eBay

juicydrupes · ‎01-01-2026

Messaging tab sucks

If you click away, the Message Tab closes - and deletes the message you were typing, forcing you to start over again.

CRAZY. I need to be able look at an item - or my sold list and send messages - not playing bull**bleep** games with tabs. Sometimes have to write a few sentences and refer to the item details...this set up SUCKS!

Also - all the time stamps are for PST - or something...**bleep**??? Im in EST. Useless. Its 2026 - and you dolts cant even display the TIME correcty!!! **bleep**!!!

a_c_green · ‎01-01-2026

@itsjustasprain wrote:
@reallynicestamps wrote:
all the time stamps are for PST
Yes.
Actually it depends on what page you are on. For example listings in Search results will show PST listing start times or auction end times.

In fact, things are a little sloppier than that: the time zone of Search results depends on the Sort Order chosen by the user. If I search for one of my own auction listings and choose Sort by Newly Listed, I'll see the starting/ending time listed in Pacific time:

Sort Order: Newly Listed

...but if I now change the Sort Order to Ending Soonest, the time is shown in my own Central Time Zone:

Sort Order: Ending Soonest

I would argue that the Ending Soonest version, showing the end time in my own time zone, is the better choice of the two (in terms of what zone the user is likely to assume: his own), but in both cases, if the same data is going to be shown as two different values depending on time zone and Sort Order, it should be labeled with whichever time zone was used, for clarity.

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duffy4444 · ‎01-01-2026

@juicydrupes wrote:
Messaging tab sucks

If you click away, the Message Tab closes - and deletes the message you were typing, forcing you to start over again.

CRAZY. I need to be able look at an item - or my sold list and send messages - not playing bull**bleep** games with tabs. Sometimes have to write a few sentences and refer to the item details...this set up SUCKS!

Also - all the time stamps are for PST - or something...**bleep**??? Im in EST. Useless. Its 2026 - and you dolts cant even display the TIME correcty!!! **bleep**!!!

@juicydrupes:

Good grief, take a stress pill... it's a new year, so enjoy it!

Simple solution to your dilemma:

1. If you're on a computer, don't click away from the message before right-clicking and copying what you just typed. Then when you come back to the message, simply paste it back again and continue typing... Easy-Peasy! Just adapt to it.

2. If you're in the EST zone and any time stamp is for the PST time zone, just mentally add 3 hours... Very simple.

Those eBay "dolts" you think you're talking to here have other things to be concerned about. They don't care about such minor "issues". Finding work-arounds are a normal part of online commerce.

Accept > Adjust > Adapt. Try it.

Cheers, Duffy

steve_stuff · ‎01-01-2026

"If you click away, the Message Tab closes"

Correct: if you click on a link it will take you away from the page you were on, so you don't just click on it, you RIGHT click on it and OPEN in new tab. Same if we want to see the person's feedback - Right click, new tab. We can then switch between tabs without losing any info.

"I need to be able look at an item - or my sold list and sent messages"

If the message is a reply to your reply, the 'old' messages are there hidden under the listing info - but sometimes for us the slid bar doesn't show the first time, so we just open a different message and then reopen the one we're replying to and the slid bar loads back.

And the email copy of a message still shows their location, like the old on site copy of a message.

We do ebay that way on a real computer. If you do ebay from a pocket phone, we have no idea what you see or how the crap ... I mean app works.

juicydrupes · ‎01-01-2026

I use the PC....

juicydrupes · ‎01-01-2026

Genius response - typical of this board.

Thats like going to the doctor and saying "It hurts when I do this"

And the doctor says "Dont do that"

juicydrupes · ‎01-01-2026

You can always count on the people on this board to say "you're not doing it right"

JFC - its 2026 - there is no reason they cant make the time stamp work right - like every other messaging service on earth

juicydrupes · ‎01-01-2026

@steve_stuff wrote:

"If you click away, the Message Tab closes"

Correct: if you click on a link it will take you away from the page you were on, so you don't just click on it, you RIGHT click on it and OPEN in new tab. Same if we want to see the person's feedback - Right click, new tab. We can then switch between tabs without losing any info.

"I need to be able look at an item - or my sold list and sent messages"

If the message is a reply to your reply, the 'old' messages are there hidden under the listing info - but sometimes for us the slid bar doesn't show the first time, so we just open a different message and then reopen the one we're replying to and the slid bar loads back.

And the email copy of a message still shows their location, like the old on site copy of a message.

We do ebay that way on a real computer. If you do ebay from a pocket phone, we have no idea what you see or how the app works.

Yeah - I use a PC...Im not using the email side. I want to use the website...

[Message edited by mod - Reason: Be Respectful]

fern*wood · ‎01-01-2026

I guess I’m just another clueless poster, but I open another tab. I gave up hoping a long time ago that eBay will do everything I would like. Tips from others on the board have helped me tremendously over the years.

duffy4444 · ‎01-01-2026

@juicydrupes wrote:
Genius response - typical of this board.

Thats like going to the doctor and saying "It hurts when I do this"

And the doctor says "Dont do that"

@juicydrupes:

Sometimes the solution is that simple. This is one of those cases with an easy fix by the patient himself without demanding major surgery or insulting the hospital.

Cheers, Duffy

reallynicestamps · ‎01-01-2026

and deletes the message you were typing,

Open a text document.

Type your message.

Cut and paste the message into eBay.

all the time stamps are for PST

Yes.

EBay's offices have been in WA since 1995.

If you are in EST , subtract three hours.

You can use a pencil or a calculator if necessary.

itsjustasprain · ‎01-01-2026

@reallynicestamps wrote:
all the time stamps are for PST
Yes.

Actually it depends on what page you are on. For example listings in Search results will show PST listing start times or auction end times. If you go to the listing itself you will then see the same time (such as an auction end time) in your own time zone (according to your own computer time zone setting).

a_c_green · ‎01-01-2026

@itsjustasprain wrote:
@reallynicestamps wrote:
all the time stamps are for PST
Yes.
Actually it depends on what page you are on. For example listings in Search results will show PST listing start times or auction end times.

In fact, things are a little sloppier than that: the time zone of Search results depends on the Sort Order chosen by the user. If I search for one of my own auction listings and choose Sort by Newly Listed, I'll see the starting/ending time listed in Pacific time:

Sort Order: Newly Listed

...but if I now change the Sort Order to Ending Soonest, the time is shown in my own Central Time Zone:

Sort Order: Ending Soonest

I would argue that the Ending Soonest version, showing the end time in my own time zone, is the better choice of the two (in terms of what zone the user is likely to assume: his own), but in both cases, if the same data is going to be shown as two different values depending on time zone and Sort Order, it should be labeled with whichever time zone was used, for clarity.

juicydrupes · ‎01-02-2026

@reallynicestamps wrote:
and deletes the message you were typing,

Open a text document.
Type your message.
Cut and paste the message into eBay.

all the time stamps are for PST
Yes.
EBay's offices have been in WA since 1995.
If you are in EST , subtract three hours.
You can use a pencil or a calculator if necessary.

Yes - that's exactly what I ended up doing - composed my message in Notepad - and copy and pasted to the message window.

Why would I care what freaking time it is in Washington? I want to know when the SENDER sent the message to me - my time - not what time it was on the other side of the country. In this case - we were both in EST - making the whole scenario even dumber.

There is no reason they cannot display the correct time.

Unbelievable how far people go to rationalize stupidity!

juicydrupes · ‎01-02-2026

@a_c_green wrote:
@itsjustasprain wrote:
@reallynicestamps wrote:
all the time stamps are for PST
Yes.
Actually it depends on what page you are on. For example listings in Search results will show PST listing start times or auction end times.
In fact, things are a little sloppier than that: the time zone of Search results depends on the Sort Order chosen by the user. If I search for one of my own auction listings and choose Sort by Newly Listed, I'll see the starting/ending time listed in Pacific time:

Sort Order: Newly Listed
...but if I now change the Sort Order to Ending Soonest, the time is shown in my own Central Time Zone:

Sort Order: Ending Soonest
I would argue that the Ending Soonest version, showing the end time in my own time zone, is the better choice of the two (in terms of what zone the user is likely to assume: his own), but in both cases, if the same data is going to be shown as two different values depending on time zone and Sort Order, it should be labeled with whichever time zone was used, for clarity.