eBay is making changes. Input please?

[kellyscolorstudio]

Hi everyone...hope the weekend is going well! We received this email from the "Finding Team" on eBay, and we thought we should start a thread in here for EVERYONE to have a say, share your thoughts and opinions, and communicate your concerns. They want to hear from us by the 18th, so...talk about how you feel about this, then we'll think about putting up a poll and see where we stand as a group. Then we'll report back to them and let them know how ACEO feels about these changes as a whole. Hi Everyone - We have some ideas we would like to implement and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks in advance for your time and assistance MarniSue PM Finding Team Proposed Changes to Art Category and IS in early 2008 The Classification team has been getting a lot of great feedback from emails and the discussion boards about improving the experience in Art. We’ve come up with some suggestions and we’d like to consult with you before making any changes. Our team will be reading and responding to threads for until January 18th. Here’s our proposal: Removing the “Self-Representing Artists” and “Self-Representing ACEOs” categories. We’ve heard from many self-representing artists about the placement of SRA and ACEO categories. Sellers are telling us they need to list in two categories (such as SRAs and Paintings) in order to get the proper exposure. Our proposal changes the way we identify an SRA or ACEO piece: instead of using categories, we’ll use Item Specifics. So a seller would choose one category (like Paintings) then use Item Specifics to describe the listing as either an SRA piece, an ACEO, or both. Buyers would still be able to search specifically for works by Self-Representing Artists or ACEOs by selecting from the new Item Specific values on the search results pages. Effects of the proposed changes 1) No need to list an SRA painting (for example) in two categories. 2) No need to search in two categories for an SRA painting. 3) Buyers who want to see all SRA paintings, or all paintings that are not SRAs, will be able to do so easily. 4) Buyers would not be able to browse through an all-ACEO or an all-SRA category. 5) Buyers would not be able to browse through categories that do not contain ACEOs & SRAs. More updates for Item Specifics in Art We’ve been hearing that the Item Specifics in Art are redundant and illogical. We’ve come up with a proposal to improve them. Here’s an overview of our suggestions: 1. Size values will be added. 2. An option to identify a piece as Signed. 3. Certificate of Authenticity values: Yes, Available Upon Request, or No. 4. Prints. Available choices for Type of Print would be based on whether the seller identifies the piece as an original or a reproduction. 5. Remove the value “Original Listed by Artist.” Instead, describe the seller as follows: Listed By Self-Representing Artist Gallery, Agent, or Collector Other We’ve posted a mock-up of our suggestions so you can see them in action. The Mockups are for Art Prints, but all the proposed changes (except for Print Type) will be implemented in Paintings, Drawings and Folk Art. Listed by, Signed and Certificate of Authenticity will be implemented for Photo Images, Posters & Sculpture. To see how these changes would look in the category structure and access links listing of all the Item Specifics changes, please see here: http://pages.ebay.com/categorychanges/ProposedArtChanges.html Proposed Changes (SYI view): http://pages.ebay.com/categorychanges/ProposedArtChanges/PrintsISNew3.html Proposed Changes (Product Finder view): http://pages.ebay.com/categorychanges/ProposedArtChanges/PrintsISNew2.html Example of how to define SRA & ACEO in Item Specifics in SYI flow: http://pages.ebay.com/categorychanges/ProposedArtChanges/PrintsISNew1.html Current Item Specifics In SYI (for reference): http://pages.ebay.com/categorychanges/ProposedArtChanges/PrintsISCurrent.html Have a look! What we’d like to hear from you by January 18th: Do you see any issues with the proposed changes? What do you like about the proposed changes? Has anything been overlooked? -- Kelly :-x My ebay listings: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkellyscolorstudio Read Jeanne's ACEO Guides! Click on "links" on the left! -- Edited by kellyscolorstudio at 01/05/2008 5:30 PM -- Edited by kellyscolorstudio at 01/23/2008 9:35 PM

[justbelieve*artworks]

I'm a little confused as well. I don't like a COA category, because like others have said, a category like that tends to devalue works without COA's. (Even though I do offer a small one with my cards (thought it was a cute idea when I started), I think a category to that effect would be a mistake - I would never use it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think our opinions will change their plans. Whichever way they do things... I want to see a HUGE VISIBLE category for ACEO's. Then that could have further options of break down including all of our mediums. Maybe representatives of our groups can go ask for things we do want, instead of things we don't want? -- Linda Click here to see my current listings 🐵 Non-art listings here 🙂

[crickets_pets]

This is a great discussion, however... If you guys want to be heard, you need to go over to the AA board and tell Marni what you think. Saying it here will do you no good. "Changes" I agree, are very hard to deal with. We have been fighting ebay since they frontloaded the fp's back in 04', and took away the going, going, gone tab. The sales were outstanding before they did that, not only for fp's but regular auctions too. The people who are new to ebay, and never seen how it was before, have no idea, and are scared to change them back, and therefore fight against them. If your doing good today, just think of how good you could be doing, had they not changed the fp's back in 04.

[eviejean]

I think it would be a HUGE mistake for eBay to do away with the SRA category. I agree with some of the artists who have posted here that they would rather have the SRA category than to list by medium. I believe it would be too confusing for the buyer to have to go through each medium to find the artwork they like and are willing/wanting to purchase. Buyers choose a piece of artwork because of the subject matter or any other subjective reason, not strictly because of the medium! I also personally never cared for the SRO-ACEO category and would like to see it go. Just my humble opinion. Evelyn

[kellyscolorstudio]

Hi Kaye! The moderators received a note about the changes and we started this thread to gather opinions here...see how everyone feels...and we will report back to Marni and let her know what the group came to as a consensus...if we can. That's why the discussion here. We did appreciate that Marni asked US what we thought...so logically we decided to gather input here as well. This is a tough call, as everyone's needs are so different. Should be interesting! -- Kelly :-x

[waterbenderkatara]

I agree with SRA staying. I like the size option And I agree with there being no COA mention. -- -Lauren View My Auctions Here

[chicpillows]

The changes seem good to me. I haven't sold in awhile; however, am getting ready to "start up" again soon (took a long, much needed, break). I believe the changes would be helpful.

[crickets_pets]

I didn't mean to make it seem as if this discussion wasn't important at all Kelly. Its a very good discussion. I didn't know anyone would be reporting what we said Back to her, but I also knew, she wouldn't come here to read this. I just thought posting here as well as on AA would be a good thing if they want to be heard!

[studio_zietz]

I love the SRA category and think I will be lost in the sea of thousands of other oil paintings without our little ACEO niche that exists here. I had used the SRA ACEO specific category and found that I wasn't getting the same exposure as I used to get with by listing in SRA which is a shame but I am afraid making more changes will damage our following further. I don't think I'd like it if they changed the SRA category in this way. As far as COA's i agree with others that i don't want to offer them, what a pain, and feel that is will look bad now if I don't. -- Edited by studio_zietz at 01/06/2008 7:57 AM

[artistjillian]

I thought about this overnight, and still see a problem, no matter what. It is what has caused problems in the past. That is to ask for opinions, then try to incorporate too many, and end up with a mess. To make it worse, it is asked of the sellers, rather than buyers. And as sellers, it is only how buyers use this that in the long run we need to implement. And since we aren't 100% buyers I certainly don't want to try to determine what they might like or not. Heavens only knows, but for buyers of art in general (not necessarily ACEOs), it MIGHT be really important that they get a COA. Yes, I'm a buyer also, but think that some of my thoughts might also be clouded as a seller. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but certainly don't like the idea of losing the SRA category. I was delighted when they bought it in, it encouraged me to list my art. So I do think some things like that do really effect sellers, also. -- ~Jillian artist, Jillian Crider ... google works for ME!

[greyhoundgestault]

Please, please leave the self-representing artist title in. It's the way we can distinguish ourselves from galleries and mass sellers of reproduced old-time (translate: copyright expired) prints and posters. It's also the way we can check out what our fellow struggling artists are doing. Judith -- Edited by sapphire3 at 01/06/2008 9:57 AM

[bastet2329]

i like the idea. i have listed some of my art in 2 catergories (now there are 3 to choose from-paintings, SRA and SRA aceo) and gotten better responses but sometimes i cannot afford the double listings so i list in one with less return. because of this i stopped selling my art on ebay. there seemed to be to many catergories my pieces *should* go into and picking the right one was always a gamble. if they do change over, maybe i will bring my art back to ebay!

[dreamwalker46]

Sounds like a lot of changes just to confuse me more in listing. I list my husband's work and I usually use the aceo listing. As far as sra? Don't even know what it means. I just sell his originals. So....what does this mean to me? Wish I knew! Personally, I hope they leave it alone. Robin

[crickets_pets]

Robin, Sra means that "YOU" are a self representing artist. If you are representing your husband, and not yourself. Then you should not be listing in that catagory.

[moonlightjourney]

I really want them to keep SRA. It's a broad enough category for all of us no matter what type of art we do. We can always be more specific in out titles. Mine usually say "altered art collage" or something along those lines. -Lynne

[purple*cucumbers]

Y'all need to leave the SRA ALONE,DON'T GO CHANGING WHAT WORKS FOR US ARTIST.DO NOT CHANGE THE SRA,WE NEED IT.IF IT'S NOT BROKE DON'T FIX IT AND SRA IS NOT BROKE.