A.I. is ruining ebay.......

[cynndo]

I have really had enough of the A.I. takeover. I am 69 years old and have been in sales since 1971 and when I retired, I missed selling and started selling on ebay.   I know what to do, how to list, how to write my own description.  People near my age have common sense and were prepared for future learning by 8th grade.  Ebay was built on "AUCTIONS", they do not have to RECREATE something that has worked for a very long time.  I believe we were all doing better before the last 24 UPDATES.  

     Please also stop showing "less results" when you search for an item, we pay enough in fees and should not have to "PROMOTE" anything for our listings to "SHOW UP". I would like to have the OPTION of opting in or out of ANYTHING regarding selling on this platform.  I, during many conversations, have stated that eBay should stop trying to become like AMAZON.....it is a totally different customer.  Just like automobiles, a dedicated Cadillac buyer is probably never going to become a Volvo buyer, even though they basically are providing the same service.  

     Please listen to your sellers! I do not have a "store" and do not want one. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Some sellers on eBay sell stuff from Amazon...60% of sellers on Amazon are 3rd party sellers.

Go figure...

Promote...maybe at the lowest rate to get notice which I do. 2-5%.

eBay doesn't realize those who promote at very high rates do not always get the buyers...prices might be too high and items are sometimes garbage...result is less revenue intake to eBay because of these promoted items.

[stainlessenginecovers]

Without promotions (something the search engines have done for over a decade) how do you get on the 1st Page when there are over a Million listings? 

Selling since 1971 just means 'that was then, this is now'....but, you do NOT have to follow AI suggestions when creating a listing. It is NOT mandatory. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Ebay was built on auctions and now auctions are a vestigial organ. It is rare for an auction to get more than one bidder in many categories - hardly meaningful or useful. Often the one bidder did not pay before Ebay's recent changes.

Promotion is necessary for a number of reasons.

1. Too many sellers offering the identical, in production, item where most of them have the same cost, same Ebay fees and are asking the same price.

2. Too many sellers who are offering items they do not have in inventory and will buy to fill an order.

3. Many more sellers than there are buyers who wish to purchase the item.

Ebay has been trying to become more like Amazon and has been since Meg was CEO. That is because a huge number of people came to distrust Ebay as a source of product during Pierre's reign. Ebay has a long way to go because it cannot afford the loss of revenue if it required sellers prove they have genuine product purchased from manufacturer authorized wholesale distributors as Amazon does for an ever increasing number of products. It is commonplace for many manufacturers to refuse to honor their warranty on products purchased on Ebay.

Thanks to government actions to protect consumers against counterfeit or illegally obtained product, and from criminal sellers, Ebay has had to add trust and safety procedures and policies which many sellers loath and detest.

[fern*wood]

I dislike the AI generated descriptions and hope to never feel the need to use that feature. When I shop and see that, I usually back out.  Nothing I'm looking for is a must-have.

[12345jamesstamps]

'how do you get on the 1st Page'...does depend on the category of course.

Something for .99 cents might with free shipping.

Or something worthless selling for $1000.+  promoted at 30+ % might.

[fbusoni]

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@cynndo wrote:

I have really had enough of the A.I. takeover. I am 69 years old and have been in sales since 1971 and when I retired, I missed selling and started selling on ebay.   I know what to do, how to list, how to write my own description.  People near my age have common sense and were prepared for future learning by 8th grade.  Ebay was built on "AUCTIONS", they do not have to RECREATE something that has worked for a very long time.  I believe we were all doing better before the last 24 UPDATES.  

     Please also stop showing "less results" when you search for an item, we pay enough in fees and should not have to "PROMOTE" anything for our listings to "SHOW UP". I would like to have the OPTION of opting in or out of ANYTHING regarding selling on this platform.  I, during many conversations, have stated that eBay should stop trying to become like AMAZON.....it is a totally different customer.  Just like automobiles, a dedicated Cadillac buyer is probably never going to become a Volvo buyer, even though they basically are providing the same service.  

     Please listen to your sellers! I do not have a "store" and do not want one. 

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@cynndo 

I'm 65 and agree with you about the value of the 8th grade education.   Our generation was lucky.

But I'm not sure what your gripe about AI is all about.   You are not obligated to use it.   

In fact, you should be pleased that those younger and less fortunate than us DO use it, because doing so actually puts their listings at a disadvantage: no one wants to read nonsensical feel-good gibberish that is fake and superfluous.

As for eBay trying to become like Amazon...if only. 

eBay's leadership is too dumb to know how to make this site as efficient and as streamlined as Amazon's.  They cannot even manage to declutter a listing page.   And they also think that eBay sellers are too stupid to know just how dysfunctional eBay can be at times.  

The idea that they would listen to their sellers falls into the "wishful thinking" category.  Most of us are here IN SPITE OF eBay's asininities.

[meme6253]

Could not agree more.

[robbie31415]

Early AI is pretty bad. EBays implementation shown pretty poor results.

However, AI will shift this entire world.

The more it advances, I can't wait.

[pls-consignments]

I think what the OP is expressing is the disappointment in the need for changes and updates when it appeared that eBay wasn't broken. That's an understandable perspective, especially for those of us who have been selling on this platform for decades.

Unfortunately, the world has changed dramatically in the last 5-years. Covid altered the ecommerce landscape. The internet has become weaponized. Fraud and dishonesty are beyond anyone's control. Corporate greed and competition are at all-time highs. It's now an "eat or be eaten" world at anyone's expense.

Therefore, should it really surprise us that eBay is using what's available to them to remain relevant and competitive in an unstable world? Enter AI. 

[chapeau-noir]

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[a_c_green]

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@fbusoni wrote:
In fact, you should be pleased that those younger and less fortunate than us DO use it, because doing so actually puts their listings at a disadvantage: no one wants to read nonsensical feel-good gibberish that is fake and superfluous.

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Yes indeed; an AI-written description simply serves to make a lazy seller look even lazier. On the plus side, it's so bleedin' obvious when AI is used (generally it's that fixation with "must-have" that gives it away) that it minimizes the time wasted before the prospective buyer can hit the Back button and move on to a more deserving seller.

[cardxcraft]

Interesting point.  I've used AI descriptions on all my listings and now you have me wondering if it's turning off buyers.  I sell airmail covers, some stamps and postcards.  I checked and even my cheaper stuff has the word "rare" and the phrase "must have" in the description. 

[monroe67]

"I've used AI descriptions on all my listings and now you have me wondering if it's turning off buyers."

I'm beginning to be able to identify an AI description when I see one.  I don't like AI, I don't use AI in listings under my selling ID, but I won't pass over an item only because of AI.  Some of it can really be ridiculous.  

I'm currently in the market for holiday-type sweaters and/or tops.  One listing actually said this -- I wrote it down because it was so outlandish:

"The blouse is accented with nothing, making it a great piece to pair with any outfit."  (Emphasis added.)  

As with way-too-many clothing listings on eBay, the seller also neglected to include the garment measurements and instructions for both washing and drying, so I skipped it.  

[mr_lincoln]

@cynndo 

I feel your pain ...

-1976 High school - first computer class used a wide carriage paper printer and plug in phone modem to connect to the local college's computer.  Used Basic to communicate

-Took Fortran then Cobol in college, decided then and there I would be user not a programmer

-Out of college landed a job installing computer scales in the food industry throughout North America, traveled like a hound

-Mid  80s moved into Project Management ... when our office got our first Fax machine we thought we had really arrived.  Then came IBM System II desk tops with a tower, keyboard and monochrome screen ... no mouse, all navigation was via keystrokes

-Moved up through Sales & Marketing then became a sales rep in 5 states, got my first cell phone in the early 90s ... well, it was a "bag phone".  3AMP plug into the lighter socket and stick the antenna on the roof

-Mid 90s to present continued to grow with technology from flip phones to smart phones, desk top PCs to Laptops

-Am now seeing programming going in reverse on sites like eBay, instead of improving and simplifying tasks, many now require more steps, scrolls. clicks, etc.  There is a loss of flexibility in constructing deals (like you I have plenty of sales experience and know that sales people are the front line, they KNOW what works best).  The push now is for the "experience", most places want you to complete a survey so they can make perceived informed decisions.

Any of that sound familiar?