Cumbersome Nonsensical Item Specific Changes

[baxterbog]

I'm not a big seller on ebay.  I do throw up a few sports cards for sale from time to time.  And I buy a few cards to fill in sets.  So this is just an observation from a very small fish in the pond.

The title of a listing contains much of what I'm looking for when buying sports cards.  Maybe a little more information about the condition would be handy in the item specifics.  And I do take a look at the pictures and the item description provided by the seller in the body of the listing.  

Much of the specific information that they suggest you provide to create a listing today is useless.  Is this an effort to improve the search system?  I can't imagine that all that information will improve anything.  Some of the information that they are looking for doesn't even apply.  So you end up with a confusing listing created by a now confused seller.  Simple is always better.

[outstanding_oddities]

You mean that buyers don't search for the "brand" when looking for sheet music from the 1850s?!!

This entire process was cooked up by a bunch of folks who, like most Ebay employees that I spoken to over the years, have never actually sold one thing on the platform and have no idea what trouble they are causing.   If they don't straighten this out, I suspect there will be the biggest mass exodus of sellers and listings that Ebay has ever seen.  

All of this could be avoided if Ebay would simply establish a group of trusted sellers in and across categories to consult when they are looking to make changes.  

[friskya]

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@outstanding_oddities wrote:

All of this could be avoided if Ebay would simply establish a group of trusted sellers in and across categories to consult when they are looking to make changes.  

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THIS is an excellent idea!

Which means that eBay will never even consider it.

[cowtown-cards]

Trying to update some of my sports cards listings this morning. Among the mile long list of new information I'm asked to enter is "material", which includes: Card Stock, Paper Board, Paper, Plastic, Metal and Aluminum.

Aluminum sport card? Furthermore, who's going to distinguish between Card Stock and Paper? What is Paper Board?

"Card Name" is completely redundant. It's in the title, that's what it is.

I'm all for change, and am flexible to updates if it benefits me or my customers. This helps nobody.

[shantynas]

I'm putting a disclaimer on my listings, the ones that ask and require unrelated nonsense specifics.

"Please contact me with any specifics of interest that may not have been provided.  Ebay required answers to item specifics that do not pertain to this item will have a non specific entry of nonsense equal to the relevance of the suggested or Ebay required answer." 

Otherwise I'm afraid of "Not as Described" headaches, for guessing or trying to making up something to meet the requirements that don't make sense for the item.

[shantynas]

Goox post. Wow, novel concept, consult your stakeholders "sellers who pay your salary!!!!" Great suggestion. Im sure many agree! Next, how do we get heard? Ebay stop the insanity!!!!

[shantynas]

Its not just cards, figurines, holiday items... maybe more

[james8728]

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@cowtown-cards wrote:

Trying to update some of my sports cards listings this morning. Among the mile long list of new information I'm asked to enter is "material", which includes: Card Stock, Paper Board, Paper, Plastic, Metal and Aluminum.

Aluminum sport card? Furthermore, who's going to distinguish between Card Stock and Paper? What is Paper Board?

"Card Name" is completely redundant. It's in the title, that's what it is.

I'm all for change, and am flexible to updates if it benefits me or my customers. This helps nobody.

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EXACTLY!

I mainly sell 45rpm 7" records.  Ebay is now requiring "Album Title" in IS ... most 45s don't have "Album Titles" and I already put the song titles in the Title of the listing, and the Body of the listing. It's just so effn redundant and time consuming.

Also like with sport cards ebay is now requiring what material the 45 is made from. Give me an effn break. I really now need to go differentiate whether it's truly vinyl or styrene.. or whatever.  

[rereaders]

It's everything.  My "future requirements" continue to rise.  When you look at the listing, there are multiple new specifics and at the bottom in additional is the EXACT GODAMNDSNBFSKDFNSKFNSDF that they are asking for above.  So guess what?  TONS of  NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA  incoming.  fck you ebay.  fck you deeply for making me redo the work I have already done.

[friskya]

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@cowtown-cards wrote:

I'm all for change, and am flexible to updates if it benefits me or my customers. This helps nobody.

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On the contrary, it obviously helps eBay in some way.

Rumor was, not all that long ago, that eBay was considering an "ad fee" for the sellers if the item was purchased because the buyer arrived from a link on one of the search engines. Go search for some generic item on your favorite S.E. and quite often the first page (or more) will be results for that item listed on eBay.

You will not convince me that this whole "item specifics" isn't intended for S.E.O. before implementing such plans. (and before someone asks, the rumor was something I saw on these discussion boards and I have absolutely no idea where it was)

[smartyj61]

just put anything in the drop boxes ...eff'm  all the info is in the main title header

ebay leadership are nazis

[atlanicpawn]

I believe you are correct. I've seen an uptick in Google results leading to eBay searches (and sometimes purchases) 

[m60driver]

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@smartyj61 wrote:

just put anything in the drop boxes ...eff'm  all the info is in the main title header

ebay leadership are nazis

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Yea, I learned long ago that when a thoughtless bureaucracy requires you to fill in a blank box that any answer will work.

[rereaders]

My biggest question is why the dev team does not port the already filled out specifics to the "new ones" since it's the exact same information.  And in the sports card singles category, the ONLY OPTION IS USED FOR CONDITION, SO WHY DO I HAVE TO ADD THAT.  YOU FCKING DO IT!!  Plus if you are (as of this moment) attempting to do it from the interface without revising the listing, then you can't save the listing because they still have the OLD DROP DOWN and it errors out. I have never contemplated leaving ebay until today.

[bogtwo]

I finally got one to drop off my 'item specifics-recommended' list.  On some of my listings I can use N/A to fill in blanks.  And on some it would not accept N/A.  Way too much nonsensical information.