Watch List Categories

[glennls2]

As a long time buyer on eBay and a Concierge Member, I have been a collector of Japanese Swords.  I am a former President of the Japanese Sword Society, creator of 2 major exhibits in my city, correspond internationally with others authoritative in Japanese Swords, provide online consultation and conduct a discussion forum, all in regard to Japanese Swords.  The majority of swords I collect are 600-700 years old and many have been purchased online.  The Japanese Sword is unequalled in workmanship and artistic and aesthetic appeal, has been a national icon for over 12 centuries representing the dignity and strength of the Japanese people, and is revered and collected in countries across the world.  There are Japanese Sword Societies in every country and numerous books and other written materials devoted to the esoteric study of this unique item.  Sword furniture and other associated items are also of high collector interest and also command high prices internationally.  

I found it curious that on my Watch List, 2 antique(and genuine) Japanese Swords were categorized under the heading of "Weird Stuff."  I think that this is insulting to me as a collector and student, as well as to the item itself, which is the epitomy of dignity, workmanship and aesthetic appeal.  Perhaps not enough thought was put into this categorization, and it seems that simple ignorance is evidenced here, inconsistent with a worldwide marketplace.  More appropriate categorization as "Antique" or "Antique Art Object", or simply "Antique Japanese Sword(distinguishing it from cheap contemporary copies)" would seem so much more suitable.  Just for fun, I placed a Frederick Remington bronze, probably less than 150 years old, cast, and entailing much less effort to construct, on my watch list.  It was categorized as "Art Object."

[maxine*j]

With a few exceptions (e.g., "adult" materials), a seller may put an item in pretty much any category he chooses,  so he could list the sword under Antiques > Asian Antiques > Japan > Swords  -or-  Collectibles > Knives, Swords & Blades > Swords & Sabers > Asian > Japanese  -or-  any one of a half dozen other categories.  He could list it in more than one cateogry, for that matter.  So, you have on your watch list something a seller decided to list as "Weird Stuff". 

I search only for specific items, and I never do a general category search which would take hours and hours of my time, so it's immaterial to me how items are listed, because I'll find what I'm interested in.   I believe most people do likewise.

You may well feel that someone who would list a fine, antique, Japanese sword as "Weird Stuff" is someone you don't care to do business with, though. 

[patd3283]

Ebay has recently been trying to implement a category like structure without a whole lot of success.  The AI bots place things in categories in which they may not apply.

Search as Maxine suggested and you might avoid a lot of this messx\.

Patd

[glennls2]

Thank you for your reply.  I had no idea that it would be a seller that would decide on behalf of eBay how any given item would be categorized.  This somehow seems to defy logic that someone outside of the management of eBay would determine the categorization of any given item.  I would expect more responsibility on the part of eBay to manage how sale items would be characterized.  Following that logic, I could, as a seller decide for the entire organization to place the Remington sculpture in a category like "old American junk" or "overpriced antique bronze."  Could it be a matter of a lack of expertise?  

I would, indeed, avoid purchasing from such a seller, who obviously has an irresponsible attitude about his sale items, but further, I expect eBay, as an organization, to be in full control of all aspects of its enterprise.  

[glennls2]

An additional thought just occurred to me after I posted my previous reply:  Are you saying that the seller of those specific items I referred to on my watch list is the one who decided that they were to be categorized under "weird stuff"?  Being personally acquainted with that seller, and having purchased a number of similar items from him, that would be unbelievable.  Or, is it as I assumed previously, that some seller of a similar item, in the past, decided to categorize it as "weird stuff" and that categorization persisted for all similar items from other sellers?  If it is the former, I will take this matter up with him.  

It hardly affects how and what I will watch or purchase in the future in any event, but I do have higher expectations of eBay.

[maxine*j]

Within certain loose guidelines, eBay buyers and sellers are on their own, because eBay is a venue -- a status it has had upheld in court.  Unlike other on-line sellers, such as Amazon or Etsy, it does not process payment or otherwise insert itself much into the direct seller-to-buyer transactions for which it provides a venue. 

For all the criticism that the venue-only approach gets, it works and has worked for 23 years:  There are about 25 million sellers registered on eBay and about 175 million buyers.  Currently,. there are about 1 billion items listed for sales.  It operates wordwide and the gross value of sales is pushing $90 billion annually.

Think about those facts and you will quickly see that eBay could not police individual listings, even it wanted to -- and it does not want to, as it steadfastly maintains and protects its venue-only status.

  Let go of your expectations for eBay, and enjoy eBay for what it is. 

And, by the way, people often come to this board with questions about Japanese swords (or what they think are Japanese swords), and your expertise here would be a great asset.  I hope you'll check in from time to time and answer a few questions for people.