I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto
Summary: The discussion centers around frustrations with the new forum layout, particularly difficulties in navigation and loss of valuable posts. dream*peddler describes the complex process to access their board, now under a new category, and urges sharing this information with fellow members. fabrics24 mentions challenges with specific threads, while southernmermaid8 suggests adapting to changes despite issues like a 'black box' UI bug explained by AI. Some participants discuss potential solutions, like using bookmarks or awaiting messaging features, which are expected to return within two weeks, as confirmed by eBay representatives.
There's been a lot of frustration over the new forum layouts. Many are not happy about the insertion of AI, the loss of many valuable posts and pinned threads and the difficulty in finding their previous "homes." Our board is now a sub-board under the Jewelry & Watches category. The path to reach this board is to go to the eBay Community>Explore Categories>Jewelry & Watches
From there, scroll all the way down under the posts and you'll see very boring pictures of watches with orange backgrounds. Ours is labeled "Jewelry & Gemstones."
Many times over the years people have commented that they didn't know we existed. Well, no wonder when you have to enter a maze to find us. If any of you are in touch with other board members, please pass this on or send them a link so they can find us. Just follow the yellow brick road.
mscurl
·4 days agoI finally found you!
southernmermaid8
·4 days agoWelcome back 😎
idealgems1
·3 weeks agoOK, I see this title, and I can't resist a corny joke I heard in the mid 1980s about a couple of members of the band Toto who just got booted from the band. They were backstage at a Kansas concert and said, "I don't think we're in Toto, anymore, Kansas".
Sorry. ;-)
southernmermaid8
·3 weeks agoHi everyone, I was peeking around and I saw messages to the left. I’m not sure if they are private but I did want to give y'all a heads up.
bat197
·Jul 13, 2026 at 11:36 PMIts very hard to find
1940fc
·Jul 14, 2026 at 11:31 AMMornin bat! Glad you found your way home! I left breadcrumbs for everyone, but birds ate them!
bat197
·3 weeks agoYeah Me too!
goaldeelocks
·1 month ago · Editedfwiw - I've been gone from here for a long time, came back today directly via ancient bookmark I had with no issues (didn't know things had moved even until I saw this thread). My problem is that I can't figure out how to navigate ever since a few years ago when things changed ... I read a thread and see no way to just close it and move on to what would be the next thread in line, so I go to the top and click on the last part of the heading showing the path, which causes everything to reload and I have to start back at the top. I'll keep trying, hopefully I can figure it out
(EDIT: probably obvious to others, but I'm slow sometimes; figured out that using the browser back button gets me back to the prior page at least)
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoJust talked to Patti. eBay reps are saying we will have messages up and running in about 2 weeks. I know that’s a while but at least we will be getting them back.
dream*peddler
OP1 month agoThanks, mermaid, and thanks, Patti! You can also message board members through their eBay listings in the meantime.
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoDoes anyone know if we have a way to personal message each other any more? 🤔
1940fc
·1 month agoNone that I can see, Dana. Just another helpful thing that went to the graveyard I guess
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoBummer
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoI see under settings it says “Direct messages” and you can choose if anyone or only certain people can send you a direct message, but how? I’m messaging with Patti right now.
1940fc
·1 month agoI'm confused, Dana How are you messaging,? I see that under the Settings & Privacy in Account, but how can you send an individual private message like we had before?
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoSorry messaging through regular eBay messages. Not sure yet, trying to figure out if we can still like before. She sent a message to eBay to ask.
glorybells
·1 month agoSome functions have not been rolled out yet..
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoThat sounds hopeful. Do you think eventually it will?
roccotacodad54
·1 month agoI don't know if this will help anybody but what I have done (for now) is bookmark the particular "home" I want to come back to. I just opened another window and clicked on the bookmark for... A Place To Post, Laugh, Vent and Share Chocolate...and it took me right there still logged in as well.
This is with Chrome on a Win 11 desktop..............................
evelyb30
·1 month agoAI summary. Corn maze entry to the boards. No saved photos. I can't say more without using unapproved verbiage.
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoI understand the frustration, change is hard, but I wish everyone would take a deep breath and try to learn the new boards. SIGH 😮💨
1940fc
·1 month agoLOL Let me know when you 'learn' it, Dana. I ca
t find diddly squat on here. And its a horrible jumbled mess. And WHY I keep getting a stoopid black box when I type is maddening!!southernmermaid8
·1 month agoThe black box is odd.
dream*peddler
OP1 month agoFor what it's worth, here's what A I says about your blackover text:
So the “blacked‑out” look isn’t intentional censorship — it’s a UI bug in the new forum layout.
What’s happening
The new editor sometimes overlays a dark background over the text field.
It only appears while typing, not after posting.
Other users in the thread also said it’s “odd” and happening to them too.
Why you’re seeing it on your screen
Because the screenshot or live rendering of their post includes the part where they typed with the glitch active — so it looks like the text is blacked out, even though the posted text is normal.
The good news
It’s not:
Moderation
Hidden content
A blocked user
A privacy setting
It’s just the new eBay Community platform being… the new eBay Community platform.
glorybells
·1 month agoIt’s been less than a week. Some things will still need tweaking.
lincoln-gold-and-coin
·1 month agoThat black box is the result of markdown formatting. I notice you sometimes use tick marks (`) instead of apostrophes (') in your messages, and the system is taking it as a sign to format that part of the text. Notice how in this message I'm replying to, it put the black box between your two contractions. Using apostrophes instead of tick marks will be the difference between 'this' and
thiswhen you type. Hope this helps!1940fc
·1 month agoWell I'll be danged! ALL these years I've been doing it wrong. Thank you very much!
Now I have to deliberately do it to see what happens
Wrong way: I`ve been doing it wrong
Right way: I've been doing it right
HUH ??? It doesn`t take much to confuse me
lincoln-gold-and-coin
·1 month ago · EditedYou're welcome! Happy to help. This time it didn't do the formatting because you used only one tick mark. Try putting some text between two ticks and it should make the black background appear! (`This` will turn into
This)fabrics24
·1 month agoI can't say I'm happy either; I'm joining this group just so I don't lose it again.
I'm trying to navigate the Schreiner thread, and you can't reach the middle pages anymore; the page keeps refreshing if you click "see more posts" too many times, which is concerning since most of the information on determining if a piece is a Schreiner is in the middle of the thread. I hate to complain, but the lack of pages is not a comforting sign :(