Using AI For Description

[vintagecraze50]

Wow! I JUST USED EBAY’S NEW AI program to do a description for me and it was right on target. Just excellent!!!

[hachumi]

I've been doing AI art for several months now and I definitely would not trust it for any of my listings.
AI is in the same catagory as self driving Teslas and drone delivery, the media hyped it up said it would take over and the reality was much different. 

[bennotbill]

eBay AI descriptions are too flowery and read more like a children's story.

It doesn't take long to write your own short concise description. It takes longer filling in all the item specifics.

[dwise3671]

Honestly, I think the AI generated descriptions over hype the items. It’s really setting high expectations in some cases. These are obvious to pick out, once you’re aware they exist.  I’ve seen several listings with errors that weren’t factually describing the item being sold. I don’t think many of the sellers are even bothering to read the output, from a comprehensive perspective. 

[phillyexpressgoods]

I am searching around to see anyone with any success.   Its ok,  could be better.   depends on what you need for description.

[4pawsup*]

Its an extra tool to help if your not good at writing your own. I have not used it but it seems to be running about 50 to 50 on who likes it and those that think its to canned.

[itsjustasprain]

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@dwise3671 wrote:

Honestly, I think the AI generated descriptions over hype the items. It’s really setting high expectations in some cases. These are obvious to pick out, once you’re aware they exist.  I’ve seen several listings with errors that weren’t factually describing the item being sold. I don’t think many of the sellers are even bothering to read the output, from a comprehensive perspective. 

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True. The AI descriptions rely heavily on the Item Specifics - so if the IS details are wrong then the AI text just makes things worse. Garbage-In-Garbage-Out in other words.

There was another thread here recently in which the OP was all upset at the buyer for wanting to cancel an order before it shipped and saying that he was getting punished by Ebay for a buyer's 'mistake'. Looking at his listings showed a number of mistakes in Item Specifics that led into wrong AI descriptions and eventually to a buyer getting cold feet about the whole purchase. The OP was given a list of about 5 examples of other listings that were equally wrong but to this day they are as wrong now as they were back then.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I was looking at a nonfiction book today, on a fairly obscure topic. Was hoping the seller would have a good description. Here, I'll quote the entire description: "book."

Accurate enough, but not very helpful. 

[theshiznick]

@vintagecraze50 

Just tried to view your listings, nothing active and none in sold history.  Can you post a listing link?  If so did it sell, get removed or ??

[batvette]

Im sure it makes your work easier because now you dont have to do any work at all. Pretty soon ebay wont even need sellers like you for a revenue stream. 

The reality is that the only customers you will attract with your listings are the really ignorant ones, those are the only ones that could gain useful information from these AI babbles. 

Thats a finite pool, good luck with that business model. 

Really, what makes you think a description with no useful information for inquisitive buyers with a rudimentary knowledge of your product will help the sale? 

What Im hearing from people in the community is an AI description is a red flag, close the listing and look at another because the seller is lazy or shady. 

[batvette]

Wonder if the errors in AI descriptions will lead to SNAD cases? 

[richard1rst]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@clown_car_driver 

For starters, I believe it is only available in the app (currently).

Do you use the app to list?

If so, do everything else first: title, photos, item specifics, etc. Then go to description. Simply click "New! List faster with AI"  The description window will open and I think you might have to click "Use AI Description"...this will compose the description....no typing required by you. 

My advice: you will then want to edit the description unless it is perfect the way it is. I have seen sellers who did not edit the descriptions and they contain errors etc. the seller is still responsible for the description, so you must make sure it is satisfactory.

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Yep. Just for chuckles I asked for a description of a Harley Quinn figurine. They included "in her signature pigtails". Harley doesn't have pigtails. Most likely it got confused by the dangling bells of her Jester cap.

[modifiedracer93]

Hahaha I'm ROTFL LOL-ing --- It's like "Mad Libs".  Fill  in the item specifics with silly, nonsensical or naughty words... Then hit the "use AI description".

(Then of course, delete it.)

[broto_64]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I was looking at a nonfiction book today, on a fairly obscure topic. Was hoping the seller would have a good description. Here, I'll quote the entire description: "book."

Accurate enough, but not very helpful. 

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Ok but the AI description would simply be more flowery, you wouldn't actually get any more real details.

It will probably say something like "this seller is offering up this great book for sale"

[deltilogical]

It is a war on humanity to force this tech nonsense on us.  Americans seem happy to inject control modules into their brains, for convenience.  The AI will be able to tell them exactly what to think and do at every moment,  in order to be a good person.

[broto_64]

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@batvette wrote:

What Im hearing from people in the community is an AI description is a red flag, close the listing and look at another because the seller is lazy or shady. 

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Absolutely, what I think often is the seller has no clue as to what they're selling, just another seller doing the "buy low/sell high" arbitrage tactic or just as bad, a dropshipper and both of these types of sellers simply buy and sell where they think they see a profit, regardless of whether they even have a rudimentary understanding of what the item is or how it works.

The real problem with these sellers comes in terms of customer support, what happens if I have a question about the item after I receive it? It has been my experience with the above sellers I will not get a good answer to my question and it will only become painfully obvious that the seller had no clue as to what it was they were actually selling after it has arrived at my home...

I am sure at this stage there are sellers reading this wondering why this is such an issue, so to be clear I prefer buying my merchandise not only from sellers who have firm control over their inventory but also from sellers who know how to use / install what it is they are selling. At the very least clear instructions would be nice to have, and if those are not included with the merchandise then I would like a seller that can be helpful. In today's world customer service is something that strikes fear and causes PTSD in most buyers, so it is nice to run into an informed and helpful seller who is actually trying to do something more than just line their own pockets.

It's bad, many of those sellers don't even have a clue how the returns system works, and it's easy for the novice buyer to get tripped up by these sellers who are not very helpful on a good day.

Buyers don't have many tools besides returns and feedback either, and even that can be hit-or-miss... So we peruse the listings to see if we can spot red flags before we buy because I really don't want to go through the trouble of returning a product I purchased for a reason, not to mention I can get pretty upset with the ignorance of some sellers on ebay so that said, an AI generated description generally is a good indication that I would be dealing with an ignorant seller.