eBay

oregon2 · ‎06-24-2018

When I list an item for sale I look at similar items that have sold in the past for comps. Being able to read the description of the SOLD item is critical in order to evaluate conditiion, etc. Lately I have noticed when you locate a SOLD item and click on "see original listing" you get a message and an image of a similar item (not always similar) that is for sale and no informtion about the SOLD item you are tring to retrieve. What is up with that ? Is there a workaround ?

creoleorchid · ‎06-24-2018

You are not alone. It’s completely idiotic that they did that.

The only way I’ve found to see the original listing is to copy the item number (if you can find it) and go to Advanced search, paste in the item number and tick the box for completed listings. Even that doesn’t always work.

feefoo72 · ‎06-24-2018

I noticed that yesterday, no way to see the original listing anymore. I am also wondering why ebay changed this. It was very helpful for research. So now ebay links to a completely different sale and seller, yet the link still says "see original listing." I hope it's temporary.

darkofthematinee · ‎06-24-2018

I just this today and I'm utterly appalled at the stupidity. This has to be one of the most idiotic "improvements" I've seen in the 20 years I've been selling here!! Soooooo annoying. It's right up there with that irritating feature that randomly comes and goes... the one where you need to click to read the item description and then it pops open in another tab.

I found another thread someone started a couple of weeks ago. One of the posters mentioned you can still see original listing in chrome. So I tried that and it worked. Then tried again a few minutes later and it didn't work.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/See-original-listing-now-redirects-to-similar-item/m-p/2860764...

tiramisu41 · ‎06-24-2018

@darkofthematinee wrote:
I just this today and I'm utterly appalled at the stupidity. This has to be one of the most idiotic "improvements" I've seen in the 20 years I've been selling here!! Soooooo annoying. It's right up there with that irritating feature that randomly comes and goes... the one where you need to click to read the item description and then it pops open in another tab.

I found another thread someone started a couple of weeks ago. One of the posters mentioned you can still see original listing in chrome. So I tried that and it worked. Then tried again a few minutes later and it didn't work.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/See-original-listing-now-redirects-to-similar-item/m-p/2860764...

@darkofthematinee, if you know or have a pretty good idea of the title of the item, try Googling it. lot of times I've been able to retrieve a sold or expired item that way, including some of my own which eBay removed from my sold pages after 90 days and I had no back-up copy of the listing on file when I wanted to re-list it or a similar item.

cwcsports · ‎06-24-2018

At the top where it says:
The listing you’re looking for is no longer available. Check out this similar item we found for you.
Click on the word "listing" and it will take you to the original listing.

lacemaker3 · ‎06-24-2018

@oregon2 wrote:
When I list an item for sale I look at similar items that have sold in the past for comps. Being able to read the description of the SOLD item is critical in order to evaluate conditiion, etc. Lately I have noticed when you locate a SOLD item and click on "see original listing" you get a message and an image of a similar item (not always similar) that is for sale and no informtion about the SOLD item you are tring to retrieve. What is up with that ? Is there a workaround ?

Workaround:

click on a completed listing to open it
click on "see original listing" - this will open a similar, active listing instead
At the top of the listing it says:
The listing you’re looking for is no longer available. Check out this similar item we found for you.
the word listing is a link, which will take you back to the original, completed listing.

Or, you can use this url and replace the item ##### with the one you want:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/#####?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true

feefoo72 · ‎06-24-2018

@oregon2 wrote:
Is there a workaround ?

darkofthematinee posted a link to another discussion about this. There is a workaround solution there that seems to work, at least on a few that I tested.

Click the "see original listing" link, as usual, then when redirected to a different listing you may see this at the top:

Click the word "listing" in the blue bar and it links to the original listing.

The few that I have tested have worked.

darkofthematinee · ‎06-24-2018

Thanks for that helpful tip. I went back to the same listings I couldn't see an hour ago and suddenly they're visible again(?)

I'll be sure to remember this workaround next time the problem comes up...

argy_eyes · ‎06-24-2018

Livadia,

You are not alone. Lot's of potential customers (not to mention sellers) search for things on Google rather than on eBay. The problems all started a few weeks ago when eBay decided they didn't want the Google searchers (mostly potential buyers) to go to a completed listing that they couldn't buy, so they began substituting links to "similar" items that were active.

As a seller, this makes sense to me, but it complicated getting the completed listing research. As several folks have pointed out, if you were somebody actually looking for the completed listing, you had to click on the blue original "listing" link.

This morning (Sunday the 24th) it seems like the whole idea has been pulled back. I don't get the "similar" item link, just the old closed listing.

Mike

magicjohnsonsvariety · ‎06-24-2018

@darkofthematinee wrote:
I just this today and I'm utterly appalled at the stupidity. This has to be one of the most idiotic "improvements" I've seen in the 20 years I've been selling here!! Soooooo annoying. It's right up there with that irritating feature that randomly comes and goes... the one where you need to click to read the item description and then it pops open in another tab.

I found another thread someone started a couple of weeks ago. One of the posters mentioned you can still see original listing in chrome. So I tried that and it worked. Then tried again a few minutes later and it didn't work.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/See-original-listing-now-redirects-to-similar-item/m-p/2860764...

I agree, it is most idiotic, both in practical terms and in excecution...

It's embarrassing and makes it look like ebays site isn't at all working properly...

First programming error: "See original listing", so when one clicks on this it will sometimes not bring you to the original listing, but in fact brings you to another listing. Either ebay is not quite familiar with what the word "original" means, or this is an intentional error. Either way it makes ebay employees look uneducated.

Second programming error: Ebay outright LIES and states "The listing you're looking for is no longer available" (Oh, really??)... fact is IT IS available by simply clicking on the word listing".

Intentional errors or just sloppy work??...you decide.

oregon2 · ‎06-24-2018

Lacemaker3 -

Thanks for taking the time to post that workaround !!

lacemaker3 · ‎06-24-2018

@magicjohnsonsvariety wrote:

...
Second programming error: Ebay outright LIES and states "The listing you're looking for is no longer available" (Oh, really??)... fact is IT IS available by simply clicking on the word listing".
...

It means that the listing is no longer available to be purchased, I thought that was pretty obvious, actually.

Not saying that I like having to make several clicks to access sold listings, but your post is pretty ridiculous. Paranoid much?

magicjohnsonsvariety · ‎06-24-2018

@lacemaker3 wrote:
@magicjohnsonsvariety wrote:

...
Second programming error: Ebay outright LIES and states "The listing you're looking for is no longer available" (Oh, really??)... fact is IT IS available by simply clicking on the word listing".
...

It means that the listing is no longer available to be purchased, I thought that was pretty obvious, actually.

Not saying that I like having to make several clicks to access sold listings, but your post is pretty ridiculous. Paranoid much?

It's not obvious because.....

It says "The LISTING you're looking for is no longer available"....Entire Listing!!!!!

If for example, it said "The ITEM you're looking for is no longer available", then I would tend to agree you're right....but you're not.