Trinton about the html

[dhbookds]

I may be wrong to bring up wkly chat, but it ended with what i think may be a problem..... @Anonymous

I use TL, never go to the html option......after I upload a listing, I go to revise.......do the mobile check, which says I need to fix it.......I have no idea why.....just text in the description.  I do the thingy.....Better half uses 6 Bit......has to do the same..........and I would bet other 3rd party listing programs may also...........in order to make the listings "mobile friendly.......which was, I thought the aim......

So your answer of "if you don't use html, you don't need the checker" is incorrect...at least in these instances, according to the checker.    I did not explain how I was listing or why I was questioning your statement.....you have my apologies.  You might want to update the chat to reflect this, so others who use 3rd party forms without using html get the word..........

[livadia]

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@dhbookds wrote:

I may be wrong to bring up wkly chat, but it ended with what i think may be a problem..... @Anonymous

I use TL, never go to the html option......after I upload a listing, I go to revise.......do the mobile check, which says I need to fix it.......I have no idea why.....just text in the description.  I do the thingy.....Better half uses 6 Bit......has to do the same..........and I would bet other 3rd party listing programs may also...........in order to make the listings "mobile friendly.......which was, I thought the aim......

So your answer of "if you don't use html, you don't need the checker" is incorrect...at least in these instances, according to the checker.    I did not explain how I was listing or why I was questioning your statement.....you have my apologies.  You might want to update the chat to reflect this, so others who use 3rd party forms without using html get the word..........

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@dhbookds - Agree with you there needs to be clarification about how to go about this.  I have tried numerous times to follow the directions included at the link Trinton/eBay has provided, have added the Viewport Settings tag to the beginning of the description in the "HTML window" as instructed, which does nothing.  I get the same advisory message every time (that the listing isn't mobile optimized).

As far as using HTML, my listings are straight text -- no template, no crazy colors, logos, etc.  I don't go and fiddle with the HTML at all.  Use the same 14pt Arial font every time which comes up as a default.

I am clueless what the problem is and how to fix it and the tester page provided as well as the link that's on that page to learn more about Viewport settings might be helpful to a computer geek, but is total Greek to me.   My guess is that I'm not alone.

@Anonymous   Any chance we can get some more/useful help/instruction on how to make our listings "mobile friendly?"

TIA

[Anonymous]

Happy to follow up with some more details about this. The first thing I would recommend is looking at your listing on a mobile platform to see how it is formatted. There will be times where the mobile checker advises a fix is needed because it detects code in the listing, but this code actually has no impact on how it is displayed on a mobile device. The mobile checker is for those who use HTML. If you don't use HTML, then there is no need for you to use the checker. While the code provided on the site can be added to your listings to ensure that the text is optimized across all devices (http://www.ebay.com/tools/sell/mobile-friendly-test), this is not required.

If you are getting a message that your listing is not optimized, but you don't see an issue when viewing it in mobile, then you can ignore this message. I'm happy to double check any listings for you that you may have concerns with (we have access to a variety of mobile devices here in the office specifically for this kind of troubleshooting.) Just let me know if you would like me to look into anything specific.

[gracieallen01]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Happy to follow up with some more details about this. The first thing I would recommend is looking at your listing on a mobile platform to see how it is formatted. There will be times where the mobile checker advises a fix is needed because it detects code in the listing, but this code actually has no impact on how it is displayed on a mobile device. The mobile checker is for those who use HTML. If you don't use HTML, then there is no need for you to use the checker. While the code provided on the site can be added to your listings to ensure that the text is optimized across all devices (http://www.ebay.com/tools/sell/mobile-friendly-test), this is not required.

If you are getting a message that your listing is not optimized, but you don't see an issue when viewing it in mobile, then you can ignore this message. I'm happy to double check any listings for you that you may have concerns with (we have access to a variety of mobile devices here in the office specifically for this kind of troubleshooting.) Just let me know if you would like me to look into anything specific.

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Is this a suggestion that for a person to likely be a more successful seller on ebay, they are going to have the ability to access a mobile platform?

If so, then, do you have any suggestions for those who aren't so essentially equiped and up-to-date?

[dhbookds]

I THINK you are saying if I have 50,000 listings or 5), I'm not required to change anything........if I don't have html in the listing....

But IF I want to be optimized across all devices, I need to add it, even tho they will show "ok" on devices.......and I will have to look at the listing on the device to see whether I think "ok" is good enough.

???

I will leave the 4 listing forms alone for now..........my mind is already blown between the B/O surprise change, guarantee mess, TRS badges not showing, etc.  and now finding the mobile checker is "suspect" at least under some circumstances........  Ain't been a good week.........  Meant to ask on Chat whether with the new IMP under $1000....if we can take IMP off listings and be assured they will remain immediate payment.  Would save a step when switching listings to auctions......but I'll leave that alone for now also. 

[d-k_treasures]

@dhbookds

TL puts some html at the  bottom of the listing page when it's submitted. Try revising that out and see if it comes up clean.

[class1959]

Back in March (I think March 29), I posted the following problem in the weekly chat. Heidi's response was she hadn't heard of the problem and would alert the Seller Hub team. The question:

"There is a serious compatibility issue between Seller Hub, Mobile Friendly Checker and the bulk relist feature.

eBay has already said items can’t be mobile friendly checked in mass with the bulk relist feature; they must be done one-by-one. However, is eBay aware that the following situation exists:

Items that have been made mobile friendly in a one-by-one, time-consuming way do not retain their mobile compliance when you bulk relist IF YOU ARE USING SELLER HUB.

To retain their mobile friendly status when you do a bulk relist, they must have been made mobile friendly (one-by-one) using the old format (NOT Seller Hub), then bulk relisted using the old format. This is the only way to retain their mobile compliance when using bulk relist.

If you use the old format, the mobile compliance is carried on into the bulk relist. If you use Seller Hub, it is not. Items must be made mobile friendly using the old format and bulk relisted using the old format.

eBay is pushing sellers to use Seller Hub. They are also advising sellers to make their listings mobile friendly. Since it’s apparent that we can’t do both (unless we want to do them one-by-one with every relist), I have some questions:

No other site makes sellers go through a mobile friendly exercise to list an item. Why does eBay? Why doesn’t eBay have mobile compliance built into their programming so it’s automatic? Why should sellers have to manually do it, one listing at a time?

When we are finally dragged into Seller Hub with no other option, will this have been fixed so mobile compliance stays with the listing in a bulk relist using Seller Hub?"

[dhbookds]

@d-k_treasures

I'm not seeing the TL info at the bottom of new listings like before.........what I get when I do the check is:

Viewport meta tag incorrect or missing

This tag should be included in the header for the font size in your item description to be legible on a mobile device. 

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

• No horizontal scrolling

Note there is nothing about html.  Now.........being legible is pretty important, at least to me.........When we checked on a phone, before and after "fixing", was that the text was larger and more readable after the fix, plus the "see more" wasn't there, you just scrolled down and all the description showed. 

If mobile is as important as it seems to be (and I agree it is), what seller doesn't want to "optimize" their listings for it?  Well, those that have 1000  listings or more probably won't want to spend the time and I guess that's who he's talking about, but all the html stuff just threw me.   I think his point is that without the html, it's a choice of whether to spend the time or not.  I don't agree that "it doesn't matter"..........but that's a personal opinion that others may not agree with.......

[d-k_treasures]

And I don't understand why ebay can't insert that code automatically if viewing on a mobile device. 

I only use the classic site through a browser on my phone, so I can't tell you what it looks like using the app or the mobile site.

[dhbookds]

lol,  I have no idea how Better half got to the listing we looked at......  we have a 1/2 newer phone, but won't pay for a contract, just use it in Wifi areas to look up stuff.........so I should hasten to add how nebulous my conclusions may be.........

[Anonymous]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Happy to follow up with some more details about this. The first thing I would recommend is looking at your listing on a mobile platform to see how it is formatted. There will be times where the mobile checker advises a fix is needed because it detects code in the listing, but this code actually has no impact on how it is displayed on a mobile device. The mobile checker is for those who use HTML. If you don't use HTML, then there is no need for you to use the checker. While the code provided on the site can be added to your listings to ensure that the text is optimized across all devices (http://www.ebay.com/tools/sell/mobile-friendly-test), this is not required.

If you are getting a message that your listing is not optimized, but you don't see an issue when viewing it in mobile, then you can ignore this message. I'm happy to double check any listings for you that you may have concerns with (we have access to a variety of mobile devices here in the office specifically for this kind of troubleshooting.) Just let me know if you would like me to look into anything specific.

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Is this a suggestion that for a person to likely be a more successful seller on ebay, they are going to have the ability to access a mobile platform?

If so, then, do you have any suggestions for those who aren't so essentially equiped and up-to-date?

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If you do not have a mobile device you can ask a friend or family member to check your listings or reach out to me and I can review them for you to ensure they display appropriately. The code we provide on the mobile checker page is necessary if you have HTML in your listings, but not required if you do not have HTML. Adding it to a listing without HTML will ensure that the format is optimized for mobile by formatting the text of the description in such a way that someone viewing it will not have to scroll from side to side to read the full details. All of the info still shows even without the tag being added, it would just require the buyer to scroll from side to side to review all the details. 

[moo*cow*corner]

I just manually revised and relisted about 15 listings, one at a time using the mobile friendly checker on the advanced listing form. Let the tool fix the code. Thought all was ok....BUT...the mobile friendly tool linked above says my listings are not mobile friendly. It says Viewport settings are correct. So now what? This is very frustrating.

Also, half the time I try to enter an item number...it says item not found or system error. Yay.