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.

[selsa84]

The issue appears to be fixed. Thank you 

[hawaiibeads]

I remember when Ebay started with making us fill out the dozens of blanks in the item specifics. What a nightmare. And community uproar.

Why not just go back about 10 years programming, when it was so much easier to list on Ebay?

Honestly this is not just and Ebay venue issue. The more venues do these updates the harder and harder it is getting to do a simple listing.

Lets put it this way, all these changes to "benefit" and my sales are slower each year. Partially because I tend to list less because it can just get too complicated to even try to copy from a similar listing. I have to go in and change most of the "item specifics" on each listing.

I think I will just start to leave them all blank except for the required ones.

[4pawsup*]

@thelongball  Hello i tried to report this seller to ebay but nothing happened. Seller is committing fraud. Selling coins as graded look at this item #295379826279 Please he has 5 or 6 listings like this. Thank you

[david_ksa_store]

Great !!! better.

[siamjane8]

Did anyone tell the listing page design team that ebay spent the last 5 years programming the search AI to ignore listings with reduced item specifics?   What is the point of making the listing process faster by eliminating item specifics, if the search in turn decides not to show them because of it???    

     Ebay's #1 problem is search relevancy and poorly designed AI parameters. Until they realize and admit it was bad from the start and fix it- everything else is just a bandaid that compounds the problem.

They need to start showing people ALL the listings that match the the search query and stop interjecting Promoted listings and paid advertising and Chinese Knockoff products- then people will enjoy using ebay again and start buying..........of course that is how it was years ago when ebay was not shrinking and bleeding users..... could there be a connection??  

[itsjustasprain]

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@steve_stuff wrote:

again thank you - didn't look at post - wish the 'arrow next to the ebay logo that points left' on the forum posts page was a link to those replies - now it just shows that they came here, not that they came back.

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That specific idea was floated SEVERAL years ago in a Weekly Chat and all agreed that it would be very useful. So you can imagine what happened next. 🙄

[evelyb30]

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@itsjustasprain wrote:

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@steve_stuff wrote:

again thank you - didn't look at post - wish the 'arrow next to the ebay logo that points left' on the forum posts page was a link to those replies - now it just shows that they came here, not that they came back.

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That specific idea was floated SEVERAL years ago in a Weekly Chat and all agreed that it would be very useful. So you can imagine what happened next. 🙄

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We only get one guess. (rolleyes)  If it's useful or beneficial, it lands on the cutting room floor.  

[steve_stuff]

"... wish the 'arrow next to the ebay logo that points left' on the forum posts page was a link to those replies"

We posted about adding that function back on 7/22/22 - have found and 'bumped' it onto the current first page.

[dhbookds]

Know I should try to dig out where to report this to 'the team", but not enough energy...........in the event selling_team@ebay  is still reading this......... it would be nice.....in this category

\Collectibles\Holiday & Seasonal\Candles

if IS "material" dropdown included WAX........along with such things as velvet, wool, and wood........along with 15 or more such choices. 

[a_c_green]

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@steve_stuff wrote:

"... wish the 'arrow next to the ebay logo that points left' on the forum posts page was a link to those replies"

We posted about adding that function back on 7/22/22 - have found and 'bumped' it onto the current first page.

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I remember that topic coming up in the Weekly Chat waaay earlier than that... like, back in the 20-teens sometime... but hey, better late than never. 😁 We actually got into some detailed discussion about it at one point, such as where the link should go if there was more than one staff response in the thread: should the little eBay logo/pointer jump you to the first eBay representative reply, or the latest one?

[broto_64]

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@siamjane8 wrote:

Did anyone tell the listing page design team that ebay spent the last 5 years programming the search AI to ignore listings with reduced item specifics?   What is the point of making the listing process faster by eliminating item specifics, if the search in turn decides not to show them because of it???    

     Ebay's #1 problem is search relevancy and poorly designed AI parameters. Until they realize and admit it was bad from the start and fix it- everything else is just a bandaid that compounds the problem.

They need to start showing people ALL the listings that match the the search query and stop interjecting Promoted listings and paid advertising and Chinese Knockoff products- then people will enjoy using ebay again and start buying..........of course that is how it was years ago when ebay was not shrinking and bleeding users..... could there be a connection??  

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This is nothing new, ebay has been bandaiding the problem since the start.

Now it is bandaids on top of bandaids and even worse, often as you mentioned there is no concern that the original programming works against the bandaid itself so the problem hasn't been solved but even more so after the first bandaid all subsequent bandaids are actually counterproductive.

By the way...

You can now order an item on ebay and have it delivered by Walmart's delivery service.

How they're getting tracking to work is beyond me but that's how bad it has gotten.

Millions of listings are now simply duplicates, these drop sellers are flooding the search engine data with these duplicate listings, there is no end in sight, and worse is the big companies (ebay, walmart, amazon) actually encourage the practice by admitting these sellers to sell on their platforms while denying sellers such as myself...

It is only going to get worse, the corporate mindset can not only do nothing but is only making it worse.

One day it will all collapse, much like Sears & Roebuck, and many will wonder "what happened" when in fact it was never a mystery. Many of us saw it coming, warnings and posts such as these could be read anywhere but nobody listened and even if they did they were powerless to do anything about it.

Then came the lawsuits, which added to the confusion and also did nothing to solve any problems but only cost more money and in fact exacerbated any issues.

It is a wonder any of it even works.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

What really makes me laugh is seeing 3P sellers on WalMart selling stuff you can buy at WM at inflated prices.

[erzengelb]

Why don't you test staffing your customer service departments with people who can actually understand and speak English? 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

And also possibly have SOME idea of how ebay actually works?

[wastingtime101]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Know I should try to dig out where to report this to 'the team", but not enough energy...........in the event selling_team@ebay  is still reading this......... it would be nice.....in this category

\Collectibles\Holiday & Seasonal\Candles

if IS "material" dropdown included WAX........along with such things as velvet, wool, and wood........along with 15 or more such choices. 

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@dhbookds email the request to sdsupport@ebay.com