Why do we need to see number of days a listing has been active?

[nodr-45]

An update was posted by brian_burke@ebay  to this locked thread:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Good-Til-Cancelled-Update-from-Harry-Temkin-VP-of-Seller/m-p/2...

In Seller Hub you can add a column that shows you Start Date. Isn't that essentially the same thing? We also have a Time Left column. Between the two that tells us all we need.

If they fix the GTC billing cycle issue that Brian mentioned in his post on 3/19 and they change the GTC cycle to 31 days in May (I hope) then the specific number of days something has been listed becomes irrelevant. The Start Date and Time Left columns would be more than sufficient.

I haven't followed all of the GTC threads so I'm sure this has been discussed already. Can one of you tell me why the number of days is so necessary and why Start Date and Time Left can't perform the same function, especially after the billing cycle issues are addressed in May?

[pburn]

So, you're objecting to the program calculating the number of days an item has been listed, instead of a seller having to calculate it (if that happens to be important to a particular seller for some reason).

Can't you just ignore that column if it is of no use to you?

[nodr-45]

I haven't objected to anything. I asked what function that column will serve that the current available columns don't serve. If it can help my business I would like to understand how so I can use the feature.

[pburn]

Well, in every database I've ever used, there has always been information that wasn't really relevant to perform my specific functions. I just ignore them.

If a seller wants to see at a glance how many days a listing has been active without having to calculate it, great! They can glance at that column and have their answer. If a seller would rather calculate the number of days a listing has been active themselves, they can still do that.

Perhaps it won't help your business, but it may help someone else's. It's just a nice little added feature designed to assist a seller. It's nothing nefarious . . .

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

It's an additional (and for some, undoubtedly easier) way to know how long a GTC listing has been up. You say: "then the specific number of days something has been listed becomes irrelevant. " For you? OK, sure. But what about me? Let's say I want to review and perhaps revise my GTC listings whenever they hit the 45 day mark. This simply makes that a little easier. I don't NEED it, I could do the math myself, but it would save me some effort and time, and of course, I can choose to ignore it if it is of no use to me.

[nodr-45]

Who said anything about nefarious and why do you keep responding as if I'm against this happening?

I'm not dismissing the feature at all, I'm not saying it's a bad idea and I'm not saying the feature is not necessary. I thought I made it clear that I did not understand if it had a function other than what the 2 current columns already offer. If it does have a function that I'm not seeing then I would like to know - and at that point I can determine whether the feature is useful for me or not.

I thought this was the place to come when we wanted to understand a new feature.

[mam98031]

Some what an easy way to look at their active listings and tell how much longer a GTC listing has before it renews.  For many this has nothing to do with the 30 /31 day thing but because they may want to end it all together.  They don't want it to renew.  

Some sellers being the hardest hit by this mandate are those that rotate their stock.  

The 30/31 day thing is really not as big of a deal as is being made out to be unless you are a seller that prefers to post all their listings on the 1st day of a month.  There are millions of sellers that have used GTC for years and this is just a non issue to us.  Most of us stagger our listings throughout the month.  Finding time here and there to create and post new listings.  But as long as you don't post any new GTC listings on April 1st you should be just fine.  Ebay has said they will have a resolution to this issue in May.