NEW STORE FORMAT

[toysaver]

Unwelcomed surprise.  The ability to search for newly listed is gone.  Categories are gone from the side to a drop down menu.  Is this just a test on a select few or are all stores downgraded?  

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

OK, so it wasn't a link to a category page, you created it by doing a search ("basketball") within your store, and then used the search results URL  to create a clickable link, is that right?

[imapaqrat]

Exactly.  Trying to make it as easy as possible for potential buyers to find "like items."

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

OK. Gotcha. So, if I'm not mistaken, what has happened is, in creating the updated store version, ebay altered the URL for in-store searches?  If that's the case, I wish I could help, but like I said, I'm not tech savvy enough to have any suggestions....Well, maybe one, but I'm not sure whether it would actually do any good. But if you aren't using two store categories for each listing, that might be a way around it?  Create a Basketball category and put all basketball related items in it, AND in whatever other category the item fits in. And then just direct to the Basketball category? 

But you've got thousands of listings, so even if this would work, it would be time consuming.

Wish I could offer a better suggestion.... 

[chapeau-noir]

When I was selling a lot more tech stuff I had hyperlinks to online manuals in order to assist my buyers with installation.  Then eBay nixed all hyperlinks (fearful that I was trying to send buyers off site to buy, as they routinely do - there was nothing to buy in these links, they were just manuals).

I had to redo all of my listings plus develop a short-form manual (which meant writing a manual for every single different model I sold).  It was a pain, enquiries to eBay as to WHY didn't help - probably they can't monitor every single link. 

A pain in the backside, but then they're not responsible for people's links and internal store structure. 

[chapeau-noir]

Just realised - yeah,  I don't see this as a huge deal at all, but wonder if some had the old store layout and some had updated to the new store layout?  This is build-out on the NEW store layout (or newer layout since it has been around for a while) which the last time I checked wasn't mandatory.  If people still had the older style layout, this new one might be startling.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir , I'm not sure this is even built on the "new" store layout....I think one of the things they talked about when this was first being discussed is that this is built on an all new "stack"....whatever a stack is...which will make it much easier to make changes as time goes on and they add new features, etc. So, yeah, that could be whey the new in store search URL....

I'm hoping to redo my categories, which I suspect will be time consuming but should make navigation easier for my buyers....and for creating marketing campaigns and links, which often are based on categories.  

[chapeau-noir]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@chapeau-noir , I'm not sure this is even built on the "new" store layout....I think one of the things they talked about when this was first being discussed is that this is built on an all new "stack"....whatever a stack is...which will make it much easier to make changes as time goes on and they add new features, etc. So, yeah, that could be whey the new in store search URL....

I'm hoping to redo my categories, which I suspect will be time consuming but should make navigation easier for my buyers....and for creating marketing campaigns and links, which often are based on categories.  

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques   I missed that (skimmed) but understand - the visual is like the updated store (which not everyone converted to, because I see a lot of the older style when I'm browsing - in fact, it seems like the majority are the older style - or may be eBay has different 'experiences' 😣)  A stack is just a data structure for objects that can be pushed in or removed - a bit like a bookshelf.  It does make changes easier.

[imapaqrat]

Right there with you.  I had links to reviews for some of my items, that had to be remove.

Worse yet, was the Old, old store format had Custom Pages; where I created extra detailed information for some items and linked to those. Buyer could choose to read more, with out cluttering the actual listing.

For some unknown reason, eBay decided to nixed those in the Old store format.  Who knows why.  It probably saved them $100 a month in coding.

[imapaqrat]

To make it a bit more confusing.

Old, old store format:  Included Store Custom pages.  It wasn't an immediately forced migration and many sellers choose to keep the Old, old store format.  My listing had "In-Listing Links" as mentioned before.

In February was forced to migrate to the now Old store format; which BROKE my "In-Listing Links".

I brought my concern about the links no longer working to eBay's attention. Their reply was basically, "We Don't Care. This is how the new store interface works. Deal with it."

So I did deal with it. I spend hundreds of hours, updating most of my listings with the new store linking logic. This was a huge, time consuming, undertaking.

Yesterday, when eBay forced the new Store format on everybody, my "In-Listing Links" broke again . . .

BUT, listings that I had never got around to update the "In-Listing Links" now work fine.

So if I had done nothing for 8 months and left the broken "In-Listing Links" alone; they would all be working again.

Even have heavily complaining about the "In-Listing Links" getting broken last time the Store Format change; eBay heard nothing and did the exact same thing.

Personally, I think they need to fix the bug or pay sellers to have the "In-Listing Links" change, yet again.

[denisevanpattendolls]

Also, I really miss the little blue door store icon in listings; I know you can click “visit Store” but I loved the ease of my eye going to the blue door when I’m buying for a fast click into the seller’s store. Can we have that back?

[chapeau-noir]

I still have the blue door - hope it stays!

Since I don't have subcategories (I don't have enough stuff) I didn't see this, but apparently the drop-down menu makes it difficult to see subcategories, and once you back out of one, you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the menu, you can't simply go to the next subcategory under that particular main category.  I hope they fix that - it sounds like the similar awkward mess to the beta listing form they're trying to adapt to mobile with no way to navigate.

[powell-memorabilia]

@toysaver 

I love the new format!

[msmaggie060]

I had a link in each item in my store that said “click here and see my other items”. Of course, it no longer works now. I think it was in HTML and since I am not tech savvy I have no idea how to fix my links. I don’t even know what the URL is for my eBay store anymore or how to find it. (Blame it on a senior moment or my age.) If anyone knows how to fix this would be much appreciated.

[arisdisc]

Dear Ebay:

STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  STOP!  

STOP!!!!!!!!!

[imapaqrat]

A quick "In-Listing" link tutorial.

I created a Notepad file with all my most common search links in HTML format.

When I need a new one I use of my common links as a starting point

Below is an example of a "In-Listing" HTML block of code and how to change it.  All the different color coding is just for visual reference only.  Of course you will want to change imapaqrat to your store name.

The 1st line <!--  is a comment nobody sees it but you -->

target="_blank" opens the search in a new browser tab

<!-- BASKETBALL -->

<font size="5" color="#FFFFFF">If you are a BASKETBALL Fan, I always have other BASKETBALL items in my eBay Store.</font> </font><font size="5">

<a href=" https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dmd=2&_ssn=imapaqrat&store_cat=0&store_name=imapaqrat&_oac=1&_nkw=basketball" target="_blank">Check them out by clicking this link!</a><br><br>

If you want a Volleyball search link, just change all the Basketballs to Volleyball.

Two, Three, or Four Word Search just put a plus between the words

michael+jordan

nike+poster+michael+jordan

Exact string search: No Finish Line, put double quotes around the words

"No+Finish+Line"

Combo search exact string and Key Words: No Finish Line, poster, running

"no+finish+line"+poster+running

When revising or creating a listing, I actually type in the Standard Tab MYLINKS where I want my in-listing link(s) to go; then I switch to the HTML tab; search for MYLINKS . . . replace MYLINKS with the block of HTML code for the in-listing search results I want.

Hope that helps.

Bruce "ImaPaqRat" Fisher

Remember: People don't stop playing because they grow old; they grow old because they stop playing! So, NEVER STOP PLAYING!