A little more research into the new category listings on Ebay and where we are headed

[memorymarielane]

I've had over a week to think about the direction Ebay is headed and how that affects sellers on the platform. We all know that the new CEO of Ebay comes from Walmart and from the existence of Walmart they have never sold antiques or collectibles in their store. How can a CEO possibly know how to manage such categories to make sure they are receiving the highest value possible... you can not, you will need to hire experts in these categories to ensure success (that is not happening either is it).

I can only speak from personal experience but I mainly resale jewelry (costume and vintage, not fine, not antique and yes there is a vast difference in all of those categories).

When I am on the main Ebay homepage I click on the "Shop by Category" drop down menu beside the "Search for anything" box at the top of the page. When clicked on there is no option for Jewelry, so naturally as a buyer I click on Fashion, then choose Women. That screen takes me to a new page and again THERE IS NO JEWELRY CATEGORY. There isn't even a category for Accessories (which just may have jewelry). NOPE not an option. So if I am someone who shops by browsing what is available rather than typing in a specific item I am looking for in the search box, how is a buyer ever going to find jewelry to shop from? That is a valid concern as a seller and makes sense as to why I have had ZERO sales for a month solid before this new Seller Update took place.

As I scroll down the page I see nothing but "new" items that I could buy at any huge retailer/shopping mall (again no jewelry icons to click on anywhere). But what is more concerning is when I scroll down to the very bottom I see a spot that says MORE TO EXPLORE. What I see here just doesn't make any sense. Some of the Categories included are:

* 4th of July Clothes For Women
* Habitat Clothes to Live In
* Japanese Clothing
* Korean Clothes
* Pinup Girl Clothing
* Sexy Clothes
* Women With Control

SERIOUSLY? What in the world does any of that mean? I've never walked into any retail store and seen options like that.

So I go back to the main homepage and decide this time to use the search box and type in "Jewelry" just to see what pops up. Tons of new categories that have nothing to do with jewelry is what pops up...AND categories removed that have everything to do with selling jewelry. My main category is "Costume Jewelry from the 1950-90's era" but there is no option to search for that, not even well known Jewelry makers is an option to search. Ugh frustrating. So my main options for what I sell is limited to Fashion Jewelry (nope not that), Fine Jewelry (definately not what I am selling), and then Vintage and Antique Jewelry (that might work) so I choose the last category option.

Now I am finally given the choice of what type of jewelry I am wanting and I click on earrings as that is mostly what I sell. That is the only page I see item specifics on the left hand of the side of the screen to narrow down what I am looking for. But when I see the options the numbers are incredibly small. Only 200 listings for AVON??? Really find that hard to believe when before there were 100s of thousands of Avon earring listings... where did they all go Ebay? Are these just listings that are paying to be seen? If so then I am out as I am not going to pay you more money for hardly any sales.

So my conclusion, Ebay is without a doubt only showing listings that are paying to be seen AND are transitioning into a Walmart/Amazon online e-commerce website. I 100% hate shopping on Walmart and Amazon (and refuse to do so) because I can never find what I am looking for without first being shown hundreds of items that I could care less about. Frustrating and discouraging and sickening to say the least.

Those who forget where they come from are doomed to fail. Ebay do you realize that? YES YOU DO and shame on you for such disgusting behavior.

My search feels like I'm cruising a soft porn website rather than looking for vintage hard to find pieces of jewelry that buyers want to collect. And I've not even checked to see how the other categories I sell in are now being displayed to shoppers- I'm a bit afraid to if we are honest.

[dadsfloridatreasure]

As I said in a couple of other posts, this is all planned destruction disguised as streamlining.  They are incrementally making it harder and harder for the small little guy seller to make any sort of a living on here.  Changes like these only benefit the big time corporate accounts.  Small sellers like us are a liability to them and would prefer we all left, while destroying the second hand market and force people to buy brand new.  They do not care about any of us.  They do not care people like us built this web site. 

[crazystuff4sale]

The CEO worked at ebay in leadership roles from 2001 to 2009 then worked for Sams Club and Walmart and then came back to ebay last year if I remember it right.

[hurryagain]

It's there but it's in a weird place.  Gotta scroll further down in the fashion category. 

I

I have never used that "shop by category."  I have always used the search bar's all categories drop down.

[chapeau-noir]

From main page ----->fashion----shop by category---->jewelry. 

"Search for anything" - at the top of every single page:

 

[memorymarielane]

@chapeau-noir 

@hurryagain 

I do not see either of those options when I am on Ebay's homescreen. I wonder if they are like Google and filter what each buyer/seller sees according to their online history. Makes me wonder.

[memorymarielane]

---

@dadsfloridatreasure wrote:

As I said in a couple of other posts, this is all planned destruction disguised as streamlining.  They are incrementally making it harder and harder for the small little guy seller to make any sort of a living on here.  Changes like these only benefit the big time corporate accounts.  Small sellers like us are a liability to them and would prefer we all left, while destroying the second hand market and force people to buy brand new.  They do not care about any of us.  They do not care people like us built this web site. 

---

I agree 100% with you on that. This is a complete corporate takeover that only cares about the cheapest product they can find to flip for the highest profit. Antiques and collectibles and pretty much all second hand items do not fall into that category. Right now I'm just waiting to see how all of this unfolds but I am extremely hesitant to list anything for uncertainty of what Ebay will do to those listings.

[chapeau-noir]

They built the website, we just jumped on the opportunity to sell stuff on it - we had no hand in conception, coding, going to an IPO, and it's been a long LONG time since used merchandise has been a big player on here.  eBay corp is not going to pander to 17% of the market which is all we are, which is the sorry truth.

I still think they'd be best off with an eBay Classic (us) and eBay Whatever (China West?). 

[memorymarielane]

I would not be opposed at all for two seperate Ebay websites but we both know that is never going to happen. There is an old saying... don't bite the hand that feeds you. That is exactly what Ebay is doing and people are only going to take so much of their **bleep** before they move on to someplace else.

PS- Sellers don't expect to be pandered to as you say. We expect sales for using their platform.

[downunder-61]

---

@chapeau-noir wrote:

They built the website, we just jumped on the opportunity to sell stuff on it - we had no hand in conception, coding, going to an IPO, and it's been a long LONG time since used merchandise has been a big player on here.  eBay corp is not going to pander to 17% of the market which is all we are, which is the sorry truth.

I still think they'd be best off with an eBay Classic (us) and eBay Whatever (China West?). 

---

Hey, what about us ??

oh, yeah, and that other lot across the pond LOL

[chapeau-noir]

"eBay China Downunder"? 

[bpr103]

Oof. Etsy's going to eat well.

[bpr103]

Shop by category has always been a great place to find deals... when it was implemented properly.

[aeparts1]

In 20+ years of buying on eBay, not once, not a single time have I ever searched for an item by category.

I always enter what I am looking for in the search bar & easily find it that way.

The changes to categories have not changed sales in my personal selling accounts one bit.

The changes to categories have not changed sales in my employer's selling accounts one bit.

[popblox]

---

@memorymarielane wrote:

I see item specifics on the left hand of the side of the screen to narrow down what I am looking for. But when I see the options the numbers are incredibly small. Only 200 listings for AVON??? Really find that hard to believe when before there were 100s of thousands of Avon earring listings... where did they all go Ebay? 

They went to item specifics purgatory, where all listings go when eBay makes these devastating category changes. For those of us that sell here and really know how to find what we're looking for, I think it can be difficult to see things from a true buyer perspective.

I know almost nothing about jewelry, so I don't have a clue "how" to find what I want. When I was recently looking for some sterling silver/hypoallergenic stud earrings for my daughter, I typed in 'earrings', then used only the item specifics to narrow my search. Had I been looking for Avon earrings, I would've done the same thing.

Unless you were a seller fortunate enough to have already spent countless sleepless nights hammering away at item specifics, I wouldn't have bought your earrings. Actually, I didn't end up buying any earrings here, because after the rigorous task of checking seller fb, sold items, etc., I realized a great deal of the earrings weren't even hypoallergenic - many of the sellers had just went through and checked almost ALL of the item specifics. 

This is an excellent example of "proof" why sales dramatically decline after these category changes.