eBay

b86fiero · ‎11-21-2017

Comparing some of my listings with others for the same manufacturer brand I found that those listings without reviews added were listings where the seller used "does not apply" instead of the UPC from the product. My listings contain the UPC from the package, their's do not.

Aren't upc's required when the product obviously has one?

I understand the strong feelings some sellers have about less than glowing product reviews appearing on their listings. I share that feeling.

I disagree with product reviews in general when they are applied to an entire Brand of merchandise no matter how many different varieties exist. The review should appear for only that particular variety - not the entire Brand line. How can a person or handful of people destroy the reputation of a manufacturer just because they had an issue with one purchase of one variety of that manufacturer's product line?

If a child receives a box of new Crayola crayons then immediately breaks them all in half does that mean that all Crayola products are inferior?

syedmhaq · ‎11-27-2017

@b86fiero the enforcement of requiring UPCs depends on a lot of different factors. So you may get away without providing UPCs in some cases. However you're playing with fire and may eventually get caught and penalized for providing the wrong information.

At the risk of getting too philosophical, product reviews has it's pros and cons like anything else in life.

It can be a great tool for buyers to pick the best product. However in the wrong context reviews can be misleading as well. I think ratings and reviews are such a common concept now, that consumers know how to interpret them.

chrysylys · ‎11-27-2017

The product reviews are what is providing wrong information. Sellers should not be forced itno that trap.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses. Be the Finklegrubers!
OK kids, time to get the Dodge loaded up again. I hear 'Poppy's By the Tree' calling. This trip might be a long one too.

d-k_treasures · ‎11-27-2017

@chrysylys wrote:
The product reviews are what is providing wrong information. Sellers should not be forced itno that trap.

Exactly. Either remove the reviews that are seller related and not product related, or allows the reviews to be not shown on the listing.

It's not like we didn't say this would happen when it started ..............

_____________________________
"Nothing is obvious to the oblivious"

chrysylys · ‎11-27-2017

Remove the reviews.

Period.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses. Be the Finklegrubers!
OK kids, time to get the Dodge loaded up again. I hear 'Poppy's By the Tree' calling. This trip might be a long one too.

gramophone-georg · ‎11-27-2017

@syedmhaq wrote:
@b86fiero the enforcement of requiring UPCs depends on a lot of different factors. So you may get away without providing UPCs in some cases. However you're playing with fire and may eventually get caught and penalized for providing the wrong information.
At the risk of getting too philosophical, product reviews has it's pros and cons like anything else in life.
It can be a great tool for buyers to pick the best product. However in the wrong context reviews can be misleading as well. I think ratings and reviews are such a common concept now, that consumers know how to interpret them.

You think so- but what if you're wrong? I pass by lots of products because of the reviews.

If the reviews are misleading or downright wrong then how does this help sellers?

Chaos is NOT an "industry standard".

southern*sweet*tea · ‎11-27-2017

Can't speak as to here, because I don't buy new stuff here, but on Amz the vast majority of reviews now are paid for by the sellers. They actually pay people to write five star reviews. Amz actually sued several sellers, but it hasn't stopped the tide of fake reviews. I would take any review I read anywhere now with a huge grain of salt.

When I DO read reviews, I read only the negative ones and use those in my decision making. (it's amazing how many negative product reviews are not about the product at all)

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

threshold.sales.group · ‎11-27-2017

If reviews are hurting sales what benefit are they to the seller? Plus, in this case the non-review listing, outsells the review listing, so the idea that buyers prefer reviews seems to contradicted by real life experience.

sockmonkeydave · ‎11-27-2017

@b86fiero

None of my items have UPC, yet all my items have the "write a review"

How do you write a review for a Cessna wing rib ???

omgitlightsup · ‎11-27-2017

I don't have a problem with this at all.

Reviews are worthless. We all know that whoever wrote that review a: misunderstood the point of a review and reviewed a seller or buying experience, b: is reviewing a different product the AI has confused with yours, or c: works for the company that made that product, or one of its distributors.

People argue in the reviews and comments all the time, "don't listen to reviews saying it only goes to 5W, they have a different model."

Also, I'm selling a used or secondhand item. I'm not in the sales business. It is not my obligation, nor do I have the inclination, to do all this research and make sure I've got the right model, revision, software version, etc., for a bunch of stuff I'm not an expert in. And I don't want people searching for an exact specific model to find my listing... because again, I'm not an expert in all of the stuff I sell and I can't answer overly technical or esoteric questions like, "is this one of the bass guitars that (some famous guitar maker I never heard of) hand-fitted himself at the factory?" And I especially don't want to deal with a return over something like that.

I have very specific intents when listing stuff. I'm in no way comparable to a retailer. So I am selling a unique product... one which has no UPC on file. Using a UPC would just make it prohibitively easy for me to advertise the wrong product. I might accidentally pick a model or UPC for a European 220V computer power supply, instead of a US 120V one, and wind up dealing with a SNAD.

So it's just really messy, prone to frequent disasters.. just so obviously not a good idea, reviews notwithstanding.

johnfduda · ‎11-27-2017

If a seller writes up a listing he should be allowed to present his product as he wishes, excepting fraudulent statements. If he feels that a review doesn't help his sales then he should be free to remove them.

Or eBay should allow buyers to write all listings. Doesn't make sense does it. Or worse::

eBay could write all listings, oversee the reviews of the product, do the inventory, the shipping, purchasing, the research, and take the risk. I for one would be willing to take 13% of sales if we set it up that way. And we sellers should be able shirk all responsibility for mistakes and overlooked future problems.

ten_o_nine · ‎11-27-2017

I saw "Slow Shipping" under one of the product reviews and thank God I didn't buy it.

d-k_treasures · ‎11-28-2017

@sockmonkeydave wrote:
@b86fiero
None of my items have UPC, yet all my items have the "write a review"
How do you write a review for a Cessna wing rib ???

Really. Glad this junk wasn't around when I sold a vintage Cessna tail fin frame here many years ago.

_____________________________
"Nothing is obvious to the oblivious"

chrysylys · ‎11-28-2017

In fact, I vote to eliminate UPCs entirely. Get back to the roots of unusual and eclectic items and away from the new items that can be bought almost anywhere else. Being unique is what made this site.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses. Be the Finklegrubers!
OK kids, time to get the Dodge loaded up again. I hear 'Poppy's By the Tree' calling. This trip might be a long one too.