Why Did eBay Remove the Print Button from Listings?

by: Philip Cohen

Regardless, you can still see any "best offers" by adding the item number to the following URL string ...

http://offer.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=>
The eBay executive suite—where the incompetent mingle with the disingenuous, the malevolent and the outright criminal, and the just plain stupid ... http://bit.ly/11F2eas

by: AgendaSwallowsAll

I'm sure I've misunderstood what you're trying to explain Ina. I just printed two auction pages and I was shocked the other day when I'd noted listings that had ended 5 months ago were still viewable. As was stated, maybe I've simply misunderstood.

My gripe is the never ending Brain F***. One can no longer send an invoice from an ''item sold'' notification, the only button in that email reads ''Check payment status'', you click on it and it takes you to your ''My eBay'' where you can do nothing, at least not from that page. You then have to click on ''sold listings'' to send an invoice and if you've sold multiple items to one buyer it is now harder to determine payment status without having to take an extra step or two. Not like it can't be figured out, it's just more lost time on top of every other Brain F*** that costs you time, peace of mind, eyesight from staring at a screen shaking your head, trying to focus and thinking if not screaming ''why the F*** would they do that?'' or wondering WHERE is the REAL WORLD INTELLECT.

It has been impossible to readily see who has made a payment for what any longer and has been so since just about the point in time JD & Co. began running PayPal as well.

It's all just so insane

 

 

by: rhawk

Well put.....

ITS SIMPLY INSANE

by: RCL

Re ''Some readers were suspicious about eBay's reason'' -- everyone is always suspicious of eBay but I really think they just have so many bugs and tweaks that never get tested across environments, they haven't a clue how (or where) to fix many of them. I don't think eBay has a team devoted to brain f------- the users. That's more of a personnel issue :)

by: ignatz

Meh. It's a big waste of paper for a seller to print their listing, in the misguided hope that it will somehow help them prevail in a dispute.  ebay wouldn't even be interested.  What do they think they'll be able to do with those printed pages - mail them in?  Fax them?  Fat chance!  Once a buyer files a SNAD (which is one of the only two disputes allowed up to 6 mos later, the other being INR,) ebay almost invariably sides for the buyer, photos or no photos.
So stop wasting your time, and save those trees!  Or more accurately - save that recycled post-consumer content!

by: brokentoys19

Let's see if it follows the usual ebay (de)evolution:

1: It's a glitch
2: They are testing.
3: Full blown policy/feature. You asked, we listened.

(or alternately; the silent treatment)

Just a heads up for buyers, especially of higher value items. Printing hard copies of the item page is a must do! Countless ebay buying tip articles advise such. Couldn't hurt sellers to have a hard copy either.

by: Rexford

Would using the Print Screen key on your keyboard and pasting it into Word be a work around?

by: gizmo

Ebay thinks they evolve , though , I see  ever changing desperate attempts, to no since at all. Most of what they do is useless , & self serving.

They don't want you to win anything. SNAD or otherwise. These people play by their own rules , & make no since in the business world.

Deadbay is the laughing stock of the ecommerce world. Everywhere I go , people talk bad about deadbay.

Wait for it , wait for it.

by: Harriet

If all "glitches" are detrimental to sellers, then it is logical to assess them as intentionally detrimental, and meant to harm sellers. Logic says that if some of them are benefical to sellers, then they could be considered accidental.

by: Shop and Ship

We can expect "Trust" to be a continuing issue on eBay; once lost it is seldom recovered. Perhaps Turbo Lister can be used to store active and sold listings for future reference, as if facts carry any weight in the decision making process anywhere at eBay.  

by: Volvo351

Cynicism has reached the point where fleaBay's motives for the slightest action are questioned, with good reason.  You see something that looks innocuous now, and months later it bites you in the butt, just as JD planned all along.  I'm not really interested in getting an "explanation" for this bug/glitch/feature/Disruption - I wouldn't believe JD if he told me the sky was blue.

by: Harriet

This all has to do with eBay meddling with every listing and micro managing things to enth degree. They cannot help making changes that leave unintended consequences. There are just too many rules and regulations to keep track of them all, and too many cooks in the kitchen. It's a mess. Of course we are all cynical. These unintended consequences rarely benefit the sellers. And they are never addressed as mistakes. So eBay continues its hate-on for sellers. One wonders why. If that is how you make your money, on the backs of sellers, why would you alienate them. Doesn't make any sense, never did make any sense. Several people at the top are not well, I am afraid.

by: Marie

For it to disappear on all listings, it isn't a glitch, it is in the program.  It may or may not have been an error to remove it.

@Agenda

It's actually 90 days.  Sometime just a little over 90 days that you can see the older listings that have ended or sold.  I can see mine back to Dec. 3rd right now.  I think Ina just confused he timeframe with the amount of time we can leave FB, which is 60 days.  Just and whoops!  It happens to all of us from time to time.

I have no answer as to why you were able to see a 5 month old listing, but that isn't the norm.

by: iheartjacksparrow

I was thinking people could use the Snipping Tool in Windows to copy the page, but that turns the image into a .jpg file, and I could see a scamming buyer complain that something in the listing had been Photoshopped. At least with the print button it should have at the top the URL for the page source.

by: Marie

Oh Jack, that is a FANTASTIC yet VERY scary point!

by: AgendaSwallowsAll

@Marie

I know it has been 90 days and you're most likely correct re: the reason behind Ina's confusion. Further research shows it just over 4 months I can view listings, not 5 as I had stated.

Also, we must be on some sort of a Beta test on one account, we are receiving a new childish appearing lacking in functionality email for Sold items on one account that also contains advertising, we are receiving the standard email on our other account. It allows for printing a shipping label, to upload tracking information, that has the buyer's name in it, that allows of contacting the buyer and/or sending an invoice that the Beta test email has or allows for none of.

by: Frank F

The ONLY reason ebay removed the print page was to prevent the back door people were using to determine the best offer!

Typical for the to remove a required feature to prevent something else, but meanwhile there are NUMEROUS ways to determine the best offer price so ebay 'swings and misses again' and in the process takes away a feature that has been available for over 10 years.... STUPID IS WHAT STUPID DOES!!!  

And do us a favor and fix this whole cancel transaction process and debacal that you idiots implemented!  Just cancelled a trans at the buyers request and they never paid but the text says to refund the buyer and the buyer is asking me for a refund because they obviously got an email that says the same thing... Geez, they never paid... And ebays options were to cancel because it was 1) out of stock, or 2) at buyers request OR incorrect address from buyer.  What 22 year old 1st year IT employee came up with this whole process and options.  Its a disaster and a complete mess and ebay should be ashamed that they deployed this..

by: Philip Cohen

Strange though it may seem some, but not all, items on the ebay.com site can be viewed years later if you know the item number, for example, an item from 2012 …

http://offer.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=2709156510
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The eBay executive suite—where the incompetent mingle with the disingenuous, the malevolent and the outright criminal, and the just plain stupid ... http://bit.ly/11F2eas

by: gizmo

Ebay is the equivalent of hells gauntlet.

Im sorry , these idiots also took rss feed back sometime ago , another tool I used. Remember the days when it was easy , & equal.


Nothing good is coming from this crippled venue. I wish they would sell themselves to the highest bidder.

I guess somehow ( der, der , der,)they have managed to totally , screw up ,this once great " has been ".  

by: shut1968

Just hit "Control+P and print the page if it's that important to ya.. it's useless any ways.. if a customer files a SNAD or INR your not gonna win and you'll be forced to refund.. waste of paper in my book.. good luck