Another Choice Removed For Sellers-- Dictating A Single Category ONLY for a New Listing!

[ekmadonna]

Good Morning Everyone, I just encountered something new which you may all want to keep an eye on. I am not happy right now. I just did a brand new listing for a 1920's 6" boxwood ruler that is a salesman sample with the factory reps name on it and a listing of the products of the CANISTEO Ruler Mfg. Co. on the ruler. On the listing page the Category DEFAULTED AUTOMATICALLY to Collectibles-Advertising- Merchandise & Memorabilia-Other Merchandise & Memorabilia, which is all well and good BUT, There was NO OPTION to list in a SECOND category. I also wanted to put it and PAY EXTRA to list it in Collectibles- Woodworking & Carpentry- Rulers and Measures. So I changed the category and then I was offered to list in another Category so I selected the first Advertising Category as I wanted it in both. Once I filled out the listing form and selected the 2nd category the one ORIGINALLY DEFAULTED to I could not list it. I get a message stating "THE SECOND CATEGORY YOU SELECTED CONFLICTS WITH YOUR MAIN CATEGORY TRY CHOOSING A DIFFERENT CATEGORY" Are you kidding me? now we are being told which categories we have to put out items in and we can't even pay to place them in another. I have sold numerous small adverting rulers like this in the past and this item APPEALS to both Advertising Collectors AND Ruler Collectors! Can someone help explain why this new policy?

[jason_incognito]

eBay uses the category for search.

If eBay tells you to put the banana you're selling in the category "women's dresses" eBay would look in "women's dresses" when a buyer does that search.

If you insist on putting it in the category "fruit" you'd never get any looks because any person searching banana wouldn't be sent there.

It doesn't make sense, but that's how it is.

I sold a ceramic Christmas tree. eBay wanted it in "artificial trees"

I didn't put it there. When someone searched "ceramic Christmas tree" they were not shown mine even though I had an exact word match in my title.

[ekmadonna]

My point is this is a NEW thing, Locking a listing into ONLY the category they give you is NEW. Removing the OPTION to PAY and put it into another category ALONG with the one EBAY Suggests and sending a message that THE LISTING CONFLICTS WITH THE OTHER CATEGORY" and BLOCKING you from doing it is also NEW. This is the point of the thread. And I am not yelling at you.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

There are diabolical employees that do nothing all day but sit in a room and scheme together to figure out how to take away more of your choices on ebay. 

[ekmadonna]

Does this make sense? The object is a wood ruler with advertising on it for the manufacturer of the ruler. You can ONLY put it in Collectibles-Advertising, YOU CAN NOT put it in Collectibles-Carpentry-Rulers AND Collectibles-Advertising, it's ONE OR THE OTHER! I have never encountered this until today. Ebays loss, they lose a 15 cent fee for putting it in 2 categories.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

They want you to buy a promoted listing instead, groan. 

[collectfest]

Greetings,

I get where you are coming from. Have not had that issue yet. I am to cheap to place items in two categories.

I, being a grown up, still know how to search for items for myself as a buyer. I know how to BATTLE eBays search engine that may work well for new items but is a bit off when it comes to vintage items. To add some more drama, there is a category for sales mans samples too!

Good luck with you auction, maybe give them a call for some feedback, hard to fight and accept some of these changes. One thing for sure we will have to adjust. First time ever I don't have a store since stores began. Will get back to it but need to wait for eBay to figure out the model they want so I can adjust. Done coping with knee jerk models. I am grateful the shows are doing well.

[dtexley3]

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@ekmadonna wrote:

Does this make sense? The object is a wood ruler with advertising on it for the manufacturer of the ruler. You can ONLY put it in Collectibles-Advertising, YOU CAN NOT put it in Collectibles-Carpentry-Rulers AND Collectibles-Advertising, it's ONE OR THE OTHER! I have never encountered this until today. Ebays loss, they lose a 15 cent fee for putting it in 2 categories.

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brian@ebay   Has there been a change restricting what choices sellers have when setting up a secondary category?  If so, could that information PLEASE be published?  

[brian@ebay]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@ekmadonna wrote:

Does this make sense? The object is a wood ruler with advertising on it for the manufacturer of the ruler. You can ONLY put it in Collectibles-Advertising, YOU CAN NOT put it in Collectibles-Carpentry-Rulers AND Collectibles-Advertising, it's ONE OR THE OTHER! I have never encountered this until today. Ebays loss, they lose a 15 cent fee for putting it in 2 categories.

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brian@ebay   Has there been a change restricting what choices sellers have when setting up a secondary category?  If so, could that information PLEASE be published?  

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Hi @dtexley3, a change hasn't been made in this area. Some categories do not support having a second category. There is a list here. The category mentioned by @ekmadonna isn't on that list so I'll be sure to let the help hub team know. Thanks!

[this*old*attic]

An excellent description of how search works and why it’s broken

[nobody*s_perfect]

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brian@ebay wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@ekmadonna wrote:

Does this make sense? The object is a wood ruler with advertising on it for the manufacturer of the ruler. You can ONLY put it in Collectibles-Advertising, YOU CAN NOT put it in Collectibles-Carpentry-Rulers AND Collectibles-Advertising, it's ONE OR THE OTHER! I have never encountered this until today. Ebays loss, they lose a 15 cent fee for putting it in 2 categories.

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brian@ebay   Has there been a change restricting what choices sellers have when setting up a secondary category?  If so, could that information PLEASE be published?  

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Hi @dtexley3, a change hasn't been made in this area. Some categories do not support having a second category. There is a list here. The category mentioned by @ekmadonna isn't on that list so I'll be sure to let the help hub team know. Thanks!

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Hi brian, I think you misunderstood the issue.    The OP got an error message when trying to choose these two categories simultaneously as the two categories in one listing.

 I duplicated that error message myself on the day that this thread was posted.  However, today in trying to replicate the error to show you, I was able to set up the listing with either category as the first or second category!!!

[xkaes]

I've got the same problem as the original poster -- but with a different product.  It is not on EBAY'S restricted list, and it makes no sense to me. 

I have sold -- and will sell more -- of these, although they are not all exactly the same item.  They are photographic lenses that can be used in different ways. 

I first list them in the category

"Cameras & Photo > Film Photography > Darkroom & Developing > Enlarging Lenses"

because they can be used as enlarging lenses.

However, EBAY will not let me list them under A SECOND CATEGORY in

"Cameras & Photo > Lenses & Filters > Lenses"

even though they can be used as a NON-enlarging lens.

I get the EBAY "CONFLICT" message mentioned above.

But, since some of these lenses are vintage, I want to list SOME of them in

"Cameras & Photo > Vintage Movie & Photography > Vintage Lenses"

and I do NOT get the EBAY "CONFLICT" error message.

Like I said, it makes no sense to me.  I can place an item is SOME second categories, but NOT some OTHER second categories!!!