eBay restricts search visibility for items in some categories for 24 hours after listing or edits

[the_og_surplus]

If you sell anything in the collectibles>militaria category, anything in sporting goods>hunting>any gun related category, some optics categories, or many other categories that are affected then when you list an item, fixed price or auction, eBay is blocking all search visibility for a full 24 hours, not only after you start a listing but after any edits. This is a clear case of them intentionally not delivering on the product they sell a seller- I pay for a 7 day auction and 7 days of search visibility and only get 6 days if it is in some categories, while in others I get 6 days and 21 hours.

There also may be some filtering by keywords as well, not just category, it is hard to say yet. But it definitely applies flatly across all listings in some categories.

After talking to other sellers and an eBay rep I have managed to put together what I think is happening.

This all started happening about the same time that eBay started forcing everyone on to their new international shipping plan. The eBay rep let it slip that some categories must be "reviewed" for export compliance. So what is happening is that eBay is holding every listing they think applies for a "review" for 24 hours. Now maybe their idea is that someone looks at it and releases it sooner, but if so they don't seem to be able to make that happen, so its always 24 hours.

I don't know if it only applies to those who use their international shipping or not. Anyone here who has opted out of it want to make a listing in an affected category to see if its blocked for 24 hours for me? I asked the eBay rep and they wouldn't or couldn't tell me if withdrawing from the program would change it.

Its bad enough that visibility is blocked 24 hours after listing, but they also do it for 24 hours after any edits. So if I see I made an error or learn new information on an auction if I try to update it I lose another 24 hours of visibility and bidders. On my fixed price listings if I simply update my quantities because I got more of the item that's another day in the black hole with no sales.

[ckimodog]

@the_og_surplus 

Good morning-

I believe most new listings take 24 hours to appear for sale.  You have to remember that when you're listing, there are thousands of other sellers listing their products & it takes time for them to index & catalog. 

Yes, some categories are reviewed prior because there are a lot of sellers who try to list things that may be prohibited or against the law to sell on ebay. 

Thanks for your post and have a great day!

[the_og_surplus]

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@ckimodog wrote:

@the_og_surplus 

Good morning-

I believe most new listings take 24 hours to appear for sale.  You have to remember that when you're listing, there are thousands of other sellers listing their products & it takes time for them to index & catalog. 

Yes, some categories are reviewed prior because there are a lot of sellers who try to list things that may be prohibited or against the law to sell on ebay. 

Thanks for your post and have a great day!

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No, this is absolutely not accurate. eBays does say "Items can take up to 24 hours to be visible" to cover themselves, but its not how most categories are done.

I have tested myself and even the exact same item in different categories, one will start showing in search and get traffic in 2-3 hours and the other will take a full 24 hours. I can list some 1950's military wool pants in collectables>militaria and it's hidden for the first 24 hours. I can list the exact same item, same pictures and description in the vintage clothing category and start getting views and watchers in 2-3 hours. One won't show up in searches, one will. Even on my seller page listing all my active items it won't be searchable.

The next time you create a listing see how long it takes to be visible. If it is not in an affected category it will be 2-4 hours typically. 

Most of my sales are in the affected categories, and prior to this change they absolutely did not take 24 hours to start getting traffic. I would start getting watchers and even sales within a few hours of creating a listing. And before this I never had an item disappear from search because I made a simple edit, and now that does happen. I can't even go edit the shipping polices to get rid of first class without losing 24 hours of sales for every item I update.

There has been an abrupt shift in this, and sellers in some categories are getting penalized and harmed by it.

If eBays new policy is to hide these listings for a full 24 hours they need to be transparent and tell sellers, and adjust the polices to reflect that. On auctions they shouldn't start the clock until the 24 hours has passed, otherwise we are not getting the full 7 days of visibility (and promotion if chosen) we pay for.

[luckythewinner]

eBay restricts search visibility for items in some categories for 24 hours after listing or edits

Correct.

That is why their policy warns you that indexing and re-indexing can take 24 hours. Because in some cases, it does.

I suspect it has to do with some categories being scrutinized more closely due to seller misbehavior.

[the_og_surplus]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

eBay restricts search visibility for items in some categories for 24 hours after listing or edits

Correct.

That is why their policy warns you that indexing and re-indexing can take 24 hours. Because in some cases, it does.

I suspect it has to do with some categories being scrutinized more closely due to seller misbehavior.

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You don't seem to get what I am saying.

While previously it was true that some listing MAY take 24 hours, that has always been the exception to the rule.

I have been selling on ebay for over 20 years with business and personal accounts, and its always been a typical indexing time of 2-4 hours.

Never before has every listing made in a category taken a full 24 hours to index. This is new. It is no longer that in "some cases" (and before those were rare) it can take 24 hours. It is now that in the affected categories it takes 24 hours 100% of the time.

And it doesn't make sense that they are delaying it to review them, because if that was the case they would be indexed as soon as whoever is doing the review approves it. There is no way all their reviewers look at every listing exactly at the 24 hour mark.

This is a new policy change that harms sellers in these categories, and it was done without warning or explanation.

If I am a seller of video games, when I pay for a 7 day auction and 7 days of promotion I get pretty much what I paid for, minus 2-3 hours. I get 6 days and 21 hours of auction visibility and promotion. That is reasonable.

If I sell WWII posters I pay the same but I only get 6 days of visibility and promotion. Not only am I paying the same for less but by having my auction visible to potential buyers a day less my items will on average sell for less. That is not reasonable.

[micwe-7188]

I can contest to this. It has to be true same thing happening to me.  I think what is wrong with my listings? I have had very collectible sought after items get no views then closer to the end without editing the listing it picks up.

[bluemoonrelics75]

Yes, you are absolutely correct, and it is more like 34-36 hours on 100% of any auction style listing in militaria. I began documenting this June 21-23 and it has gone on ad-nauseam for two consecutive months. I will not see my items go live until they hit 5 days 10 hours (roughly) on the clock for ALL 7-day listings. This has lost me so much time, profit, sleep, and absolute frustration. I have been lied to, hung up on, and have spent days of my life documenting and discussing this issue with them. They don't give a flying F.

[coolections]

All oversaturated categories take time to index not just the guns and parts you are trying to list which may be eventually removed anyway.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I have experienced the delay.

I was advised by posters on this forum that it was normal.

It was 24 hours.

The listing did not exist while it was reviewed. This is not an indexing issue.

Now that I know this occurs, I will stop being concerned. I do not sell these items at auction, and a delay on BIN listings is not a problem for me. They are not going to sell in a day.

[lywa-3111]

It's important to note that all oversaturated categories require some time for indexing, not just the specific guns and parts you're attempting to list, which might eventually be removed anyway. It's a common challenge

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

Not going to argue anything you said other than your "average 2-4 hr indexing".

Maybe some "restrictive" categories are 24hr as you suggested clearly, and some "less restrictive, but still restrictive" categories are 2-4hrs?

My items generally index and are visible in search in 5 minutes. I mean... I don't time it. But it's definitely under 10 minutes. I truly believe it to be 4-6 minutes on average?...

Your 2-4 hour timeline just sounds odd, strange and foreign to me unless you are asserting there is a multi-tiered system for restriction/review, as I believe my items are not subject to any review and are indexed as soon as "feasible"?. I truly understand and agree with your 24hr assertion. I'm just baffled by the 2-4 hr unless its a secondary/lesser tier of review for certain less restrictive categories.

[inhawaii]

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@the_og_surplus wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

eBay restricts search visibility for items in some categories for 24 hours after listing or edits

Correct.

That is why their policy warns you that indexing and re-indexing can take 24 hours. Because in some cases, it does.

I suspect it has to do with some categories being scrutinized more closely due to seller misbehavior.

---

You don't seem to get what I am saying.

While previously it was true that some listing MAY take 24 hours, that has always been the exception to the rule.

I have been selling on ebay for over 20 years with business and personal accounts, and its always been a typical indexing time of 2-4 hours.

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You're upset that all these years it has been taking LESS than the quoted amount of time, now it is taking the  quoted amount of time?

[paper_history]

Older thread, I know, but I've documented the exact same issue.

If I list a photo in the Collectibles >> Militaria categories, there is a 24 hour hold. Not "up to 24 hours" but exactly 24 hours. 

If I list the same exact photo in Collectibles >> Photos, it posts immediately. Update that listing to the Militaria category, it disappears for exactly 24 hours.

When I contacted eBay, they give me the "up to 24 hours" to index speech without answering my direct questions. It's disingenuous. If they are going to have a 24 hour hold on certain categories, they should be clear about it. How hard is honesty?

[rickyodicky]

Here’s a helpful tip: if you schedule your listing, the 24hrs will start when you posted it. So, if you post your listing at Noon, but schedule it for 8pm, your listing will appear at Noon, not 8pm the next day. This will get you some extra hours. I haven’t tried scheduling a day ahead, but worth a try. Hope this helps. 

[paytonrules2003]

You are 100% correct.  All items in the military category are held up for the full 24 hours regardless of any need for review at all. I'm talking about Holiday menus for WWII US Army units and items of that nature which are completely without any reviewable issues whatsoever. And the eBay reps could care less.

All of my items in other categories get listed within 5 minutes.