eBay please fix this exploit some sellers are using to hide their sold listings

[fredspremiumcloset]

If, as a seller, you go to site preferences and check the out-of-stock option it has the effect of hiding your item from sold search results. This is designed for multi-quantity listings which are typically always new items. However, people are doing this for their used one-off items from thrift stores for example.  They are exploiting the system in order to hide their sold results.

This hurts eBay in this way: if everyone did this, then sellers could not get accurate information when they are buying their goods to resell. I depend on accurate sold search results in order to make my buying decisions to resell on eBay. If I don't have this, then I am buying blind. 

Maybe a fix for this is to only enable the option for new items. 

Thanks for the consideration.

[fredspremiumcloset]

What is eBay's stance on this?

[rixstuff]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:

You don't seem to get it.

Sold listings being hidden is the issue. Disappearing sold items as if they were never listed. Maybe you don't ever look at sold listings, but most sellers and many buyers do to get valuations on items, see trends, etc.

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I have no problem seeing what previous items have sold for.  How are you doing it?

[partial*eclipse]

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@rixstuff wrote:

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 ... I have no problem seeing what previous items have sold for.  How are you doing it?

You have no problem seeing what items have sold for, unless they were set up with the "Out of stock" option, in which case they do not show up when you look at Sold listings.

[fredspremiumcloset]

I'm not sure how rampant this is. If you were someone trying to get into retail arbitrage, for example shoes from Nordstrom Rack or something, eventually you wouldn't be able to make a sound buying decision if everyone is hiding their sold listings. Was this eBay's intention?

[atikovi]

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

You have no problem seeing what items have sold for, unless they were set up with the "Out of stock" option, in which case they do not show up when you look at Sold listings.

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This must be such a small percentage of sold listing as to be pretty inconsequential. Combined with the fact you can only see sold listings to 2 weeks back makes this issue pretty minor. That Ebay lets members see any of the sold listings for free is pretty generous. I don't know why, with their desire to squeeze as much money out of user as possible, they don't charge members for that. Well actually they do, or did, when you could buy a subscription to view sold listings back to I think 90 days.

[partial*eclipse]

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@atikovi wrote:

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 ... This must be such a small percentage of sold listing as to be pretty inconsequential. Combined with the fact you can only see sold listings to 2 weeks back ...

I agree that the OP's case is overstated, and that the percentage of sellers who might be using this strategy is probably tiny.  Perhaps it has caught on  in some specific categories?

By the way, anybody can see Sold listings going back 90 days either by using Advanced Search or if you do a regular basic Search, and then click on "Sold" in the column of options on the left side of the results page, you get Sold items going back 90 days.  If you click on "Completed" you get the 90 days of Sold listings, plus Unsold going back 30 days.

[fredspremiumcloset]

You can currently see sold listings for a history time of 90 days back in the eBay app or eBay desktop website.

[ruslis3]

this post is "close" to what I cannot seem to have "results" for - no matter how I phrase the search words - I am a victim of a large jewely theft, and am searching my "parameter described" stolen jewelry for nearby Sellers. Some, who I suspect (Pawn Shop owners with their items listed) - what I am confused about, it they have many recent ratings, ... jewelry listings that come and go... not listed for long... because they do not want the stolen items seen. Then further, when I go to check any items they (likely) sold - it is more upsetting because 'there are just a few solds there' and yet feedback of a "great transaction" ...  This forum keeps talking about Seller issues, but none that address that a Seller is hiding Sold listings to prevent anyone finding - identifying - a stolen item sold. Any feedback if this thread is not too old! would be welcomed! 

[atikovi]

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@fredspremiumcloset wrote:
You can currently see sold listings for a history time of 90 days back in the eBay app or eBay desktop website.

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Understand. Ebay keeps them a lot longer, probably for legal reasons but doesn't make them available to users via a search.  I can still see this listing from Jan 2017 I sold https://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-Saturn-Vue-Redline-with-FREE-DELIVERY-/152404606325?nma=true&si=9Xmhmu...

[rgretro]

I see my GTC listings with multiple quantity continually available show in my sold listings; however, it is usually a hit or miss - and usually a miss. Most do not show and when they do show it is usually a few weeks after with a wrong date (the wrong date being the date that it suddenly appeared). Sometimes, it never actually shows in sold until after the GTC listing is ended.

Or what if the seller edited the listing of an in stock item and changed the price?? - the system just gets confused and defults to the current price of the GTC listing.

While we are on the topic of the accuracy of sold listings, what about the issue if the completed sale was for an item that was marked down and the sold listings displays it selling as the original price? You would have to research each particular seller when you are researching a sold item. If the seller has a tendency to have all or most of their listings marked down on sale, then you cannot trust any price data showing for their sold listings because it does not take sales or promotions into account.

Could this be a malicous attempt to get items to sell for more based on inflated appraisal prices so that more commissions can be generated? That would sound like grounds for a class action lawsuit. It's probably not a likely scenario but you never know.

I have to end this with 3 words:

1) Only a "Guideline"

2) Buggy

3) Very Buggy