eBay

community_team · ‎10-12-2021

--Final Update, October 28--

The category changes announced in our Fall Seller Update have been completed.

Now that all category changes are complete, while you might still see some adjustments to searches, it is okay to update or edit your listings without concerns of losing data or having it moved again.

We appreciate your feedback on this roll-out. We'll continue to adjust the process based on the input we’ve received here, and we'll take all of these suggestions into consideration for future updates.

As this project is now complete the post is being locked from further comments.

Resources and observations

We’ve heard from you that updating your Item Specifics in time for the February 2022 requirement date may be a challenge.

A useful tool that may help is located in the Seller Hub under Listing>Active. There is a drop-down box labeled ‘Download’ which will generate an Excel document for ‘Missing Required or Recommended Item Specifics’. You can read more about this tool here.

Should you come across any inaccuracies within the new Item Specifics we ask that you report those directly to sdsupport@ebay.com so our team can investigate. Outside of that, please share suggestions as to changes you'd like to see going forward here, selecting the Categories and Item Specifics option.

---Update as of October 19th---

We apologize for this delayed update. Thank you for your patience while our teams worked to finalize category changes.

All listings have been moved to their final destination categories. You may now proceed with checking your categories, revising items, and updating item specifics where needed.

Some item specifics have been renamed, and the value you originally provided has been copied over to the new item specific, so you don’t need to re-add these item specifics. We encourage you to update your listings with item specifics that are showing as “Required Soon.” These will become required on February 22, 2022.

All other item specifics are either Recommended or Optional. Learn more about item specifics.

Some categories were retired and replaced by product-based categories. You and your buyers can still find the items you’re looking for. Simply browse to the product category of your choice and use the filters to refine your search.

More information about key category changes:

Dolls & Bears. The categories based on Brand/Material/Theme/Character/Franchise/Product Line/Type of doll have been retired. Former categories have been replaced by left-hand navigation filters in the new Dolls & Doll Playsets category. You can access the filters by browsing to the product category of your choice and using Brand/Vintage/Material/Theme/Character/Franchise/Product Line/Type filters to refine your search.

Pottery & Glass. The categories based on Brand/Origin/Production Style/Production Technique have also been replaced by filters. You and buyers can now filter by the Brand/Origin/Production Style/Production Technique/Time Period Manufactured.
Postcards. The categories based on Location/Theme/Subject have been retired and replaced with two main categories for Topographical and Non-Topographical postcards. The former categories have been replaced by left-hand navigation filters in the two new main categories. For example in Topographical Postcards, you can filter by Country and Region.

Jewelry & Watches. The categories based on Main Stone and Metal Type have been retired and replaced by product-based categories under Fine Jewelry. Use the filters for Main Stone and Metal to refine your search.

---Update as of October 14th---
The work continues on this move and is progressing according to plan. We are on track and anticipate all category changes for your listings to be complete by end of day tomorrow (10.15). Thank you for your patience while our teams implement these changes.

---Update as of October 13th---

We continue to work through this change and thank you for your patience as our teams work through it. We wanted to provide answers to some top concerns and questions:

Why are Gallery Plus fees being charged for items that were previously free?

We determined that a technical issue impacted a small number of listings, which resulted in incorrect charges (including Gallery Plus, subtitles, and insertion fees) for some sellers. The issue has been fixed and we will be crediting impacted sellers as quickly as possible. No calls to Customer Service are necessary as credits will be issued automatically.

The eBay Standard Envelope shipping option is grayed out and I can’t select it. When will the issue be resolved?

The eBay Standard Envelope shipping option issue resulted from the category changes update and has been resolved. eBay Standard Envelope is now available in applicable categories if your item meets the established criteria.

Should I edit my listings if they’re in the wrong category, have been moved to another category, or have wrong or missing item specifics?

No. Recent category changes require updates to many thousands of servers and data changes to nearly every aspect of our platform. This level of adjustment takes time, which is why we asked for your patience while the process runs. We expect most data updates to be completed within 48 hours, but can they take up to a week (i.e., through Oct. 19). After that, if you have an item specific in mind that you think would work well for your listing, please consider adding it as a custom item specific.

Why isn’t my item coming up in search?

The category change update is still in process. We anticipate search issues will resolve when we complete most data updates during the next 24-48 hours.

There are more item specifics now than ever before. Do I need to fill in all of them?

No. Item specifics that you have already filled in will be maintained as the category moves are completed during the next week. In addition, new soon-to-be-required item specifics are being added and will become required by Feb 22, 2022. As always, the more item specifics you fill out, the better visibility your listing has to buyers.

For Parts & Accessories, when will fitment/compatibility charts start working again?

There was an issue with parts compatibility not working properly as the category changes rolled out that has been resolved. You should now be able to see the options to add fitment compatibility when editing your listings.

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We’re updating some of our categories and item specifics to make your listings easier to find.

Starting October 12th, you’ll see updates to the following categories. Learn more about category changes →

Collectibles & Art

Jewelry

Musical Instruments

Parts & Accessories

Sporting Goods

As these updates go into effect, you may see temporary impacts to your listing experience or to the visibility of listings in the affected categories.

This is a result of listings transitioning to the updated item specifics and category structures. Your affected listings should return to normal within 48 hours, though you may see irregularities on some listings for up to a week. We recommend checking your item specifics and categories in affected listings after these updates are complete.

These updates also include new item specifics in the above categories, which will be required February 22, 2022. Starting today, these item specifics will be available as you list, with the “Required Soon” tag. Learn more →

Keep an eye on this page over the coming days—we’ll be sharing up-to-date information on affected categories and listings, and answering any questions you have.

jasmen@ebay · ‎10-12-2021

@alderantiques wrote:

So you just removed all the categories for different glass makers (Fenton, Imperial, Lenox, Westmoreland, Cambridge, etc etc) and lumped everything in a few catergories. You moved all of my Imperial goblets into the cookware, dinnerware bowls category. Because everybody knows that when you are looking for rare Imperial cobalt blue cape cod stems, you start your search in the bowls category. So now I am spending days just going through and revising my 2000 glass listings into the best lumped up category that they fit in. Just wanted to say that whoever is making these decisions are complete idiots and you are making places like Etsy look better every day.

Hey @alderantiques

We appreciate the feedback for sure, please know as long as your item specifics are filled out buyers will have no problem searching for and finding your items!

Jasmen,
Community Team

weloveourstuff · ‎10-12-2021

I think the "end goal" is going to be loss of sales for people looking for and selling vintage items. Or maybe that is the "end goal" after all.

collectfest · ‎10-12-2021

@somanypostcards wrote:
eBay showed I needed to update item specifics on 1 item. I added an item location and clicked Update. I got the following error message:

"Sorry, something went wrong. Please wait a moment and try again.
Item specifics cannot be changed if an auction-style listing has a bid or ends within 12 hours, or a fixed price listing has a pending Best Offer."

I see 2 problems:
1. eBay should NOT tell me to update item specifics on an item that cannot be updated.
2. eBay should NOT tell me to "Please wait a moment and try again." This will only result in the SAME error message.

Hopefully this post will prevent some sellers from trying to update item specifics on listings that cannot be updated.

The truth as I see it, they shouldnt tell you anything how to sell postcards. I am sure you are 100% more qualified on how to list them. It makes you think, why would they be so concerned as to how one sells their items? Are your items getting a fair shake? How about this, let you list your items in the way you want to list them. After all, you are spending your money for the ability to sell here.

somanypostcards · ‎10-12-2021

eBay says: "We’re updating some of our categories and item specifics to make your listings easier to find."

Now the changes to Collectibles -> Postcards with over 9 million listings is changed to

Collectibles -> Postcards & Supplies

Postcards (over 1 million items)

Topographical Postcards (nearly 900,000 items)

Non-Topographical Postcards (over 198,000 items, many topographical!)

Postcard Supplies & Accs (562 items)

Price Guides & Publications (0 items)

Here are some of the problems:

1. 8 million items are missing

2. 113 items listed in "Postcard Supplies & Acc" are actually "Price Guides & Publications" which currently has NO listings.

3. When I view the results of a search, it is programed for a smart phone and NOT a desktop computer. In the list view I see only 3 items per screen. Luckily there is a customize choice, so I can click on "Customize your search" Thumbnail size small to see 6 items per screen. However with each new search this gets reset to the default, so I have to customize the search EVERY time to minimize scrolling.

4. Many or the postcards listed in Non-Topograpical Postcards are topographical, such as hotels, restaurants, military bases, etc. I believe better categories than Topographical and Non-Topographical Postcards would be View Postcards and Subject or Topical Postcards. Obviously a Deltiologist was NOT consulted when selecting the only 2 sub-categories for postcards.

collectfest · ‎10-12-2021

@steelernation2007 wrote:
Yes it is, including the whole Anchor Hocking category. An email about these major changes would have been wonderful. Instead of suddenly seeing my listings automatically put into generic categories that I had no choice in.

Agreed 100% Having said that, doesn't really matter in the end. Your category is gone and there is no evidence that it will come back. Still waiting to sell coins as promised over a year ago.

luxgoods · ‎10-12-2021

YAY!!! I can't wait for this next fiasco. Let's put some more item specifics in so that the sellers have something to do and we can justify our jobs. This never stops and just makes things worse. Remember the Clothing Update disaster where info that we entered was deleted. Who is running this company????

collectfest · ‎10-12-2021

@alderantiques wrote:
So you just removed all the categories for different glass makers (Fenton, Imperial, Lenox, Westmoreland, Cambridge, etc etc) and lumped everything in a few catergories. You moved all of my Imperial goblets into the cookware, dinnerware bowls category. Because everybody knows that when you are looking for rare Imperial cobalt blue cape cod stems, you start your search in the bowls category. So now I am spending days just going through and revising my 2000 glass listings into the best lumped up category that they fit in. Just wanted to say that whoever is making these decisions are complete idiots and you are making places like Etsy look better every day.

Great post. Nothing like a Tiffany Glass Lamp listed with depression glass cups. Good luck with your updates.

collectfest · ‎10-12-2021

@tealt wrote:
@community_team wrote:
We’re updating some of our categories and item specifics to make your listings easier to find.

Just how is it going to be easier for buyers to find my pottery dinner plates now that eBay has moved those plates into the Vases category?

Questions: Will those plates be moved into a proper category after a week? Or will they stay in Vases?

It won't, so the question remains why are (and by the way have been) destroying search?

coffeebean832 · ‎10-12-2021

jasmen@ebay wrote:
Hey everyone!

I saw a few comments about things being a little wonky, first off I wanted to say THANK YOU so much for working with us!

We're in the process of adjusting that category from concept-based categories to more dynamic product-based categories (we announced this last month here if you'd like to read more about it). The end-goal is actually less disruptions like this, and as we shift towards utilizing Item Specifics more and unique subcategories less, we're confident in that outcome.

While this move is in process you will see some unusual results, but rest assured that we expect this to be back to running as you'd expect within a few days.

Thanks for your patience!

jasmen@ebay- Speaking for myself-

I'm not against improving categories and item specifics.

I understand affected listings shouldn't be touched for a few days while the transition takes place.

What I do take issue with-

- Communication surrounding these changes needs to be 1,000 times better. See my other post on this thread for specifics.

- The inability to print standard envelope shipping labels is a repeat of what happened in May. We shouldn't see technical errors like that repeating from update to update. If there is truly no way to avoid this happening, then eBay should be sending communication to affected sellers days before and comping their cost to upgrade from standard envelope to package with tracking.

It's not the updates- it's the way these updates are handled. Sellers can roll with a lot of change if they know what to expect. It took me a lot of time and effort to be informed on the nuances of the process. That shouldn't be necessary when something like better communication in the seller update and a simple e-mail the week before the changes could take care of it.

collectfest · ‎10-12-2021

jasmen@ebay wrote:
@alderantiques wrote:
So you just removed all the categories for different glass makers (Fenton, Imperial, Lenox, Westmoreland, Cambridge, etc etc) and lumped everything in a few catergories. You moved all of my Imperial goblets into the cookware, dinnerware bowls category. Because everybody knows that when you are looking for rare Imperial cobalt blue cape cod stems, you start your search in the bowls category. So now I am spending days just going through and revising my 2000 glass listings into the best lumped up category that they fit in. Just wanted to say that whoever is making these decisions are complete idiots and you are making places like Etsy look better every day.
Hey @alderantiques

We appreciate the feedback for sure, please know as long as your item specifics are filled out buyers will have no problem searching for and finding your items!

Really, I am a buyer and have a BIG problem finding things. Lets take Christmas ornaments. Use to be able to EASILY find vintage ornaments. Now I have to INDIVIDUALLY click on a MULTITUDE of boxes on the left of the page and or advanced settings. Also, NOT all sellers are experts so they do not know how to date them. And lets talk about the unspecified category, very helpful. Nobody is snowing anybody. This is serious business. Folks have a lot of time and money into this. These roll outs have consequences.

uffdahhhpostcard · ‎10-12-2021

I just put my 23,000 active postcards on "vacation" and won't relist another 10,000 until this gets ironed out. Had 3 sales already today where the eBay Standard Envelope is not working so have to use a high priced option.

All these changes at the start of the big shopping season.....

nechris85 · ‎10-12-2021

What about people who like to search by ending soonest to find out what is available? I am a doll seller and also a buyer and this is how I search: I go to the dolls and bears category then choose if I want to shop for vintage barbie, contemporary barbie, brand/company/character, etc. I want to see all of the listings under this category. Not just a handful of best sellers or top rated seller items. And I want people to be able to see my items. I have rare vintage Barbies under the category of dolls and playsets? Ridiculous. No one will ever find them unless they type in the specific name of the item. Most sales are usually impulse purchases because they happen to see the item and like it. People shop like that far more often than typing in searches for specific items.

donsdetour · ‎10-12-2021

@nechris85 wrote:
What about people who like to search by ending soonest to find out what is available? I am a doll seller and also a buyer and this is how I search: I go to the dolls and bears category then choose if I want to shop for vintage barbie, contemporary barbie, brand/company/character, etc. I want to see all of the listings under this category. Not just a handful of best sellers or top rated seller items. And I want people to be able to see my items. I have rare vintage Barbies under the category of dolls and playsets? Ridiculous. No one will ever find them unless they type in the specific name of the item. Most sales are usually impulse purchases because they happen to see the item and like it. People shop like that far more often than typing in searches for specific items.

Learn the new and improved method or move on: is what this new thing is for you category searchers is.

And of course a lot will move on.

chinafindermichael · ‎10-12-2021

Will it ever be safe to list a new listings without having all the info removed. This is worse then the month Ebay deleted all but one photo from all the listings. I SAY WE SHOULD GET 2 MONTHS FREE STORE FEES & S&H SELLING FEES FOR OUR TROUBLES. I once again ask why does Ebay not Alpha & Beta test this stuff instead of clobbering their customers with faulty programing and crazy ideas that cause us extra work, less sales, and more frustration.

dakotatreasurehunter · ‎10-12-2021

Now that our listings have been changed to a new category, does that mean that our items specifics will be gone and have to be entered all over again? For us sellers with thousands of listings this will take hundreds of hours. We already had to go through this a couple of times and to do it again is just too much. We should spend out time listing new items, not having to fix the problems that ebay creates.