Community Chat, Oct 4th @ 1pm PT - General Topics

[alan@ebay]

Hello, 

Please join the Community team here at 1 pm PT today for our weekly chat. You may have seen that we were scheduled to discuss Structured Data today, but unfortunately, our eBay expert is unwell. 

Talk with you soon! 

[Anonymous]

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@golfingaddict wrote:

@Anonymous

Sorry to hear you are leaving us... Hope we didn't scare you off.

Good luck in the future.  Thank you for all of your help.

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Thanks, @golfingaddict!

You didn't scare me at all! I'm truly going to miss everyone here on the boards and I'm hoping I'll be able to check in occasionally at some point. 

[vrykalak]

When I list something that is in eBay's catalog, why doesn't the info from the catalog fill in the item specifics?

If I Sell Similar, the Item Specifics are there.
But if I start a new listing, I have to retype them all.

[vrykalak]

Used to be able to sort UNSOLD by price, and probably some other things.

Now can only sort by time ended:  recent first or recent last.

Sometimes, I want to relist only high-priced things, or things that had watchers, and want to have those sorts available.

Any chance we can get those other sort filters back?

[brian_burke@ebay]

@vrykalak

Check out the Fall 2016 Seller Update for the basics on structured data - http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/fallupdate16/structured-data.html

And this page in Seller Center - http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing/structured-data.html

Thanks for selling on eBay!

Brian

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Unfortunately, I guess this is a structured data question? Or at least, an item specific question. When I list an unframed painting (such as a Paint By Number) I use the paintings dimensions to fill in the measurements IS. But what do I use if the painting is framed? The frame measurements or the painting's measurements?

[Anonymous]

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@vrykalak wrote:

When I list something that is in eBay's catalog, why doesn't the info from the catalog fill in the item specifics?

If I Sell Similar, the Item Specifics are there.
But if I start a new listing, I have to retype them all.

---

Hi @vrykalak! I just tried this and it looks like the catalog is populating Item Specifics on the item. You do have the option to add additional specifics but there are some pre-filled. If you aren't seeing that on an item, it's possible the information hasn't been added to the catalog just yet.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Sellers have been requesting various additions to the branded shipping supplies selection, especially new box sizes. Any new box sizes for the Holidays? Or just the same old same old?

[Anonymous]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Unfortunately, I guess this is a structured data question? Or at least, an item specific question. When I list an unframed painting (such as a Paint By Number) I use the paintings dimensions to fill in the measurements IS. But what do I use if the painting is framed? The frame measurements or the painting's measurements?

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Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques! I would suggest using the actual painting dimensions in the item specifics and then include the dimensions with the frame in the description. It might not be a bad idea to clarify the differences in your description so buyers know what measurement is for what.

[Anonymous]

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@vrykalak wrote:

Used to be able to sort UNSOLD by price, and probably some other things.

Now can only sort by time ended:  recent first or recent last.

Sometimes, I want to relist only high-priced things, or things that had watchers, and want to have those sorts available.

Any chance we can get those other sort filters back?

---

Hi @vrykalak, those options are now only available through the Unsold section in Seller Hub. I recommend opting into our Seller Hub so you can filter by price and take advantage of a number of other benefits of this tool! Go here for more details on this resource 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Heidi, Yes, I generally do that. But may I suggest that since ebay auto generates these IS fields, perhaps ebay could be more specific, so that a buyer glancing at the IS knows whether ebay means framed or unframed? Maybe ebay could provide two different measurement sets, one for framed, one for unframed. If the item is unframed, the seller would simply not bother to fill in the framed set. Given that so many buyers never read the full description (especially on mobile) this seems particularly important to avoid buyer disappointment.

[brian_burke@ebay]

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@vrykalak wrote:

What is the point of requiring BIN price to be 99¢ or more?

What supposed evil was that requirement supposed to fix?

Does it benefit anyone? Certainly not me or a potential buyer,

who may wnat the item, but can't wait 7 or 10 days to buy it.

If I want to sell an iten for 25¢, I should be allowed to.

---

@vrykalak

Unlike an auction where the item price can increase over the duration of the listing, the listed Buy it Now price + shipping is the amount the buyer will pay. We set the minimum for a couple reasons:

1. It is tough to make a profit on a $1 item with reasonable shipping. Even hard for an item that you are selling for 25 cents.

2.  Sellers were listing items for one cent and then charging $40 for shipping. If the buyer had to return the item, the seller was only refunding one cent.

3. Sellers were listing items at low costs to "pad" their feedback.

None of these behaviors were good for building trust in the marketplace, which means it isn't good for our sellers. 

Questions for you: What item would you like to sell for 25 cents? How much would you charge for shipping? How much profit do you make on these items you want to sell for 25 cents?

Thanks for selling on eBay.

Brian

[vrykalak]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@vrykalak wrote:

When I list something that is in eBay's catalog, why doesn't the info from the catalog fill in the item specifics?

If I Sell Similar, the Item Specifics are there.
But if I start a new listing, I have to retype them all.

---

Hi @vrykalak! I just tried this and it looks like the catalog is populating Item Specifics on the item. You do have the option to add additional specifics but there are some pre-filled. If you aren't seeing that on an item, it's possible the information hasn't been added to the catalog just yet.

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#382242670978: all the details are there from the catalog, but I had to type in specifics: the author, publication date, etc.

[doug@ebay]

Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques, I double-checked, and there are no new box sized for holiday, sorry!

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Sellers have been requesting various additions to the branded shipping supplies selection, especially new box sizes. Any new box sizes for the Holidays? Or just the same old same old?

---

[Anonymous]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Heidi, Yes, I generally do that. But may I suggest that since ebay auto generates these IS fields, perhaps ebay could be more specific, so that a buyer glancing at the IS knows whether ebay means framed or unframed? Maybe ebay could provide two different measurement sets, one for framed, one for unframed. If the item is unframed, the seller would simply not bother to fill in the framed set. Given that so many buyers never read the full description (especially on mobile) this seems particularly important to avoid buyer disappointment.

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Thanks, @my-cottage-books-and-antiques. You can create your own item specific and title it framed or unframed for clarity. It's not pre-populated but it could work for listings like this example.

[vrykalak]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@vrykalak wrote:

Used to be able to sort UNSOLD by price, and probably some other things.

Now can only sort by time ended:  recent first or recent last.

Sometimes, I want to relist only high-priced things, or things that had watchers, and want to have those sorts available.

Any chance we can get those other sort filters back?

---

Hi @vrykalak, those options are now only available through the Unsold section in Seller Hub. I recommend opting into our Seller Hub so you can filter by price and take advantage of a number of other benefits of this tool! Go here for more details on this resource 

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What is the point of deliberately REMOVING capabilities outside of Seller Hub?
That inconveniences those of us who avoid Seller Hub for valid reasons.
And it uses time and energy by eBay staff to REMOVE capabilities, that should be spent on improving the site.
Grrrrrrr.