Variations listings showing thumbnails instead of a drop down menu?

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Last time I saw this (briefly) was back in like 2021.

Worst idea ever for variations.

The drop down menu is gone and there are thumbnails a user has to look through to find a particular item and how many are available.

what the heck ebay?

[stephenmorgan]

By drop down menu, do you mean like this one?  So this list is turned into Thumb Nails?  Can you post a picture of what you are getting?

[toomuchstuffagain35]

This is what I see from another ID

[mcdougle4248]

@toomuchstuffagain35 

I saw something similar for a few days beginning on July 18th. However, I no longer see this new layout on variation listings (including a few of yours that I checked). This may be a test eBay is doing on select accounts. 

Do you see a way to select See all in the thumbnail array and get a pop-up like my screenshot below?

You can click on the ? in the lower right of the listing page to send feedback to eBay.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Nope. I just have the thumbnail images, no select all like yours.

eta: Pretty sure that feedback goes straight to the round file lol (after all they know best, ya know)

[mcdougle4248]

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

Nope. I just have the thumbnail images, no select all like yours.

eta: Pretty sure that feedback goes straight to the round file lol (after all they know best, ya know)

---

Oh, that is bad for sure! 

I would still use the ? to give feedback. I really do think the developers review the feedback. Especially since this appears to be an ongoing test with different layouts.

[jonathanbrightlight]

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

Nope. I just have the thumbnail images, no select all like yours.

eta: Pretty sure that feedback goes straight to the round file lol (after all they know best, ya know)

---

I've seen things that sellers here sent feedback about (based on them telling us on the boards that they did so) get changed, so while I wouldn't count on the layout being changed back, I do think those messages are not just ignored.  This is a pretty objectively bad change, I'd say, so hopefully they'll listen and change it back, and quickly!  I'll send the feedback myself now, in fact!

Edit: I would report it, but I can't find a listing that shows that way at the moment. I still have the old style dropdown.

[wastingtime101]

The difference @mcdougle4248 is the number of variations. If less than what -  7 or 8? - there's no 'see all' because they are displaying all thumbnails in that row. But if the number of variations exceeds that amount then you get the 'see all' button to pull up that vertical menu.

As a buyer I prefer the 'see all' button as the menu includes both the thumbnail and the text. I'd like the 'see all' button any time there are more than 4 variations devon@ebay otherwise it's too many options to click through.

Can you confirm @toomuchstuffagain35 , when you over your mouse over a thumbnail, does it show the variation name above? That's how it should work - that's how it works pretty much everywhere else. You shouldn't have to physically click on the thumbnail to see the name of the variant.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

I'm guessing it's on an ID basis? Nothing to do with the actual listing itself, but the way a particular ID sees them now.

[wastingtime101]

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

I'm guessing it's on an ID basis? Nothing to do with the actual listing itself, but the way a particular ID sees them now.

---

Yes - eBay's been doing these rolling item page tests for the last few years. Expect to see more tests on the item page, and eventually there are going to be big changes to the search page as indicated at Open last year.

In addition to buyer engagement with the pages, one of the key ways eBay is gathering feedback is through the ? icon.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

I think I had to click on the thumbnail to see the name & qty available, but they're all back to the drop down now.

What gets me if this is a 'test", we've had this thrown at us before. Why do they continually go back to stuff that's been tested and howled down before?

[wastingtime101]

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

What gets me if this is a 'test", we've had this thrown at us before. Why do they continually go back to stuff that's been tested and howled down before?

---

Generally speaking, I agree with that.

But in this case, I disagree. Variations need thumbnails.

Last time was executed poorly. The last time they tested this it was different. There were massive blocks of thumbnails (the crappy way Amazon does it). This time it looks better - a handful of thumbnails then the drop down if more than 1 row.

I think the way it is in those screenshots could use tweaks to make it better (to start, thumbnails should be larger with no more than 5 in the row before the menu option is presented), but 100% I want thumbnails because I get tired of buyers sending me a pic from the listing and asking me which variation they're supposed to choose to get that item. I only get those questions from web shoppers because on the app it includes the thumbnail with the variant name (like the drop down on the screenshot above).