Community Chat, November 3 @ 1:00 pm PT - General Topics

[tyler@ebay]

Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so feel free to share any general buying or selling questions you may have.

The chat thread will remain open until 2 PM PT at which point we'll close it from additional responses. After that time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

To post your question, click Reply in the lower right corner of this post, type your question, and hit submit between 1-2 PM Pacific Time. The format of our chat mirrors the format of our Community Discussion Boards, where each post will appear in the thread chronologically. The Community Team will review each question as it comes in, and will quote the original question in our reply. This quote and the reply will appear later in the thread, so just keep scrolling down to see our answers.

Missed the chat? Send your questions to the podcast by calling  888-723-4630 or email us at podcast@ebay.com and maybe your questions will make it on the air! Or listen to past episodes while you wait for next Wednesday!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Since store home pages got a revamp, just wondering: any plans to revamp the listing page design as well?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here

[a_c_green]

Hi all, 

What is the current status of the ongoing problem with Khoros being unable to retrieve the poster's avatar, feedback count and item listings from eBay? In particular, what further work (debugging, testing, etc.) has been performed on this since this time last week? Thanks...

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Edit: A reply to  your question can be found here. 

[eleanor*rigby]

As a buyer, I haven't had to file for a return request in ages; however, I've heard a rumor that buyers are now required to upload photographic evidence for SNAD returns.

Can you verify this? And, if it's true, could you discuss options for buyers who don't have the resources necessary to upload photos? 

Thanks!

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here

[jasmen@ebay]

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@valueaddedresource wrote:

In the Fall seller update there were supposed to be some new features coming for the Listing Quality Report "this month" (which would have been September).  I'm not seeing any of these yet - any updated timeframe?

This month, the Listing Quality Report will be available to download in three formats:

A PDF “one-page summary”
An Excel “full report” with one tab per category
A CSV “raw data” file, to be exported for further analysis

In the past, you could see the analysis of your 10 categories with the most live listings. You’ll now be in control of which categories will show up in the report. You’ll also have the option to keep the existing analysis, using the top 10 categories with the most live listings.

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@valueaddedresource I will push back on this and see what info I can get to update with! Thanks! 

[blueberriefrog]

Hi,

Just a little suggestion. Is there any way we can move "Category" above "Item Specifics" on the listing page. I use the Sell Similar feature quite often and after I have either completed or almost completed the Item Specifics I notice the item is in the wrong category. When the category is changed ALL the item specifics are deleted. 

[tyler@ebay]

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@neglus wrote:

So, in pursuit of trying to figure out why I am getting no sales, I attempted a mass edit of all of listings to bulk edit what I could in "item specifics" (I sell OOAK postcards so there isn't much bulk editing I can do). I was really puzzled when I was presented with this (see screen shot). It showed I had 1823 total listings but then only showed a total of 981 listings (between Topo, non-topo and trade card categories) ...where are the other 842 listings? Thanks for the helpEbay bulk edit screen shot Nov 2 2021

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Hi @neglus - that does seem a little unusual (barring multi-quantity listings, but it sounds like you don't have any of those). I'd recommend working with CS so they can review your account in more detail and potentially file a ticket if it appears to be a technical issue, but from what I can see all 1824 listings are visible from your storefront. 

Thanks!

[pjcdn2005]

Thanks jasmen@ebay but that doesn't really answer my question.  Sellers listing on .com must ship to the US, it isn't an option to block the US.   So if a seller is in Sri Lanka and they are registered on .com are they only allowed to sell to the US and their own country until they meet all of those requirements?  If so, how does that make sense since shipping from Sri Lanka to the US is selling internationally.   

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[eleanor*rigby]

Several sellers have posted threads on the Selling board regarding the new feature requiring immediate payment (or a variation thereof) on the "offer" feature. These sellers seem to have been blindsided by the change and claim to  have learned about it from their buyers. 

Now we learn that this is a limited testing situation with a small group of sellers; however, were these sellers indeed not informed that their accounts were being included in the testing phase? Were they really given no notice or any specifics on what to expect? 

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[tyler@ebay]

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@casprrr wrote:

Another issue, which is an inconvenience rather than a serious problem, is that when I "sell similar", I lose all my item specifics and have to re-enter each one. The same thing happens if I merely update or modify the category of an existing listing. It's not like the material or manufacturer suddenly changed. Maybe there is a way to fix this? It sure would be helpful!

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Ooooh this is a fair point @casprrr - I know historically switching an items' category resets the input specifics (even if there is some overlap between which specifics they are - as you say, material is material). 

Let me talk with the category and item specifics teams and see if we're missing an easy fix, or if it's on the roadmap for a future enhancement. 

Thanks!

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Edit:

@casprrr - the team says that some things should be persistent when you change categories and are asking for a bit more detail. I'll be sending an email with more info - please keep an eye on your registered email address inbox!

[clarkphilatelics]

According to the Scott Specialized Catalog of US Stamps and Covers, a stamp I am offering for sale is described as "red orange".  I received a recommendation from eBay that I should change the color Item Specific to "orange" for better site visibility. How can eBay define a Stamps Category "Color" Item Specific filter with a fixed number of colors to search an unbounded list of colors? Who would use such an item specific? I believe that I would look ridiculous to potential buyers if I described a "red orange" stamp as "orange". Instead of artificial intelligence, could eBay for once provide some real intelligence?

[lacemaker3]

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jasmen@ebay wrote:

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Hi Tyler, this topic has come up a few times on the boards, especially since there has been quite a few new sellers from other countries who are starting to list on .com. 

From the help pages..

When you offer international shipping in your listings, your items are automatically available to buyers outside the United States.

You can either offer international shipping or list directly on supported international sites. An additional international fee may apply.

Before you can sell internationally, you'll need to:

• Have an eBay account in good standing
• Have earned at least 10 feedback points as a seller
• Have made your first successful sale more than 90 days ago
• Post in an eligible category. Ineligible categories for international sales include Video Games, Movies & TV, Hunting knives, Auto parts, and Vehicles

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling/selling-internationally?id=4132

 Is that bolded part for all ebay sellers?  If so, would that mean that an international seller who does not have an ebay site in their country and lists on .com is only allowed to sell to the US and their own country until they meet the above criteria?  I’ve always found that ‘rule’ very confusing as it seems odd that ebay would say that someone in Sri Lanka can only sell to the US but not anywhere else until they have 10 seller feedback and have been selling for 90 days. Plus, I’ve never actually seen this rule enforced by ebay.

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Hey there @pjcdn2005 thanks for bringing this up! The rules you stated are only specific to members listing on and that are registered on eBay.com. each site (.DE .CA . UK etc..) has their own set of rules. It all depends on what site a member registers on. 

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jasmen@ebay , I think you misunderstood this, because you didn't address or answer the question that was asked.

The question was about international sellers, who don't have an eBay website in their own country, so they choose to register and sell on eBay.com. Are they restricted to only selling to buyers in the USA, as a strict interpretation of the policy that was quoted would indicate?

Why would they not be allowed to sell to buyers in their own country, for example?

[neglus]

Thanks Tyler. I will check with CS, but frankly, they have not been much help lately except to acknowledge something is a known problem. I know you can see all my items (if you can figure out how to get my store, and know how to navigate the new storefront AND can figure out that you have to click on that little black button at the bottom to see more items) in my storefront. My biggest concern is, are they showing up in the main ebay SEARCH results? Thanks

[mi-294]

No sales for several days. I am a top rated seller. My items don't appear or they appear at the bottom of the search. Only promoted items appear and even that not very high. My regular returning buyers can't find my items, sometimes even my store. What you have done to ebay? Is not only me, several top rated sellers are facing similar issues. Are you forcing us to promote all our items? The plan is to ruin all sellers? And please don't tell me you are sorry because you don't.

Thank you.

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Edit: A reply to your questions can be found here

[jasmen@ebay]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

Good afternoon!

I have a question as to WHEN a tracking number should be updated to the sale info.  There seems to be some confusion regarding a policy that used to state that it must be updated PRIOR to any claim or dispute.  Now the policy pages say the seller has three days AFTER a dispute is filed.  

Here is the part in question:  

Starting September 10, 2018, you will be required to upload tracking in the structured data field before the estimated delivery date has passed in order to appeal an "item not received" claim. eBay will not protect you from a claim if you send the tracking number to the buyer via email.

Without tracking information, eBay can't protect you because we won't be able to confirm your item was delivered. Tracking also benefits buyers by enabling them to track the status of their deliveries. We will also update the eBay Money Back Guarantee policy with the new guidelines.

Could you please explain why this is no longer part of the eBay policy, and generally when the requirement was removed? Perhaps I am missing something, but I can find no information or announcement regarding when or why the guidelines apparently have changed yet again.

If that policy were still enforced it would seemingly aid the numerous BUYERS that do not receive their products, file an INR, only to lose the case due to some fake tracking number being provided to show "delivered" even when the number originated prior to the buyer even making the purchase. 

Thanks! 

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Hello @ittybitnot!

To answer your question, you should upload tracking as soon as you have purchased your label to the sale itself. You can see the policy in detail here, but I'm not sure I understand your question. For eBay to protect you you'll want to upload tracking to your case ASAP, but we give 3 days before we'll step in. If the buyer feels there's fake tracking they can report the seller and appeal the case for us to take a deeper dive. 

[clarkphilatelics]

This month, I was sold a few items on eBay.de (Germany). However, I notice that the Managed Payment details does not convert Gross or Fees from Euros.  Worse, using the provided conversion, the derived dollar price is lower than the US price and the amounts do not add up. Where is the money going? Who can I contact at eBay to find out where the missing money is? For a 7-dollar sale, 23 cents is missing. Is this the tip of the Managed Payments iceberg?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here.