Ebay does not ask you for your opinion when they show you their new plan for the future. Hide-the-description feels like an almost done deal. I hope that they will reconsider. It is a complete embarrassment.
It is more than a description; it is how sellers brand and market their business. We are not all the same. That is what used to make us great. The buying experience would depend on the seller's marketing, follow-up and delivery of goods. Each of us had a chance to excel. Though we operate under one umbrella, it was once the power of our hard work, dedication and long-hours that made an impact on our business model and the level of success we achieved. Then there were the changes. Years of it. Some of our best sellers are gone and doing business outside of ebay by using multiple venues and their own sites.
Griff said something about hoping that ebay would get back to its greatness. I think we all want that. We may not agree on the approach.
Cataloging- This helps in Adwords campaigns for Google. Basically, ebay pays google money so that ads will run for certain items.
How will cataloging work on the actual ebay site? I fear that it will work like this; I am searching for a new gadget. I click on your image of what I am looking for. Next, I see a picture of it. Underneath that picture, I see a few random sentences that are out-of-order and make you look bad. That is the auto-fill above the hidden pop-up box for the full description. However, I don't need to bother with any of that. I see pictures from China of the gadget at a lower price.
Because your marketing page was taken over by spam, I have no idea the actual item pictured is the one that I want to buy. I also have no idea that you double box and insure your packages. I do not even realize that if I contact you, before I complete my sale, I can save by ordering multiple items from your store. I don't know all of that because the site looks like spam, and I am now bying from China. I do not like pop-up boxes or spam. So, I am just going by the cost and pictures. So, did I make a good buy? Who knows. I could have spent more in your store and had my things shipped securely if I would have saw the description.
"Oh, I don't read the description." Honestly, it amazes me how so many people say they do not when they do without realizing it. For example, I will hear this about other sellers, "I don't need to hear that the dress is from a pet-free home. I don't even bother reading the description. I just buy what I like. Then how do you know it is from a pet-free home?
How you market your business is up to you. The great thing about that is that the option should be up to you. People often scan what is important to them. For example, if your child suffers with allergies maybe it is important that the books you are buying are coming from a smoke-free home. So, you will scan the listing for that information before you buy. Each seller is not the same and each buyer is not the same.
Do you do custom work? I see why your prices are higher than the big box store. I am getting a treasure.......because I see your description. It is clear that you take great pride in your work. I love the details. I am tired of mass-produced deals. Thanks for bringing your art to this platform. If I would have not have seen the description, I would have missed that. I like how everything is seen on the page. No one likes pop-ups.
Search Results that look and Feel like Spam Will Rank the Site Low by Google- If I type in "blouse size 10" on ebay, I will be asked if I mean "short." This is a total embarrassment. "Short" is not an article of clothing. Shorts are, but that is still wrong. Either way, if I click on the link of what ebay thinks I want, I will a get dresses, shorts, shoes, and whatever else it can vomit up.
If I type in bouse size 10 into google search, I get nothing from ebay. This is as it should be. This is because the ebay search is what it is- I am asked if I mean "short." Google has deemed it unworthy for the first page.
If I type dresden lace into google, ebay is on the first page. If I type it into ebay search, ebay does not ask me if I mean "short." So, the page does not look like spam to Google.
This post is turning into a book. I am sorry about that. I will just hit one more thing. I have never seen a great business decide that "return shipping" is what they want to build their business model on. It sets up the buyer to expect the worst in all of us. It gives the impression that ebay has to police us because we have no idea what we are putting into our boxes. However, the buyers should not worry because ebay will save the day. What? That is the marketing campaign?
Do you remember when WE set up Our Buyers Expectations. How about when people went from selling items in a garage to making millions. Now, we don't know what we are doing. Great.
We can all just look alike and loose our identity to big box and be seen as a garage sale of junk. Unless- there is change that starts from the ground up, and not the top down, I don't see how things will change... I think we can see that change is needed thank to poor sales, low views and more big box ideas.
I agree with Griff in that I am hoping for something different- a great place that is a site-destination. A place that is as unique as we all are. Is it too late, Griff?
Here is an article from January 2015.
http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2015/1/1421211979.html
