eBay

d.clawed · ‎08-17-2019

Hi. I created a listing for a Cross pen from scratch. It won’t let me submit due to a url violation. Here is the warning:

It looks like there's a problem with this listing.

We’ve noticed that your listing included a shortened URL. eBay no longer permits shortened URLs (e.g. bitly or tinyurl) in item descriptions, payment instructions, return instructions, etc, regardless of where they link to. Please remove any shortened URL's from your listing.
To learn what else is no longer permitted in our updated Links policy, including email addresses, links to email clients and non-clickable links, please see: http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/links2011.html

I hate to sound stupid, but I don’t even know what this is/means.

Here is my paragraph:

“For your consideration is one Cross Classic Century 14k Gold Filled Ballpoint Pen 1502 with Box. Comes exactly as pictured. Includes only what you see pictured. Pen is in very good, pre-owned condition.

Pen works. Currently has blue ink. Cool Playboy logo affixed.

I have photographed all sides for you to closely study details and condition. Non-smoking & pet free home. Thank you for looking.”

Can anyone tell me what the problem is?

loveyourimagination49 · ‎08-17-2019

So you didn’t use sell similar, sell one like this, copy or paste from the internet?

Everyone has options. Just be sure the best option is right for you.

pburn · ‎08-17-2019

@d.clawed wrote:
Thank you all for the insight. I couldn’t “create” a tiny url if you paid me.

Not that you asked, but . . .

A URL is the web address of any given web page. You see it up in the very top field of your browser. It will be something like "www.something.com/blah/blah/blah." Sometimes that web address can have a whole lot of characters, and it would appear awkward if you wanted to paste it somewhere for someone's use. (See the URL @lacemaker3 posted in message #9.)

Instead of posting that huge URL, there are websites you can use to paste that URL and have it transformed into a "tiny URL." That's actually the name of the website--tinyurl.com--although there are others that do the same thing.

Some webpages such as this discussion forum (and my email provider) allow you to create links to URLs by clicking on a "link" icon. You can then replace the actual URL with whatever text you chose. One example would be lacemaker3's name I included earlier in my post, or something like:

Here's a link to eBay's home page . . .

a_c_green · ‎08-17-2019

@d.clawed wrote:
I have to share though that the word “cool” came right out of my head and directly into my paragraph. I didn’t clip or copy from anywhere. This is kind of scary.

Bizarre. I've been selling here for fifteen years, and I'm sure I've used the word "cool" on multiple occasions without a problem. I think the next time I'm uploading a listing, I'll use the word "cool" in a sentence and see if anything gets flagged.

d.clawed · ‎08-17-2019

@loveyourimagination49 wrote:
So you didn’t use sell similar, sell one like this, copy or paste from the internet?

Positively did not use sell similar or cut/paste.

I gave up on sell similar as it always deletes my PayPal address and defaults my return policy to something they want, among other things.

a_c_green · ‎08-17-2019

@d.clawed wrote:
I gave up on sell similar as it always deletes my PayPal address and defaults my return policy to something they want, among other things.

Sell Similar off of your own listings does not do that. Most of my current listings are Sell Similar copies of my previously sold listings for the same part.

If you're doing a Sell Similar from someone else's listing, however, that brings over a bare minimum of data: mainly the title, category(ies) and Item Specifics. Beyond that, you would not be inheriting someone else's return policy or their PayPal address (obviously), so I assume you would find either your own content plugged in there, or nothing at all.