eBay hasn’t said much recently about the forthcoming ban on Active Content, but on Tuesday, it posted the following message to its Australian announcement board, an indication the changes are still on track for June:
Important: Active content changes are coming to your listing descriptions
From June 2017, we will block active content in your listing descriptions. Remove or replace the active content in your listings now to get ready for this change.
Why are we doing this
We’re making this change so that you can benefit from improved performance on mobile, faster load times and an even more secure marketplace. While your listings will still be available after this time, certain text, images and other elements in those listings may not display, or will display incorrectly, once active content is blocked.
Examples of active content include JavaScript, Flash, plug-ins and form actions. It is usually used to provide additional functionality.
Listings containing the following are likely to use active content:
- Image galleries or carousels
- Videos
- Parts compatibility
- Embedded buyer feedback
- Freight calculator
- Tabbed panes
- Custom store search field
What this means for you
If you use active content in your listings, you’ll need to remove or replace the active content before June 2017, to ensure your listings display as you expect.
What you need to do
1) Check to see if your item description contains active content
You can use the free i-ways tool, which provides you with a report on whether your listing contains active content, as well as if it’s mobile optimised. The tool lets you preview how your listing would look when active content is switched-off.
There is a preview tool within eBay that also shows you how your item description appears when active content is switched-off. Simply go to the “view your item” page, click on the item description tab and click preview.
2) Remove or replace active content using alternatives
We’ve suggested some alternatives to the more common features which may contain active content, including:
- Image galleries or photos
- Product videos
- Parts compatibility
- Freight shipping calculator
- Tabbed panes
Click here to view these solutions.
Alternatively, if your listing template is provided by third party services, please get in touch with your provider about this update so they can support you in making the necessary changes.
Visit our Seller Centre for more information on this.
Source: eBay Australia Announcement Board Post
