Updates are happening to some item specifics and category structures

[community_team]

We announced in our most recent Seller Update that we’ve revised some categories and item specifics to help make your listings easier to find on eBay and by external search engines. 

Starting today, you’ll see updates to the following categories:

Business & Industrial (Sinks)

Collectibles & Toys 

Electronics (Cameras)

Health & Beauty (Covid tests)

Home & Garden

Parts & Accessories (Wheels & Tires)

Sporting Goods (Golf & Cycling)

Watches

During this transition, your listing experience could be temporarily impacted, as well as the visibility of your listings.  You may notice some item specifics changing names, listings moved to different categories, or some listings temporarily not appearing in searches. 

Any affected listings should return to normal within a week, though some effects to listings’ visibility in searches may continue for up to three weeks. 

Once these changes are complete, we recommend checking your listings in the above categories to see if any were affected.  Learn more about category changes → please scroll down the page to see the links for the specific category changes.

We understand these updates will take extra time and may cause some frustration, but our goal is to help you increase your listings’ visibility and sales. 

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. 

[kraftyrose]

I have had one sale in 18 days and of course you cant get anyone on the phone

[kraftyrose]

Ebay can you tell me why I have had only one sale in 18 days - you just finisished messing with the jewelry item specifics.  I have sent emails and no responses.  The item specifics are confusing when you list - I am having items of mine DUPLICATE on the seller hub - and I am not doing it - I live on SS and this and this was a big $44 this month.  (Sorry I just saw I am replying to someone)

[ekmadonna]

150 NEW or Newley Sell Similar items listed since yesterday across a broad swath of categories except clothing. a grand total of less than 20 total views on 150 listings. Very depressing figures

[velvet@ebay]

---

@partfinds wrote:

velvet@ebay 

Wow. So why is that lack of sales for many abrupt in the same time? Spring/summer never and issue with parts. People fix cars at this time. Work shops order parts. Why all over the sudden lack of sales for many at the same time? Can someone look into it?

could that be that the system went awry while changing view counts on accounts?

---

Hi @partfinds! They said if you can provide some of the usernames for those that have had a sudden lack of sales, they'd be happy to take a closer look. I assume you're one of them, so I can pass your ID on. Do you have other accounts, or know of others that they can look into as well? The more examples they have, the better/faster chance they have of determining what's causing an issue. 

-----

Edit: I added @kraftyrose and @ekmadonna since they said they also are experiencing a sudden drop in sales, but any additional usernames I can pass on will be helpful. Thanks! 

[pburn]

---

velvet@ebay wrote:

We are trying to make for a better buying experience by better aligning categories . . .

---

They failed miserably at that then, too, because eBay's search has been ruined for months . . . to the point where I no longer even bother to shop on the platform anymore. Any purchasing I do is a result of receiving an email from an older saved search (since the search issues messed up that feature, too).

[thefunkyfern]

You can add me to this list as well. 

[donsdetour]

---

velvet@ebay wrote:

---

@partfinds wrote:

velvet@ebay 

Wow. So why is that lack of sales for many abrupt in the same time? Spring/summer never and issue with parts. People fix cars at this time. Work shops order parts. Why all over the sudden lack of sales for many at the same time? Can someone look into it?

could that be that the system went awry while changing view counts on accounts?

---

Hi @partfinds! They said if you can provide some of the usernames for those that have had a sudden lack of sales, they'd be happy to take a closer look. I assume you're one of them, so I can pass your ID on. Do you have other accounts, or know of others that they can look into as well? The more examples they have, the better/faster chance they have of determining what's causing an issue. 

-----

Edit: I added @kraftyrose and @ekmadonna since they said they also are experiencing a sudden drop in sales, but any additional usernames I can pass on will be helpful. Thanks! 

---

Here a topic on such:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Anyone-else-experiencing-a-huge-drop-off-in-sales-and-views/td... 

Might want to start one your self.

Also have talked to other sellers were they are getting sales. some items that should be getting views are not.. What ever is going on is a problem.

[wrong66]

Amen to that! 

[wrong66]

Velvet, are you serious? Click on a "Slow Sales" search over the last month and you'll get hundreds of posts. Or thousands. This didn't just start happening yesterday. Good grief!

[flyingmvp]

---

@wrong66 wrote:

Velvet, are you serious? Click on a "Slow Sales" search over the last month and you'll get hundreds of posts. Or thousands. This didn't just start happening yesterday. Good grief!

---

Please read this post couple of times and it will help you to calm down and take things in perspective:

"After being an eBay seller for 20 years and experiencing all the endless (often pointless) changes the selling site has made over the years, I've decided to keep selling as usual. Basically, I just wanted everyone to know I've been doing this for 20 years so you'll think I'm cool.

So they changed something, no biggie.

[downrightspecialkids]

 So, our sales have stalled, IS are a mess, some of still haven't fixed all of the category screw ups from last time because we have to go through thousands of listings one at a time, and you're going to interfere with our income for weeks to come?

How about since we pay store fees and ebay is messing with our visibility, they credit our store fees to "help" make up for all of the lost sales?

I was never credited for the gallery plus fees on the last screw up, which they said they would do. 

We have bills to pay and when this is one's ONLY income, weeks with limited visibility is going to make some have to choose between feeding our families OR paying bills. This is not okay! 

[wrong66]

Maybe not for you, as you've sold two things in 6 months, but for others affected it is a biggie. Speak for yourself.

[mtg_dom]

In the trading card category.

This better be worth it. It's insanely bad right now. Seems like business was fine before this update (and maybe even some mid-2021 updates).

[wkewi_k_6yehi3]

My sales have tanked this week. What other reason could there be? Consistent sales, no changes in listing, then all of a sudden BAM, almost no sales? eBay is the only one making changes in my equation. 

[vintagecraze50]

Yes, we are not where we need to be either this past week for sure. But we sell higher priced items and you know everybodies broke.  The Dow fell incredibly this week. They attributed it to the low retail sales going on everywhere Walmart, Home Depot, Target. Etc Etc.