Ina Steiner EcommerceBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on ecommerce.
by Ina Steiner, Editor of EcommerceBytes.com
Sun May 23 2021 21:14:07

eBay Addresses Mandate, Tells Sellers Not to Be Discouraged

By: Ina Steiner

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A week after sellers were caught off guard by the latest Item Specifics mandate, eBay moderators addressed their concerns. One told sellers not to be discouraged and leave the site, and she hinted about another change that might be coming.

On May 11, eBay rolled out changes to listings in the following categories: Holiday & Seasonal, Action Figures, Comic Books, Sports Trading Cards and Books, as part of the 2021 Spring Seller Update.

Some sellers said that they noticed Item Specifics kept disappearing, such as "Donnascreations" who wrote on May 19: 

"For the past week I keep having items come up were item specifics keep disappearing. It is across a number of different categories.  Now I have 40 listing that need item specifics, in the past few hours. I didn't revise or change the listing but things like book titles disappear which I know were there. When the item specifics notice comes up I can click on it and a whole bunch of information is missing but if I go directly into the listing and look at it or through the revise the information is there. I'm very confused."

Another seller reported the problem the same day during eBay's weekly chat. "Wagnerjohn1" wrote:

"I sell 99.9% books. Should I begin updating my 700+ listings with the new "required" item specifics (Title, Author, Language) even though it seems like all the bugs are not worked out and all my updates might disappear the next day (as this has been reported to have happened to several others in the community)? You require this done by 12 July. What happens if those listings are not updated?"

One third-party developer responded by pointing to one of the tools they provide eBay sellers, writing, "My recommendation is to capture all of your item specifics after you have them updated. If eBay makes further changes that eliminate your details, at least you will have a backup file that will be easier to update and upload in bulk."

And a seller replied, "I create and maintain listings, including item specifics, in the SixBit database. SixBit bulk edit can be used to add item specifics and update selected listings. Pictures can also be stored or tracked by SixBit. I would not want to contemplate selling on eBay without SixBit."

eBay moderators did not answer the question about disappearing Item Specifics, but they did address other sellers' questions about it. "Item specifics help increase the visibility of your listings on both eBay and on external search engines," Brittanie said. "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." You can find her full response here. 

One seller called the changes to Item Specifics in the Music > Records category "ridiculous," and explained why in great detail. eBay moderator Tyler thanked the seller for their insight and said he would forward it to the structured data team so they could review it and adjust as they see fit. Tyler also encouraged sellers to write directly to the team at sdsupport@ebay.com, saying it was particularly useful when sellers find irrelevant item specifics or incorrect category changes.

Brittanie, one of the eBay moderators who responded to sellers about Item Specifics, said eBay was in the business to help sellers make sales. "We don't want out sellers to be discouraged and leave the site."

She went on to say: "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."

That last line indicates she may know about a change coming to the site that sellers don't yet know about. Any guesses as to what it is and how it will bode for sellers?

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Perminate Link for eBay Addresses Mandate, Tells Sellers Not to Be Discouraged   eBay Addresses Mandate, Tells Sellers Not to Be Discouraged

by: Debbie Carlson This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 3 17:00:35 2021

Insanity on a level almost never seen before on eBay since the Managed Payments debacle!
Got this stupid email from eBay: (excerpt)

“You'll see these item specifics in your listing flow as Required Soon, and they will be required starting July 12, 2021.  After this date, you won’t be able to publish new, relisted, or revised listings in the following categories without the Required item specifics:”

So we will have to update over 16 thousand listing manually or they will not automatically re-list!
The stupid - dumb thing is that what they are asking us to update is already in the listings!
(ONE) Artist name required – dumb that is already in two places, the headline and the item
description text.  
(TWO) format DUMB it's a record “phonograph record” that too is the the listings, search engines.

“Listing flow”???? It that “new talk” like “I'll reach out to my supervisor” How about just calling
them, too much reaching and not enough touching! This is BS!

We sell mostly 78rpm records these are single records from 1900 to about 1958. (the 45rpm replaced
this format) These have generic sleeves, they are 10 inch in size, they are a “single” with two
songs one on each side, with very little other information. In our description text “WE” not eBay's
system add “condition” There is very little else you can say!

So since THEY could care less what sellers have to go through already, here we go again!
The reason given to us on the phone today was that buyers complain about buying something
without item specifics, and this will help to prevent returns! DUMB! Buyers most of the time
don't even bother to read the description text. Often eBay's system leaves that tab closed,
unlike the old days, and most buyers just overlook it! That's eBay fault, and the stupid buyers
who fail to read the listing! BTW we have never had this complaint – because 78rpm record buyers
know what they are buying! Once in a great while a “vinyl” buyer will ask if these are LPS?
We tell them no these are “Shellac” that is what old 78rpm records are made of, NOT vinyl.

Sellers could be put out of business, if like us, they have over 16 thousand listing to correct one at a time! Do they know how long that would take??????

Just try and get a logical answer from anybody over the phone when we tried to “reach out”
We are waiting for a “call back” from a “supervisor” who will undoubtedly tell us “you are
s c r e w e d”

If we make it through this one, it will be a miracle!
Sellers need to ban together and demand that eBay stop this reckless and clandestine objective
which will hurt honest sellers who are just trying to make a living on-line! Since THEY
are the only game in town, they should rethink this gross and ridiculous, not to mention
superfluous change in platform before they ruin their long time sellers!  

Perminate Link for eBay Addresses Mandate, Tells Sellers Not to Be Discouraged   eBay Addresses Mandate, Tells Sellers Not to Be Discouraged

by: Debbie Carlson This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 3 17:01:18 2021

So after the “good till canceled” listings end, I have 90 days to update the listings (that's over 15 thousand listings) of they disappear forever! This is a full time job, I have to go out, find the product.
Examine, clean, grade, sleeve, photograph, create listing text, etc. Buyers demand new products all the time! It's a never ending operation. I have to drive to get supplies, drive to the post office, package,
organize in the warehouse. List on eBay, answer email, etc. Now I have 90 days to add these stupid
and unnecessary item specifics. But let's be clear about this. With the bulk tool I can add the word
“record” for 200 at a time. I am in the music / record category, when I start a listing new you are
sent to the record category! It's been that way since they started! Here's where it gets even dumber!
I don't sell “vinyl” per-say most of the records I sell are single 78rpm “shellac” records. These
have no “album titles” they are singles, like the 45rpm which came after this format in the 1950's.
YET they are asking for an “album title”. The guy on the phone said just put N/A “Not applicable”
sounds reasonable. So I thought why not try this in bulk listing tool, I am given that choice. But
when I went to add N/A or  “Not applicable” for the “album title” I get this error message
“album name should contain only one value” what on earth does that mean? Nobody on any of
the message boards since 2005 seem to know? Glitch or stupidity? If you are going to force us
to add these “I.S's” then at least give us the option to bulk out what we don't even need that
is truly “Not applicable” - that's the advise we were given. There you go! I will have to add
one at a time N/A for each 15,000 plus listings, then add each “Artist” which is the very first
thing on the header and text description! So why am I forced to add it a third time?????
They claim it will drive sales! It will help in the Google searches, it will attract more buyers!
Bla Bla Bla! THREE TIMES I NEED THE ARTIST NAME!!!!! THREE TIMES?????
Can anybody on earth tell us why???? WHY?  

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