Changes to Media and Jewelry categories

Gail / July 26th, 2008 at 11:04 am

JJH ~ I’m sorry your listing was pulled.

Does eBay allow “Like New” in the decription, but not in the title? Since “Like New” is being added to Item Specifics in media, have the bots been programmed yet to differentiate, or will every dvd in ‘like new’ condition be pulled before they realize there’s a conflict?

Does the keyword spam bot not check Item Specifics? Is there a keyword spam bot, or does eBay rely on items being reported? Just musing here…..

Patricia1 / July 26th, 2008 at 11:00 pm

Again copying from Amazon. Their listing for an item starts with new then like new, etc. Ebay was original and unique, now its becoming just a cheap imitation of another company.

Darth-kitty / July 28th, 2008 at 7:13 am

They forgot condition “broken”
which some of us crafters look for.
and some poor buyers get when they think they are buying new and don’t read the teeney tiny print

TheBrewsNews / July 28th, 2008 at 11:25 am

@Jay

I agree that the eBay community would complain if there was an announcement that eBay was giving away $1 million to each seller… because when you read the DETAILS of the “give-away”, you would find that in order to be “awarded” the $1 million from eBay, you would have to pay eBay $2 million for the CHANCE to be awarded $1 million (you know… kinda like the Powerseller discount incentives for offering free shipping).

Of course it SOUNDS good to hear the announcement of a $1 million giveaway until you click several links down to find out the details.

If the eBay seller community is “best” at complaining, perhaps it is because eBay themselves are “best” at creating lots of things for sellers to complain about. But that is not something I would think eBay would be too proud of being the best at.

Henrietta / July 28th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Yup! What Brews said.

Just like my buyer coupons that do not work on PayPal checkout.

I have the coupon, they emailed it to me, it is just worthless.

TheBrewsNews / July 30th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

@Jay

Mature and responsible employees who are unhappy with their employer don’t quit their job without having something else lined up…. same goes for mature and responsible eBay sellers. Professional ecommerce sellers depend on their online sales and are not silly enough to make emotional decisions but rather make decisions that are based on sound financial reasons.

I can assure you that there are many “Professional” eBay sellers who are building up their sales elsewhere and are dumping inventory on eBay as they make changes in their online selling strategy.

Many eBay sellers, like myself, will probably never completely close our eBay accounts because eBay is a great place to liquidate (ie dump) product that does not sell well in our brick-and-mortar stores and/or does not sell as well as we had hoped in the “good” ecommerce markets.

Account closures on eBay are only one indicator that sellers are moving elsewhere and that buyers who are in search of the most desirable product will ultimately follow them. When good sellers list their “best” product elsewhere (on other ecommerce sites where the sellers can get the better prices and where sellers feel more secure) then what will remain for sale is the leftovers, suitable for the flea markets and eBay.

JJH / July 30th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

@Jay

Since you directed your comment to ME, I suppose I should answer.

OK, lets assume what you say is true. In fact it IS true. That was the answer I got from customer support (you must an eBay employee). Anyway, I made an HONEST error. There was NO explanation anywhere that this was not allowed. Certainly none I would casually come across. In short, I made a MISTAKE.

What is eBay’s response? Take my listing down, and slap me with a violation. Anyone ever hear of a WARNING? How about a polite email telling me I must modify my title within 24 hours or face sanctions? Oh no, that is way too easy, way to personable. It’s MUCH easier to just cancel my listing and place a violation against me that could a) cause my suspension, b) reduce my standing in search, c) take away any discounts (assuming I was a power seller, which I am not).

Then, when I contact customer service to find out what happened, I’m told “don’t worry about it, it won’t be held against you”. Well, that was a lie, because right there on my seller dashboard is a “policy violation” for “Keyword spamming” (don’t you like that term? It really describes well what I did wrong). Along with this violation, which is still showing on my dashboard by the way, is a terse warning NOT to commit any other violations or “I risk” a number of different punishments.

Well, you know, it’s hard to not make mistakes when there are so many stupid rules.

So, there you are. You can call it what you want, I still call it a double standard. I also call it RUDE. I could have been contacted, told what I had to do, and life would have gone on. But, I guess the right thing to do is too easy.

Amber / July 31st, 2008 at 10:01 pm

JJH, it clearly IS a double standard. For years, they’ve tried to say that Like New wasn’t allowed because items are either new or they aren’t. The real problem has always been eBay’s horrible search.

And Jay, Like New is still a keyword when searching item title AND description, so it still affects search.

It is hypocritical that this is the ONLY condition not allowed in the title, simply because ebay’s search is too stupid to figure out the difference between Like New and New. Ebay buyers–especially BOOK buyers–have known the difference for years. They’ve been using that condition on half.com –an eBay owned company–for YEARS as well.

The item condition is legit and should be allowed in the titles. I can’t think of another condition that’s similarly banned–can you? Excellent, Used, Very Good…all perfectly acceptable in the title. So yes, it IS a double standard and ridiculous to boot.

Patricia1 / July 31st, 2008 at 11:05 pm

Amber you are so right. Many sellers have reduced their listings on ebay and expanded their listings on other sites. It takes time to get buyers to try something new but many of them are. The sellers will, indeed, build other sites the same way they built ebay. Ebay’s new policies is only hastening this switch to other sites. Right now, I know of no other sellers who are listing only on Ebay. That wasn’t true a year ago. Ebay wanted us to adapt…and so that is exactly what we’re doing.

TheBrewsNews / August 1st, 2008 at 5:22 pm

@Jay

eBay had already been in the “Walmart” league prior to January 29, 2008. Prior to that date, many sellers complained publicly but didn’t leave eBay or make plans to leave eBay. eBay was counting on that same historical reaction from sellers when they announced changes in January.

However, eBay is now far ahead of “Walmart” in that respect because many eBay sellers have already left eBay and many more have exit strategies.

FYI… not EVERYONE shops at Walmart. I haven’t been into a Walmart store in 8 years. Personally, I know lots of folks who don’t shop at Walmart and, of course, I know plenty who still do shop there. If everyone you know shops at Walmart, you really should get out more.

Patricia1 / August 1st, 2008 at 6:02 pm

Wow! Just read your post Jay. Got news for you NOT everyone hates Walmart. It seems to be fashionable for some to hate them but people like myself, on a fixed income, welcome them…and what they pulled off with $4.00 generic prescription drugs was nothing short of sheer genius. That effort alone is helping so many who could not afford prescription drugs. On the other hand…Ebay does not give…it merely takes. So, I see no real comparison.

Patricia1 / August 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am

Hmmm….I don’t understand Mechelle because in all the years and in all the Walmarts where I’ve shopped I never experienced a long wait. Our local Walmarts have so many checkout stands that I don’t see where that’s possible – but then I generally go on weekdays since I’m retired. I also love being able to shop online for bigger things, pay for them and then go straight to the back of the store where they put it into a cart for me and I head straight out the door. No problem. I bought my vacuum and several small appliances just that way :-)

There’s also a story about a combination VCR and DVD player I bought there. I set it up and really didn’t like it – it wasn’t easy to operate. So, several weeks later – after I threw away the box I called Walmart and asked if I could bring it back. Spoke directly to the store manager. They took it back with no problem and I bought one I liked better. So….I don’t understand the bad customer service angle because I’ve never personally experienced it in all the years I’ve shopped with them and I brought plenty of items back for refund.

The $4.00 meds not only saves me money but is of great value since it does not go to my insurance. My health insurance only provides a $2500 “cap” on drugs for the year. Just my cholesterol meds – which cost me an 8.00 co-payment – took $133.00 a month off my “cap”. After the cap is exhausted you pay directly out of your own pocket. I got those drugs at Walmart for $4.00 – which saves me $133 a month on that cap in case I may need a drug not covered by Walmart. So, I have good reason to appreciate Walmart – but NOTHING to appreciate Ebay. They have no customer service – and they do not give back to their customers as Walmart does with their drug system. To me, there is no comparison. I think even if there was a 57 minute wait in line, I’d still use them.

Amber / August 2nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Add me to the Walmart haters. I can only go on weekends, as the nearest one is about 70 miles away. They NEVER have enough cashiers. They only open 3 on one side, 2 on another on a busy Saturday. Most are express lanes only. The aisles are cluttered; the employees unhelpful. The customer service center is notoriously understaffed to the point that you’ll wait far longer there than you ever do in line.

There are 5 Walmarts in the area I travel to–they are ALL extremely unhelpful and crowded. And I prefer the service I receive at our local, non-branded pharmacy. Our pharmacist and clerks have spent hours on the phone dealing with insurance issues for us–I sincerely doubt anyone at Walmart would bother.

I shop there when I have to, but would prefer to shop anywhere else. There is no discernible service there and the environment is unpleasant. But the key difference between the lack of service I receive there and the lack I receive at eBay is that the prices are generally the lowest. eBay’s are not. So we should not be receiving bargain basement service for luxury store prices.

Mechelle / August 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm

oh- I will credit walmart with having what appears to be human compassion and consideration as demonstrated by the prescription plan- and eBay clearly has no regard for people

Patricia1 / August 2nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm

“we should not be receiving bargain basement service for luxury store prices.”

Amen to that – they will never again get another feature plus price out of me…and I’m busy spreading the word about it too. I feel totally ripped off as I have NEVER felt with any other business :-(

Mechelle / August 3rd, 2008 at 12:14 am

I think you are correct Patricia

Everyone tosses out the – oh sure take care of your money making powersellers the ones that make you the most- but the reality is the collective whole of small sellers are the money makers for eBay – and I am only talking about the selling side.

The buying aspect of those individuals who are continuously being kicked in the face are the biggest buyers too. You would think this company would have bought enough brain power for someone to realize they should calculate exactly who it is they are about to kick in the face in the name of buyer retention- LOL. All those small sellers who have a separate buying ID that eBay is protecting from their other selling personality – it is just to funny when you think about the clear lack of thought put into this little fiasco they have created. eBay really is becoming the new comedy- it is like the business equivalent of the stupid show where people deliberately harm themselves- I think it is called Jack A**??

Anyway, I was thinking about the new ban on java and flash and I am curious if this will also apply to the flash ppc ads all over eBay- which are going to become even more prevalent.

Oh- recently I came across an article written last Oct about the ppc ads and sellers fearing they were causing them harm. eBay’s response another prime segment for the comedy idea- hang on I’m going to go find it so I can put the direct quote in – ha ha ha

Info World
By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service
October 08, 2007

Merchants: eBay ad programs drive buyers away

“Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman, acknowledges that the company has fielded concerns from sellers about this issue, but he argues that the worry is unwarranted.

“Our first priority is always to encourage buyers to transact on the site and click on our sellers’ listings. If our sellers aren’t successful, they’re not paying eBay fees, and then we’re not successful,” Durzy said.

In an ideal world, every visitor to eBay would end up buying something in the marketplace, but research has shown visitors don’t always come to buy. Often they do research or browse, he said.

Thus, eBay can potentially monetize those visits and improve those users’ experience by showing them relevant, targeted ads, Durzy said.

“Our strategy is to serve ads differently based on what we think you’re most likely to do, in order to ultimately give you as a buyer the best experience,” he said.

An increase in buyer satisfaction ultimately benefits sellers. “Serving relevant, compelling ads in certain situations makes for a better buying experience,” Durzy said.”

Ever hear of the Darwin Awards? I think I’ll submit this quote LOL

Patricia1 / August 3rd, 2008 at 10:23 am

Mechelle thanks for posting that quote. Sometimes the logic behind what they’re doing downright scares me!

Patricia1 / August 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Jay – I do shop at Walmart – I love it and wouldn’t trade it in for a retail Ebay. That aside, how about some cold hard facts….powersellers can sell to any address confirmed or unconfirmed and be covered by Paypal – small sellers cannot. Powersellers get a 7 day cooling off period before they can be negged – small sellers can be destroyed instantly. Powersellers are considered “trustworthy” small sellers are not (I’ll never let them live down that cheesey statement!!!) Powersellers get discounts for good reputations….this 10 year small seller with 100 percent feedback and 5.0 DSR’s CANNOT! I can go on and on. You’re shooting yourself in the foot every single time you post! For an Ebay cheerleader you’re posts are rather immature. There is no comparison between Walmart and Ebay….just as there is no longer any comparison between powerseller and small seller. The last cold hard fact, I hovered just below powerseller status until the new policies went into effect…now I can’t give my stuff away on Ebay – though it sells elsewhere – why? because small sellers who were also my buyers left this site or have lost so much business they can’t afford to BUY anything here!

Patricia1 / August 4th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Most people still have their accounts for one reason…they are all hoping – maybe even praying – that this ship will yet be turned around. All I can say is whatever management’s motives or their goals they have made one heck of a mess of that site and lost the trust of their sellers. Neither will be easy to get back.