eBay launched a new simplified selling tool that features “Magical Listing AI Technology,” it announced on Wednesday. It’s available to US and UK sellers using the eBay mobile app.
“eBay has simplified the listing experience, integrating our magical listing technology with a guided, mobile-friendly listing flow to improve the ease, speed, and quality of listing creation for sellers,” eBay announced.
Sellers can take a picture using their mobile device, or can upload a product image, and use AI to help fill in item specifics. “Where the previous mobile listing flow started with a text-based search for similar listings within eBay’s catalog for sellers to edit and customize, this new experience starts with photos and a title. It then leverages AI automation, maximizing image match and inference capabilities to suggest product details and suitable categories according to eBay’s guided, task-focused pages, so the seller can review and approve content and list more quickly.”
eBay boasted that over 10 million sellers worldwide have already used its AI features, “creating well over 100 million listings using AI and generating billions in gross merchandise volume (GMV).”
The simplified listing tool is now available in the eBay mobile app in the US, UK, and Germany for private sellers across all categories. eBay said it also had plans to expand the feature to sellers using business tools.
eBay had also announced on Monday a new Seller Hub listing homepage, “your streamlined gateway to all the tools you need to effortlessly list on eBay. With convenient access to a suite of powerful tools in an intuitive experience, creating listings has never been easier or faster. Whether you’re listing a single item or managing thousands in bulk, our new listing homepage is your one-stop shop for getting your inventory in front of buyers on eBay.”
Magical?
Roll Up, Roll Up for the eBay Magical Listing Tour!
Roll up!
Roll up for the eBay Magical Listing Tour
Roll up!
Roll up for the eBay Magical Listing Tour
Roll up! (That’s an invitation)
Roll up for the eBay Magical Listing Tour
Roll up! (To make a reservation)
Roll up for the eBay Magical Listing Tour
The eBay Magical Listing Tour
Is coming to coming to screw you in a new way
Coming to screw you today, yes sir today ….
(Cranberry Sauce ….)
AI creating descriptions is the worst “advance” in years. Especially in the area of collectibles, where the AI just gathers all the item specifics and turns them into a useless narrative, with typically multiple errors. It’s all fluff, like “a great addition to any collection”, “don’t miss your opportunity to get this important piece of collecting history”, or “This comic book promises a pristine reading experience.” What IS a pristine reading experience? What does that even mean? And it’s in a sealed plastic case, you can’t read it at all. Stupid AI.
You can only read so many of these similarly contrived descriptions without throwing up. The only magical thing about eBay AI is it made quality listings completely disappear.
I just want to know what you are selling, what’s great about it, and what’s wrong with it. And none of this “refer to photos for condition” crap. The photos don’t tell the whole story, can be manipulated during photography (avoiding problem areas) and after (editing).
When I see an AI description, I know I have a lazy seller. Probably a problem item, likely poor quality packaging, slow shipping, etc. Best to just move on.
100% worthless!
I saw an item at a local auction with online bidding which I suspected was a WWII relic connected with a “special person”.
I deciphered the name on the item and confirmed the name by examining vintage real estate records for the address that was also included on the item.
I then was able to trace the person’s history and significance by checking several other sources.
No AI can do what I did within a few minutes. The best the AI could do would be to possible give me the generic name of the item, which is what everyone else at the auction assumed it was.
Another example was a tool, which after some slight cleaning was revealed to be hand forged railroad tool made of multiple pieces of steel forged together.
In the mean time eBay continues to scam its sellers and buyers with massive scams.