Interesting issue with catalog placing item in wrong category

[thegraysun]

So, I have recently had the joy of facing the catalog issue that I am sure most of you have dealt with in some form or another.  We listed a good amount of pornographic magazines (Playboy, Hustler, Penthouse, etc) on eBay a month ago or so.  When I was putting them in, I was typing in the name of the magazine, year and month, to which eBay has a catalog item for.  I chose the catalog item, added my images, etc and listed the items.  Now, a month or more later, I am receiving notification from eBay that the items are not allowed to be listed in the general area except Playboy & Penthouse.  Ok, whatever, that is fine.  I am a compliance type of person.  When I went to change the category on the listings that they didn't remove, I was unable to modify the category.  It kept giving me error after error after error.  I eventually gave up (I am a software programmer, it wasn't something simple) and figured eBay would eventually cancel the rest of them and I would just relist them.  That just happened a few minutes ago, which is fine.  My complaint or reason for this post is this:  Why does eBay's catalog have the items listed in the general magazines category if they do not allow that?  Why does the catalog not have the items listed in the Everything Else -> Adult Only -> Magazines category?!  It's like being told, "Here is your eBay issued catalog...  WHY ARE YOU DOING WHAT THE CATALOG SAYS?!"  It seems bi-polar to me...  On top of that, why can I not change the category from standard magazine to adult only magazine?  I wasn't going to cancel the listings and then pay to list them again.  I waited for eBay to cancel them so I get the listing credit back.  Just wondering if anyone else has ran into this problem before?

Jay

[ted_200]

Well, this might be eBay having the item in the wrong category in their catalog... or,

It might be their new listing tool. 

I have found if I use a listing for Sell Similar, and that listing used the catalog, and I change the catalog page (which I would, since it's a different item), eBay retains the category I used on the old listing, and it then becomes un-change-able. 

In order to fix it, you have to remove the correct product page you just added, manually change the category to the one it should actually be listed in, and THEN add the catalog page back into the listing. 

You would think a catalog page would already be indexed to a certain eBay category, but they apparently are not. 

If this is what happened to you, creating a Hustler listing from an existing Playboy listing retained the old Playboy category and that put the item in the general (not Adult Only) part of the site. 

[thegraysun]

Looking into my listings at what you said, I now believe the Hustler magazines didn't have catalog entries but, I would have removed the catalog details if they didn't.  I wouldn't have listed them with another magazines catalog details, that would make my listings horribly incorrect.  I would be showing playboy catalog information on a hustler magazine listing and would confuse everyone.  LOL

I thought I found catalog information for some of them though.  Maybe I am horribly confused about the whole situation at this point.  Now that I have looked back at some of them and attempted to retrieve catalog information, the only ones that I have been able to retrieve catalog information for it Playboy and Penthouse.  Maybe I assumed they all went into the same category (whoops).  It is still a little irritating that it wouldn't let me change the category to which they are assigned though.  I wouldn't have had a problem bulk changing the categories but, it wouldn't let me.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Jay

[ted_200]

It is still a little irritating that it wouldn't let me change the category to which they are assigned though.

I'm trying to remember exactly how this glitch went. 

If your listings with the wrong category have a product page (catalog page), try editing the listing to remove the product page.  Save the edit.  Then edit it again, you might be able to change the category.

If the glitch goes that once you attached a catalog page, the listing tool will NEVER let you change the category even if you removed the catalog page, you might just have to dump the whole listing and start fresh. 

I only use the catalog pages on rare occasion, but I remember this happening to me, and once I decided to use "Sell Similar" on a listing with a a catalog page, I had a problem changing the category to what it should be. 

Now that I have looked back at some of them and attempted to retrieve catalog information, the only ones that I have been able to retrieve catalog information for it Playboy and Penthouse.  Maybe I assumed they all went into the same category (whoops).  

Playboy and Penthouse, earlier than some specified date in the policy, can go in the general Books > Old Magazines categories.   The other magazines have to go in the Everything Else > Adult Only category.