Ebay email

[bubbapeaandme8178]

A couple of weeks ago I listed some Fire King jadite soup plates. When I looked at the item there was about 95 lookers and many watchers and I started getting emails from ebayers asking about the item. At that time I discovered that there was 2 different soup plates, one is common and the other (Flanged rim) one was extremely scarce to rare. So, to clarify my listing I added the words "NOT FLANGED" to my item line. Well, I got an email from ebay stating that this addition to my description was an egregious thing to do and that if it continued I would be removed from selling on the site. No.1) I have no idea what the issue was and why I was fingered for this serious offense. No. 2)  I have been on this site for 20 years and have no negative feed backs and have over 10,000 (ten thousand) positive feed backs on  2 sites. No 3) I see sellers with over 50 negative feed backs and all is well, it's odd that the system would send me a message that my account was in jeopardy and stated "Do not respond to this statement", what fool would not want to know what this was all about when your account is threatened.  bubba

[slippinjimmy]

When you added "not flanged" you committed "search manipulation".

Buyers who searched specifically for "flanged" would be shown your listing when your listing is what the buyers were NOT looking for.

Two words when used in that context ("not" or "like") have always been considered search manipulation.

Keyword Spamming section at this link for details:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/search-browse-manipulation-policy?id=4243&#secti...

[bubbapeaandme8178]

Why wouldn't ebay explain this issue not threaten a seller in good standing, I didn't write the program so how would I know how it would affect the listing or the search? adding the message "DON'T REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE" only adds to the confusion and solves nothing. Doing egregious things to this site is NOT my style, all I want to do is SELL! bubba

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Perhaps add these bowls do not have a flanged rim in the description?

[a_c_green]

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@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
Perhaps add these bowls do not have a flanged rim in the description?

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Yes, you can be a lot more free with your wording in your description than in your title (though you could probably have put "unflanged" or "non-flanged" in the title without sending the bots into a tizzy).

The problem word in the title wasn't "FLANGED," but the word "NOT" that was preceding it. Anyone doing a search for flanged items would find your "NOT FLANGED" item in their results, because you had the word "FLANGED" in there, even though your item would be the exact opposite of what they were looking for.

Putting "NOT" in front of a term makes it clear to you and me that it's not whatever that term refers to, but an eBay search routine isn't that smart. Basically, it picks up on whatever keyword you're saying it's not. Thus the word "NOT" in a title sets off alarm bells. 

Description text is different, so you are more free to describe the item however you like. It's still possible to keyword-spam in the description and maybe get in trouble for that, but your specific problem here was using the work "NOT" in your title, that's all.

[femmefan1946]

Are all the soup plates in one listing?

If so, you can add, "two of the plates are flanged" which says the others are not, without using the N-word.

Or you could break up the listing, since you can end it at any time, and put the flanged one in one listing and the others separately.

As things stand, you are getting views, but 95 views and no buyer means the listing is not working.

Emails and watchers who don't buy are an even better indication.

If someone is putting together a set, they either want the common plate or the flanged one. They don't want a mixture.

[slippinjimmy]

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@bubbapeaandme8178 wrote:
Why wouldn't ebay explain this issue not threaten a seller in good standing, I didn't write the program so how would I know how it would affect the listing or the search? adding the message "DON'T REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE" only adds to the confusion and solves nothing. Doing egregious things to this site is NOT my style, all I want to do is SELL! bubba

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Most messages of that type include a link to the policy page relating to the infraction.

The "Don't reply" part is very common everywhere and only indicates that the mailbox the message sent from is not monitored for replies.

Also eBay didn't "threaten", they "warned" that repeat infractions could result in something worse than a warning.

While it might not apply to you there are many people who require a strongly worded warning or they simply ignore the message. As we have seen many times on this board for some people even a harsh warning is not enough and the result is that they would get a suspension because they ignored the first, second and maybe third previous notice.