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. 

[purrfectplacetoshop]

I have read for many minutes and think back of how often WE SELLERS get the update emails which my lawyer can't even understand yet no matter how old or strong our site is,we LOSE..Fee after fee and now NO TRAFFIC..Whether I sell an item or not I am used to some traffic.Has this been a lie since January? My sales are GONE,my message board has no traffic and I am listing mostly the same type items that used to make me 2 or 3 dollars in the past.It is heart breaking to list an it in any format and see a 0 to 3 views and then try to tell me of a great change coming our way. You can bet I AM CONFUSED GREATLY.

[wkewi_k_6yehi3]

My sales have tanked in the last week as well. Bad enough I came here to try to find answers. 

[mtg_dom]

Also, why are CCGs like Pokemon, Yugioh, and Magic the Gathering under Toys & Hobbies and not also under collectibles (non-sport trading cards)? Are you crazy?

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here. 

[purrfectplacetoshop]

Don't you just love it when we are told there are MILLIONS of buyers and our items show ZERO or 3 views?

[wrong66]

The Dow died today.

[vintagecraze50]

Yep, very bad results as far as retail sales all across the board from walmart to dollar tree. Yellen says stagflation will be here for a bit. For us that might mean cutting back on our inventory purchases until we see better sales results. 

[vintagecraze50]

Sales tanking here has more to do with the economy that and Ebay update I am afraid.

[vintagecraze50]

There are millions of buyers here, they just are cutting back right now.

[kaiomi]

You can add me. Sales have fallen off a cliff this last week.

[bethsattic3031]

Oh that's just fantastic. In the meantime, I'm slowly deleting most, if not all my listings and placing them somewhere in attempt to sale. Most of my listings, or the ones I just ended have no views, if not a few. Not even explainable at this point, plus zero activity on here.

[ten_o_nine]

@wrong66 

LOL, I will, but seriously why charge me for a premium store fee when you display my items in GOOFY way? and tell me it's ok and we're trying hard to fix it. MAKE IT FREE TIL YOU FIX IT.

[evelyb30]

I'm taking the axe to my store at the end of the month when it would have renewed.  There just aren't enough sales to make it worth the fees.  Views and watchers are both in the tank.  Part of it is definitely the economy since I don't sell necessities (i.e. food. medicines, underwear, shoes etc) and part is eBay.

A long time ago the village hired its idiots to specify that sterling or gold jewelry with synthetic elements belonged in Fine jewelry.  Gold-filled items too.  (sellers rightfully yelled bloody murder about it.) I always put the latter in Costume anyway.  Thankfully I don't sell much of anything that classifies as New fine jewelry and they haven't gotten around to altering (or destroying) costume again after making a royal hash of it in January.  

The cheerfully fun part of this is things in your store are listed by store category - makes it difficult to find the pieces they want altered so you can change the category and fill in all of their data entry for them all over again.  

Starting May 25, 2022, we’re making changes to our Jewelry policy. Our updated listing guidelines will create a more consistent and reliable experience for Jewelry buyers, help them find the items they’re looking for quickly and easily, improve conversion, and reduce issues resulting from unclear or inaccurate item descriptions.
 
New Jewelry listing guidelines effective May 25, 2022

• Fine Jewelry. To list your item in the Fine Jewelry category, the Base Metal must be made from fine materials and the Main Stone must be a fine, natural stone. Secondary stones can include either fine or fashion materials.
  • Simulated gemstones are considered fashion jewelry.  We will move items with simulated main stones from fine jewelry into fashion jewelry in October
• Diamonds. If you list a stone that is not an actual diamond, the term “diamond” cannot be included in the listing. You should instead describe your item using the actual material, such as moissanite, cubic zirconia, glass, etc.
• Treated gemstones. If you list a natural stone that has been treated (e.g., dyed to enhance the color), you must state that the gemstone is “treated” in your listing title. You may not describe the stone as “enhanced.”
• Lab-created gemstones. If you list a lab-created stone, you must clearly state that the stone is “lab-created” in your listing title, and not “man-made,” “lab-grown,” or other similar terms. “Lab-created” must immediately precede the stone name in your title (e.g., “lab-created diamond”).

Note: Starting May 25, 2022, active listings that do not comply with the new guidelines may be ended. Those Items will appear into your unsold folder and will need to be relisted to align with updated policy guidelines.

[flyingmvp]

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@wrong66 wrote:

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

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Relax 66... 

You probably know from your 20 years of selling here that some of us have more then one selling account. 

anyways...

"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.

stay cool!

[flyingmvp]

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@wkewi_k_6yehi3 wrote:

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. 

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Give it some time and someone will explain how your items are no longer desirable, your photos are dull and you are asking way too much for your items, It's not eBay, it's only you.

Or maybe after the drop in sales and inconsistency so many sellers are reporting,  some of the usual "cheerleaders" will no longer cheer as much,  🤔 Who knows..

[mandisattictoyz]

So you refunding use the money we pay for a store for no visibility correct?  That only makes sense, or should the courts decide?