06-02-2015 08:52 AM
ebay has totally screwed up the Model Railroad Category. It is important you start complaining here and also calling them, they are out of control!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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06-10-2015 05:32 PM
Update: I just spoke again with eBay customer support and was told, this time, that the Model Train category changes were planned and not just a computer glitch.
We all know this will devastate the model train sales for both buyers and sellers and you have to phone eBay and let them know that buyers and sellers want this changed back. The eBay representative herself told me to have everyone call in and let them know we want the categories changed back to the way they were!
To contact eBay by phone:
1) Sign in to your account.
2) Click "Help & Contact" at the top of the eBay page.
3) Select from the topics offered down the page until the "Call Us" link appears as a clickable link at the bottom of the page.
Note **You "have" to select from their topics even if they don't seem to pertain to the question or the link to "Call Us" will not be made available.
4) Please be polite and try not to use foul language but be very firm that we want the eBay management to know that we all want the model train categories changed back as they were.
06-10-2015 10:54 PM
I did some search's in Model railroad category's and found some changes ,That I don't agree with. Just as was done in toy and hobbies ,where they screw up the space and horror movie figures moved them over to collectables ,which has killed most of the STAR WARS and STAR TREK sales. they have yet to undo the changes .
06-11-2015 08:58 AM
hey e-bay the model train and railroad section under toys and hobbies is like Eureka,electrolux,hoover --you know it sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!! please tell me the idiot who gave the ok to screw it up royally and who was richard crainium who re wrote it-----I could care less what other countries want I just know in AMERICA we don't need england or any other countries ideas ---you want to do it right leave it the way it was for us Americans and all others who are trying to sell AMERICAN products and set up the page you have now for who ever else thinks its neat--which it isn't---so overall it still SUCKS
06-11-2015 09:15 AM
@stevesteve66k wrote:hey e-bay the model train and railroad section under toys and hobbies is like Eureka,electrolux,hoover --you know it sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!! please tell me the idiot who gave the ok to screw it up royally and who was richard crainium who re wrote it-----I could care less what other countries want I just know in AMERICA we don't need england or any other countries ideas ---you want to do it right leave it the way it was for us Americans and all others who are trying to sell AMERICAN products and set up the page you have now for who ever else thinks its neat--which it isn't---so overall it still SUCKS
I asked the same thing to a Ebay supervisor about what idiot came up with the Idea to move all space and Horror action figures out of toys and hobbies .
06-12-2015 10:27 AM
Let's see if I can figure this out;
1. Prior to the eBay category change the Lionel 1945-69 listings were about 5,000 items every week with about 50% being sold.
2. The average sale was about $50 with eBay making 10% or $5.00 per sale.
3. Therefore, 2,500 sales per week x $5.00 per sale = $12,500 income for eBay per week.
What I am seeing now is as follows;
1. If one enters "Lionel postwar" in the "other O gauge" category there are approximately 4500 items per week with about 10% being sold.
2. The average sale is about $50 with eBay making 10% or $5.00 per sale.
3. Therefore, 450 sales per week x $5.00 per sale = $2,250 income for eBay per week.
Conclusion,
With the current new category formula, eBay is losing approximately $10,000 per week (just with the Lionel post war category).
If ALL the other rearranged/re-categorized listings are experiencing similar results, eBay will experience considerable income loss. Will their bottom line losses justify their attempt to save memory/simplification.
The income loss should be noticed by them even though they are a mega million dollar corporation. The question is...will they care enough to do anything about it!
TTOS #7826
06-13-2015 03:45 AM
Yes sir,
Trouble in paradise. Really seems like no one has any common sense anymore. If things dont get fixed I will have to change my whole game plan.I give it 14 days. Then we will see whats going on.
oldmailtrain
06-22-2015 09:27 AM
It looks like someone at ebay finally heard/read or complaints.
We now have a separate sub catagory for 1945-1969 (Lionel, O gauge).
The only problem is that the number of posts is only around 3,200.
It used to be around 5,000 to 7,000.
I hope the numbers come back up after the hoopla settles down and people can actually find something!
TTOS #7826
06-22-2015 01:10 PM
Someone on this board mentioned that there is now a Lionel sub caption.... where is it? When I pull up the Sell page it still have the same general sub captions.
@pwlionell wrote:It looks like someone at ebay finally heard/read or complaints.
We now have a separate sub catagory for 1945-1969 (Lionel, O gauge).
The only problem is that the number of posts is only around 3,200.
It used to be around 5,000 to 7,000.
I hope the numbers come back up after the hoopla settles down and people can actually find something!
TTOS #7826
@pwlionell wrote:It looks like someone at ebay finally heard/read or complaints.
We now have a separate sub catagory for 1945-1969 (Lionel, O gauge).
The only problem is that the number of posts is only around 3,200.
It used to be around 5,000 to 7,000.
I hope the numbers come back up after the hoopla settles down and people can actually find something!
TTOS #7826
06-22-2015 02:04 PM
This is the way I got there (although I found a couple of different ways and results).
First use the path: Toys & Hobbies, Model Railroads & Trains, O scale
Then look on the refinements to the left (items with check boxes next to them).
Check both Lionel and 1945-1969...and hit enter.
A second way is as follows:
First use the path: Toys & Hobbies, Model Railroads & Trains, Other O scale, Lionel.
Then look on the refinements to the left (items with check boxes next to them).
Check 1945-1969...and hit enter.
The funny part is that slightly different quantities of items are falling into each catagory!
The format is not as good as it used to be.......but it works.
06-27-2015 10:48 AM
Well,
I thought I would just say, its about a week I think and its not going good no hits to speak of and no sales. Nothing big 0. So that has gotten me of and running to change things around a bit. No I wont leave ebay but I have cut back already from 130 listings to about 35 and maybe wind up lower to 20 and wait and see what happens here. This is really sad. I hope I am missing something. Going to just work on my site for now. Hope someone wakes up.
To all you rail people and the rest of you out there that I have come to know thank you for your support. 🐵 .
oldmailtrain
06-27-2015 11:21 AM
My sales have also dropped drastically since June 2nd and trying to search as a potential buyer is useless.
It is truly beyond comprehension how eBay could make such a mess out of the search categories. This dramatically affects not only the sellers as is normally the case, but the buyers and eBay is even hurting its own financial outlook and stability as well.
For example, my favorite everyday searches used to be, new listings for HO scale Brass or Structures. Now there is no way whatsoever to refine the search unless you hit or miss with key words. I want to search for "any type" Brass item or structure but that is now no longer possible. I'm sure my buyers are just as frustrated which is obvious by the drop in overall sales.
06-30-2015 07:05 PM
Now they condensed the descriptions part of all ads so not only do they have to search to find items then they need to find them on the item page. More room for ad's I guess like my items are not all ready filled advertising other places to buy stuff. Next will be they are dropping all modeling category's because of poor sales and yes I am down over 50% this month. It did however save me from having to buy more boxes and other shipping supplies that I would have needed and yes I buy them on ebay so there will be a trickle down effect on other categories. I did shop for some automotive things I needed and got 3 sellers cancel my bought and paid for orders and the one that did ship sent defective goods. These are the kind of sellers ebay wants not the honest people that actually were here when it started.
07-01-2015 05:26 PM
@pwlionell wrote:Let's see if I can figure this out;
1. Prior to the eBay category change the Lionel 1945-69 listings were about 5,000 items every week with about 50% being sold.
2. The average sale was about $50 with eBay making 10% or $5.00 per sale.
3. Therefore, 2,500 sales per week x $5.00 per sale = $12,500 income for eBay per week.
What I am seeing now is as follows;
1. If one enters "Lionel postwar" in the "other O gauge" category there are approximately 4500 items per week with about 10% being sold.
2. The average sale is about $50 with eBay making 10% or $5.00 per sale.
3. Therefore, 450 sales per week x $5.00 per sale = $2,250 income for eBay per week.
Conclusion,
With the current new category formula, eBay is losing approximately $10,000 per week (just with the Lionel post war category).
If ALL the other rearranged/re-categorized listings are experiencing similar results, eBay will experience considerable income loss. Will their bottom line losses justify their attempt to save memory/simplification.
The income loss should be noticed by them even though they are a mega million dollar corporation. The question is...will they care enough to do anything about it!
TTOS #7826
According to Griff, there has been no change in the sales numbers in this category. Except sale figures are quite public, you can look in the category and click the sold box, sort by ending date and you can see the drop in sales across the category from May to late June.
07-02-2015 06:38 AM
I also have made several calls to ebay and have also received a call from them as a follow up to one of my calls. I get the same reply, they are unaware of any changes to ebay. I also asked the question as to what "train expert" came up with the categories for model trains... their response was "their web design team". My question to them was what train expert came up with the new sub categories.... no response. My response to their NO RESPONSE was I consider myself a train expert having played, repaired, bought and sold trains for over 60 years and ebay did not contact myself, or any of my train friends about what to put into the revised categories. The ebay so called "train experts" came up with the following sub categories for HO gauge.... can someone please tell me what the heck they are trying to prove. Here are the HO subcaptions..
07-02-2015 09:15 AM
While I don't deal in trains, I have been selling toys on ebay for 10 years now. I remember when ebay partnered with their ssellers to determine new categories and subcategories. The reason for the draw down categories was for buyers to more easily search what was available in a certain category. If I wanted to buy a non reproduction Kenner Star Wars action figure from the 70's, there was a category for that. Most people would search what was available and bid accordingly. Maybe a few had a certain figure in mind to complete a collection and searched for only that, but with more casual sellers selling things from their attics, you had better luck searching the category as not everyone listing the same figure the same way.
Now ebay wants everything to look the same, like Amazon. That works great for standard, everyday items. BUt ebay was know for having stuff you cannot find anywhere else, and that rare stuff sold for good money, and people were willing to pay the price to get stuff you cannot just go to any store and pick up. Yet no one left at ebay seems to understand this.
I also believe the only reason to lump everything into one big category is that it makes it easier for the Chinese to dump their fake cheap junk into the new categories, because their grasp of the English language is lacking, so now they don't have to know the difference in scales and whatnot.