Absurd/Irrelevant Item Specifics Only

[gwzcomps]

Since eBay expects us to fix and maintain their site at our expense I figure why not just start a thread and fill it full of dumb required specifics.  Then email them a link to the thread randomly as it changes. 

Add a screenshot to this thread with the relevant details.

[gwzcomps]

This is for the laptop docking station category.  Type makes no sense whatsoever.  Either it is a docking station or it isn't.  Whoever created this requirement has no idea what they are doing:

This is for the scanner category.  Although there are correct and relevant choices most of them don't belong in this IS.  They belong in the printers category.  Scanners scan they don't print!  A scanner that prints is known as a All In One Printer 🤪🤪🤪🤪

[subapete]

I list in the clothing categories mostly... You should see the item specifis there.  How about one of those wireless dresses?  OOH, Love that blouse. What charactor family is that from? 

[gwzcomps]

I would recommend posting the examples here.  Also as eBay staff have pointed out you can email sdsupport@eBay.com with item specifics and catalog issues. 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Weekly-Chat-with-eBay-Staff/Community-Chat-May-13-1-00-pm-PT-General-T...

[gracieallen01]

The IS seems to be the victims of committees (teams), too many chiefs, no leader and not enough with the skills needed for the project.  Sort of like CS - one shift goes off-duty, another comes on and they pass in the dark on their way to another job.

(personal opinion - your mileage may vary)

[gwzcomps]

Another stupid one for the computer power supply category.  WTH is type supposed to be?  The category is the type.  The type options don't make the slightest sense.

[glgenterprise]

I just went through and added the required "item specifics" to over 100 items last weekend. It was so annoying that I just started basically copying the title as the add you own under the soon to be required fields.

[gwzcomps]

Just be sure it follows eBay policies.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/item-description-policy?id=4372&st=12&pos=1&quer...

Otherwise no resolution in the meantime and no community chat this week...

[divwido]

The big problem is this is in every category.  I sell china mostly and eBay likes to guess the color.  I put white plate-they put that's it blue.  What collection is it from?  I don't know or care.  Facts should be all we are asked to provide, the rest of this is **bleep**.

[dietaryconsultant]

I also sell clothing and noticed character and character family are rec IS for sweaters and dresses?? Men’s sweaters has performance activity which also doesn’t make sense. I am putting does not apply for these.   

[chapeau-noir]

I skip 'character family' and the like for clothing - they're considered 'added' and not essential.  In fact, I leave a lot of stuff 'below the fold' blank.

Agree - the IS's for clothing are ridiculous.  The top-down catalog model does not work for clothing and I wish they'd simply follow industry standard on this stuff instead of some weird eBay illusion.

[chapeau-noir]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:

Since eBay expects us to fix and maintain their site at our expense I figure why not just start a thread and fill it full of dumb required specifics.  Then email them a link to the thread randomly as it changes. 

Add a screenshot to this thread with the relevant details.

---

I'm still feeling burned about all the work a bunch of us put into the town hall over fashion IT's to be just brushed off - top question, but they sounded unprepared to begin with (they had ONE JOB which included dealing with FIVE QUESTIONS and they couldn't manage it) and too busy with market spin to go into much detail.  Quite a number of us compiled lists and specifics, etc.  Someone else had posted a very relevant question about electronic IS's with a lot of activity on this question also, with little response.

It got slowly better after that but the attempts to migrate IS's to a new format simply didn't work - we had to do it over and over again manually.  It's one of the reasons I cut back my selling here and moved more onto other platforms. Even though I've always been loyal to eBay I don't like being messed around with.

[gwzcomps]

I'm starting to think those town halls are just for show.  Whatever happened to the traffic week one?  It just got silently brushed under the rug because they didn't like the questions 🤔

[carolynnq]

It's not just item specifics, it's also categories. Yesterday I went to list a dvd, entered the UPC code and two options came up. I tried the first - the category associated with it was Nonfiction books. Okay....I tried the other. It was Dolls & Bears > Dolls > Collectors' Guides & Books. Oh, and by the way, the catalog has DVD in the title of both listings, so at least they got that right. So I can either list it in a wrong category or not use the catalog.

As to item specifics, there are so many issues.

There used to be a link to report errors right below where you would opt to use the catalog listing. Even though just about everything I list is a one off for me, I would often report errors - and back them up with a photo of a copyright page, or link to a manufacturer's page, Library of Congress, or other authority - as a service to the community. Since the link was removed, I've never taken the time to hunt down the email address and make a report.

I get really annoyed at having to type in information that's in the catalog to the item specifics. I list a CD using the catalog. Why doesn't Title and Artist get pulled into the item specifics?

[katrinkets]

The  Item Specifics are VERY often either repetitive or ill-suited to the item itself.

Why am I bothering to write detailed descriptions,  or informative/complete titles?  It seems that at first Ebay wanted everything and the kitchen sink in the description, and woe to thee if you didn't write one --and now that so much "looking" is done on a phone, they only care about filling in (inappropriate) boxes. Waste of time.