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Fix active content issues the easy way!

You do not have to know a programming language.

 

You do not need to know HTML.

 

You do not need to learn how to use FileExchange.

 

The vast majority of active content issues, can be fixed easily, with the eBay BEAR (bulk edit and replace) editor.

 

This is very easy, requires no programming or html skills. These steps have been covered in separate posts across this community. I am going to try and put it all together, for those of you who are confused by this issue.

 

My next post, on this thread, are the basic steps to change http: to https:, using the eBay BEAR editor.

 

The next post will be about adding a target attribute to the links in your descriptions. Again using the eBay BEAR editor.

 

The next, will cover what to do if these steps do not completely fix the active content issue in all of your listings.

 

There may be a post(s) from Shipscript, if Shipscript thinks clarification or additional info is needed.

Note: The eBay process that tags your listings as having active content, has been reporting some false positives. eBay is working on this.

 

Note: This will not fix all active content issues. But it will allow you to fix the vast majority of them. If you have old templates, use external stylesheets, have embedded content from old listing subscriptions (may not be visible), are hosting your own images, see the discussion board 'Replacing Active Content' for more advanced solutions. Shipscript is monitoring that board to help these members with their additional issues. You might read the threads on that board to see if your issue may have already been covered.

eBay is continually updating this site. Some advice given may have changed. Please reply to this thread, to let us know if this advice works for you. The links on the bottom of any eBay page can help you deal with most eBay issues. Contact eBay Customer Service on Facebook.com/eBay or Twitter.com/AskeBay
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Fix active content issues the easy way!

Using the eBay Bear editor to change http: to https: in your listings.

 

First click on this link - https://www.ebay.com/sh/lst/active/http-content

 

That link will open a page in a separate window. This will allow you to switch between this window and that window, to follow along with these instructions.

 

That link will display all of your items that eBay has tagged as non-compliant with eBay's Active Content policy.

 

OK, to get right in to it...

 

You can scroll down to the bottom of the page and set the number of listings to be worked on/displayed.

 

Click on the Select All box in the heading line, to the left of Action...

http1.PNG

 

Click on the Edit button...

 

This screen will display...

http2.PNG

(my 7 non-compliant listings also have 3 image errors. please ignore this for this discussion)

 

Again click on the Select All box in the heading line, to the left of UPC/EAN/ISBN...

 

Click on the Edit fields button...

 

Click on Item description, in the drop down box that appears...

 

Click on the Select action, in the Edit item description window...

http3.PNG

And then click on Edit listings in bulk - Find and replace

The following window will appear...

http4.PNG

The cursor will be in the Find box. Type in http: (note that the colon is important, do not leave it out), press tab one time, then type in https:, now click on Save and close.

 

A window will appear to display that the changes are being made to the selected listings. Once that disappears, click on Submit changes, in the lower left corner of the item selection screen.

 

A new window displays called Confirm and submit. If there are other errors in these selected listings, they will be mentioned on this page. You can ignore this for now. Click on the Confirm and Submit button.

 

The changes are submitted and a Success window will display, click on OK. Again, ignore the Fix errors button. This will return you to the above link.

 

If there were any errors listed on the Confirm and Submit page or the Success page, the listings will still be on the original link page. The above process can be repeated to deal with any other errors.

 

For now, you have changed all references to http: to https:, in those selected listings, if there were no other errors.

 

Select a new group of listings and repeat the above.

eBay is continually updating this site. Some advice given may have changed. Please reply to this thread, to let us know if this advice works for you. The links on the bottom of any eBay page can help you deal with most eBay issues. Contact eBay Customer Service on Facebook.com/eBay or Twitter.com/AskeBay
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Fix active content issues the easy way!

Using the eBay Bear editor to add target attributes to the links in your listings.


Note: This method may not work for sellers who have photo galleries with CSS stylesheets. Those sellers should check with Shipscript first. If the template uses the <a> tag as a method to manipulate clicked photos, we don't want the clicked thumbnail to leave the page instead of opening the photo. So that is one place where more care must be taken in adding the target attribute, and the Active Content tools would be better at that task.

 

This one is just as easy, and is done the same way as changing http: to https:...

 

Follow the previous instructions.

 

In the Find box, type <a (type a space after the a, this is important)...

 

In the Replace box type <a target="_blank" (again a space following the last quote is important, do not leave it out)

 

Finish with the above instructions.

eBay is continually updating this site. Some advice given may have changed. Please reply to this thread, to let us know if this advice works for you. The links on the bottom of any eBay page can help you deal with most eBay issues. Contact eBay Customer Service on Facebook.com/eBay or Twitter.com/AskeBay
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Fix active content issues the easy way!

What to do if the above instructions do not fully repair your active listings.


With 10's of thousands of sellers, sporting millions of item listings, there are issues that the above basic steps are not going to completely resolve. This thread is not meant to discuss all of these issues.

 

Look on this discussion board, to see if your issue has already been discussed - https://community.ebay.com/t5/Replacing-Active-Content/bd-p/activecontent

 

If you do not know what the issue is, use this tool to scan your listings - http://www.isdntek.com/ebaytools/ActiveContentScanner.htm

 

If you have a large number of listings to scan, the weekend is best. Server load, during the week, can dramatically slow the scan.

 

There are directions on the bottom of that tool to help you use it and there are directions and helps on the threads, in the above mentioned discussion board.

eBay is continually updating this site. Some advice given may have changed. Please reply to this thread, to let us know if this advice works for you. The links on the bottom of any eBay page can help you deal with most eBay issues. Contact eBay Customer Service on Facebook.com/eBay or Twitter.com/AskeBay
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