What is this garbage? Can no longer use the word "unworn" in listing title?

[mczombies]

I received a warning from eBay that they had taken down one of my listings because I used the word "unworn" in my listing title--apparently now you are only supposed to use that word in the description section of your listing--seriously? WTH is this garbage?

I sell a lot of vintage items, and quite of few of them are "unworn" however, they are not NEW. They are 40 years old--so I certainly can't say that they are NEW--but it is easy to tell if they are unworn, as many of them still have the tags attached. I actually learned here on the forum not to say that vintage items were new--one of the Senior posters here (sorry, I can't remember which one right now) made a point that you shouldn't call old items new, and I agreed with that idea, and listed my things accordingly. But what do I do now? I want the buyers to know that what they are buying has never been worn--there is HUGE difference in worn items and unworn ones....and it really seems to help sell those items too.

I just can't believe this honestly. I have no idea what to put in the title to convey the same message, and since when is this not allowed? What is the reasoning behind it? I understand not being able to put "like new" in the title because that is confusing to buyers, but why not unworn? This is a serious issue for me because I have about 200 listings I need to change asap--any ideas anyone?

It has gotten beyond ridiculous around here--the vindictiveness is astounding--people reporting each other for ridiculous things--it needs to STOP.  We have enough animosity and struggle here just dealing with the platform and the real buyers--the armchair police really need to get a life. My guess is that someone looked at my account and got jealous--reported my listing because they are a small minded, bitter, and petty person--but I got a personalized message from eBay--detailing exactly what I did "wrong." Does that mean that someone had to call and report me? It seems really strange, like someone must have really gone out of their way to explain what exactly I did wrong--for me to get a warning like that--and I don't quite know what to do here--has anyone heard of this before, or am I the only lucky one dealing with this? 

[fern*wood]

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@abfabvintage wrote:

@mczombies

Hey, read what Fern said above...but to me it all depends on just what that one warning said. Maybe if Fern still around she can maybe explain further. Hate to see you go in and revise all of the other 200 then they all get pulled. 

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Sorry, I really can't explain anything further.  I was just suggesting what I use and haven't had any pulled using that terminology.  I did have a listing pulled when I first started out for using Like New---yeah I know now.  I removed that term and relisted with no problem, but I can't suggest that now since I don't know what they would do.  

I would definitely try to take unworn out of the titles, though, since you know how they feel about it.  Maybe it was too close to "well worn" for the bots.

[coffeebean832]

I recall a thread from a while back where someone's listing for new socks was pulled. It was determined that she wrote something like never worn in the description and the bots picked up on the word worn.

General clothing is different because you obviously can sell preowned, but you're probably correct that it's the 'worn' part of the word unworn creating the issue.

[mczombies]

sharingtheland:

I've used NOS quite a bit, and on almost all of my listings lately, but I always wonder how many buyers have any idea what it means?   I do spell it out in other places.

Signed,

Person Who For Years Thought EUC Meant Excellent Unused Condition

mczombies:

OMG....that is TOO funny....I know exactly where you are coming from....I still find myself scratching my head every once in awhile......even funnier, I have my own abbreviations and shorthand/acronyms when I am taking notes for my listings, and have forgotten my OWN occasionally.  Recently I was stumped by this one in my notes: STOW 

And don't ask me what it means, because I still can't remember! Something to do with shoes....... 🙂

[mczombies]

@fern

Hmmm....very helpful...thanks to you both. 

[abfabvintage]

@fern*wood

@mczombies

OMG, apologize. I meant to cite Nobody's Perfect's note above related to the warning note itself. Again, apologize, Fern lolol. Nobody's posted her opinion re: the warning on the one item from eBay that was pulled...did the warning say you could just fix the title and relist? I have no clue how all of that works. My bad...watching too much of my X-Files Marathon lolololol.  

[tiramisu41]

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@mczombies wrote:

Ugh, I'm really irritated here--sorry to whine, but it is always something here.....ALWAYS.  This is going to take me hours to change all those listings....*big sigh*

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Why?   Use the Bulk Editor and select the "Search and Replace" option.   Tell it to replace the word "Unworn" with "NOS" or just replace it with no replacement word at all.  Should take you just a few minutes.

[fern*wood]

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@abfabvintage wrote:

@fern*wood

@mczombies

OMG, apologize. I meant to cite Nobody's Perfect's note above related to the warning note itself. Again, apologize, Fern lolol. Nobody's posted her opinion re: the warning on the one item from eBay that was pulled...did the warning say you could just fix the title and relist? I have no clue how all of that works. My bad...watching too much of my X-Files Marathon lolololol.  

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I was so excited that someone wanted me to explain further and my post was cited to read!!!  Then I got scared because I didn't know how to explain further about what I had posted...

I should have known you wanted Nobody's Perfect all along and not me --- there went my big head!!!

[femmefan1946]

@mczombies

Do a bulk relist (or sell similar) of the items.

You get a list of the listings.

Now, click on each title and remove the word "unworn" and substitute "with tags" or "NOS".

And yes, that's one at a time, but still faster than revising each listing individually.

You could at the same time update the returns or several other particulars, and those are truly bulk changes.

With 200 listings, you don't want to do them all at once anyway, since it's been my experience that having "new" listings every day, even if they are GTC, is more productive than everything opening and closing at once.

There are popular Searches for 'newly listed' and for 'about to close'.

[ted_200]

I have read the entire topic... perhaps I missed it... but what exactly IS the problem with "unworn"?  You said they explained it... what exactly was the explanation?  Is there a policy page that explains it (I'm not very up to speed on the policy pages for CSA items, for example)? 

I understand the hesitation with NOS, that could imply it's NEW (with tags and all, but with shelf wear / storage indications), and NOSWOT seems a bit clunky...

[Anonymous]

The problem could be using the term unworn on a listing that has a condition of pre-owned.

eBay doesn't let you use "like new" in the title of a listing that's pre-owned, so it's not surprising they wouldn't let you use "unworn" in the title of a listing that's pre-owned.

Policy: search & browse manipulation, contradicting item condition

[mczombies]

What is this you speak of? Never heard of such a thing. See, this is exactly why I come to these boards--I pretty much learn something new just about every time--sometimes I even learn positive and useful things! Thanks!

[mczombies]

But the item isn't pre-owned. As I explained, they are generally new vintage items, but I don't think that listing a 40 year old item as new, whether or not it is UNWORN or not, is cool. However, they also don't fall under the category of pre-owned necessarily either. They are not new, they are not pre-owned--they are unworn. 

I am not trying to take advantage of the system here, I am actually trying to do the right thing--by being honest, but also, I do admit, trying to get some buyers pulled in to check out my listing-- the best way I can. 

[mczombies]

Thank you --I appreciate the advice!

[Anonymous]

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@mczombies wrote:

But the item isn't pre-owned. As I explained, they are generally new vintage items, but I don't think that listing a 40 year old item as new, whether or not it is UNWORN or not, is cool. However, they also don't fall under the category of pre-owned necessarily either. They are not new, they are not pre-owned--they are unworn. 

I am not trying to take advantage of the system here, I am actually trying to do the right thing--by being honest, but also, I do admit, trying to get some buyers pulled in to check out my listing-- the best way I can. 

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I respect that you are honest in your listings, but this is about what the bots are picking up.

What are you selecting as the item condition? Are you selecting new or pre-owned? If you select pre-owned, then put unworn in the item title eBay bots will see that as a contradiction. If you're selecting new as the condition and putting unworn in the title then it's possible the bots are only picking up on the worn part of the word - another contradiction to those really smart bots. (sarcasm)

I use a similar practice as you - if I have a new in box item but the box is damaged I list it as used then in the condition notes area I say the item is new but the outer box is damaged. However I steer clear of putting "new w/ damaged box" in the title because the bots don't like the contradiction of new in the title and used as the selected condition.

[mczombies]

This is part of the message I received, with the explanation:

Please limit the use of search terms or item details to those that directly describe the item for sale. Examples include brands, item condition and specifics, model names, pop culture terms, product names, style, and type.

Including unrelated terms or comparisons (such as "like new") in your listing or product isn't allowed.

Using unrelated keywords to drive traffic to a listing or product can make it harder for buyers to find what they're looking for. This can result in an unsuccessful transaction and may also lead to a buyer filing a claim.

For more information on our search and browse manipulation policy, go to:

Please understand that you used the unrelated keywords "UNWORN" in the title of the listing. We understand that you might have used these keywords to describe your itemin a better way; however, these keywords can affect the search result which eventually may lead to poor buying and search experience on eBay. If the information is required for better understanding of potential buyer(s), you can include it in the listing description.

We want you to be successful. Please be sure your future listings follow our guidelines. If they don't, they'll be removed.