Items Specifics in July .... UH OH!

[mr_lincoln]

I think eBay is already loading up the listing form(s) with a massive list of (in most cases irrelevant and unassociated) Item Specifics.   Here's a scroll down below the normal amount I see and this item happens to be a vintage brass & copper Samovar ... most of what is listed does not apply nor did half the ones  above this set ... I guess their approach is to just throw a ton of these on the listing form and see which ones Sellers complete right?

I have a sneaking suspicion that sales will drop off in July ... or am I being too optimistic?

[ittybitnot]

 I guess their approach is to just throw a ton of these on the listing form and see which ones Sellers complete right?

@mr_lincoln 

Are those "suggested" or soon to be required?  

I always wondered of selecting some of those suggested ones would serve to EXCLUDE your item from search.  An example might be "number of cups"?   Suppose yours holds 23.621 (LOL), and a buyer is looking for one that only holds 10?  Would yours be shown?  Would it be at the bottom of page 23 since the number of cups is not what the buyer wanted? 

Since the "Samovar" category likely no longer exists,  those unrelated ones likely pertain to all the other stuff jammed into the "new non-category" plan.  Sort of like the "number of fan blades" on you antique oil lamp. 

[mr_lincoln]

@ittybitnot   I'm pretty sure they would be "suggested" but nobody knows how eBay's Algorithm will work on the new Items Specifics, be they Required or Recommended ... and I doubt eBay knows either. 

[katzrul15]

Your ISs are better than some I have seen.

I do think the more you fill out that applies, the better off you will be.  If you are already there updating, etc. might as well complete what makes sense and add custom ones that apply that the IS are missing.

[divwido]

That's the one that is the impetus for my nap.  Vases are insane to list.

How many in a set?  How much does it hold?  What's it made of?  What year was it made?  They only offer 1930 to 1940 so I pick that.  And then Gosh, let's reiterate all the sizes and stuff I already told you.

So, I"m knocking over chairs now and screaming obscenities........

And this is helpful why?

[goldxxxsilver]

What will be temperature of my package when it arrives???  

Sorry but it's getting Crazy for Sellers..😳😂

[collectfest]

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@goldxxxsilver wrote:

What will be temperature of my package when it arrives???  

Sorry but it's getting Crazy for Sellers..😳😂

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I saw that too...I laughed for 5 minutes... 

[bbravo65]

...oh well, across the board already people complained that sales are dropping...

...I filled most of item specifics requirement with "N/A"...short and easy in typing...

...some buyers don't read descriptions...only look at the photos (and sometimes still didn't look carefully enough)...

[nuclearomen]

i don't doubt more specifics for more categories are coming, and i'm sure majority they ask is irrelevant. I brought up the new specifics for music - records in community chat, gave me email to send to, I did that, got a reply from guy that says "thanks, we'll pass these along, but specifics for music - records are not required" - I mailed them back and said "what? better take a look at your own doing again and read my mail over, clearly states what is "required" and "recommended" and what needs to be changed/eliminated. " - never got a mail back. But I figured as much anyways. Tell you one thing true, since the new specifics and filling them out, they are not helping sales, sales have actually decreased 50% since filling them out...now thinking to go back and just remove them all - funny to see if sales go back up then. 

[ittybitnot]

 and add custom ones that apply that the IS are missing

@katzrul15 

Are custom added item specifics 'searchable'?  I know they were NOT in the past, but there was once some talk that they would be included.  For some reason, I don't think that ever came to be true.  If they are NOT, it would just be an additional waste of time.  

[mr_lincoln]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

 and add custom ones that apply that the IS are missing

@katzrul15 

Are custom added item specifics 'searchable'?  I know they were NOT in the past, but there was once some talk that they would be included.  For some reason, I don't think that ever came to be true.  If they are NOT, it would just be an additional waste of time.  

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Keep this in mind, Google has one of the most if not THE most comprehensive search algorithms in the world because they have and continue to collect data on everything and everybody they can.  When I say "everybody" I mean your internet self and what is available and accessible on line.  I listened to some Senate Hearings on this last year as it relates to the UK and then again here in the US ... the more info eBay get obtain the more effective they will be on internet searches ... so while that is a good thing they are probably missing the mark on the type of info specific to any one item.  Like my thread points out, its like they are just putting many Item Specifics on items that really have nothing to do with them,  THIS will NOT improve their position in Search.  One that jumped out at me and made me think this (but not the only one) is "Wood tone" ... yes, "Wood tone" on a brass - copper Samovar!?!  Wood tone is for wood NOT brass or copper.

As it relates to collectibles their short coming is NOT having experts in every category ... They should be tapping into some of us Sellers for that to be honest.  People who have been selling and learning and researching, etc FOR YEARS in a few of their strongest categories ... those Sellers would have more knowledge and be able to create a very thorough and concise set of Item specifics for the things they are knowledgeable on.

[liawrig.nq8rdwqa3]

Nowhere on earth on anybody's platform do we have to fill out 100 item specifics.  About half those field are "NA" or See description.  Ebay is so self-conscious and trying to catch AMZ it forgets that it should be different and more accommodating to seller & buyer.  But it's always looking over AMZ's shoulders, trying to outrun it.

If AMZ increases item specifics (which it did recently) and adds more nonsense description requirements, betcha Ebay is sure to follow.

[nuclearomen]

even Amazon doesn't require specifics like ebay is

[nuclearomen]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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People who have been selling and learning and researching, etc FOR YEARS in a few of their strongest categories ... those Sellers would have more knowledge and be able to create a very thorough and concise set of Item specifics for the things they are knowledgeable on.

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Yes, but in terms of the specifics that ebay is creating for required and recommended the best experts in the world of related products couldn't even answer 80% of them - because they either have absolutely no relevance or they "do" but that information is basically non-existent. Result of many of these specifics are sellers filling them out with any answer under the sun they can either be allowed to place in the field or selecting from a required drop down option where the options aren't even correct. So reality is both those specifics may show up eventually in searches like google by their metabots but likely they never will since no will be searching for "copper with walnut wood tone" lol. The other point is same as pointed out many times, that false, or unrelated item specifics will lead to INAD claims - which IMO should fall on Ebay to reimburse buyers from their own pocket for - since it's them who are forcing a lot of those options and answers - not allowing sellers to even place a correct answer.  

[katzrul15]

@nuclearomen 

That is interesting that you feel your sales have declined since you filled out your item specifics - I was thinking just the opposite!  On the ones I have "newly" listed from scratch and jumped thru the 99 extra steps to create a template, those are the ones selling.  

I swear we are all a giant science experiment for e-Bay....