Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so feel free to share any general buying or selling questions you may have.
The chat thread will remain open until 2 PM PT at which point we'll close it from additional responses. After that time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.
To post your question, click Reply in the lower right corner of this post, type your question, and hit submit between 1-2 PM Pacific Time. The format of our chat mirrors the format of our Community Discussion Boards, where each post will appear in the thread chronologically. The Community Team will review each question as it comes in, and will quote the original question in our reply. This quote and the reply will appear later in the thread, so just keep scrolling down to see our answers.
Missed the chat? Send your questions to the podcast by calling 888-723-4630 or email us at podcast@ebay.com and maybe your questions will make it on the air! Or listen to past episodes while you wait for next Wednesday!
@hebertsusedautoparts wrote:
Tyler,
I was able to get in touch with the buyer and it was correct for his vehicle, we shipped and every one is happy.
I just wanted to report it if there is such a place to report as I am sure this issue may span over a multitude of auto parts and well, it's already a pretty tough category to sell in when customers don't ask questions or think they know what fits but add to that the fitment chart telling them it fits when it doesn't just becomes a nightmare.
Thanks
Oh I'm glad that this transaction at least has a happy ending! I'm currently trying to find the right team to get your feedback to so we can make sure the compatibility tool is accurate.
Thanks for joining the chat this week! It's now closed but we will continue to go through and ensure that questions receive a reply.
@dhbookds wrote:
I may be crazy.........I'm sure some would not argue that point, but sometime in the last wk, with the demise of the "adult" category, there was a also a reference that books with profanity were also banned..... I believe I @Brian or Tyler on it....... I can't find the reference or the original message...... May I assume this was an error of some kind? If not, we're talking about most major popular authors......????
@dhbookds I can see why that wording is concerning. The wording you mention was specific to items that are currently listed in the Adult Only categories. If a book was ok to list outside of the Adult Only category prior to this change then it is still ok to list now. However, Adult Only books that contain the content mentioned in the policy update, including profanity, will not be allowed on eBay going forward.
@glasser wrote:
I see item specifics coming up a lot in this chat as well as the Boards in general. Could we get a real explanation for the need for this. eBay's specifics go way beyond what most ecommerce use. Many of the specifics where I sell antiques and collectibles show only a couple of hundred of searches by a specific and basically most are irrelevant by the way people buy in those categories'.
Most sites maybe have up to 5 specifics to narrow a search and that seems like a lot given the power of search to begin with. In fact, I fear specific over use will actually hurt sales. Part of shopping, for many items not all, is to exposed to possibilities.
Sure, if I am looking for a specific part or item number specifics can help (however, also solved by a good title and description). However, if I am looking for sneakers maybe if it gets too narrow I could actually miss something I might like.
Like so many things on eBay these days, I'd like the following answered in non-marketing speak: 1) what problem is item specifics solving ( data here not theory) 2) what is is the umber of specifics where adding more is a diminishing return 3) why do they have to mandatory? If in fact item specifics can increase sales, sellers will catch on and organically move to use them more. Early adopters will be rewarded and others will eventually learn. 4) some people will always just want to write titles. What's the harm its their business afterall, and
5) What's the long term plan? Clearly, this is headed toward something else. Transparency on forward movement seems something that should be shared with buyers and sellers who actually keep the platform a float.
To me yet another example of eBay becoming a party to the transactions.
You're not wrong, we mostly hear about item specifics when there's a change to categories or other updates.
To answer your questions:
1) Item specifics help increase the visibility of your listings on both eBay and on external search engines. The more data you give us about what you’re selling, the better we can match your item to what a buyer is looking for, either through query search, left-hand navigation filters or category merchandising pages.
2) I'm not able to quantify that for you. The only time item specifics would harm a listing is if a seller is entering specifics that do not match the item listed.
3) Ultimately as a platform, we want to connect buyers to your items. This includes making sure our search options can provide relevant items when they use filters. The most effective way to make sure the filters are working efficiently across items is to make sure all sellers are following this best practice.
4) We're in the business to help our sellers make sales, so ensuring sellers are following best practices that we know will help them have a successful business is part of the expectations and requirements we set on the platform. We don't want our sellers to be discouraged and leave the site.
5) The long-term plan is to make it easy for buyers to find the items they want and bring sales to our sellers. We'll continue to make improvements towards that aim, though the particulars aren't something I can share.
@funsationalfinds wrote:
I am still struggling with item specifics and category changes for the last week. I use Inkfrog Open for my listings. I don't even know which listings are a problem until I try to change the price and get an error. I then find there is no category listed and I have to select another category. For most I am selecting
Toys & Hobbies > Stuffed Animals > Other Stuffed Animals
But then after I save the listing it does not show the new category. It might still be showing the old category but I don't know which category they were in.
Are my listings being found in search? Are my item specifics copying over or are they being lost?
Hi @funsationalfinds - making sure that you have item specifics filled in, a good title and photos will help ensure your items are able to be found in search.
When it comes to your items specifics copying over I don't have any information on that, but we've requested more information and will update you as we hear back!
@tincan630 wrote:
Why can I no longer get a drop down list of MY PREVIOUS SEARCHES ? Now all I get is recent searches , saved searches and saved sellers, all of which are useless. Now I have to go to advanced search to find what I want to search for . Very tedious and time consuming. Please remedy this problem!
@tincan630 thanks for the feedback!
@papermoney1948 wrote:
tyler@ebay.com
Hi Tyler
Could you send me a pm that I can reply to as Ebay has created a problem with my other account that is read only
Hi @papermoney1948 - I can't provide account specific customer support, but I'll reach out for more detail!
@hebertsusedautoparts wrote:
Tyler,
I was able to get in touch with the buyer and it was correct for his vehicle, we shipped and every one is happy.
I just wanted to report it if there is such a place to report as I am sure this issue may span over a multitude of auto parts and well, it's already a pretty tough category to sell in when customers don't ask questions or think they know what fits but add to that the fitment chart telling them it fits when it doesn't just becomes a nightmare.
Thanks
-----
Edit: A reply to your comment can be found here
Hi @hebertsusedautoparts - I heard back on this one really quickly! I've gotten this report to the right team, but they ask that if you find any issues like this in the future to email them directly at: Dl-eBay-CatalogSubmission@ebay.com.
They also mention if you use any interchanges (like Hollander's) and you see information is incorrect there you would want to contact them directly.
@nuclearomen I have no doubt the cases were still open. The inaccurate information is that open cases would prevent buyers from purchasing from a seller. That is not correct and is not how our system works.
Have a mark on Service Metrics is not enough to impact a sellers account. I definitely understand why having a Service Metric mark is concerning, but I do want to assure you that unless the account is 'Very High' then these marks have no impact on the sellers account.
@c.b. wrote:
brian@ebay - hey brian - i sent you an email with an issue... never heard back. did you get it?
@c.b. I don't see your reply to my email. Would you mind sending it again? Thanks!
