A "Ghost Listing" strikes again!

[movieman630]

Just when I thought I'd seen the last of the "Ghost Listings" today I had another one.  It's been some time since I've had one, I was hoping they were all gone now.  I really hate having to cancel a sale for "out of stock" that I wasn't responsible for.

I wish I knew when that ebay glitch happened, I think it was 2017ish. 

Have any of you been able to narrow down when the "Ghost Listing" glitch started? 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

In much the same way those who claim it's operator error and they've never had one so it doesn't happen are also impossible to convince.

Even though ebay reps have admitted it happens, but can't pin down how or why, and it's a "glitch" that's seemingly impossible to replicate.

[robbie31415]

If I ever make a mistake with inventory (which I haven't yet) I will just claim ghost listing.

How would I be proven wrong.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

You usually know the type of mistake you MIGHT make.

Relisting an item that sold over a year ago doesn't seem like a user error to me.

[vitameatavegamom]

Thanks for that link. I don't have many listings, but just ran it because on occasion I've had recent Sales pop up in my Listings again.

I take it "Error: >>" means there are no duplicates? 

[vitameatavegamom]

Agree, I'm a hobby seller with few listings -- so my listings are easy to monitor  -- and I've had this happen 2-3 times. 

[movieman630]

Well it was a listing where I had 2 available when it was first listed.  It said I sold one and had one more in stock.  I was out of both, looking back at records they were both sold.  It would have never been re-listed. 

[movieman630]

Looks like it might happen when ebay does something with updates.  That's why it comes in waves. 

[movieman630]

Maybe it's related to the Mandela effect.

[chapeau-noir · Accepted solution]

Databases update and are not infallible - there will be events happening, this is one. It's simply not that hard to understand. 🙄

[powell-memorabilia]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

Databases update and are not infallible - there will be events happening, this is one. It's simply not that hard to understand. 🙄

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Maybe.  But why do they fail over and over again on select sellers?  Reminds me of a friend that always seems to think that police are targeting him with faulty speed guns.  Maybe he’s right - and I can’t prove that he isn’t.  But seems to me that if that never happens to me, and we drive in the same areas, maybe that is more about how he drives.

[inhawaii]

I've never seen a ghost.

I'm told it's because I don't believe in them.

I've never had a ghost listing.

Maybe it's because I don't believe in them either?

[powell-memorabilia]

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@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

In much the same way those who claim it's operator error and they've never had one so it doesn't happen are also impossible to convince.

Even though ebay reps have admitted it happens, but can't pin down how or why, and it's a "glitch" that's seemingly impossible to replicate.

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Ever agree with someone just to end argument?  I have, we all have.  That’s what eBay did - they couldn’t find a “glitch” or “bug” to fix.  

[flyingmvp]

Yes, It Happened to us multiple times with multiple accounts, on both One-of-a-kind listings and Multiple options listings.

They can't fix it, it is what it is, eBay.

Don't you love it when you report here on another issue (after selling here for 12-13-14 years) and other sellers tell you you're probably doing something wrong?

Love it.

[inhawaii]

I've never made a typo, ever.

They were all "ghost  keystrokes"  (or ebay glitches).    😉

[yuzuha]

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@broto_64 wrote:

Inventory issues, something with quantity 5 only had 4, perhaps (as I sometimes do) a seller actually "used" one of the items for themselves (or sold or gave away one outside of ebay) and never adjusted the quantity for sale. Doesn't remember doing it is a big part of this.  Completely oblivious too, such as entering 2 instead of 1 because 1 and 2 are right next to each other (especially on phones, "fat fingered")... 

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Heck, I had one literally just the other day. I got in a box of new crane game prizes and one of them was from a particular series of figures that I already have a couple others of listed. I did a "Sell Similar" from one of said listings, forgetting that I had initially had two of that particular figure and had sold one several months ago. I didn't think to check the quantity before making the new listing go live because I had genuinely forgotten that I had originally had two of the figures that I had done the "Sell Similar" from.

It wasn't until I was looking over the listings I had posted that evening a few hours later that I went "Wait... why is that one saying 'Quantity: 2'?" Oops.