Yet Another Reason to End & Sell Similar
I've already articulated a couple of the reasons why I prefer to end/sell similar rather than letting ebay just keep relisting my items in previous posts. As I just went through and did my monthly refresh of another group of 90 or so items, another reason surfaced. I noticed a few things that needed updating that I wouldn't have noticed had I just let the system automatically relist my items.
As a seller of primarily NWT limited edition, retired, or hard to find items, I typically buy 2-6 of a particular item. Sometimes I buy several versions of a specific item, or several items from a particular line. This morning I noticed four separate item specific errors, that while minor, needed fixing. Three were in jewelry...one item had previously been a part of set and now is just the necklace, one was a pair of earrings that were dangle rather than chandelier, one was a bracelet that incorrectly listed as charm but is tennis, and the last was a trading card that had been in action figures (the card is based on an action figure).
Not one of these listings had been borrowed from another seller. All had been created by me using my own listings and sell similar, and all had degraded over time because I hadn't taken the time to review all the fields available when you end your items and sell similar them (of course this may be the case when you manually end/relist as well...but why bother doing that if you're already ending them?). I also noticed that several items were actually due for a price increase. Again, this isn't something I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't manually ending my listings and restarting them anew.
I know many of you only ever create absolutely perfect listings that never need any kind of editing so this post may not apply to you, but for folks like me who don't, this is yet another reason to end your listings somewhat regularly and either sell similar or relist.
krazzykats
·5 months agoI use the bulk editor to correct or update listings, organizing them by SKU to group similar items. Hats, dolls, patterns, glass, HBA—SKU names like that will make it easier to update specific groups of items instead of trying to update everything.
Descriptions can be quickly updated using the bulk editor. I’m currently removing an extra shipping statement from over 400 items, which I can easily select by date item listed.
Having more ways to sort data always makes it easier to handle a large number of items.
ᓚᘏᗢ
reallynicestamps
·5 months agoI had a shock on another account which I had decided to downgrade from a Store by ending all my book listings, since they were just not selling.
I learned that my other product line on that account had only about one in twelve of the items in stock actually still listed,
I am now slowly going through over 2000 sewing patterns and listing them again.
Which is a good reason for reviewing listings on a regular basis.
I am content knowing that my products are going to be slow sellers.
At one time eBay notified us when a product had gone 16 months without a sale, which was a good guide for when to review listings.
spendingcents26150
·5 months agoSome of my favorite things to find are no description, no item specifics and occasionally it will say I have no pictures.
Also recently, that at a glance look at which listings have been auto-filled with the Country of Origin is really a nice feature. You can clean up things quickly.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoI think that the techniques which work for one seller to correct and improve their listings need not work for all sellers.
We all have our own rituals which are consistent with our thought processes and the merchandise we sell. Some of us make more serious mistakes than others.
Sharing them can be useful to sellers who have not yet developed their own behaviors, and may often create an AHA moment with some sellers who are not getting the results they crave.
chapeau-noir
·5 months agoI end and sell similar after 60 days. I always tweak a bit as if most of my stuff hasn't sold in 60 days, it probably needs a refresh. I've caught some embarrassing mistakes 😳
iamthecrosseyedcow
·5 months agoI'm a believer in ending/relisting as well because, as already stated, it allows me to update the listing, change pricing up or down, fix my oopsies, and/or remove the item from eBay and move to one of my brick & mortar outlets.
However, I nearly always let listings run 60 days to 90 days before ending/relisting/moving. I figure that gives them a little extra time for watchers to maybe make a move or for the item to be found on Google.
The first eBay thing I do each day (with cup of coffee #1) is look at the listings ending that day, and delist those that fall into the 60 to 90 day category. I decide what I want to do with them later on in the day and then go on to have breakfast....the joys of a retired eBay seller.
12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoI wish I could go through all my listings and look for mistakes.
Yes...every now and then a buyer purchases an item in which there is a mistake in the listing.
Buyer is expecting to receive something...right? Anything?
I just send it with a note...if a problem let me know.
I have no issues with a refund...but sometimes a buyer will assume you don't want to send item rather than there is a mistake in the listing.
Buyers appear to be happy to receive something as oppose to nothing.
dirk12955
·5 months agoI've found that adding items specifics to some of my stale
listings might spark some sales.
Dropping the price 5% on items with watchers can
jump start a buyer.
I'm calling a moratorium on sending offers to buyers.
Too many hassles and I've learned to dis-like doing it.
tarotfindsandmore
OP5 months agoI don't think most people with 1K or more listings can actually go through each individual listing to look for errors. It's not a terrible idea but it is massively time consuming and probably a better option for folks with relatively small stores.
vivabe
·5 months ago@tarotfindsandmore
I do the same thing routinely, end and sell similar. It is helpful to adjust things like price, title, mistakes, etc.
AND it is also helpful because the sell similar listing will have a NEW fresh listing number and the listing will display as NEW in search to anyone looking for NEW listings.
When it renews automatically the listing does not display in search for NEW listings.
So, Google search may be helpful for some sellers while Sell Similar might be better for others, depending on categories, quantities, interest, etc.
meme6253
·5 months agoI look at my Listings on a daily basis that are going to relist & I end them & go back to them a few days later & use sell similar.
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months agoWhy not just 'look at' maybe 25 listings a day and edit as needed? Can sort by 'price' or 'category' and attack one a day. Then you know for months on end that there wouldn't be any 'errors'.
The whole 'end and relist' kills any footing you have on Google and the like, which is the entire reason the GTC became the only way a BIN can be done.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI was going to say the same thing.
You don't have to end and re-list to catch an error ... you can just LOOK AT the listing.
tarotfindsandmore
OP5 months agoAgain, why would I do that when I can review 100 items in less time than it would take me to look at 5 separate listings?
tarotfindsandmore
OP5 months agoFor me, it's far more efficient to use the bulk listing feature. I end and sell similar a few days before the listings are scheduled to end. I can review and edit 100+ listings in less than ten minutes. Looking at 25 individual listings a day and going through each one would take me much longer.
I do look at individual listings when there seems to be something really off in the bulk edit. I guess I see it as the difference between looking at a spreadsheet (the bulk edit page) and looking at each individual item (page) corresponding to the entries on that page. I'm not going to go through all the individual pages when I can see the information for all of them on one page where I can also make corrections.
As to the second part, that's just not correct. The ended listings are displayed in Google. They will take a lookieloo to the ended page, but the ended page will direct that person to seller's other listings where they can find the current listing and a whole lot more.
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months ago@tarotfindsandmore This would NEVER work because if you are 'trying to find errors' there is NO EDIT on the planet that will do that for you.
You simply have to READ/LOOK at each listing to see if there is an error and then fix it.
tarotfindsandmore
OP5 months agoIt does work. Read my original post. I broke down exactly how it works.
It might not work for you but it certainly works for me. It also works for others, as several other posters apparently do the same thing.
Have you ever tried it? I'm not sure why you think you can't find errors. It's called editing. People make a living doing it.
If it doesn't work for you, don't do it. If your approach is the right way, what happened here? That's the first and only listing I actually looked at, maybe you might want to consider the possibility that there are other, potentially more efficient ways to use ebay's tools.
Not sure why you're so combative. No one is making you do anything. If you don't like the suggestion, or don't find it useful, ignore it.
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months agoBecause like I said 'editing' won't help me 'find' the listings that still say that (was back in a time when the store categories were off to the left).
Tell me sherlock, how in the world, if I clicked ALL my items, would 'editing' FIND the listings that still said that??
Therefore, editing does NOTHING without still 'reading' each and every listing.
tarotfindsandmore
OP5 months agoAgain, with the rudeness. Why? Are you having a bad day? Need a hug?
What's up with this hostility? If this approach doesn't work for you, don't use it, Sherlock. 🙂
You're asking the same questions so just go back and read the previous answers. There have been a lot of threads about the benefits/drawbacks of ending listings and using sell similar. Most have been theoretical and focused on the algorithm. I posted about another benefit (FOR ME) that I thought others might find useful. If you're not one of those sellers, feel free to ignore the entire thread...that's what I do when you post.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI'm not the smartest guy in the world but I still don't understand.
I have to agree with @stainlessenginecovers .
How will ending a listing and re-listing find errors?
You have to LOOK at a listing to find errors.
But hey, whatever works for you. 😉
dhbookds
·5 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
how in the world, if I clicked ALL my items, would 'editing' FIND the listings that still said that??
it would, if you used the search and replace function........
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months ago@dhbookds I've done the 'search and replace'; for instance when First Class went away, had every 'First Class' changed to 'Ground Advantage'.
Works about 50% of the time.
Also, for me to use that function and just 'delete' that line with NO replacement, again, would NOT work.
Just looked for some with that 'see store with arrow' line I have and found one I hadn't 'edited' yet, when looking it; the top line needed to be centered, 3 lines deleted etc.
NO WAY to see or edit all that without looking at the listing.
There is only ONE WAY to do this RIGHT- read and edit each and every listing.