolts' - 3th guy picks 1/2 inch - holes are 1/4 - go back and get 1/4 inch - holes were enlarged to 1/2 -

[steve_stuff]

Should have read this all the way to the end before posting above

Sorry about most of the above - it turns out the original post was written in 'company name speak' -

Really most of what was just stated/added - listing mode affected, categories in test, and the 'revive' question - could have been included in the first place.

As to the answers - THANK YOU for the first one, which affects us. Had figured out the sell similar was unchanged but nice to have it 'official'

The other two don't matter to us, BUT we think the 'revive' one was handled correctly ... other then not explaining why it was left along - If they had just said it would be left to do it's job so 'you' could add the ones you wanted, the question would not have been asked so many times. 

[nuclearomen]

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selling_team@ebay wrote:

All,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. Our team is reading your comments and is receptive to all of your feedback. We are constantly checking this thread for your feedback and discussions. Since this is a test, we may modify it as we learn. List your questions and concerns, and we will be sure to review them! 

We are sharing more details on the test to address the concerns posted: 

• Why are we running this test? While item specifics continue to be critical to listing on eBay, we have heard from our sellers that there is an opportunity to optimize them. We are taking into consideration the selling as well as the buying experience.  
• Which listing mode is impacted? Only creating a listing from scratch is impacted. “Sell Similar” / “Sell One Like This” / “Revise” / “Relist” are not a part of the test.    
• Which categories are in the test? The list of categories is constantly evolving as we learn from the test. We are taking your feedback into consideration to add or remove certain categories. 
• Why are item specifics visible in “revise listing”? Since this is a test, we are letting sellers add more item specifics by revising their listing if they desire so.  

We are actively monitoring seller feedback, as well as the impact to our sellers. We will keep the community informed on the status of the test. 

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

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selling_team@ebay 

Still haven't answered why Listing TEMPLATES were affected and Item Specifics REMOVED from TEMPLATES? They remain chopped, why have they not been restored? The IS on my templates are there for a reason. Currently cannot list from my templates without having half the IS, listing, and then having to click the link next to listing on seller hub that says "xx Recommended Item Specifics" that's the only way to even get the missing specifics. I have to now list from "Sell Similar" to get all the specifics, whip out the entered for that item and replace them with the needed for item to list. Really this is the dumbest thing, waste the entire point of having Templates and having to take all that extra time to list something now. I know this is just a "Test" so why on earth would you have Templates effected for this silly test that btw eliminated most of the needed specifics and left like 5 maybe for Music category. Perhaps next time consult some sellers in the category your messing with before messing with it since you obviously have no idea about the items your changing. 

[siamjane8]

I would still like an answer as to how these reduced item specifics are affecting search visibility and ranking and off site visibility. For years ebay has said "IS" are the be all to end all and a must for SEO.   Search Engine Optimization only works if we the sellers know what is expected and then ebay follows through.  Which is it? less item specific or more?   

    Less is a more desired result- BUT ebay MUST redesign the search algorithms to rely more heavily on other aspects of the listing then- Is ebay doing that? How about telling sellers so we can then optimize our listings accordingly?

  Why do we " the customers" have to fight and struggle with ebay to get answers and results?

The simple fact is that if anything ebay was introducing was effective- the site would be growing again instead of losing buyers and sellers.    Ebay has not plateaued- it has lost so much market share that is has tons of room to grow again. 

   Lets get back to the basics (when ebay was working/growing/profitable/had buyer and seller satisfaction) and just start showing people what they actually searched for - and show all relevant results- not one or two hidden under 30 promoted listings.  Stay out of the way of sales and just support the sellers not try to control them- what ebay has become does not work well- A common phase when describing the ebay selling experience is-" It used to be amazing, a good seller could invest and grow on ebay, but now we sell a despite ebay's roadblocks".  

KISS- keep it simple stupid...... that is what works best in just about EVERY situation

[nuclearomen]

@siamjane8 
I agree with all that, but I would add that their employee choices are the real direct result of everything wrong. Isn't funny the people and "teams" they have in place seem little to incompetent to do the tasks they are assigned to do or is it just me who recognizes the idiotic things they seem to consistently do? If there is an actual "team" that is in charge of "selling" then why are we even here having to complain and coach them about listing creation? Is there anyone on any of these so called teams that knows what they are actually doing? Are there any persons on these teams that have any experience selling? Is there any authority overseeing what they decide to do and placing green and red lights on those plans? Is it just a free for all to do whatever they want when they decide to do it at this company? No checks? No Balances? No one to step in and say "hey, you can't do that because..."? 

If we, the people on this thread, the community, who do not work for ebay but are the direct result of it's success can see, understand, and relay the infos within, then how can a "team" of people who is their job to know not know???? It's beyond comprehension like teaching preschool kids to balance a check book. 

[dhbookds]

Ebay, since the beginning, has used a process of throwing something up, with the idea we can change/correct later.....apparently depending on usage  responses.    Catalog pages went down in flames, tho some are still around, because the listings added to the page didn't necessarily belong to the page.......upc's weren't accurate, information didn't pertain to a newer version of the item....etc.

The problem with changing IS, even for the better, is that sellers have adapted to the IS as they are now......made their own/become dependent on IS, rather than including the info IN the description...... so a change that excludes everything except 6 IS or so.....is going to require a major change for sellers to adjust to.......with all the attendant resentments.  And this is, of course......the 4th quarter when NO seller wants to spend any time except on listing correctly the FIRST TIME......not having to go back and revising......

As said by many........IF this (and almost ANYTHING they produce) could be done halfway right to begin with.....there wouldn't be as much angst........

But I've about given up......they will do what they do.......and we will either adapt or leave.....

[dhbookds]

I might add...........if they even "think" about reducing the IS on active listings.......there will be h.........to pay.

[evelyb30]

Meanwhile, as has been stated a million times, eBay has a cadre of expert users on the boards.  ALL of whom have a vested interest in making the site run properly, so buyers can buy, sellers can sell, and eBay can rake in a pile.  Do they ever consult us before making really, really, really BAD decisions?  One guess.  

[nuclearomen]

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@evelyb30 wrote:

Meanwhile, as has been stated a million times, eBay has a cadre of expert users on the boards.  ALL of whom have a vested interest in making the site run properly, so buyers can buy, sellers can sell, and eBay can rake in a pile.  Do they ever consult us before making really, really, really BAD decisions?  One guess.  

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IDK about that, everything they do seems to tell a new story of just how they are not "experts" of anything selling related or even platform related. I mean they can't get anything right, at all, 2 and half years now of them messing and changing listing tool and IS and it's STILL NOT RIGHT! Seriously, How many people and how many times does it take to get anything right in this company? From tools to SEO, it's one failure after another. The real laugh of it is most this stuff is no brainer things, simple as simple can be but they can't even get the most minimal things right. I've heard some blame programmers, but no, they only do and make tools etc... to the directions of management and these "teams" so it's certainly not Tech decision doing.

A top all this nonsense, they have continuously been given feedback and suggestions from sellers on these boards, in company chats, ebay open, private calls and emails, facebook, any other medium of reaching out for YEARS and they ignore all of it, literally now, of all things and times they say they heard from sellers that listing creation IS is one of the worst things - 🙄😆 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ where they come up with it. 

[nuclearomen]

On side note: Listing Templates have now been restored (for mine anyways), check your Templates and see. I just listed a bit ago using Template first time since this mess happened. 

[ltldpr]

Since I have so few items listed, it was very easy for me to see something that this "test" probably caused. At least, I'm going to blame it on that lol!

2 days ago I listed two items. Both the same thing, made by the same company, but different colors. I made two separate listings.

The first one I did from scratch and only had a handful of Item Specifics options. No surprise due to the "test". I went in after the fact and added IS info.

The second one I used "Sell Similar" and as stated by many here, there were a lot more IS options. I filled in several more on this item during the initial listing rather than amending a live listing.

That night I looked at my seller page (not logged in) and only saw one of the two newly-listed items, along with my other 40+ items. I had to search ebay for the maker to find them both, but both were not on my "See seller's other items" page. 

Yesterday one of those two items had 6 views and the other had 1 (likely mine from the night before when I found it in a search using the company name).

Later yesterday, one of those two newly-listed items sold. It was the one that I had used "Sell Similar" to list, that had 6 views, and that showed up in "See seller's other items" while I was not logged in.

The other item, that I couldn't see in "See seller's other items" until last night did not sell and as of today has had 2 views. It was listed from scratch as a new listing.

To me, it's obvious that those IS options (and what we put in them), are EXTREMELY important, and adding them after the fact might not even help. I suppose it could be that no one likes the color of the one that is not being looked at and it's purely coincidental, but I'm not a big believer in coincidence. 

Anyone else noticing similar?

[vivabe]

As of October 14 all Item Specifics I use for my templates are back. I was able to launch new listings without using sell similar.

I hope it stays that way. Item Specifics should be available for sellers who who want to use them. 

[mysterycardz]

Item specifics are the worst thing to happen to eBay from a long list of terrible things. So many mistakes, so many traffic  traps where you click on one and lose results, etc. Yes busybodies like click click clicking on all the nonsense but I assure you it is reducing your sales. 

[partsdepot_uk]

@vivabe I can confirm that the IS are now also back on UK listing templates.

selling_team@ebay For the love of god please just leave it alone now! Every time you introduce these unannounced changes it just cause more time and frustration for sellers, who are after all your ultimate customers.