eBay

jular_1409 · ‎10-13-2021

I am so angry and frustrated with ebay right now. A few weeks (months?) ago, ebay instigated a requirement for more details in listings “to help buyers find your item”. This is bull … ebay wants me to take my time to build their data base. So, okay, I update hundreds of my listings. The NEW nightmare is now there are a slew of required details that DO NOT APPLY and I am expected to go back and, not only put in more details at practically the molecular level, but these picayune details do not benefit me or the buyer AND frequently 20-30 minutes of trying to “fix” my listing still doesn’t help.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

And NO, for the 100th time, I DO NOT recommend friends and family to sell on ebay. This is an example of why. The community should rise up in a giant Munch-like scream.

mementomoria · ‎10-13-2021

I sell a lot of costume jewelry and now Ebay has grouped costume jewelry with diamonds and gold. I spent 15 minutes filling in every specific that didn't pertain to my item so I could fill the blue requirement ball. Hit list and guess what --- I received a message stating that I USED TOO MANY SPECIFICS!!! So I had to remove some to list the item and the blue ball wasn't filled in. Now I'm approaching this task by making sure that my title has all the specifics, don't know what else to do. It would be so nice if ebay had programmers that knew what we do. Maybe they should system test the changes. That is what I had to do when I was a manager at a blood center. The computer people spent hours having the users system test the changes because we couldn't afford to make mistakes with the safety of a blood product.

jular_1409 · ‎10-13-2021

I know! The system does not work! I sell Stirling with semi precious or non-precious stones. I have to choose a poorly descriptive category and even then I can’t list because of leaving out gemstone size. I have 12000 unique vintage items, I have already spent hundreds of hours with the first set of requirements. The new ones are picayune beyond understanding.

glasser · ‎10-13-2021

@jular_1409 I agree. eBay is forcing sellers to code the database going backwards to already posted listings, This feel like how software changes were managed in the 1990's pre-internet.

I also agree that all these specifics-structured data--is so eBay can be more efficient in the placement of ads on 3rd parties--Google and Facebook where they spend a ton each year. If it actually brings more and especially NEW!!!! buyers OK.

Tech should be making things easier to find, buy, and sell not harder. Expert title writing and strong searches that understand language should be the goal.

eleanor*rigby · ‎10-13-2021

@jular_1409 wrote:
The community should rise up in a giant Munch-like scream.

The figure in The Scream isn't screaming, though . . .

civicwagonparts · ‎10-14-2021

Yeah man, this is the key: "ebay wants me to take my time to build their data base. "

eBay is going to a "ePid", the "eBay product identifier" for all products.
Soon, similar to AMZ, all sellers with the same item will sell under the same ePid. The new model will make sellers bid against each other to lower their prices.
eBay as you know it is just about gone and the new "eBamazon" is coming.

juicydrupes · ‎10-14-2021

eBay should pay sellers one cent per item specific. Im not working for eBay for free.

luckythewinner · ‎10-14-2021

@juicydrupes wrote:
Im not working for eBay for free.

Since you have listings with item specifics, I think you are.

luckythewinner · ‎10-14-2021

eBay is going to a "ePid", the "eBay product identifier" for all products.

Since eBay has been pushing selelrs to item specifics, UPCs and MPN for many years now, this should not be a revelation to anyone.

Soon, similar to AMZ, all sellers with the same item will sell under the same ePid. The new model will make sellers bid against each other to lower their prices.

It's a very old model actually. If you have studied Economics or Game Theory, this ties in with the concepts of pefect information and information symmetry. The more a consumer knows about the options available to him, the better equipped he is to make the best economic decision. After all ... eBay is here to serve buyers, too.

juicydrupes · ‎10-14-2021

The point is - we should be offered something for helping build their product data.

This isn't an opensource project...and we aren't beta testers.

I fill the specifics in when it forces me to...avoid it when I can.

I know my market - and I know how my customers shop.

If I was selling cellphone cases - this would be GREAT...but I don't.

toysaver · ‎10-14-2021

I don't mind helping eBay, they help me. They are my silent partner. If this will help them. it will help me. What I do mind is when item specifics are erased they can't be filled in as easily as the original listing. I list and the item goes in storage, that's why I have a store. The item is not readily at hand. The only required specifics I fill in are what I gather from the existing listing. It would have been better if they could have figured a way to grandfather the existing info but I guess the programmers missed that day of school.

steelcityexchange · ‎10-14-2021

I'm not sure why they just don't include more seller submitted info in the page source code. Like allow item descriptions to affect rank. Then just let real SEO go to work, allowing sellers to be rewarded for the work they do including backlinks.

whatmorefabric · ‎10-14-2021

This summer Google made changes to the way that they search sites and data bases for shopping. They use to search content and titles. They now search title and specifics and less on content.

The changes to item specifics is so that Google can find your items.

glasser · ‎10-14-2021

@whatmorefabric Exactly. The whole system is now designed aide finding outside of eBay and drive traffic. Toward that end if eBay is so committed to this, they should provide information to buyers. You can see in a traffic report how many views came from off eBay. How about showing how many sales were made to buyers who first saw the item off of eBay? If that is good, sellers would clamor for new efforts to increase buyer visibility.

However, eBay's approach is trust us this will be good for you. Treat us like informed adults.