Updates are happening to some item specifics and category structures

[community_team]

--Final Update, October 28--

The category changes announced in our Fall Seller Update have been completed.

Now that all category changes are complete, while you might still see some adjustments to searches, it is okay to update or edit your listings without concerns of losing data or having it moved again. 

We appreciate your feedback on this roll-out. We'll continue to adjust the process based on the input we’ve received here, and we'll take all of these suggestions into consideration for future updates.

As this project is now complete the post is being locked from further comments. 

Resources and observations

We’ve heard from you that updating your Item Specifics in time for the February 2022 requirement date may be a challenge. 

A useful tool that may help is located in the Seller Hub under Listing>Active. There is a drop-down box labeled ‘Download’ which will generate an Excel document for ‘Missing Required or Recommended Item Specifics’. You can read more about this tool here.

Should you come across any inaccuracies within the new Item Specifics we ask that you report those directly to sdsupport@ebay.com so our team can investigate. Outside of that, please share suggestions as to changes you'd like to see going forward here, selecting the Categories and Item Specifics option.

---Update as of October 19th---

We apologize for this delayed update. Thank you for your patience while our teams worked to finalize category changes. 

All listings have been moved to their final destination categories. You may now proceed with checking your categories, revising items, and updating item specifics where needed. 

Some item specifics have been renamed, and the value you originally provided has been copied over to the new item specific, so you don’t need to re-add these item specifics. We encourage you to update your listings with item specifics that are showing as “Required Soon.” These will become required on February 22, 2022. 

All other item specifics are either Recommended or Optional. Learn more about item specifics. 

Some categories were retired and replaced by product-based categories. You and your buyers can still find the items you’re looking for. Simply browse to the product category of your choice and use the filters to refine your search.

More information about key category changes:

• Dolls & Bears. The categories based on Brand/Material/Theme/Character/Franchise/Product Line/Type of doll have been retired. Former categories have been replaced by left-hand navigation filters in the new Dolls & Doll Playsets category. You can access the filters by browsing to the product category of your choice and using Brand/Vintage/Material/Theme/Character/Franchise/Product Line/Type filters to refine your search. 

• Pottery & Glass. The categories based on Brand/Origin/Production Style/Production Technique have also been replaced by filters. You and buyers can now filter by the Brand/Origin/Production Style/Production Technique/Time Period Manufactured.
  
  
• Postcards. The categories based on Location/Theme/Subject have been retired and replaced with two main categories for Topographical and Non-Topographical postcards. The former categories have been replaced by left-hand navigation filters in the two new main categories. For example in Topographical Postcards, you can filter by Country and Region.

• Jewelry & Watches. The categories based on Main Stone and Metal Type have been retired and replaced by product-based categories under Fine Jewelry. Use the filters for Main Stone and Metal to refine your search. 

---Update as of October 14th---
The work continues on this move and is progressing according to plan. We are on track and anticipate all category changes for your listings to be complete by end of day tomorrow (10.15). Thank you for your patience while our teams implement these changes.

---Update as of October 13th---

We continue to work through this change and thank you for your patience as our teams work through it. We wanted to provide answers to some top concerns and questions:

Why are Gallery Plus fees being charged for items that were previously free?

We determined that a technical issue impacted a small number of listings, which resulted in incorrect charges (including Gallery Plus, subtitles, and insertion fees) for some sellers. The issue has been fixed and we will be crediting impacted sellers as quickly as possible. No calls to Customer Service are necessary as credits will be issued automatically.

The eBay Standard Envelope shipping option is grayed out and I can’t select it. When will the issue be resolved?

The eBay Standard Envelope shipping option issue resulted from the category changes update and has been resolved. eBay Standard Envelope is now available in applicable categories if your item meets the established criteria. 

Should I edit my listings if they’re in the wrong category, have been moved to another category, or have wrong or missing item specifics?

No. Recent category changes require updates to many thousands of servers and data changes to nearly every aspect of our platform. This level of adjustment takes time, which is why we asked for your patience while the process runs. We expect most data updates to be completed within 48 hours, but can they take up to a week (i.e., through Oct. 19). After that, if you have an item specific in mind that you think would work well for your listing, please consider adding it as a custom item specific.

Why isn’t my item coming up in search?

The category change update is still in process. We anticipate search issues will resolve when we complete most data updates during the next 24-48 hours. 

There are more item specifics now than ever before. Do I need to fill in all of them?

No. Item specifics that you have already filled in will be maintained as the category moves are completed during the next week. In addition, new soon-to-be-required item specifics are being added and will become required by Feb 22, 2022. As always, the more item specifics you fill out, the better visibility your listing has to buyers. 

For Parts & Accessories, when will fitment/compatibility charts start working again?

There was an issue with parts compatibility not working properly as the category changes rolled out that has been resolved. You should now be able to see the options to add fitment compatibility when editing your listings.

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We’re updating some of our categories and item specifics to make your listings easier to find. 

Starting October 12th, you’ll see updates to the following categories. Learn more about category changes →

Collectibles & Art

Jewelry

Musical Instruments

Parts & Accessories

Sporting Goods

As these updates go into effect, you may see temporary impacts to your listing experience or to the visibility of listings in the affected categories.

This is a result of listings transitioning to the updated item specifics and category structures. Your affected listings should return to normal within 48 hours, though you may see irregularities on some listings for up to a week. We recommend checking your item specifics and categories in affected listings after these updates are complete.

These updates also include new item specifics in the above categories, which will be required February 22, 2022. Starting today, these item specifics will be available as you list, with the “Required Soon” tag. Learn more →

Keep an eye on this page over the coming days—we’ll be sharing up-to-date information on affected categories and listings, and answering any questions you have. 

[tweetyboyd1971]

Yes,  the Barbie/dolls category is such a disaster.     I am seeing sellers reduce the price on certain dolls and they are still not selling (but were easily selling a month ago).    The Vintage Barbie folks must be going out of their minds right now.     I just can't believe ebay is going to leave things like this.   My sympathy to those in the Postcards, trains,  and other categories that ebay has destroyed

[fromnorth2south]

My sales had begun to pick up in early October. Then no sales from Oct, 11 - 14 during the beginning of the category consolidation / item specifics "update". Sales picked up again for a few days - mainly due to offers sent / offers received. Now no sales since Oct. 17 ( 10 days without a sale).

On top of the ongoing category consolidation / item specifics fiasco, beginning yesterday my Good Til Canceled listings - which should auto-renew - completely disappeared once they reached the end of the 30 day listing cycle. 12 active GTC listings disappeared yesterday. Today I have 33 GTC listings scheduled to "end" / auto-renew. Will those listings also disappear? Time will tell.

4th quarter 2021 is quickly becoming a disaster for sellers whose listings / inventory / stores were negatively impacted by the recent update. Meanwhile eBay remains mostly silent on the issue.

Time for eBay to acknowledge the magnitude of this problem, revert the changed categories, and change the Spring / Fall site updates to Winter / Summer site updates in order to minimize the negative impact of those changes on both sellers and buyers.

[memorymarielane]

---

@ripevel2007 wrote:

I'm having serious problems with "Item Specifics", unsure if this is only Android Mobile related.  All of my category change item required me to complete "Bundle Description" regardless of "Bundle" being answered NO or not at all.  I have a ton of Vintage items, also some Antique....I always fill out "Time Period" but it is also requiring the "Year Manufactured" and more often than not, it is impossible to pinpoint.  This is in addition to SO many lines completely unrelated to my type of item.  I literally just sat & cried from frustration.  Am I the only one?  Is this just an Android Mobile App issue?  I also listed similar post there.  Thank you,

Crystal 

---

You're not alone. When listing vintage jewelry it ask the same thing in regards to the time period then another box for the year manufactured. How in the heck am I suppose to know that. I just leave it blank if I don't know and it is not a "required" field to list.

[valeries_trunk]

How do you know the listings disappeared? I have 17,000 listings. I wouldn't know if any disappeared.

[fromnorth2south]

I have significantly fewer listings than you: Yesterday I had 648 active listings. I now have 636 active listings.

Yesterday 12 listings were due to "end" / auto renew over the course of the day. After the listings "ended" they disappeared from eBay. As I type this reply several of those listings have been missing for over 24 hours. They are nowhere to be found on eBay. Not on any tab on my Seller Hub. Not on any tab on My eBay. Not on Items For Sale By - either active listings or completed listings. Even taking into account the occasional extended lag time for GTC listings to reappear, this is an unusually long time for active listings to disappear from eBay / remain invisible to potential buyers.

[lloydsteventaylor]

Postcard search and categories are still screwed up on Mobile devices. What is status of fixing this?

[valeries_trunk]

No one gives us a status. I called again today & pointed that out. The rep had no answer. I also told here there was no update on this Community board since 10-19. People would be a bit less angry if they knew what was going on.

[andnowitsmine]

Yup, eBay was the only website that understood collectors as evidence by how their categories were set up. It had nearly every niche, every era, every collector term---they had thought of everything (because they did actual research and contacted field experts and big dealers). I used to do 20-30 searches per day, and always was amazed by how eBay harnessed collectors. I wondered why Rubylane and Etsy didn't have similar searches set up, but I knew their websites were for different things, eBay was for us, where you can buy or sell anything.

Now? Now I'm forced to "gender" a 200 year old doll or figure out the "occasion" of a doll dress. 

It's taken all my sales away. All my purchases away. My selling spirit is literally gone and I'm hurting for money now more than ever. I was selling so much... I only sell in one category (dolls), and our community is still reeling.

Meanwhile eBay has left us high and dry, but as long as they're Walmart 2.0 and prioritizing modern items, they don't care---an Antique is just like an iPhone, right?

[andnowitsmine]

And the thing is, Antique & Vintage Dolls aren't something to poo-poo and tell me to cry about. A lot of dealers don't dabble in dolls, can't tell the difference between an A&M and a Walda, and that's okay, but...

When you consider that one single vintage Barbie can sell for 6,000+ up to 15,000+, when a Bru Doll can sell for 10,000-30,000+, Bisque Characters can sell for hundreds of thousands, Queen Anne's too, when the BJD community sells customs for thousands, when the Bratz collectors were just starting to spend hundreds for a 10 year old doll..... DOLLS MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

It's not something to brush off and lump together. The communities are NOT THE SAME. To a non-doll dealer, they may look the same to you, and obviously look the same to the new CEO of eBay, but they are NOT.

Doll collecting as a hobby is one of the most profitable and often lucrative hobbies available, as it is one of the top 5 most popular in the world, with a growing trend of up. As a whole, it is worth millions.

[memorymarielane]

To all my fellow sellers on Ebay; I understand your anger, disappointment, and overall disgust with the platform. I just want to say that what we all are feeling is the exact same as all those self-employed individuals who lost their lifelong business due to certain "restrictions" that were unfairly placed upon them that resulted in closing shop. I do not wish that on anyone but as someone who lost everything and came to Ebay to rebuild something new, I am feeling a strong dejavue with what is taking place on Ebay. I see the red flags and know it is only a matter of time before Ebay changes it's target audience completely to not include vintage/antique/collectibles OR they will eventually go down in flames as other retailers cater to our needs better. I wish everyone the best of luck as it is no fun losing all of your hard work because of someone else stupidity and ignorance (and yes I mean what I just said- what we are experiencing is complete insanity from a business perspective).

[andnowitsmine]

This is not the same as a pandemic stricken country concerned about public health.

This is a targeted, deliberate attack on the antique & vintage community.

[memorymarielane]

---

@andnowitsmine wrote:

This is not the same as a pandemic stricken country concerned about public health.

This is a targeted, deliberate attack on the antique & vintage community.

---

You miss the point with my comment. the point is controlled destruction for something someone else has no respect for.

[valeries_trunk]

I would like to point this out. I had to go on Replacements to check on something. They are featuring depression glass & now offer the buyer a chance to BROWSE the choices easily. Here is the link: https://www.replacements.com/depression-glass/c/471860

Get your act together eBay!

[xvoodoomanx]

It's hard to believe that eBay hasn't noticed the drop in revenue since 10/12.

Perhaps they are trying to discontinue (to use a nice term) their vintage and collectibles categories.

I thought this mess would have all been reversed already once eBay say tge effect on their bottom line.

Strange...

[mightymouse]

From today's chat;

@pennpicker wrote:

Realize things change but what a shame. Back in the early days folks didn't have to know what they had for it to sell. People would list an item simply as a vase or a painting with a few pictures posted and the collectors and dealers would recognize the item's value and bid accordingly.  All it needed to sell for a good price was to be in the proper subcategory to reach any potential buyers.

Who are the item specifics really helping? Ask, as I find the vast majority to be rather incidental.

@pennpicker these changes are to improve search results not only within eBay, but with internet searches done by protentional buyers as well. We're trying to more closely align to how those search engines work, and how a vast majority of shoppers are looking for things, and that's using a more product-based/item specific type format. We know it's a change, a big one, but our end goal is to get as many buyers seeing your items as possible and this will help us to do just that. 

Velvet,

I'm sorry but I do understand what you (eBay) are tiring to do. Please bear in mind that this may help the buyer BUT IF the sell can not list item in a timely manor it will all fall apart in months.  Listing is now 6 items an hour, I was able to do it faster in the mid 1990's.