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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

Im routinely seeing guitars that are using the same "suggested item" for the listing - and they have the wrong information for the item. Same with model trains. Lots of these item specifics are wrong. Sorry - I tried to use these - but I can't be bothered to check them everytime. Easier just to start from scratch.

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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

I can't speak for other sellers, and I don't sell guitars or trains but I have a second ebay store dedicated to records. The problem I have with the item specifics is that I get everything done when I list, then maybe a few months later, ebay changes stuff with the item specifics and I will have to go in and change things one listing at a time... something I can't do in a timely manner.

 

Like, at some point, they added the "Release Title" field. Don't know when that happened, but I still haven't had time to change ALL my listings. For some reason, I just discovered all my listings had "Record Store Day" in the specifics... I changed that in a bulk edit, but have no idea why ebay added THAT! All my records are vintage pressings.

 

Even starting from scratch, there are SO MANY fields to fill in, it's overwhelming. At times, I just figure and hope that the buyers will READ my listings, as all that info is in the title and description, if I do miss something.

 

I HAVE purchased a few guitars on ebay, and have never really used the item specifics to filter. Just the brand, model and style...

Message 2 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

The guitar thing I noticed as a buyer. I was noticing a few listings that all had the same mistake. Its a color and model that has been made for 15 years - and sellers are picking the wrong item when they list. So guitars that are from early 2000s are being listed as 2021. Easy mistake to make if you just go by looks - and aren't super familiar with guitars.

 

The train issue is as a seller. At time of listing, I pick the suggested item with the correct catalog number in the listing title...but the item specific has another catalog number - often for a similar model. I had this happen twice and was like ok - forget these suggested listings.

Message 3 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

You are correct - the item specifics issue is a big one! By choosing to weight the search engine to look at item specifics more that the title, the search has been easily manipulated - intentionally by some sellers and unknowingly by others.

     Ebay treats its sellers like third world employees instead of like partners.   They try to force everyone to bend to the will of their most recent and ill conceived projects and changes...... but they do not take human nature into account.

      Item specifics have proven to have no value- sales have steadily decreased and they take 4x longer to fill out so what is the benefit? The search is 10x worse than it was before item specifics were implemented.   

     As a seller i often leave the wrong prepopulated specifics in a listing because its not worth pouring over them to correct them.  The new listing tool has made this even worse by hiding all the item specifics in little mobile app poppup boxes.

      Some sellers have realized that because the search is so ineffective at showing what you actually type in the box that flooding the item specifics with keywords- get them visibility.   This of course only further ruins the relevancy of the AI search.    Its a problem that ebay has had since opening up the item specifics to the search algorithm.  

     Until ebay dials back the AI and weights the search algorithms to a more simple design that compares what we type to the listing titles and matches up common words again.......we will continue down this path of irrelevance.   

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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

The real irony here is - the prepopulated "suggested listings" rely on the title for a match - not item specifics!!!

 

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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

@juicydrupes  that is funny and ironic lol.    Fact is- the search is the #1 complaint i hear about form literally everyone if you mention ebay in a conversation.  

    Unfortunately the manipulation and AI allows them more opportunity to sell promoted listings and advertising and sell user data to third parties......  they knowingly and  intentionally have chosen a less relevant way of search over one that gives them control and a new revenue stream.   Very short sighted business model because it is undermining the very platform and sellers that built it.  

Message 6 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

I sell a fair number of books & roughly 1/3 of the time eBay tells me the ISBN I have entered is not correct. Since I have taken it off the book I'm listing, I know it is correct. So even though it costs me 1 way people can search, I have simply stopped giving ISBNs. Seems like every time they want more info, they screw it up.

Message 7 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

I Hate The Item Specifics Disaster!!, It Does Not Make Sense In Tons Of Categories, & Certain Ones Do Not Even Pertain To The Item, It Has Been A Mess & Looks Like It Will Continue To Be A Mess!!

Message 8 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

Not to mention....It takes three to four times longer to list an item.  That's a lot less items sitting in my shop not making eBay fees.

Message 9 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

Yes, Item specifics is a joke!
A driving backwards to flintstone technology.
Whoever came up this idea is so much a noob.

 

eBay is severely lack of talents.

Message 10 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

Yep,

 

Moons back AMZ went through this too having buckets of falsified listings take place.  The "Race to the bottom" reverse pricing resulted in sellers creating listings with fake UPC's and more.  Yeah, if specifics are portioned into search engine algorithms they will go askew, get worse and worse as time marches.

 

Site should only allow "Trusted sellers" create specifics and in doing so, give them breaks on fee's or some sort of banana for items they enter or correct.  I see buckets of this stuff in the arena of stuff I have, everything from whats supposed to be not allowed to sell to one's clearly selling pirated materials and the customer is completely unaware.

Message 11 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

It's a real pain point for jewlery sellers.  First, they mixed the fine into the costume jewelry.  Second, Not Applicable is not listed as an option; you have to type it in every time.  N/A is really needed because the bots can't understand that not all jewelry has stones, and no costume piece has diamonds worth worrying about.  No cut, color, grade, size etc needed - totally irrelevant, and yet you have to fill it in Every Single Time to get the blue circle to fill in so you'll show up in what laughably is called the Search engine. Actually, search is an approriate name; you certainly can't call it a FIND engine!  (you can't find anything with it) 

 


She who dies with the most toys still dies; when's the estate sale?
Message 12 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

When eBay went to item specifics for postcards they went to European sellers for the autofill in the information.   It took days for US sellers to get them to add US terminology.  

 

They left out the entire country of Canada.  They created a new continent - Central America.  The only manufacturers they included were non-US (except one).  Imagine a seller sending them a list they should have had from the beginning.  They decided every non-topographical (that is not a US term) needs recommended specifics "occasion" and "artist".  Except that's kind of hard to do for a post card of a dog.

 

And vintage ads -  they have to have a color  -- red, blue, green, yellow, multi-color.   I have finally given up and stuck Black & White in.

 

The item specifics are/were not created by people who deal with and are knowledgeable about the items being listing.   With all the sellers who have been here since even 2005, you would think they'd have the courage to reach out and ask for information.  No techies know everything.

 

 

Message 13 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

 "Second, Not Applicable is not listed as an option; you have to type it in every time. N/A is really needed because the bots can't understand that not all jewelry has stones, and no costume piece has diamonds worth worrying about."

 

Why would you type in N/A if the item specific is not related to your item and the specific is not required?  It looks like many of the specifics in the jewelry category are suggested of additional.  The bots only care about required specifics so there is no reason to put in N/A for suggested ones.   Imo it is much easier for buyers to look at the item specifics and see what is important if they only have to look at the ones that are actually pertinent.  If there is no stone than I don't think it is necessary to type in n/a or No. Just leave it blank so that it doesn't show up on the listing.

Message 14 of 15
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This whole "item specifics" thing is a colossal failure.

It just seems like there should have been some payoff on the backend (listing) to sellers for contributing to the item specifics system.

By now - I should be able to pick the product from the suggested items, knowing I can reliably skip all the item specifics, since that data should be pre-populated in the listing.

Instead, we are treated to what's become an inaccurate, 'open source' database of "item specifics."

If you use the suggested match - you have to double check all the item specifics for mis-information.

I could even see how nefarious sellers could use this defect to sandbag casual listers. Create attractive listings with wrong item specifics. So the casual seller - who trusts the suggested listings item specifics - might not chart as high as the nefarious seller in searches (who of course uses a template with correct infos)

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