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COLLECTABLES category

This is a simple question for a VINYL EXPERT.....no guesswork desired!  I have been a vinyl seller for well over 10 years.  Many years ago I was part of the eBay Voices Program, and during one of the eBay software team's presentations (exact topic I can't recall...too many years later...) the question was raised by some of us:  "Are VINYL  ASSOCIATED PRODUCTS (i.e. records, picture sleeves and company/record sleeves) considered to be part of YOUR category entitled "COLLECTABLES".  The answer we received was "NO!".  Despite some further discussion, we couldn't change their minds....and since the product/change they were proposing, we (i.e. the vinyl sellers) didn't pursue that discussion any further.

 

I raise the question once more because of the upcoming (anticipated by many of the vinyl sellers I know) 'fiasco' involving requirements to accommodate eBay's "Item Specifics" requirements.   (I  won't go into any more detail at this time, as the POSITIVE ANSWER to this question will dictate the content of my letter.)

 

SO, I leave you (again an expert on vinyl products) with the question:  Are vinyl associated products considered by eBay software as part of their category entitled "Collectables".  Thanks for reading this.

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COLLECTABLES category

Apparently not unless you get cute and list them in retro,  phonograph accessories or jukebox accessories.  The music section is pretty comprehensive and to me not nearly as bad as selling Halloween and being buried or mixed in with xmas.  People definitely collect vinyl, I used to.  Since the recent category shakeup there's even less of a chance. However you can still trigger ROK(ebay's algorithm) by adding collectibles to your titles and item specifics.  If it's classic rock or pop a customer would more than likely look up something like Beatles collectibles.  Your main goal is to get people who want to collect things well it won't be by breaking down categories.  The average buyer is going to use very basic search terms and then filter from there.  Add the potentially magically word collectible right after the group/artist's name.  See what happens.  It can't hurt.  I was playing around with searches on my own items and it's pretty broad. Get your collectible keywords in there.  Retro is another word a regular person might use.  Classic and genres would be good too.  Oh and it's the 1st 5 words that count the most.  song and album titles use up a lot of space and have words like THE, A, AND, BUT etc that are filtered out.  

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COLLECTABLES category

Good morning from Tucson.   THANKS for your response.  I guess I have to confess that my posted question to the 'pinkies' (as we affectionally called the involved eBay team back in the days of the Voices Program...) was sort of a 'trap'.  Let me see if I can explain under 10,000 characters.

 

As a seller of my vinyl, I don't really need whatever 'bonus' being within the 'Collectables' category might bring.  Might sound strange, but I have plenty of activity now as it is....and my 'remaining time' and health don't need to be further challenged by a flood of buyers.  I know that sounds strange, but that's such as it is here.  

 

THE TRAP:  As you may remember, when eBay software moved over to Google Chrome, that software changed 'decided' it didn't like symbols (or whatever you call tiny cute little music images at the end of my item descriptions....buyers did....eBay's new software didn't).  Thus their software 'violated' the images and called them "HTTP" errors.  Then their system started sending out their report that warned us that we had to "get them resolved.......".  At that time I had over 3,000 items listed....I now have over 6,000.   So I started talking to Seller Support.....got their software migration response, but they told me "that there is no way to fix my listing using bulk update....it must be done manually....one listing at a time".  Thus I wrote a letter to the then CEO; and I got a nice proper response from one of his staff members, that stated my listing would not  be deleted because of the HTTP error that was not of my creation.

 

FINALLY:  Here we (hopefully not those of us in vinyl) are the brink of yet another software decision that will probably require the seller to MANUALLY update their listings because the bulk system process can not accommodate their new 'Item Specifics' requires for three categories that have multiple entries as a potential.  I give you but one:  Artist.  I know of at least one seller that for some reason when that field was created, none of his listings have an entry.......and as I have been going through some of OLD listings (to use as a 'Sell Similar') I have found a few in mine.  Since  we both know that there hundreds of different artists, how can bulk update load the proper one.  'Format' is yet another, because some of us seller records, picture sleeves (only) and/or company/paper sleeves.  How does bulk handle that?  And finally, there is the badly labeled category of "Album Name".....if it was PROPERLY NAMED "Item Title" I would issue the same challenge as with the artists.....there are thousands of these.....how does bulk handle them.

 

Unless some knowledgeable 'pinkie' doesn't write or call (ha ha) me, and confirm that "VINYL WILL NOT BE INVOLVED WITH ITEM SPECIFICS".  I will once again escalate the potential situation to a level where I/we (I ain't the only one with this concern for vinyl listings...) can get this situation understood/resolved before we inherit another 'HTTP fiasco'.

 

Enough of this novel.....I will now go back to listing small pieces of this vinyl HOARD of mine....sob!

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COLLECTABLES category

Being a seller of mainly 45s, I loathe the IS "Album Title". 

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COLLECTABLES category

Me too!  It just displays the fact that whoever came up with the design of that new "Item Specifics - Recommended" format, has no understanding of the TOTAL WORLD of vinyl.  Right now, if that sub-category on my EXISTING LISTINGS is blank, I just leave it that way.....for the exact reason that you indicated.

 

Since the Seller Support people ARE NOT ALLOWED (by some very strange eBay criteria) to look at the new "Item Specifics" page format, I have already got that issue in my letter.  (Where I will point out to whomever that the offered page is a nightmare of information that nobody is asking for....and I state that based upon my own years of experience...both as a former buyer, and now as a seller.)  Trying to weave my way through all of that (swear word) is time consuming and exposes me to overlook a field that I know multiple buyers are interesting in.  If nothing else,  the update should included the ability to select what categories are pertinent to their particular vinyl business, and through the template (or whatever) block the other suggested groups until such time (if ever) the seller  wants to activate it for a particular record.   

 

Anyway, I am giving 'pinky' through the end of this month to resolve the vinyl versus 'Collections' issue I stated above.  If no legit response by then, I'll insert it along with the potential "HTTP" exposure.  Are we having fun yet?

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