anybody else struggle with the eBay bulk edit tool?

[joliefran]

This was great for using find & replace to change HTTP to HTTPS.

But now I am trying to remove major portions of text that are in all my listings.  I copy and paste in find, down in replace I just click once and leave it empty, then upload and...nothing, nada.  It would be great if I could get this to work and I can't figure out why it won't.

I'm not using the seller hub because looking at it makes me hyperventilate plus...I'm stubborn.

thanks

[dollybeauty]

You might try this tool - http://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ActiveContentEditor.htm (safe site)

It has many options. If you just wish to use find and replace like in the bulk editor (but with many more options), Enter your userid and site id and then click on start scan.

On the next page, after the scan, click the box 'Find/Replace/Add Custom text (open/close)'. A grid will appear with 15-20 find and replace lines. Yes, you can do that many find and replace operations on a single scan, using this tool.

The tool will also execute regex codes, if you are familiar with those.

There is a link toward the bottom for Advanced Instructions.

For any aditional questions, you might post to this board (others may have already asked, and received solutions) - https://community.ebay.com/t5/Replacing-Active-Content/bd-p/activecontent

[joliefran]

Too complicated for me.  Thanks though!!

[dollybeauty]

This is from the eBay Advanced Apps team...


Phone Support (US - 8 AM - 6 PM MST): **To call us, click on the Help & Contact link found at the top of most eBay pages. Click on the Contact Us button at the bottom of the page. Select ‘Selling’ -> ‘Getting Started’ -> ‘Selling Tools’ for issues or concerns related to eBay listing tools that my team can assist you with. Now scroll to the bottom and click Call Us. Ask the customer support agent to transfer you to the Advanced Apps team.**

[joliefran]

I'll try it! I talked to a generic person last week and he could not help me. AND it has gotten to incredibly hard to get through to anybody!! Thanks!

[shipscript]

@joliefran

One of the reasons eBay's (BEAR) tool may not be working for you is because the phrase that you want to find must be exactly as it is found in the HTML code. Thus, if you have text that is bolded, then you will need to include the HTML codes that create the bold section. If you have two spaces instead of one space between words, you will need to include both. If one of those two spaces is a "hard space", then there is an HTML code for that too!  If you have the same phrase in multiple listings, but one or more has just a minor difference (like hidden extra spaces), those small differences will not match the search pattern.

To find a whole block of text using eBay's tool, you will need to switch to the HTML tab of eBay's description editor, copy the code from that tab, and paste it into eBay's BEAR tool. Keep in mind that eBay's tool has a 1000-character limit.

I know you don't want to get involved in something that seems as complex as the Bulk Active Content Editor, but, while the steps appear complex because the tool is very powerful, the actual execution is quite simple (enter name, enter site, enter filter I supply, click scan, copy zip file, save to desktop, upload to eBay File exchange, done). I can walk you through it on the Active Content forum:

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Replacing-Active-Content/bd-p/activecontent

I would like to get you fiddling around with the find/replace feature in the Sandbox tool. It is a one-listing-at-a-time tool, but is a great place to prepare for a bulk scan.  The reason for starting there is that you can open the "Custom" section, enter a "find" phrase,  and then scroll down to the Markup tab to see if it was color-coded as found. So it will give you instant feedback where eBay's tool does not. 

http://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ActiveContentSandbox.htm

[joliefran]

Thanks, ship!  I'll try it out!!

[joliefran]

It's not working. I'm just too lame to figure it out. I'm sorry. Thanks for trying!!

[shipscript]

@joliefran

You're not lame. I simply forgot to mention the "scan" button step.

Go to the Active Content Sandbox tool

http://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ActiveContentSandbox.htm

1. Enter an item number.
2. Open the "Custom" or "More" section.
3. Enter your "Find" phrase in the "Starts with" box.
4. Click the "Scan" button.
5. Scroll down and open the "Markup" tab to see if the custom phrase was color-coded as being found.

If the phrase was not found, then there are minor differences between what was entered and what exists in the HTML.