GTC - What is the problem?

[mypostingid15]

First, 

Free listings

it's a promotion used by ebay to entice new sellers to list their items, it's not an entitlement for others to manipulate the system.

second,

Stores

ebay offers stores that come with 250 free listings starting at $15, if you can't afford that, then think about this, it cost around $15 to ship a 2p package from east to west in the USA. 

Third,

OOAK

if you have an OOAK item and it doesn't sell in 30 days on ebay, then you can decide if you want to relist manually or automate.

It seems to me that this change will affect sellers that are gaming the system.

[crownsfieldcellular]

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@mypostingid15 wrote:

First, 

Free listings

it's a promotion used by ebay to entice new sellers to list their items, it's not an entitlement for others to manipulate the system.

second,

Stores

ebay offers stores that come with 250 free listings starting at $15, if you can't afford that, then think about this, it cost around $15 to ship a 2p package from east to west in the USA. 

Third,

OOAK

if you have an OOAK item and it doesn't sell in 30 days on ebay, then you can decide if you want to relist manually or automate.

It seems to me that this change will affect sellers that are gaming the system.

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I'm sorry, I am to understand that you are claiming that if I run a 3 Day Auction (because that is a TOOL available to me, which WORKS BEST to sell my items) - in your opinion I am "gaming" the system???

Is that what you are basically saying??

[lesrpc06]

GTC ONLY BENEFITS EBAY.  IF SELLERS GO OVER THEIR MONTHLY QUOTAS THEN EBAY WILL BE CHARGING US LEFT AND RIGHT FOR LISTING FEES.  THEY TRIED SNEAKING IN THE DESIGNER LISTING FEES IF YOU DID IN BULK.  ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT HAD TO BE DONE ONE BY ONE.  I AM NOT GOING TO SIT AND MONITOR ALL THE GTC LISTINGS AND THEN HAVE TO GO INTO THE END LISTING EARLY TO MAKE ROOM FOR ITEMS I HAVE SITTING IN INVENTORY.  IT JUST MAKES MORE WORK FOR SELLERS.  BUT EBAY DOESN'T CARE, THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE MORE MONEY WHEN WE SLIP UP ON THE LISINGS THAT GO OVER OUR MONTHLY ALLOTMENT OF 1500.  I THINK THE BIG GUYS IN EBAY WHO DO NOTHING TO MAKE MONEY, WE DO, BETTER THINK THIS OVER BECAUSE I WILL BE CLOSING MY ACCOUNT AS SOON AS I HAVE MY OTHER SITES SET UP.  20 YEARS OF STRESS AND HEADACHES FROM TALKING WITH AGENTS THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON.  THEY CONTINUE TO LIE ABOUT EBAY GLITCHES AND DON'T CARE AS LONG AS THEY GET YOU OFF THE PHONE.

[evodoor]

Developing a business model that increases your items' visibility and therefore sales may be "manipulating the system", but isn't that what you are supposed to do in business...find a way to get your product sold?

[evodoor]

Hmmmm......its a thought!

[fern*wood]

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@etrusca wrote:

there are no longer any monthly discounts for annual store subscriptions as there used to be incentive...

Those prices shown are the lower annual subscription prices.  I couldn't find the pricing for paying monthly, but I know the basic store is somewhere around $27.00.

The new help pages are atrocious.  I used to easily find everything under the site map and then A-Z, but not anymore.

[pargran3]

Ending soon WILL bring up the GTC listings. They relist every 30 days SO at the end of that listing time it shows as about to end.

I think. Unless that changed.

I also do not see the problem with GTC. I use it. I have a setting in the seller hub that calls up everything ending. I can end them if I want. Not a big expenditure of time.

The other thing about GTC is that you can end them whenever you want with no penalty. That is not true with other listing durations. 

This is not the first time nor will it be the last that rules, shipping increases, changes in demographics, etc. etc. etc. requires paying attention to your business.

Radine

[fern*wood]

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@pargran3 wrote:

This is not the first time nor will it be the last that rules, shipping increases, changes in demographics, etc. etc. etc. requires paying attention to your business.

Radine

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That's the truest sentence of all.   I've whined about this change since it affects how I do things on my non-store IDs.  I usually whine a bit with most of the changes---it's therapy in a way, but now it's time to move on by figuring out how to deal with this one.  I guess those that refuse to do that will just give up.

If I left over every change ebay came up with, I would have been gone a very long time ago and would have missed out on buying many neat items and making lots of money on things I no longer want.  Plus this is my hobby and job.   I'm not too old yet to adjust.

I don't see this as an assault to freedoms, since we are all free to do as we wish for the most part---many thanks to others for that.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

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@fern*wood wrote:

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@etrusca wrote:

there are no longer any monthly discounts for annual store subscriptions as there used to be incentive...

Those prices shown are the lower annual subscription prices.  I couldn't find the pricing for paying monthly, but I know the basic store is somewhere around $27.00.

The new help pages are atrocious.  I used to easily find everything under the site map and then A-Z, but not anymore.

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You can say that again. It's almost like they designed them to be an unhelpful maze.

[etrusca]

Fees are not listed under Policies nor is the word "selling"

> User Agreement

Breakdown still not listed there, >deadend links to scant information & pseudo links 

to store prices only to a video about how to open a store

Finally after 6 clicks ended up in Selling Center 

 I provided the most complete page I could find

Feel sorry for new Ebayers no wonder they need someone to hold their hand

it used to be so simple - they are trying to drive many to open a store to get the fixed revenue

There is no shortcut on my seller dashboard in Seller Hub with Selling Mgr Pro to the  "Community"

nor can I access it from "Selling Page" - I have to click on My Ebay>Summary> go to bottom of the page etc

that in itself says volumes ...

[buyselljack2016]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

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@mypostingid15 wrote:

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:

I fail to see how using free listings that eBay gives you is gaming the system.

If you get a sample in a store, do you feel you are gaming the system?

Here's the eBay announcement.  It simply says for sellers without stores.  It does not say it is for new sellers.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Sellers-List-up-to-50-FREE-every-month-Auction-style-or-...

If sellers want a store, that is their decision.  

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No, but if you're coming to get the same ample everyday, then it's gaming the system, even if allowed.

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Since you say if you are coming to get the same sample everyday, that analogy doesn't work.  You are changing the circumstances.  This is different; the sample comes to you~you are being given the sample.  You are not going out of your way to get or take advantage of the sample as in your analogy.  You would be foolish not to use it, if it benefits you.  If you don't care to use it, that is your choice and no one forces you.  

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It seems that the thought here is that anyone that is not paying insertion fees is "gaming the system".    With that logic anyone that uses "free promotional listings" is also "gaming the system".

Using that line of thinking, all listings should be charged a fee like they were years ago. The idea that using what eBay has chose to offer us is "gaming the system" just won't sink into my head. Maybe I am too old to understand. 

Anyone that tries a "free sample" in the grocery store, and then does not buy the product sampled is "gaming the system", and should be banned from the store, or at least flagged (big G on their forehead), and charged for the next sample that they try:)

[buyselljack2016]

Gaming the system is continually relisting the same thing over, and over, and over, and over on short listing durations so that it keeps showing up as "newly listed/ending soonest", cluttering up the search with things that are not selling.

[jason_incognito]

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@sheeplehunter wrote:

Everyone should get 500 free listing per month. We should only need to pay ebay if they sell our items. The algorithms are pushing small sellers to the bottom of the search results already. Why should we have to pay for **bleep** placement?

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The whole reason you get bad placement is because of the 490 items that each of those sellers lists that clogs up the site.

As a buyer there are times that I can scroll down a page of 200 items and not click on a single one.

The problem is that when they're free, people don't seem to curate. Then things just keep getting relisted. Over and over. No changes. I know everybody here wants to claim that re evaluate and alter relists, but out there, that is something I never see. Same listing. Same inflated price. Over and over......

[fern*wood]

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@etrusca wrote:

Fees are not listed under Policies nor is the word "selling"

> User Agreement

Breakdown still not listed there, >deadend links to scant information & pseudo links 

to store prices only to a video about how to open a store

Finally after 6 clicks ended up in Selling Center 

 I provided the most complete page I could find

Feel sorry for new Ebayers no wonder they need someone to hold their hand

it used to be so simple - they are trying to drive many to open a store to get the fixed revenue

There is no shortcut on my seller dashboard in Seller Hub with Selling Mgr Pro to the  "Community"

nor can I access it from "Selling Page" - I have to click on My Ebay>Summary> go to bottom of the page etc

that in itself says volumes ...

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Absolutely, if I were a new seller, I'd have no clue what most of the rules and fees are.  I understand why some post with dismay after getting their bills.   I can't find anything now, and someone told me to just google it, but then you get old information without knowing it could be outdated.

I would not have found the page you posted with store information if you hadn't included the link.  I never did find the monthly fees.

[jason_incognito]

When you list the same item over and over and over as a 3 day listing.

ABSOLUTELY

that is what you are doing. You are gaming the system and although it is best for you, it destroys the community.

I am an occasional viewer of craigslist. No matter what the day, there is a seller there who will be on the first page of furniture, selling her dealer furniture in the non dealer section so she doesn't have to pay. Every single day, no matter when, she has at least 10 items on the first page.

I don't often look for furniture because of people just like this.

Here, Noritake Crestwood. There is a seller who has dishes that are not noritake, but she lists them every 10 days. New listing, every 10 days for a year...... stuff that I do not want. Stuff that isn't even what it is listed as..... but always there on newest listing. Always.

As a buyer I am so sick of the regurgitated listings that clog this site. endless relists. For years.

[jason_incognito]

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@evodoor wrote:

Developing a business model that increases your items' visibility and therefore sales may be "manipulating the system", but isn't that what you are supposed to do in business...find a way to get your product sold?

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Yes, absolutely!

but it is also the responsibility of the site, that when what one seller does to benefit themselves crosses over to be a negative for the site, it is their responsibility to do something about it.