We are testing a reduced set of item specifics in the listing flow

[selling_team@ebay]

We’ve heard from our sellers that item specifics is one of the most complex parts of our listing experience. 

As a part of simplifying the listing flow, we are testing a reduced set of item specifics, optimized for the selling and buying experience. As a result, in select categories, some sellers may see fewer item specifics to fill out when creating a new listing on web or mobile. We’re actively monitoring performance and taking seller feedback into consideration.    

We’re constantly evaluating how to make listing on eBay easier and will keep you informed about any site-wide listing changes. Feel free to leave feedback in a comment below or via our survey during the listing process.  

As always, thank you for selling on eBay. 

Update as of 10/16/23:

Thank you to all sellers who shared their feedback. We have listened to your concerns and ended the test. We will continue to work on improving item specifics and keep the community informed of any site-wide changes.

The full list of item specifics will automatically reflect on your account for future listings. If you wish to add more item specifics to your previously published listings, the full list of item specifics is available when you revise your listing.

[nuclearomen]

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selling_team@ebay wrote:

We’ve heard from our sellers that item specifics is one of the most complex parts of our listing experience. 

As a part of simplifying the listing flow, we are testing a reduced set of item specifics, optimized for the selling and buying experience. As a result, in select categories, some sellers may see fewer item specifics to fill out when creating a new listing on web or mobile. We’re actively monitoring performance and taking seller feedback into consideration.    

We’re constantly evaluating how to make listing on eBay easier and will keep you informed about any site-wide listing changes. Feel free to leave feedback in a comment below or via our survey during the listing process.  

As always, thank you for selling on eBay. 

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selling_team@ebay 

geniuses - doesn't explain why ebay had to go and remove specifics from our TEMPLATES as part of their "testing" - thanks for making listing 100 times worse again and having to list and then edit the item specifics via your "xxx recommended specifics" link on the listing in seller hub - the only way to get the missing specifics to be filled out. 

[davenportpm1]

AMEN! Every time we turn around their changing this and changing that, updating this and updating that! You would think they would have it down by now of how things should be on this platform. I can understand changing or updating something occasionally, but it seems like it is every month. What is going on at headquarters? Have they ever heard the saying less is more! 

[ham*i*am46]

I mostly sell clothing and am happy to see the reduced amount of item specifics.  The picture shows if the item has a collar, long sleeves, etc.  Some of the questions were just plain stupid like what character is on the clothing.  99% of adult clothing does not have a cartoon or disney character on it and if it does you can put that in the description.  I wish they would include a spot that asks for armpit to armpit dimensions, sleeve inseam and waist.  Asking for the type of sleeve, neckline, etc. is unnecessary if you look at the picture.  Now if ebay could just find a way to allow a buyer to make a bundle and ask for one price for everything, including shipping - that would be the answer to my prayers.

[dhbookds]

 Asking for the type of sleeve, neckline, etc. is unnecessary if you look at the picture.

As a buyer, having "long sleeve" as an option to search blouses is a plus.......if that's what I want.. trying to scroll thru 1000's of blouses to look at a picture is a pain. 

Can't imagine that they actually deleted measurements.......to me that ought to be "required"........

just my opinion.......

[nuclearomen]

I'd agree in part with both, that some the requirements on clothing are unnecessary and some specifics should be "required" - and I do not sell clothing, but the few I did list found to be near impossible to answer some of the required specifics, unless certain things are provided by manufacturer someone who doesn't specialize in clothing will have no idea. 

My tik with this deletion of specifics in music categories (what I specialize in) is half of the specifics that were required and kinda important were removed... for instance, release date field was removed... kinda important to identify the edition of a release! OK fine, if your seller creating listing from scratch and don't know what should / shouldn't be required then their chopped down specifics test may not matter...but then to remove all the specifics totally, + from sellers templates is uncalled for when you can only access the missing require specifics after you list item and then get the prompt link next to the listing on seller hub to add xx missing recommended specifics. What a waste of time! 

[az93]

If you really want to help bring back categies so people can find things.

[ltldpr]

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@apiginapoke wrote:

Thank you for your information. We are currently revising item specifics after going live. We are seeing an uptick in those items selling with the revisions. Similar to those prior to noticing the specifics not being available. In the past, we have revised specifics on old listing and not experienced those specifics being dropped after 30 days. 

Is this something you are currently experiencing with this update? We have not been through a full 30 day cycle with revisions for this update. Your input would certainly impact how we allocate time.

Thank you for your time!

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I think you were referring to what @gwens*4saleitems* said, that I quoted. 

I was referring to the algorithm not seeing revised listings for 24-48 hours after revisions. 

Are you saying that you made revisions on already listed items to the Item Specifics day before yesterday, and the items sold that day or yesterday? If so, that's awesome!

[meme6253]

STOP THE MADNESS!!!, JUST FIX IT!!!, ONCE & FOR ALL FIX IT!!!, Over & Over & Over Again, Like We The Sellers Have All The Time In The World For This Madness, Repetitiveness, You have some very ridiculous specifics in categories they don't even belong, for instance fl oz in video games, Grade & Professional grader, What if it is not graded or professionally graded??, What Then??, Then I am filling in info., I have already given,That you delete, I DO NOT have all the time in the world for this!!, & Now you have messed things up all over again & right before the Holiday's, Thank You So Much For Ruining Sales!!, STOP THE MADNESS & FIX IT!!!!

[a_c_green]

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@dhbookds wrote:

selling_team@ebay 

[...]

I CHALLENGE you to do this right this time.  Choose a  sub category......choose 5/6 sellers......present the before and after IS and ask them to critique with explanations.   Just TRY it ONCE......just once....and see if it isn't a lot faster with a lot less hassle to everyone. 

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Along those same lines, selling_team@ebay, I have a kind of meta-comment on this thread:

Over the past few days in this thread, you have been asked some pretty clear and straightforward questions (e.g. Which are the "select categories" in which you are testing?), but you have posted no replies whatsoever.

Reading replies here is not as productive as having actual dialogue with your users, and this is a discussion forum, not a post-and-run announcement board. I know it's the weekend now, but on Monday, please come back and allocate some time to actually conversing with the members here. The results will be more useful to you.

[stoney45]

I fully agree!!!   Another issue I have is the insane number of ads between my title and picture down to my description.   I often cannot find my own.   I feel it has affected sales in a negative way.

[tradewindsfolkart]

Perfect.  Thank you for that test as Etsy listings seem to be picked up just fine by Google with a simple 13 tags and just 4 or 5 attributes.  In fact before I list anything in my eBay store...I go directly to Google...search a similar item and then review Google's attributes on the left side sorting tab..then I make sure my eBay listing attributes line up compatibly.  For instance, if listing a planter and Google has a "Capacity" 5 gal.  Then I add that "Capacity" attribute to my eBay listing.   But even then..Google scans RARELY pick up quality eBay listings.  Perhaps it is confused by the extensive eBay attributes.   

And one more idea to test..although we sellers understand eBays revenue reasons for the push toward high dollar luxury items..we would love a little extra push and exposure for "value" items.  A campagn of "Fabulous budget finds" or eBays  historic tradition of "Unique Things at Great Prices" for this economy.  We need sales and a boost from eBay to enhance and focus our ad campagns, and buyers need great deals...maybe not so much a Rolex...right now anyways. 

[dhbookds]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@dhbookds wrote:

selling_team@ebay 

[...]

I CHALLENGE you to do this right this time.  Choose a  sub category......choose 5/6 sellers......present the before and after IS and ask them to critique with explanations.   Just TRY it ONCE......just once....and see if it isn't a lot faster with a lot less hassle to everyone. 

---

Along those same lines, selling_team@ebay, I have a kind of meta-comment on this thread:

Over the past few days in this thread, you have been asked some pretty clear and straightforward questions (e.g. Which are the "select categories" in which you are testing?), but you have posted no replies whatsoever.

Reading replies here is not as productive as having actual dialogue with your users, and this is a discussion forum, not a post-and-run announcement board. I know it's the weekend now, but on Monday, please come back and allocate some time to actually conversing with the members here. The results will be more useful to you.

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It would be nice if they would........but frankly, I think there is a block at a certain level at which ebay are prohibited from interaction with sellers......  I'd try to call in an exec to discuss this......but I can't figure out which one would be in charge.......

[stylemoxie_shop]

I was trying to figure out why when I go to do "sell similar" on an item that didn't sell, Ebay isn't giving me the option to promote my listings all of a sudden. I wonder if this is why?

[tradewindsfolkart]

I remember when item specifics was first launched. I believe 2 weeks prior to April tax time when we sellers had so many other priorities than revising 500 listings manually one by one... over and over as specifics kept changing.  Can we please have a black out change window and a  functioning site with ZERO changes the 3 months prior to Christmas when both eBay and sellers shoot for the proverbial moon in revenue generation? 

[a_c_green]

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@dhbookds wrote:
It would be nice if they would........but frankly, I think there is a block at a certain level at which ebay are prohibited from interaction with sellers......  I'd try to call in an exec to discuss this......but I can't figure out which one would be in charge.......

Well, yeah, I have long suspected the same thing, but you'd think they could at least post a reply saying something to the effect of, "We're not allowed to discuss this topic." I'm sure it wouldn't be that clear, but I think we're pretty good at reading between the lines. 😉

I really wish I'd thought to say something about this post-and-run behavior while talking to various eBay people at the eBay Open last month, but I didn't. What I did manage to convey, for what it's worth, was my unhappiness at how the Community contacts here seem to be roundly ignored by the rest of the company when it comes to getting any followups or updates on progress with problems they have reported. They'll say, "We've forwarded your report to the [Insert Department Name Here] Team, and we'll be sure to post an update as soon as we hear more!" More never comes.

I've said this before (and I did manage to say some version of this at the Open event), but in my past role as first-line Tech Support for a software company you have heard of, we were expected to interact with the customers, not just take emails, and we had the clout to not only open cases with Engineering but also follow up with Engineering as necessary, if things didn't seem to be moving toward a resolution.

So for example, if ALERT12345 hadn't shown any activity or forward progress after a week or two, we'd be raising it at our weekly status meetings and making sure its priority was set (along with expectations for the customer). When a fix was ready to go in the next release, we'd send the complaining customer a heads-up on when to expect it, along with mentioning it by number in the Release Notes for the new release. This is, after all, really basic stuff.

I told more than one contact at the Open that it did not seem like the Community contacts here were getting the proper respect from the rest of the company, in terms of receiving and forwarding to us any useful information about fixes to come. To be clear, I think they're doing a decent job with what they have; it's just that information seems to travel a very one-way trip, inbound only, with revisions, updates or new releases just sort of spontaneously appearing with no notice or explanation. eBay should be doing better than this.