Listing font size now limited to THREE sizes!

[vintage_sterling_spoon_rings]

I've spent 10 years getting my ads looking just so but now when I use a template to list a new item eBay not only limits my font size choice to 14, 18 or 24 and it completely throws off the look of my ads.

Why in the world is eBay doing this and what purpose does it serve? To make all of us look the same? Like cookie cutter businesses? 

[onefootflipper]

Your ads are actually hard to read due to changes on font size, underlining and excess formatting. 

You should still be able to go to HMTL view and do whatever you want.

[fern*wood]

I wish my listings would stay in the size I pick so I don't have to change it every time I make a new listing, but I'm used to the extra clicks on ebay.

BTW--I love those rings!!

[brabutfa-0]

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@vintage_sterling_spoon_rings wrote:

I've spent 10 years getting my ads looking just so but now when I use a template to list a new item eBay not only limits my font size choice to 14, 18 or 24 and it completely throws off the look of my ads.

Why in the world is eBay doing this and what purpose does it serve? To make all of us look the same? Like cookie cutter businesses? 

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Consistency and uniformity does help as it makes things less confusing.

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

eBay probably wants to limit the amount of real estate you use in the description box so they can show 50-100 promoted listings paid for by other sellers that are selling similar items. When a buyer clicks on your listing and sees all of those other seller's promoted listings, they are now activated. If that buyer chooses to buy any of those other ones, eBay will get their standard final value fees plus the promoted listing fee set by the seller plus any promoted listing advanced fees(pay per click) that those 50 - 100 sellers have enrolled in.

[vintage_sterling_spoon_rings]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

Your ads are actually hard to read due to changes on font size, underlining and excess formatting. 

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@ 'tigerofhappyness' - We don't all live in a one size fits all world but thanks for your input.

[mike_jayroe]

I don't mind the three size limit, but I wish they would eliminate most of their choice of colors and add bright RED as one.

[blingfling123]

eBay has to make things fit for all sorts of devices.  There are also basic rules on font size for the internet world for ease of use. 

When buyers are looking on their phones, if you have something with mixed or a huge font size it messes up the listing and the view and buyers are more likely to just back out without going further vs having to reduce or change the font size on their screen. 

I have looked at your newest listing both on the phone and on the PC. On the PC it looks a little busy but is still readable. On the phone it looks jumbled, it truncates your description across the screen and so some of the larger sized numbers look like random numbers just posted somewhere in space. 

The three sizes given are more than enough to provide emphasis on a listing without causing display issues. 

[chapeau-noir]

This ^^^ is bottom line.  Mixed fonts and colours are just hard to read and whatever message one tries to convey just get drowned out in the noise.  With the move to mobile it's a real pain trying to read some of these listings.  It's just in the seller's interest to try to regularize the formatting to reach the largest audience.

Also, I don't feel anyone loses individuality by having a consistent format, and though I get wanting to emphasize portions of the description, there are ways of design easier on the eyes than multiple fonts and colours by just using these attributes sparingly, and with text arrangement.

ETA:  I have two different fonts on a number of my listings when I transferred them over from another platform, and even then it looks wonky to me.

[ms.rodriguez*]

No bright red there is burgundy and a cool magenta.

[chapeau-noir]

Not sure if people remember the olden days of people creating their own fancy templates, sometimes being able to code in the entire screen!  I saw some very cool presentations, but I saw some awful ones, too.  I can't imagine them working on some of the toy-sized cell phones I see people carrying.