mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on October 23rd for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a set topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have on buying or selling.
The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread. While no additional questions can be submitted after this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that may still be unanswered.
If you're new to the chat, welcome! Simply Reply to this post with your question from 1-2 PM Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it for you.
Please note that this is a general topics chat, and we're happy to work on getting you answers. For the latest information and updates on the Item Specifics technical issue please review the the Seller News Announcements.
Additionally, I wanted to notify the Community that starting October 24th, 2019 I will be out of the office for at least two weeks recovering from having my tonsils removed. While I'm away, the rest of the Community Team will still be available 
brian@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@millcreekrescue909 wrote:I was having trouble with my PayPal account. PayPal had placed a hold on it and when I tried to revise my eBay listings, a message came up at the top of each listing which stated “It looks like there is a problem with this listing. Payment Options – You must have a valid PayPal account in good standing to require immediate payment.” (See photo.) Therefore, I was unable to revise them. On 10/21 I called PayPal and it was their error as they were requiring a Japanese Driver’s License on a U.S. account. This was supposed to have been fixed two months earlier. They corrected the problem and cleared the account.
I was told by PayPal that it might take as long as 24 hours for eBay to update my listings. So, on 10/22, when the issue was not corrected, I called eBay CS and spoke to a Sales Specialist who told me that I was the fifth seller who had called that day to report their system not updating. She said she would report my problem to the technical team and it would receive priority attention. (Although I already knew that this was not true.)
Now it is 10/23 and the problem has not been corrected. I’m assuming that this is part of the problem eBay is having right now regarding listing revisions but I am not sure. This is causing me major problems!
Does eBay ever test these changes before they roll them out site-wide? If you do, it’s not working. And if you don’t, you should be. It is ridiculous that these SERIOUS issues come up at all, but this time of year it is just unacceptable, especially those with ISB issues. And, when they do occur, they are almost never fixed in a timely manner. This is beyond outrageous! It appears to me that we are paying you to be Guinea pigs!
Instead of continuously hearing that you are working on these issues 24/7, we need an estimated completion date.
Hi @millcreekrescue909, there is a known issue with this. Our developers are aware and are working to resolve it. From what's I've seen, removing the Immediate Payment Required option will remove the error and let the revision go through.
That is a TERRIBLE option on some types of products. Some it would be fine, but others, it would open an entire separate and potentially serious set of issues.
So there is no ETA on fixing this known issue?
Hi @mam98031, no ETA at this time.
I am confident your tech team is working VERY hard on all these issues. This one is pretty darn significant, I'm surprised we can't get more information about the progress. I mean a realistic ETA.
So are the only options at this time for products you need to keep IPR on is to put your store on Vaca or close the listings until the problem is resolved??
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@millcreekrescue909 wrote:
I was having trouble with my PayPal account. PayPal had placed a hold on it and when I tried to revise my eBay listings, a message came up at the top of each listing which stated “It looks like there is a problem with this listing. Payment Options – You must have a valid PayPal account in good standing to require immediate payment.” (See photo.) Therefore, I was unable to revise them. On 10/21 I called PayPal and it was their error as they were requiring a Japanese Driver’s License on a U.S. account. This was supposed to have been fixed two months earlier. They corrected the problem and cleared the account.
I was told by PayPal that it might take as long as 24 hours for eBay to update my listings. So, on 10/22, when the issue was not corrected, I called eBay CS and spoke to a Sales Specialist who told me that I was the fifth seller who had called that day to report their system not updating. She said she would report my problem to the technical team and it would receive priority attention. (Although I already knew that this was not true.)
Now it is 10/23 and the problem has not been corrected. I’m assuming that this is part of the problem eBay is having right now regarding listing revisions but I am not sure. This is causing me major problems!
Does eBay ever test these changes before they roll them out site-wide? If you do, it’s not working. And if you don’t, you should be. It is ridiculous that these SERIOUS issues come up at all, but this time of year it is just unacceptable, especially those with ISB issues. And, when they do occur, they are almost never fixed in a timely manner. This is beyond outrageous! It appears to me that we are paying you to be Guinea pigs!
Instead of continuously hearing that you are working on these issues 24/7, we need an estimated completion date.
Hi @millcreekrescue909, there is a known issue with this. Our developers are aware and are working to resolve it. From what's I've seen, removing the Immediate Payment Required option will remove the error and let the revision go through.
That is a TERRIBLE option on some types of products. Some it would be fine, but others, it would open an entire separate and potentially serious set of issues.
So there is no ETA on fixing this known issue?
Hi @mam98031, no ETA at this time.
I am confident your tech team is working VERY hard on all these issues. This one is pretty darn significant, I'm surprised we can't get more information about the progress. I mean a realistic ETA.
So are the only options at this time for products you need to keep IPR on is to put your store on Vaca or close the listings until the problem is resolved??
Hi @mam98031, this should only effect listings during a revision. If a listing does not need to be revised then it should be OK. If it's imperative that an effected item needs to be revised then the seller can remove Immediate Payment. If this isn't something a seller is comfortable doing, they can end the listing and relist when the issue is resolved, or they can use the Out Of Stock option and set the quantity to 0 to ensure the item doesn't lose the it's history.
@coffeebean832 wrote:
Will boutique sizing for the women's category ever be added to the sizing options along with juniors, regular, plus, petite? Boutique sizing causes a lot of problems with listing and search.
Example: boutique size 2 = regular size 12/14 or large
When a seller puts in size 2- well you can see what happens.
Hi @coffeebean832 - that seems like a sound suggestion, I'll get that escalated internally. However, if you will also send that over to sdsupport@ebay.com it lights the candle at both ends!
@postcardcountry wrote:
When we find errors in the system, who do we report them to? What is the process?
example: seller hub has a sales report. I thought downloading this would help reduce the amount of paper I use. However, the tracking number does not show in it's entirety. So the report needs to be fixed.
example: seller hub - print an invoice for your own use (under completed orders). This will give me the tracking number, the cost of freight, the price of the item. However, the shipped on date is inaccurate. Shipping labels were printed with 'tomorrows' date, for shipping tomorrow. On this form, the date shipped is the date the shipping paper was printed. If I process sales on Saturday with the intent to ship on Monday, this form is even more off.
example: Collectables - advertising - any choice on that tree ends with an item specific "color". Vintage ads are not red, green, orange. This is a totally irrelevant item specific.
So when we find all of this, who do we report it to so it will get fixed?
Hi @postcardcountry the Community team can take your feedback and give it the appropriate teams. I just downloaded several Order Reports and found that the full tracking number is present, so I'm not able to replicate the issue you mention here. If you can post a screenshot of what you see in a different thread then we'll be happy to take a look.
We can pass along the rest of your feedback to the Seller Hub team. Thanks!
@mam98031 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@carlqsportscards wrote:
What's up with the new feedback page design? I find it ugly.
Are there improvements that I haven't noticed?
Hi @carlqsportscards, we are making updates to the feedback page to align with the design of the rest of the site for a more streamlined, cleaner look. If you have specific feedback you are welcome to share it here and we will pass this along!
But what we are trying to express here is that it isn't. It isn't more streamlined, it is much harder to follow. It isn't cleaner, it is as fields seem to run together because of the lack of definition between fields. What makes dropping all the links to the bottom of the page easier to use? They are easier to use at the bottom of the page verses the top how exactly?
OMG please don't tell me we have other screens coming with this type of format used!!! What other screens will be taking on this type of design?
Hi @mam98031, the details you've provided are great examples of feedback that can be passed along for consideration. A large number of eBay pages already have a similar formatting; our help pages, various pages within My eBay (Selling, Purchase History, Summary, etc.), many pages within Seller Hub. The more specific the feedback we receive here, the better equipped we are to suggest changes
I appreciate you passing in along, but I gave my FB on the page when I first saw it. I don't expect that my opinion will have any affect on it one way or the other. It appears Ebay is set on this horrible design.
I've just never understood that why when Ebay deems it necessary to re-design a screen that they make it harder to use for the seller. That has never made sense to me as it should be the opposite. A simple thing of moving those links is a perfect example. Now we have to scroll down to the bottom to use them. That benefits who exactly? That benefits the design how exactly? All that vast white open space is beneficial how? Oh I could go on. Coffeebean did a great job recapping some of the issues that people that actually use the screens are experiencing.
Hi @mam98031, I will be sure to pass this along to the appropriate teams. I can confirm that moving uncommonly used links lower on the page is a common practice and while I understand some sellers regularly use these options, overall these are not utilized by our Community so moving them lower makes sense. Additionally, when looking at the feedback page and hitting the "End" button on my keyboard, I am taken to the bottom of the page immediately and can see the links you are referencing. You may need to scroll up slightly depending on the resolution of your screen.
As for white space, while this does seem to raise concerns for more tenured buyers and sellers as they experienced a very different design focus on maximizing space and standing out in the earlier days of eBay, the market has shifted and the current market expectation is more focused on a minimalistic objective. Open white space is optimal for formatting on a mobile platform, generally creates less eye strain, and has become the industry standard.
This doesn't mean we can't make changes if needed. I'll pass along the feedback here for consideration and appreciate everyone sharing examples
Site Issues
Q: I am receiving an error message when revising a listing. It states, “You must have a valid PayPal account in good standing to require immediate payment.” My PayPal account is in good standing. Why am I getting this error?
A: There is a known issue with this that effects listings during a revision. Our developers are aware and are working to resolve it. As a workaround, removing the Immediate Payment Required option will remove the error and let the revision go through.
Q: When we find errors in the system, who do we report them to? What is the process
A: The Community team can take member feedback and give it the appropriate teams.
Feedback Profile
Q: What's up with the new feedback page design? I find it ugly. Are there improvements that I haven't noticed?
A: We are making updates to the feedback page to align with the design of the rest of the site for a more streamlined, cleaner look.
Listing Categories and Item Specifics
Q: The unisex clothing categories have disappeared and items that were listed as unisex have been changed to mens. Can we at least get the Unisex designation back to t-shirts?
A: There were category updates made on October 15th, as announced in the Fall Seller Update. Most of the Unisex clothing categories were retired. A full list of the category updates can be found here. As always, we're happy to take note of feedback regarding site updates.
Q: According to the eBay announcement- In certain categories, UPC product identifier will show as a required field with no “Does Not Apply” option. If you do not have a UPC, please leave the field blank and do not insert random numbers. Does this mean we should remove does not apply from all our existing listings that use this in the UPC field? Is there a list of the "certain categories" published anywhere? Why is it suddenly recommended to leave the field blank when previously it was required to enter does not apply? I'm guessing it has something to do with Google not liking does not apply on all those listings.
A: For listings where you are still able to select 'Does Not Apply' you may continue to do so, but for those categories where it is no longer an option you would either need to input one or leave it blank. The largest reason to advise leaving it blank is to prevent misinformation getting into search filters (in the case of inputting fake numbers) or creating several irrelevant search filters. The Community team will see if there's more information we can find and will loop back as we hear back.
Q: On the item specifics issue, several sellers have commented that the new fields cannot be updated in the bulk editor. To date I've not seen this addressed by any eBay staff. Is eBay aware of this issue and is it being addressed?
A: There isn't a way to effectively edit item specifics in bulk that we're aware of, and there are no current plans to alter the way the Bulk Edit tool works. The Community Team will review the questions on the tech issues board and make sure they're brought up with the right folks.
Q: Will boutique sizing for the women's clothing category ever be added to the sizing options along with juniors, regular, plus, petite? Boutique sizing causes a lot of problems with listing and search.
A: This seems like a sound suggestion, we'll get that escalated internally. However, if you will also send that over to sdsupport@ebay.com it lights the candle at both ends!
Seller Hub
Q: Recently Ebay changed the Seller Hub All Orders page and removed several columns/items that used to be there. One of the items removed was the ZIP CODE that was the column on the far-right hand side. Please also inform the tech department that several sellers over on the sellers hub board have asked for these to be put back.
A: We appreciate your feedback on this and will be sure to take note of it!
Q: I have 3 active items with questions from buyers and that message stays there as long as the item is listed, regardless of how long ago the message came. These messages didn't need a reply: I answered a question, and the questioner was thanking me. My Message file goes back to 21 April. All three of these messages are older than that. Request that these notices be deleted after 90 days.
A: Sellers can mark these questions as answered using the drop-down menu next to the item. We just tested this in both the Seller Hub and My eBay > All Selling views and was able to remove the notice that there is an unanswered question for that item.
Listing Fees
Q: Why are store subscription-based accounts charged insertion fees in Home and Garden for auction listings. With the consolidation of categories, it's becoming more burdensome.
A: The free insertion fee credits only apply to certain categories. You can find a list here.
