Sell Similar Flaw in eBay Ad Attribution Policy

by: etectra

Using eBay's listing form, sell similar, the eBay app, or one of the webpage based 3rd party listing sites is the slowest way to list on eBay.

These methods are also the least secure as you have no backups for your listings and templates so if eBay loses them then you have to create them all over again.

There were 3rd party listing products dating as far back as 1997, but these did not really take off until the launch of eBay's API in 2000. The first API powered tools were simply 3rd party websites on which you assembled your eBay listings for later upload to eBay - which was faster than eBay's own listing form and more convenient as eBay lacked any typed of scheduled listings.

The fastest was to list and manage eBay listings since 2000 has been desktop listing software which used eBay's API to communicate with eBay. eBay's API was developed by a 3rd party who licensed it to eBay. To pay for using the API eBay thought is would pass on the cost to software developers, which forced an early Macintosh application called A.I.D. to go out of business, effectively leaving only eBay's TurboLister.

I ran A.I.D. on dual processor Apple G4 computer and then switched to TurboLister via emulation as the Apple G4 computer was capable of running Macintosh Classic, Macintosh X and Windows XP at the same time.

Since 2005 I've used Garage Sale.

It makes ZERO sense to use Sell Similar to me. First you have to find a listing. Then you have to proofread the listing and delete everything that does not apply. You then have to add what is missing. Then you must hope you didn't make mistakes so the buyer can make a claim.

The data in eBay's catalog and sell similar listings is not foolproof. For example; I have two copies of a DVD movie issued by the same company who used the UPC code for both. The earlier version has a thicker case, but is otherwise identical. I just have to have both versions - the only real way to tell them apart. Search for the UPC on eBay and both versions are presented as the same when they are not. The one with the larger case is more valuable.

Sell similar is also unreliable for electronics which will show the specs as originally issued by the manufacturer, but its common to modify electronics such as phones and computers by swapping memory, hard drives, memory cards and so forth. So the device you have may not be the one presented in the sell similar listings due to modifications.

I can create listings more quickly from scratch using a series of templates in GarageSale, with no proofreading, and I know they will be 100% correct. I also do not use any item attributes. Most of my templates have the commonly used attributes already filled out with "N/A" or something similar. Any other attributes I need to add for some categories can be automatically filled out with "N/A' using a custom AppleScript.

I don't have to wait for images to upload to eBay. I simply assemble listing sin GarageSale and have them uploaded while I do other work - even while I am not home.

Why is it that a couple guys in Germany can create the best eBay listing and management application while eBay is clueless with thousands of employees and billions of dollars? Because they do not care about you at all!

by: Rexford

My experience selling on eBay:  eBay ALWAYS makes it harder, rather than easier for sellers to sell.  I had that new "feature" pop up this week.  I was able to back out of it and use Sell Similar.

And etectra says "It makes ZERO sense to use Sell Similar to me.". Then don't use it.   Some of us KNOW how to use and use it effectively to list quickly.  You are REALLY starting to sound like a shill.  (not a compliment).

by: Allen1853

People need to stay in their own lanes. I use Sell Similar for all of my new listings, using my OWN existing listing as the sell similar template. I would never use someone else's listing to sell similar. That IS dumb for all of the reasons stated. Eliminating my ability to use Sell Similar would be a disaster (just what I expect from eBay) forcing me to go back to using basic templates and having to input all of the new info for an item very similar to what I already have listed.  

by: etvideo1

There is one thing you can depend on with eBay, "CHANGE".  Endless mindless change.  Changing what works to what sounds good.  Most changes are for the benefit of eBay not the members.

by: Sierra

Sell Similar should only be available for a seller to use with THEIR OWN LISTINGS.

I'm sure there *are* sellers who are conscientious enough to use sell similar starting with someone else's listing, but I'd compare this to using AI descriptions.  People don't read anymore, and that goes for (some) sellers too. Or they'll be in a hurry to get a listing published and forget to comb thru the item specifics to ensure their item is *exactly* the same as the one they're copying. This can happen with the seller's own listings too, of course, but I think it's more likely to happen when a seller uses sell similar to copy another seller's listing.

by: Rexford

etvideo1 says "There is one thing you can depend on with eBay, "CHANGE".  Endless mindless change. "

This is one of the reasons that there are problems down the road after they change something.  Listings that were not created after their changes (existing listings) develop issues due to their changes.

by: Steverd

Reminds me of how I loved Turbolister and could list items so fast.
Loved it and Ebay got rid of it, now I list 100% with the Sell Similar, I hope this is just a glitch in the system?  

by: Snapped

“ This is one of the reasons that there are problems down the road after they change something.”

One of a whole battery.

It starts by ignoring the foundation for all design, virtual or tangible.  Form follows function.  Unless there is a formulaic NEED for a change, it is ill advised.  You can’t create one, it has to be organic.

That’s strike one, eBay (and too many others) discard that in favor of employment justification.

It continues in the development, where common sense functional objectives are being developed AFTER somebody’s heroic attempt at code slinging, if at all, but without coordination or concern for interdependent function processes not directly manipulated by keystrokes.  As in, hey! What happened to…

There is no quality control, no configuration management, no code accountability, and no development plan beyond somebody’s thinking day, disruptive, vertically challenged, magic vision for the next 3, 5, or however many year plan can be pontificated without tanking the share price.  

And that’s strike two.  You can’t do Computer Science on a cheap whim and a dream.  Well, you can of course.  But, GIGO is another foundation rock you can’t build without.

Then there’s execution.  Releasing the ‘new and improved’ beast to the masses.  And in keeping with the theme of money spent doing it right the first time can’t be spent on jet fuel or barstools, there is no communication, within or without, and no testing, for the glitches will be apparent, and THEN they can decide what’s profit taking so worth even acknowledging.  Not your profit, theirs.  And not as a ‘problem’, but a feature under construction.  

And that’s striiiike three.  Oh, not for them.  They are the one’s pitching all the spitballs.  For you.  They’re putting YOU out.  

Hit the showers.  Try to get the stink of it all off.

by: clarkphilatelics

I rely almost entirely on Item Specifics to construct listings. I use SixBit because it supports HipStamp in addition to eBay and imports listings from Excel. A catalog spreadsheet holds constant item data, based on the Scott catalog number. The item spreadsheet holds data unique to each instance. The merged data is imported into SixBit, checked for title length and occasional random errors before posting on eBay and HipStamp.