My Item Category Changed - And I didn't do it! Has this happened to you?

[nyeemporium]

I listed an item several weeks ago in a specific category (I looked up and used the same as identicle  listed items were selling in...) and then I went into it yesterday to make some additional changes and -  IT WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL CATEGORY WHERE I LISTED.....  It was in some Christmas category that I NEVER would have used because I have never listed a Christmas item.  Not a clue how that happened but I KNOW that is absolultely not what I used when listed.

Is this normal????  Has it ever happned to you? Any suggesttions to keep it from happening again? 

No wonder it wasn't selling and no wonder ebay profits dropped down to an historic low this year.....

[bonjourami]

Category and classification changes

Category changes including additions, removals, and renames will go into effect June 13, 2017 to provide a more intuitive buying, selling, and search experience on eBay.

If you have a listing in a category affected by these changes, eBay will automatically move it to the most relevant category. Click on the category name below to view category and item specific changes.

• Antiques
• Art
• Baby
• Business and Industrial
• Collectibles
• Computers/Tablets & Networking
• Consumer Electronics
• Crafts
• Everything Else
• Home & Garden
• Pottery & Glass
• Motors
• Sporting Goods
• Sports Memorabilia

List your items in "best fit" categories

Review your listings to ensure that they are located in the “best fit” categories. If they are not in the "best fit" categories, use these eBay tools to revise your items:

• Listings tab in Seller Hub
• Bulk edit functionality inside My eBay
• Selling Manager/Selling Manager Pro

[abfabvintage]

@bonjourami

Hi, but if we determine, like the OP did, that they never chose that eBay category, is there a fee charge to revise it and put it into the OP's category, overriding what eBay AI decided where they THINK /ASSUME it should be?

I don't do listings direct into ebay SYI form and don't use any of eBay listing tools. My 3rd party program does it all where I never have to go into ebay. It has all the eBay updated Cats. I assume once listed, I need to be sure it was put in the category I chose. And assume eBay would only revise the category at the initial listing time, right? Not days after I have listed it, right? I don't have the time to check every single listing to see if AI moved it.  AND, has anyone thought about if AI moves it, it would change all the Item Specifics the seller put in there? Hope am making sense here lolol. Thanks. 

[ersatz_sobriquet]

That sounds like a nightmare that is probably going to come true, especially if these revision costs stick as policy, and we all know today's glitch is tomorrow's policy.

? If it was to catch all the cell phone cords in the cell phones section and put them in accessories, I would be all for it. I think collectibles sellers don't have too much to worry about at this time. Now those trying to mess up with the category system might be the ones to suffer the most, and that would actually be a good thing. 

[abfabvintage]

@ersatz_sobriquet

Agree about the accessories. But is this the future to charge every time you go in to refine no matter what you are refining? but my question still is...Does ebay move the Cat when you first list? Or later? And if we go in and undo what eBay did as far as AI changing category, do we get charged for that? AND if AI moves it to another category, the IS would also need to be changed. I hope this AI moving around stuff happens when you first list and you get a warning they are going to do it and either accept or reject. 

[ymeagainlord]

Except that, for example, if a LOT of those cell phone cords actually SELL in the cell phone category, then guess what category AI considers "relevant" for cell phone cords?

[ymeagainlord]

Oh and don't forget the "upgrades" that may be free in the cat YOU selected but are not free in the cat you got moved to.

Right now, they've only just started doing this so we don't have enough data.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

It could definitely go badly if regular features in one category are upgrades in another and revisions back to the correct category should Al be boozing that day could get costly. 

[ersatz_sobriquet]

First I've heard of this category changes made not by the seller, so we will have to wait and see. No doubt some horror stories will start showing up on this board. 

[abfabvintage]

@ymeagainlord

But wouldn't we have to agree to their CAT move if it did incur more fees? I am hoping this moving thing happens when you initially list, then a warning comes up, etc. before you accept or cancel the listing.  My listing program is fairly smart. It tells me if I have possibly done a duplicate listing, and gave me that Refund policy error from eBay (yet eBay accepted it as is (just stupid to give the error, then didnt stop the listing). Since I don't do eBay SYI direct, and listing is accepted, I have to go in and manually revise. BUT if an ebay warning is given about the CAT move, I think my program would alert me. Not sure. We shall see. Thanks for your input.

[abfabvintage]

@ymeagainlord

@ersatz_sobriquet

OK, I couldn't help myself. I just realized I should have listed my spitoon Vintage planter in CAT collectibles/planters rather than Pottery & Glass 'cause Collectibles can stay at 14 day Return and not 30.

If you want to change your CAT, all of your IS are GONE. I didn't go any further once I saw all my efforts to do the IS would have to be recreated. So cancelled and left in Pottery/Glass at 30. And I have a few other CATs  I would like to revise that would meet the 14 day, but not now that I found this.

Which still raises the question about eBay moving your item to a "better fit" CAT. The IS will be deleted from your original listing and you will have to re-enter the specs. Unless you get an eBay warning while initially listing that they intend to move it where you can accept their move or not. 

[booksandjava]

Sounds about right....if you use the bulk editor it is an opportunity for ebay to move, say children’s books into the cookbook category.....cuz everybody goes to cookbooks when they want kids books or flas cards.....can’t make this up folks....save your breath, I’ve complained for a year.  I have stated to ebay, “If I can not do it better than Ebay, then I should not be selling.”

[shevey55]

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@abfabvintage wrote:

@ymeagainlord

@ersatz_sobriquet

OK, I couldn't help myself. I just realized I should have listed my spitoon Vintage planter in CAT collectibles/planters rather than Pottery & Glass 'cause Collectibles can stay at 14 day Return and not 30.

If you want to change your CAT, all of your IS are GONE. I didn't go any further once I saw all my efforts to do the IS would have to be recreated. So cancelled and left in Pottery/Glass at 30. And I have a few other CATs  I would like to revise that would meet the 14 day, but not now that I found this.

Which still raises the question about eBay moving your item to a "better fit" CAT. The IS will be deleted from your original listing and you will have to re-enter the specs. Unless you get an eBay warning while initially listing that they intend to move it where you can accept their move or not. 

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You don't have to lose your IS. Just open the listing twice (in two tabs). Change the catgory in one, then refer to the second one to put in the correct IS.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

I'm not concerned with IS unless I sell something new or a pattern. Otherwise I think it might just be to my benefit to avoid having ebay have a way to catalog my item. If Al doesn't know what to do with my listing, it might get better exposure, simply because Al can't pigeon hole the item. So a vintage planter sometimes it is best to not even reveal anywhere in the listing who made it, especially if it is low end. High end you want the name that sells in the title. 

[abfabvintage]

@shevey55

Thx for your help. But does that mean I still have to manually put the Specifics back in. Maybe I wasn't real clear. My listing program has the IS saved. So they are not Gone in the sense I have to re-think what I had in there. It is when I go into the ebay listing to revise, change the Cat.

And am also finding that, say my original listing had maybe 10 IS, the new Cat may only have 2 and I know I can create new IS categories, but what a time waster. I just need to be more careful to put it in the right CAT to begin with. I have a Starter Store and have to remember what Cats apply for free listings, then also remember which CATS require 14 or 30 for returns. Not computer saavy here.