Not buying from listings with AI descriptions
Sorry sellers, if you are too lazy to tell us about your item, and trust the dumb eBay AI to describe your item...I'm not buying. Dont waste my time with that meaningless AI drivel.
18 comments
Sorry sellers, if you are too lazy to tell us about your item, and trust the dumb eBay AI to describe your item...I'm not buying. Dont waste my time with that meaningless AI drivel.
anjofak
·2 years agoThe sad part is I seen another thread saying the algorithm is giving less notice to listings that do not use it..
anglophile62
·2 years agoIf that is the case, I hope ebay sellers rebel...this is absolutely unacceptable!
anglophile62
·2 years agoI'm with you. Once I see the sell-speak of ChatGPT, I mentally check out and look at other sellers. I noticed the addition of these flowery, let-me-sell-you-swampland-in-the-desert-type cheesy sales pitch descriptions just recently. I purchase mostly antique and vintage items, so it's either a lack of description (which means I have to spend my time requesting information on the item) or the seller does a good job of describing the item him/herself. I'm seeing most of AI-drivel descriptions for vintage clothing. I'd rather chase info from the seller than read this inhuman and patronizing nonsense. AI will be the bane of our existence - we are well on the way to Skynet and it's not a good place to end up - just as Sarah Connor! 😉 As a buyer who will likely never sell on ebay - so I'm afraid I can't empathize from the seller's perspective that this is a useful selling tool - it just annoys the crap out of me and I will not buy from you if you use these AI descriptions. It tells me you don't know enough about the item or care enough that I buy from you.
downunder-61
·2 years agoI have to say I agree.
As a seller I sell what I know and know what I sell - no need for babble and ''puffery pieces''
As a buyer, it bores me and I assume that seller either knows nothing of their product or does not have the confidence in the product for it to sell on merit.
tex-421
·2 years agoFor the fun of it, I asked a AI chat bot to respond to your post, here you go......
I understand your frustration with sellers who rely solely on AI-generated item descriptions. It can be frustrating and time-consuming to sift through irrelevant information. Sellers should aim to provide clear and accurate descriptions of their items to ensure a smooth buying experience.
While AI technology can be helpful in certain aspects, it's important for sellers to take an active role in describing their products as only they can provide specific details, condition, and any additional information that may be important to buyers. As a buyer, it's reasonable to expect informative descriptions from sellers to make an informed purchasing decision.
However, it's worth noting that some sellers may use AI-generated descriptions as a starting point and then edit and personalize them to fit their products. This could be an efficient way to provide information while still maintaining accuracy. Ultimately, open and honest communication between buyers and sellers is vital in creating a positive online shopping experience.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoUltimately, open and honest communication between buyers and sellers is vital in creating a positive online shopping experience and spark joy and wonder.
FTFY.
tex-421
·2 years agoReading through this AI generated spiel, you know what is really obnoxious about AI. The writing is flawless, the grammar is flawless, the spelling is flawless, the syntax is flawless. It even uses the Oxford comma. No human writes likes this, except perhaps that English major in freshman college class that has a 4.0 grade average and is writing for the final exam. It even knows the difference between its and it's.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoSpeak NOT of the Oxford comma. ðŸ˜
kathiec
·2 years agoI would argue the point that no human writes like that. There are thousands of us old-school communication professionals who make/made a quite nice living knowing things like correct grammar and sentence construction. And that is the one area where I think AI can be a useful tool for some sellers and actually good for buyers.
Of course it's always better for sellers to completely and accurately describe their items. But anyone who's been out in the world (or on these boards) knows that literacy is on the decline. Couple that with sellers for whom English is a second language, and AI can be the difference between buyers being able to understand a description and buyers left scratching their heads, saying "huh?". If given the choice between a seller putting in a two-word description because that's the best they can write and AI, I'll take AI any day.
anglophile62
·2 years agoI have to vehemently disagree with you. I'll take a crap description and then have to question the seller any day vs. allowing a poorly programmed AI bot to control my purchase. I want to deal with human beings. The day we allow AI to control our lives from purchases to receiving our utilities to controlling our financial decisions is the day we cease being human. As for the EASL people - learn English and communicate accordingly.
tex-421
·2 years agoI used it once, the generated language is so stilted it's hilarious. Its somewhat useful but requires a heck of lot of editing to make it sound like a real human wrote it.
az93
·2 years agoAre you telling me you really don't want this beautiful high quality item that will be a valuable addition to your collection for years to come? Sans measurements or other pertinent information? Well, good luck finding an other one!
dollocity
·2 years agoha ha ha. I tried it because I just couldn't resist.😃 It had some good words in there- and other dumb ones.
whatmorefabric
·2 years agoThe AI drivel uses words that are frequently searched and current on SEO searches.
anglophile62
·2 years agoLike what - "it's a must have for any collection"?
mudshark61369
·2 years ago@juicydrupes,
Depending on if you are buying from high volume sellers listing new items you are likely to get a Mfr.'s generated product description.
Even some of the high volume sellers of used items will often give a a 1 or 2 sentence description with look at the photos they are part of the description.
Most of the newer sellers will cull descriptions from Mfr.'s, use only one or two photos and have short descriptions even for used items. Some even pull old stock photos from online sources. It isn't A.I. that's to blame it is the lack of selling skills that many of the newer sellers have. After all most of them buy from online sites so that's how they pattern their listings.
I tend to ignore sellers who don't photograph or describe their used items well, but sometimes they are the ones one can get a real bargain from, since they don't take the time to check out what they are selling. In early late September I opened a new listing for a Used, "Lionel post war 10 wheel metal steem engine not working" $50 + $25 s&h". (seller's title) One photo taken at an angle barely enough to make out the number 4 as the last road number on the cab. The flash obscured the details on the boiler front. Description: I found this with some of my grandfather's stuff and don't know much about it. I tried moving the big wheels but they are stuck.
I took a chance bought and paid for it immediately and ended up with a Lionel NYC 5344 Hudson possibly a `40 -`42 engine with no zinc rot. 700E on several parts.
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoVery Good Used Condition isn't much better.
ittybitnot
·2 years agoVery Good Used Condition isn't much better.
@kensgiftshop
Indeed, but less time is required before hitting the back button. Same for "see pics", where they are dark, blurry, and look like they have been taken in a closet with the lights out. But as @mudshark61369 points out, sometimes a good bargain can be found by a seller who says for example "nice spoon, see pics". Got quite a few 19th century sterling pieces that way. AI drivel won't generate much other than the "must have" "addition to your collection" "joy to your whole family" garbage.