Why in the world would eBay change it so you can't research completed auctions now?

[mypalrocco]

Today I was researching completed auctions to determine which price point to list my item. Part of this research for me involves reading the completed auction description of similar items I'd like to sell to do a comparison of condition, included components, features, etc. So today, they apparently changed it so now I can see the list of completed auctions but when I click on the item to try to open the listing I get a "The selected item is no longer available" and instead, it shows an item that's still active and available for purchase. Why? What purpose does this change serve??  This was an invaluable research tool for sellers!

Now if an item sold for $2 and another similar item sold for $100, I have no idea what the differences were to affect the prices because I can't see or read the body of the completed auction. The other problem with this is that if I'm wanting to buy something at, say, a garage sale or local antique auction, to resell on eBay, I don't know what to pay for it now because I can't make appropriate comparisons. Of the things that eBay should change, THIS somebody at eBay determined needed to be changed??? I'm finding myself more and more finding other avenues to sell my stuff because of nonsense like this! If somebody from eBay ends up reading this, for crying out loud, change this back to the way it was! I've included a screenshot as an example of an item that just ended as recently as 5/26 (5 days ago) so this change has nothing to do with the auction ending a long time ago.

[packratville]

I've been off the grid here for the most part these last few days and just did a sold items search a short time ago and got the same thing - not seeing the sold item but instead a link to a similar item eBay THINKS I want. It's a stupid, backwards change. As you say, being able to see sold listings for comparisons is invaluable.

And in response to some posters, the listings I tried to look at weren't over 30 days old. One ended May 31 and the other ended yesterday (June 9). I'm on a PC and don't and won't use my phone to look at listings.

[3-500z]

The stupid part of this is the suggested item may not be truly similar to the original item.  I bookmarked an item called a turns counter, when the item was "no longer available" Ebay suggested a frequency counter. These items are not similar in any way except for the word counter in the title,  however none of the other true turns counters at auction were suggested.  I have yet to understand why Ebay thinks this is an improvement, to me it's a waste of time when one has to jump through hoops just to find out what a single click on a bookmark used to provide immediately.

[Anonymous]

The ability to see sold items/see original listing to price mine, was the single most reason that I chose eBay over Amazon to sell my vintage items.  If they take that function away I am NOT going to be happy.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@mikewhite-us wrote:

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@richards*rock*collection wrote:
an invasion of privacy 

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No... It's not.

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@richards*rock*collection wrote:
I hope everyone knows that internet sales tax is being discussed in congress and I urge people to write their congressman/woman about voting it down.

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Not sure how that's relevant. It's also not a thing that's happening--there's no such a thing as a federal sales tax & Congress isn't looking to implement one, online or otherwise.

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Agreed; having solds available to give a rough target pricing idea is one of the most important tools us sellers have here.  We are here to make sales, not play pricing games that eat up valuable time in hopes of finding just the right price point.

That said, had eBay not shown sold listings here, my old Telemania touchtone duck phone may have sold for only $75 to $100 instead of the $300 I got for it on the other E end of last month.  That is well over twice what the highest here shows.

[nowthatsjustducky]

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@rolenboy01 wrote:

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@ymeagainlord wrote:
There are definitely those out there who think what it sold for is what YOU should sell it for as well, and get quite indignant about your refusal to do so LOL

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All I can say is if there is no guide the item is gonna lean to the higher side not the lowest of the low.

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Heck.  That is my personal policy when there is not enough info to go by.  If I declare research inconclusive, then I price on the high side first, understanding that I can gradually lower the price if need be.

That is sorta how it went with that phone I mentioned in my previous post.  I saw the top end here on solds at the time had been bid up to close to $140, while several others barely broke $100 or even $50.  Since the prices were all over the place, I decided to declare research mostly inconclusive, and just try a crazy price (elsewhere first time around, since anything 20 years or older only comes here to eBay after a 4 month listing cycle elsewhere).  And good thing too, because it was sold for $300 there within well less than a month.

[philsumm]

Why in the world would eBay change it so you can't research completed auctions now?

Follow the money.

Terapeak used to offer in depth research of completed listings for a fee. Ebay offered information on completed listings but it wasn't as detailed. In Dec of last year, ebay bought Terapeak so now if you want to research comleted listings you have to pay for it.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@vintagechamber wrote:
I'm going to add a statement in all of my listings, and maybe in the "Condition" section too (and even try to condense it as an Item Specific) that says something like "when clicking on my sold items, ebay will redirect you to someone else's active listing and you will need to click on the word "listing" in the blue bar at the top to see my item" -- or something to that effect. It's terrible that I should have to do that, but I don't want people to think what they're seeing is one of my items, because so far the swapped image is much poorer quality than mine and not similar at all (I sell one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, jewelry, etc). Ebay customer service told me they are going to have all the sold listings converted to the new format sometime in August.

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@vintagechamber

I think that is a good idea.  Many won't know that unless you tell them.  

[haze54]

I want to be able to see the Original Listing when I click on that option to compare photos of what that seller's vintage item looked like compared to mine. You don't get that option by looking at the ended auction most times. SOOOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!! Was trying to compare record albums today. 

I think I could find a way sometimes when it first kicked in, but I don't see a good workaround. AAAAGGHHHHH!!!! 

[go-bad-chicken]

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@phono_0490xxxxxx wrote:

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@walwalwill wrote:

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@d-k_treasures wrote:

I have no problem researching completed listings and going into any of them.

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I posted a link to one in post 19. You're saying that clicking that link gives you all the information on the sold listing?

Here's another link to a sold listing:

https://www.ebay.com/p/The-Presidents-Photographer-Fifty-Years-Inside-the-Oval-Office-by-John-Bredar...

Since you have no trouble accessing the details, and all I get is the same "The selected item is no longer available.", would you please be so kind as to tell me which 4 people signed it?

Thanks!

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No trouble at all here, @walwalwill

I'm not using mobile phone or ipad.

Who can't view that listing to answer the question?

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"Who can't view that listing to answer the question?"

My hand is raised.

I am using the most up to date version of Firefox on a Windows 7 Pro PC.

Screen Shot below was taken today Tuesday 06-19-2018

https://www.ebay.com/p/The-Presidents-Photographer-Fifty-Years-Inside-the-Oval-Office-by-John-Bredar...

[youmightthink]

If you are interested in the end result of an active auction listing, bookmark the bid history page.  You will be able to see the winning bid amount without being redirected to an unrelated listing.

[auctionpet]

Ebay is the only site that gives users access to completed listings. Neither amazon or etsy, nor many other sites offer information on unactive listings. If your knowledgeable on what your selling you should be able to price without needing to rely on this information. You don't need completed listings to price most items, look at current asking price and price competitively from there. If you see too many listed, then stay away.

The reason ebay is so bloated with sellers is due to mobile phones and people who look up everything and anything, with little prior selling experience or knowledge in an area. They simply go into ebay and copy other sellers listings and think they're instant experts. They walk around auctions, thrifts and sales typing away on their phones.

It also works both ways. I can't count the number of times a buyer has asked for a lower price because they saw one similar sold for less, doesn't matter it was in poorer condition or a variance.

I know many will disagree with me, but that's because the majority on ebay have no background in regards to what they sell and are being held up by crutches. I stick with what I know. I earned my selling stripes with hard knowledge and experience. It's about time experience counts for something! Those with it, know exactly what I'm talking about.

[ifyouloveit]

I agree with you 100%. I just tried looking at a friends auction that closed, and it took me to a listing that was nothing even remotely related to his sold auction item. This is infuriating me as a seller, I am sure it is infuriating buyers too. How are we supposed to price items that are not easily priced and be competitive if we can't see what that item is selling FOR? Stupid.

Clearly it is a bait and switch by eBay hoping someone is so brain dead they will forget what they were doing and buy something? Sadly, it probably works exactly the way they intended too. What next?

[ifyouloveit]

I sometimes think that is exactly what they hope they will accomplish, get rid of a bunch of us.

[maccnc11]

The Idea is to keep all of us off Balance so we rely on the Wisdom of eBay, the problem is eBay don't care what your stuff sales for cause they get a cut even if it sales for 10 cents, I wish I had a business where I had practically $0 investment and could rake in 10 percent of Gross sale on every item.

[mypalrocco]

The majority of what you're selling is old dolls. You currently have a 50% no sale rate and of those that you have sold recently, most were $20 and less. If this is what you think works for you because you know dolls and refuse to expand your selling horizons, then go for it. But I don't know how you're making any money that way. The old fashioned way in a modern world is charming and all but it's not a successful formula.