Changing Category for Stale Items
Still trying to learn how to sell on ebay.
Curious if anyone has an opinion on changing categories for stale items.
Some items can definitely be listed under several different categories - without breaking any ebay listing rules.
One time I tried listing an item under two different categories and ebay charged me an extra fee.
Other times I seem to have some luck changing categories for a stale item.
Any advice on categories? Thanks.
38 comments
inhawaii
·5 months agoJust wanted to add something about categories...
I don't know if I'm weird and I'm the only one but I've been on ebay for 27 years since 1999.
I've bought thousands of items.
Not one time did I ever search for something by category.
The power drill I bought could have been listed under women's underwear for all I care.
The jeans I bought could have been listed under coffee makers for all I care.
The Dyson vacuum I recently bought could have been listed under cookies for all I care.
I searched for "Dyson DC58", found the vacuum I wanted and bought it.
I did't look and I didn't care what category it's in.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@inhawaii You're totally weird but in good ways. That said, believe it or not sellers don't always title their items in the most obvious ways. In the example I gave about jewelry lots, there are tons of sellers who don't use the word "lot" in the title at all. Quite often it will be something like 'Assorted Costume Jewelry Over 100 Pieces' or whatever.
So when they do that AND choose the 'Jewelry > Mixed Lots' category from the listing creation page ..... the listings don't show up in a search using 'lot' as a keyword, NOR if you try to use categories, because 'Jewelry > Mixed Lots' is not in the choices from the buyer's purview. It's all but impossible to find those listings unless you just go to their store and search all their listings.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI understand, and that makes perfect sense, and I don't even think you're weird. 😉
onefootflipper
·5 months agoI think categories are far less important than most people think they are. When I hit sell similar I find that at least 20-30 percent of the items I am selling similar off of were in the complete wrong category and they sold somehow.
Likewise, I list some items in the Everything Else: Every Other Thing category from time to time because they are things that can ship in an envelope and that category has standard envelope enabled, people find them and buy them. And no, that isn't breaking any ebay rule. If you read the ACTUAL legal "terms and conditions" of the standard envelope shipping does not care what the item is. All it cares about is the dimensions/details of the envelope itself and what category it is listed in.
fern*wood
·5 months agoI think I'm one of those lazy sellers that just can't bring myself to go back over my listings much. I know there are mistakes and I'll fix them if I happen upon them, but I don't go looking much. The only big revision I have done lately was when USPS dropped 1st class for GA and I had to fix a ton. I can still here Wastingtime101 telling me how I needed to set up policies---again I'm too lazy.
gurlcat
·5 months ago@fern*wood Rare as it is for us to notice what's actually great about eBay, the fact that every seller can go at their own pace is pretty dang awesome if you think about it. You don't sound "lazy" to me; you sound comfortable, and that's something I envy sometimes, because I am just the opposite. Er rather, my comfort zone is items moving FAST, like 90 days is what I call stale. Not kidding, here's my 90-day numbers:
I make great profits but I could probably make a lot more with patience. But that's a commodity I'll just never have. Let's go! Let's go! LET'S GO!!! 😆
meme6253
·5 months agoIf they fall into different categories you can try that, But only use one category or you will be charged for using multiple categories.
simply-the-best-for-you
·5 months ago@buyersellerfinder Please don't take this as me promoting this person, product or podcast b/c there are a million of them out there, but I've been trying to finish listening to this one (from 5 years ago) lately. I had started listening to it & then my life got interrupted by a death in the family, which ate up the next 3 1/2 years & I just got back to finishing it now. It's interesting. VERY, VERY detailed & at a fairly technical level. This is not an eBay 101 podcast, as the topic is SEO, but a part of it focuses on exactly how important the Category is. I actually don't understand everything he's saying & IDK that it's accurate, but it went into a lot of detail. I actually wanted to try & revisit that section on the Category b/c I was doing 2 things at once & it didn't real sink in.
I will also add that I don't know the presenter, nor do I know their credentials, so I take it as I take all of this info that doesn't come directly from eBay - with a grain of salt. I liked what I heard b/c it delved into the SEO topic much deeper than typical but the presenter is not an eBay employee & has his own thing to sell. That doesn't mean there isn't useful info here. It also doesn't mean that there's no incorrect info here.
https://www.listranksell.com/blog/ebay-seo-interview-that-caused-stir/
christworks
·5 months agoYou are listening to 5 year old information and ideas? That's a million years on eBay time.
simply-the-best-for-you
·5 months ago@christworks It was interesting to me so yes, I'm finishing it & furthermore, what we colloquially refer to as 'Cassini', is still the search engine that is used, so the information is still as valid as it was then. Like any software, I'm sure it has seen changes in 5 years. Having been a software developer for much of my life, I'm certain it's been changed. I'm equally certain the architecture remains the same. We would have heard about it if eBay radically changed the underlying architecture or platform.
buyersellerfinder
OP5 months agoThank you for posting that.
Instead of reading up on 5-year old SEO information I looked at another article on that site....
Only from 2024 but is "category importance" specific...and I don't know how accurate the information is...
https://www.listranksell.com/blog/ebay-seo-is-changing-2024-summer/
Instead of limiting its visible search results to one category, eBay is now favoring items that have been listed in the "proper" backend category.
Your listing’s product category directly impacts its ability to rank.
Although all relevant listings are now once again generally visible in search results, it is very difficult to rank a listing without first distinguishing the back-end category.
Example:
Amplifiers that are made specifically to go in cars cannot use the eBay Motors “Amplifiers” category as their primary one if they are to avoid being completely drowned out - instead use Consumer Electronics.
**How can anyone determine what the proper category is for their item?
simply-the-best-for-you
·5 months agoI wouldn't suggest it. The number one thing eBay looks for when evaluating Search Criteria is relevancy. A big part of relevancy is Category. None of this is a secret, it's been discussed at various eBay seminars over the years. In order for your item to show up in a search as high as possible, it should be the most relevant to the Search Criteria. That means the Category should be the one is the most relevant to the the item. So, if you've done your research & you feel it's in the best Category, just changing it for the heck of it, is not a good practice. However, there are times when I have an item that where Solds are equally spread against several Categories (or more accurately subcats) & in that case when the data suggests that an equal number of people are selling a knit top under top & sweater, it might make sense to try the other.
For example this comes up for me often in Active Wear vs. just regular Clothing. Should an activewear brand dress go under Tops or under Activewear>Tops, a lot of times SOLD's are evenly split. So in those situations, it may make sense to try changing it. Remember to change your IS's too. But if you feel your item is in the correct category, you're better off tweaking photos & title.
@buyersellerfinder Also, in regards to your question about listing in 2 categories at once, there are VERY limited situations in which that's a good idea. In fact, I recently heard an eBay employee say they couldn't think of one. For me, I usually have only 1-2 items out of 1000-2000 that is listed in multiple categories. I mainly sell Clothing & the only time I will do it is if I think someone in a totally different category may also be interested in it b/c of it's theme. I never do it with similar categories like I referenced above. Here's a classic example. I have a t-shirt with a Pug on it, then I will also list it under Collectibles>Animals>Dogs>Pug . I go with the IS's of it as a t-shirt, b/c I think those are the most useful, since even a Pug lover who finds it from collectibles, will likely care about the size & fabric.
caldreamer
·5 months agoI noticed that you only ship to USA and Puerto Rico (your exclusion list includes PO Boxes and the rest of the world). Perhaps if you expand your horizons or allow shipping to PO Boxes, you might get a few more sales.
gurlcat
·5 months agoYes it can work, particularly if you switch to a category that can actually be found by buyers in eBay's 'Search by Category' pathway. -Not all of the choices you have available when you create the listing are actually findable in the buyer's choices. It's because eBay's programmers have fiddled with this stuff a thousand times and if they don't make it all 'align' it may never get fixed. 'Art and Collectibles' is especially bonkers, with descrepancies in what categories sellers can use (but buyers can't see).
BTW the limited category choices also apply to what buyers can see within your store, not just the sitewide search.
I just ran into this problem last night, looking at a seller's store with thousands of jewelry listings, but wanting to see only their mixed lots. I managed to find one 'lot' listing, and it's category was: Jewelry & Watches > Jewelry Mixed Lots, because that is what they chose when they created the listing.
But here are all the choices a BUYER can see for jewelry. Do you see Mixed anywhere in here?
What they SHOULD have done is chosen this pathway, even if not all the jewelry is 'vintage' (which means nothing on eBay anyway, let's face it).
And lo and behold, that category IS findable in the buyer's view (both main site and within sellers' stores).
@buyersellerfinder So what I'm saying is, if considering switching a listing from 'this' to 'that' first go to the main search page and see if you can find 'that' in the available choices of categories. If you can't, I wouldn't recommend switching. But if you've got something in a 'that' category, switching it to a 'this' might be just what it needs, especially if buyers go to your store to browse and want to use categories to narrow down.
dhbookds
·5 months agoI will change categories when getting few hits......can work....... most of the time Item Specifics have been carried over for me, but depends on the change....one went from housewares to an animal category and relevant ones were still there.....
But you do need to consider other things.......this listing stands out
Title:
Hooded Towel Terry Cloth 54x27 Green Pure Cotton New w Tags - Hanger - Card
In this category:
In your description you state: Bright Future Woven Terry Hooded Puppet Bath Towel
That's the beginning of a much better title........you use brand name (Bright Future) type of material and type of towel (puppet)....but of course, it should be in a baby category.......(replace Bath in the title)
I suggest you check sold listings of higher feedback sellers for ideas on descriptions and titles, as well as categories. You are new and that kind of exposure will help you learn. Always consider yourself the buyer and ask yourself what words you would use to search for the item and what you would want to know.....
buyersellerfinder
OP5 months agoI appreciate the feedback and I don't take any criticism personally.
This Terry Cloth Hooded Towel is an excellent example of how complex it can be to list an item on ebay - if I overthink it.
The listing is somewhat unique in a saturated category - and I try my best to get my listing to appear for someone who is interested in this type of item.
The listing title is a legitimate discussion - over the importance of category.
The problem I have encountered with listing title is that it has an 80-character limit.
So, often I have to really think about what keywords someone might use to find this item or a similar item.
While I normally consider the manufacturer / brand name to be important - this item is vintage and I don't think anyone is actually searching for this brand name "Bright Future". I do disclose the brand name in the description - because I'm not trying to hide that fact (or any facts) - just trying to not use up 14 characters in the title....lol
So I opted to use other obvious keywords that I think would catch the algorithm match for a potential buyer and then try to jam in other keywords such as "new, tags, other items included" that hopefully would hook a buyer to click on the listing so they can actually see what I am offering.
Usually the brand name is important to very important but in this case I think it has less importance and with the 80-character limit I opted to include other keywords.
FYI...this item came out of the closet. We bought the item many years ago and just rediscovered it.
In other words, I have many items that are one-offs. Some in new condition with tags and I struggle to find the appropriate category, listing title and price (sometimes) for a new vintage item that has some appeal.
Often I am up against umpteen million equal & legitimate items from China.
As some have stated I usually start with a search of sold items to see popularity and price.
Then I look at current listing prices to see where my item would rank among same or equivalent items currently listed.
I don't want to force my item on a buyer.
But I do want every single buyer looking for a terry towel, hooded towel or kids towel to at least see my item because it may be a very good match for them.
Obviously some items go stale because they are just not desirable at any price.
simba6
·5 months agoYou can remove and relist at a later date. If your running short of free listings , just rotate through them. If you have enough free listings , just leave the items up. Unless they are way over priced , they will sell.
bigtexasyardsale
·5 months agoBack up a second and ask yourself before you list it if there are several categories where this item can go why would one category be better than an other? In making that decision myself I will look at the number of items listed, what their selling prices have been, how similar they are to mine, etc. before deciding.
Sometimes other factors will come in to play. I sell tools and they can be listed in both eBay Motors and Home and Garden. If its high end stuff like Snap On, Mac, Matco, etc. listing it in eBay Motors where profession techs lurk is way better than in Home and Garden where the non-pros are.
Having said that, there is an argument for "it doesn't matter". When looking for something myself I rarely go to a category to start. I just search at the top level and go from there.
christworks
·5 months agoYou are marketing to a different buyer. For instance, I can sell a puppet as a type of plush or I can sell it as a golf head cover. I'll get more marketing it as a cover, but if there are no golfers who want it, I can change categories and revamp the listing to market it as a puppet. There are many items which can be marketed (and categorized) as decor or a collectable or as something functional.
inhawaii
·5 months agoChanging categories just for the hell of it hoping the "stale" item may sell faster?
My opinion: Ridiculous.
We had a discussion here the other day about ending listings and re-entering them just because they're "stale".
My opinion: Ridiculous.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoJust out of curiosity, is there any reason why you believe these actions are ridiculous? I agree that category change is unlikely to do much, because that's generally not how people initiate searches, but not too sure about the other. Is it a "feels" thing?
inhawaii
·5 months agoFair question.
My though is...
If someone wants to buy my widget, they are going to buy it.
It doesn't matter If it was listed under "women's underwear" or "power tools".
Same thing with ending listings and re-listing to refresh the listing.
If someone wants to buy my widget, they are going to buy it.
It doesn't matter if the listing is refreshed every day -or- if it's been listed for the last 2 years.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoThat seems reasonable. How do you deal with "stale" listings? New pics? New titles? Taking them down altogether and trying a whole new approach (lots? breaking up lots?) Goodwill?
I suspect this will be mostly applicable to the collectible/fun/inessential items. You have a good cross section of needs and wants, how do you keep the wants selling?
luckythewinner
·5 months agoI don't do anything.
I leave them up until they sell.
It costs me nothing to do so.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoThank you. I was kind of curious what @inhawaii does with his. Perhaps, he's following your model?
The OP is, according to the initial post, interested in moving stale inventory. Some people don't like sitting on things for years, on principle. Some people do find it costly to sit on inventory for years as they have to pay for storage. You're fortunate in that you don't have these concerns, but maybe we could make some suggestions for the OP that address his/her question?
gurlcat
·5 months ago@tarotfindsandmore I reckon social media culture is bound to seep in no matter how carefully stated a question is; there are bound to be people feeling the "need" to answer even if it's a non-answer. Ask a question pertaining to auctions and you're guaranteed to get some "I don't do auctions" replies. Ask something about promotions and it's "I don't use promotions". Like, um cool.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI do follow his model to a "T".
I have another reason for doing it that way ... i'm extremely lazy. 😉
luckythewinner
·5 months agoThe OP asked "How do you deal with "stale" listings?"
So I answered his question by telling him how I deal with stale listings.
Sorry if you think that how I deal with stale items is not acceptable.
inhawaii
·5 months agoAre you crazy? 😉
buyersellerfinder
OP5 months agoThe one thing the "appropriate" category does for the seller is have more "item specifics" that actually match that item.
Listing a car under kitchen utensils won't offer an Item Specific for engine size. Just as an example.
Some buyers actually search using "item specifics" to narrow down their search for the actual specifics they desire?
And now I understand why the Item Specifics change when I change category. The item specifics for category 2 just don't exist.
But how important is that?
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoChanging categories for the sake of change won’t help, but making sure listings are in the best category is important.
I’ve seen this one myself: if I do a search for “iPhone 11”, eBay automatically filters my search to the “Cell Phones & Smartphones” category, meaning if I had listed an iPhone 11 under Typewriters instead, while theoretically it’s still available to buy, someone searching for “iPhone 11” won’t see it without not only extra steps, but extra steps that are illogical to take.
tarotfindsandmore
·5 months agoHave you considered tweaking your titles first? Most buyers start with a general keyword search and use the categories to winnow down their results. Just changing categories isn't likely to get things moving if your titles aren't optimized first.
ETA: You may want to go back and do a price check as well. If you have things that have been up for over a year, that you want to see sell, you might need to lower your prices.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoOne time I tried listing an item under two different categories and ebay charged me an extra fee.
That happened because eBay always charges a fee for listing in additional categories, even if you have free insertions available.
Other times I seem to have some luck changing categories for a stale item.
That happened because eBay does not charge a fee for changing a category.
Any advice on categories?
Just that changing the category generally means it wipes out most of the item specifics, and you have to re-enter them.
christworks
·5 months ago@buyersellerfinder There is a fee for listing an item in a different category at the same time you have it listed in another category. You can change your primary category for free. It is actually wise to do that if something isn't selling. Sometimes you will realize you actually listed it in the wrong category, especially if you are using sell similar from someone else's listing. A lot of times I assume the other person listed in the correct catgegory, so I only worry about checking the item specifics. Truth is double-checking the category is smart, and changing it when something is stale is a good move, too.