Community Chat, Sept 27th @ 1pm PT - General Topics

[alan@ebay]

Hi all, 

Please join us for our weekly Community chat this afternoon at 1 pm Pacific on Wednesday 9/27. We do not have a set topic for the week, so feel free to ask us what is on your mind!

Chat with you then 

[laylajames9]

There is a buyer block for buyers with 2 or more unpaid items in the last 12 months. Now that immediate payment is forced on buy-it-now listings meeting certain criteria I would like the option to choose on which listing format this UPI buyer block applies.

Can you ask that they adjust this buyer block so sellers can choose to apply it to auctions, fixed price or both?

I do still want to block these buyers on auctions but I don't want to block them on fixed price. With IPR forced it no longer make sense to do so.

[bluebird_engineering]

I don't have America or Canada in Seller Hub country drop down list. Also I need a global option so I can review my total sales 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days... for my total global sales. I need to know exactly what my total is not per country.

[automotivepartsrecyclrs]

While offering returns, Guaranteed Delivery, free shipping, or others, can improve your Best Match standing.
From what I see it don't

[alan@ebay]

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@bigmotormania wrote:

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alan@ebay wrote:

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Hi @bigmotormania, 

Thanks for the question. Off-eBay sale violations are reviewed by human eyes before we charge a final value fee for taking the sale off of the site. 

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Yes but what determines whether something is an off-eBay sale violation or simply an ended listing due to something completely unrelated?

Even if human eyes see it and and review it who's to say those human eyes don't make a mistake? What if I delist a $2000.00 item because I dropped it and broke it and get charged the FVF's for that $2000.00 because a human assumed "Oh well for that price they must have pulled the sale off eBay!"

See where I'm getting at? What's to say that this system isn't just as bad than the people it's proclaimed to punish for violations?

Like I said maybe I'm thinking too far into this but honestly this concerns me.

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We do look for messages sent that could lead to a transaction offsite or that contact information was included in the listing. That type of activity is not permitted. More info available here. 

[bigmotormania]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@automotivepartsrecyclrs wrote:

We would like to know why on the following:

All spring summer winter ect Ebay updates we follow to a "T"

Guaranteed Delivery also followed to a "T"

All items we sell are compliant with ALL ebay policies and updates.

However

I find that more than 50% of the items I sell when searched by me and people I employ we find in the results listings the following ahead of us in results sellers not:

Offering no returns

14 day money back guarantee

Searches are done using best match with either a OEM part number or worded item description.

If I as a seller are following ALL ebays updates ect why are my items listed below another who is not even following what ebay is asking of us as sellers to do?

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Hi @automotivepartsrecyclrs - Offering those things on your listings is great and they can be what pulls a buyer into your listing to purchase. That said, there are many different variables that go into our Best Match algorithm that would result in others' listings above yours. Not only do we look at the key services you're offering, we also take listing duration, sale-through rate, etc., into account.

While offering returns, Guaranteed Delivery, free shipping, or others, can improve your Best Match standing, it's not a guarantee that you'll be first in search results.

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Pardon me for not understanding the logic here... but.. why exactly is the sell through rate (and with the et cetera that makes me think maybe even impressions and other such statistics) determined for "Best Match"?

If I look for a Headlight Switch for 2008 BMW R 1200 RT, and I get no results, but then I go to google and search the same thing and it pulls up an eBay listing with the title "Genuine BMW Switch - Headlight for 2008 BMW R1200RT" even though all the keywords were there, albeit out of order, it doesn't show up in Best Match, but.... if it has a good sell through rate it will show up as Best Match?

This doesn't even make sense, if someone has bad statistics, and then their listings aren't being put in Best Match because of those bad statistics, then you make their statistics even worse and thus they have even less of a chance of becoming a Best Match?

Where is the logic here? Was this idea drafted by a kindergartner asked for advice on how to run a multi billion dollar companies search engine?

[vrykalak]

All this discussion of how "Best Match" is determined reminds me of an old issue I want to bring up again:  

eBay's search engine used to be the best in the universe. It was one of the first to allow AND, OR, and NOT parameters. And the search results showed exactly and only what I asked for. I loved it. 

Now, though, the vast majority of search results contain only a few--or in some cases NONE!--of my keywords. Some bizarre AI is apparently deciding what I should want to find, and changes the parameters to match. 

I want a SWITCH I can turn on, on the Advanced Search page, that says: give me ONLY results that contain (or don't contain, in the case of a NOT clause) the keywords I specified!

Any chance of that?

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[readabouthorses]

alan@ebay

I do have a question about the contact information in listings. I was looking at some of the listings for the seller profiled in the Ebay For Business Blog about Structured Data. I couldn't even count the number of times there was a phone number in those listings! Plus info on their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. etc. It looks like a giant newspaper ad!

[Anonymous]

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@d-k_treasures wrote:

Why can't the regular ebay pages stick when viewing frm a full browser from a phone using Chrome?

Every time I click on 'classic site', I do get the page in the regular view as I see it on a normal computer, but any subsequent pages go back to the junk mobile pages.

When will this be fixed?

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Hi @d-k_treasures - I'll send this on to the mobile team to see what needs to be updated to help here. Keep in mind that you can reach out on our mobile discussion boards: Android & iOS where our that team reviews and engages on things like this as well. Thanks for letting us know!

[alan@ebay]

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@vrykalak wrote:

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alan@ebay wrote:

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@vrykalak wrote:

When did eBay stop notifying sellers when extra free listings are available, or when other promotions start?

I missed out on some or all of three recent promotions because I didn't check the Promotions heading under All Selling for a couple of days.

Would you ask the PTB to (re)start informing us by email when new promotions become available?

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Hi @vrykalak, 

How were you notified in the past? Was it by email or through eBay messages? When did you stop receiving notifications? 

Thanks. 

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As I mentioned in an earlier reply: I used to get notices both in regular email and in the eBay messages folder. I first noticed I had missed out on a promotion three months ago, but who knows how many I missed before that?

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Thanks for the info, I'll share it with the promotions team and see what I can find out. 

[vrykalak]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@laylajames9 wrote:

I opted in to business policies and the screen updated to say it would take time to process and check back in 8 hours. Days later the same message was appearing.

I called customer service and they told me that this is a known issue and anybody who has signed up in the last six weeks is experiencing the same error.

Going into the holiday season I would like to get my business policies set up now before I ramp up the number of listings. Can you please find out what is going on and when we will see this fixed?

The cs rep said anybody who signed up before this problem began would not have any issues using the business policies.

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Hi @laylajames9 - I'm not familiar with this issue but I'd be more than happy to look into it and see what updates I can find. I'll email you shortly after the chat ends for more info and we'll go from there. Thanks!

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How about providing the answer at the beginning of the chat next wee?
Inquiring minds want to know.

[laylajames9]

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@vrykalak wrote:

All this discussion of how "Best Match" is determined reminds me of an old issue I want to bring up again:  

eBay's search engine used to be the best in the universe. It was one of the first to allow AND, OR, and NOT parameters. And the search results showed exactly and only what I asked for. I loved it. 

Now, though, the vast majority of search results contain only a few--or in some cases NONE!--of my keywords. Some bizarre AI is apparently deciding what I should want to find, and changes the parameters to match. 

I want a SWITCH I can turn on, on the Advanced Search page, that says: give me ONLY results that contain (or don't contain, in the case of a NOT clause) the keywords I specified!

Any chance of that?

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vrykalak, I do see those options on Advanced Search. Are you seeing something different from this:

[Anonymous]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Heidi, It's hard for me to ask questions about the tool because ebay hasn't given it to me yet. But I've spent time correcting people who are unwittingly providing bad information about this, and if I could just point to an actual ebay webinar that doesn't just "touch on" it, but provides details, screenshots, etc, that would be great! Or come on, if you guys aren't going to do it, give me the tool so I can create screen shots to show people! LOL

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques

It's being rolled out in phases so definitely be on the lookout when you're included! I'll share this feedback with the webinar team as well and see if we can do one in more detail to help.

[mendelsons]

Hi @bigmotormania,

Thanks for the question. Off-eBay sale violations are reviewed by human eyes before we charge a final value fee for taking the sale off of the site.
Yes but what determines whether something is an off-eBay sale violation or simply an ended listing due to something completely unrelated?

Even if human eyes see it and and review it who's to say those human eyes don't make a mistake? What if I delist a $2000.00 item because I dropped it and broke it and get charged the FVF's for that $2000.00 because a human assumed "Oh well for that price they must have pulled the sale off eBay!"

See where I'm getting at? What's to say that this system isn't just as bad than the people it's proclaimed to punish for violations?

Like I said maybe I'm thinking too far into this but honestly this concerns me.
We do look for messages sent that could lead to a transaction offsite or that contact information was included in the listing. That type of activity is not permitted. More info available here.

__________________________

The information available on eBay is pretty vague when it comes to how its going to be monitored and specially how its going to be applied.

We sell freight items most of the messages can be handled by ebay messages sometimes for time sake its easier to talk on the phone which I think is still permitted under the latest guidelines.

This new policy just seems very judgmental based on the individual the puts their eyes on the case. How will sellers be notified that they are being charged these fees and also since you called this a violation earlier are sellers then subject to losing their seller privileges based on these additional fees or violations (not sure what to call them).

[alan@ebay]

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@laylajames9 wrote:

There is a buyer block for buyers with 2 or more unpaid items in the last 12 months. Now that immediate payment is forced on buy-it-now listings meeting certain criteria I would like the option to choose on which listing format this UPI buyer block applies.

Can you ask that they adjust this buyer block so sellers can choose to apply it to auctions, fixed price or both?

I do still want to block these buyers on auctions but I don't want to block them on fixed price. With IPR forced it no longer make sense to do so.

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Hi @laylajames9, 

Sure! We can ask. No guarantees but we will pass on the suggestion. Thanks. 

[dtexley3]

I've mentioned this in a couple posts, but wanted to put it here.  I'm not really seeing any benefit from promoted listings.  My sales rate has not risen and i'm not convinced that any of the very few items sold did so because of promoted listings.

When I search and see my own items I see no indication that they are a promoted listing should I?

Back in early August I put a promotion on 250+ items in a single store category that was selling an average if 3-4 items per week  for months.  The sales stopped and I've sold 1 in the last 7 weeks.  It's a holiday category and I would expect to see more sales than I did in spring and summer.  Nothing changed but the addition of the promotion.