Question
Ebay has a new Books Category Manager, he has selected for his screen name, Giles (the name of the librarian in Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Giles has been in the position for a couple of weeks and is making a genuine effort to at least listen to issues, and address them where he is able. He has addressed the issue of keyword spamming for book sellers with some success and it is hoped that auctions will no longer be closed down for containing valid detailed descriptions.
On his introduction to the Book Board a poster started a poll thread to express whether book sellers wanted Item Specifics or the old Category structure. For those on the book board at least, the result was overwhelmingly a desire to return to categories. On page three of that thread, Giles made two posts. One whilst the thread was active and before he had conferenced with "internal staff" at Ebay:
Hi everyone
Thanks so much for all the constructive concerns that have been raised on this thread.
It is tremendously clear to me that IS is not popular. I know that there is a long history of discussion in this area between the community and the company, and that it has been a flashpoint of contention.
I do not yet know what opportunities for change there may be. It may be that IS is here to stay in some semblance of its current form. That said, as "new blood" in the category, I feel it is at least necessary for me to take your concerns and see if there are options or changes that can be considered. I cannot with any degree of comfort promise change in this area, and do not want to falsely raise exectations that change is coming. But I also do not want to say, at least at this time, that my hands are tied.
and one after meeting with internal staff and reaching this conclusion:
Hi Everyone
Thanks to all of you who have weighed in with your thoughts on this thread. I know how important this issue is to all of you.
However, after consultations with internal staff who have been involved in this issue going back to the April changes and subsequent modifications, I must report back to you our belief that the structure currently in place is beneficial to the buying and selling community as a whole. Therefore, the existing structure will remain in place, and additional changes are not being considered at this time.
I am yet to see sellers or buyers embrace Item Specifics, and the few positive comments have usually been qualified by an "if" or a "but" indicating that they still fail to address specifics in a way that would really work.
For this reason I have asked Giles on the Ebay book board what the mindset is that believes that Item Specifics is "beneficial to the buying and selling community as a whole".
I am also interested in knowing how the users here feel, some months on, about how Item Specifics works for you. Do you find it a plus, what aspects are positive, has it made it easier to find goods, and do you feel disadvantaged by it being optional?
Kind Regards, Kevin
Answer
In the last couple of days I encountered an issue with Item Specifics which only leaves me even more confused about it's purpose. In past discussions with Sharronn on this board, she suggested that it simply moved the category structure sideways, and allowed browsing in the same way as previously by using a slightly different mechanism. Whilst I do not see the necessity to alter what buyers are used to, the argument would probably be valid if Item Specifics were not optional, and thus resulting in incomplete listings for those who use it to browse.
In any case I see that there are cases where it is not actually "replacing" the category structure that it was allegedly replacing.
Two days ago while checking a buyer's feedback, I saw a feedback from Jayandmarie (previously onecentcds), I thought that I would see whether they have any "alternative rock" CD's currently listed that would be of interest to me, and went into "View Sellers Other Auctions", and was shocked to discover that CD sellers do not get the benefits of other sellers who use "detailed" categories.
Using this auction, as an example, (and you will see that it has the item specific "Genre: DJ, Dance" ) - go into the Sellers Other Auctions. You will note on the left that the category structure allows you to select CD's or DVD's - select CD's - and you will see that there is no way to "drill" into the genres to find the relevent listings out of the 3841 that are shown. There was nothing to interest me on the first page, and I could not sort further - so they possibly missed out on my bids. What is the purpose of filling in Item Specifics if they are not useable in a large sellers other auctions, while those who still have good category structure, get a very effective sorting mechanism on their other auctions.
I have obviously missed the point on how to use Item Specifics properly. That is most likely my fault, I have not taken any tutorials and after 7 years I am just a newbie who naively prefers the intuitive way that Ebay previously worked. I am obsolete and not the sort of customer that Ebay wants, but assuming that there are others like me, Jay and Marie are missing out on sales or competitive bidding, because we no longer understand how to use the site, or find their items when we are not searching for a specific title.
Kevin
Answer
I have obviously missed the point on how to use Item Specifics properly
Kevin, the problem with Item Specifics is that BUYERS don't know how to use it properly. You can also add SEARCH to the list of eBay changes that buyers don't know how to use. How many people know about the recent Search changes which require putting parentheses around your search words if you don't want a gazillion results, many of which are irrelevant? Did you know that the popup search tip help page has not been updated to reflect these changes? One of the pinks on the Search Board said they were planning on updating the tips page but it would be a few weeks before it was implemented. A few weeks??? During the Holiday season? These people have no business messing with things that they don't understand. They are clueless.
Another thing comes to mind. Is it possible that eBay feels the need to add plural and/or plurals as well as similar words to the DEFAULT search string because Item Specifics is not working?
Blanche
Answer
SEARCH to the list of eBay changes that buyers don't know how to use.
well, this is ebay programmers making alot of sense.
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Did you happen to get that very pretty glossy and obviously expensive ebay catalog in the mail in the last day or so?
Every single item has the keywords to use for searching for the item. There's a part that explains how to search and how to narrow your search.
NO WHERE in that catalog is Item Specifics mentioned at all.
If it were truly something ebay was behind, I would think a mass mailing might have been the ideal place to mention it.
Answer
With all these changes that no one wants eBay is beginning to resemble the 1957 Ford Edsel. Touted as the car that America wanted (after exhaustive design surveys) the Edsel looked like it had been designed by five different teams that never communicated with each other. It turned out to be the car that very few Americans wanted, and "Edsel" has become a synonym for abject, hopeless failure.
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Kevin if you scroll down on the auction you have linked above Jay has a breakdown of his Cd's on the left side of the description..when you punch alternative you'll get 511 choices.
Some sellers don't fill item specifics which puts there stuff out in the middle of nowhere..i search records all the time using item specifics without any problem.
As far as books go it's nice to be able to to get into the antique section where you can choose the year or whether its 1st edition,signed etc.
I myself like them better than the catergories but I realize I'm in the minority.
Answer
I never use item specifics, buying or selling. Does not make sense to use a system which is not use by all sellers and buyers. If one uses IS to find things, one would miss all the items from sellers who did not fill in the IS. As a seller, it takes too much time to fill them out.
eBay is approaching this all wrong. What they should do is figure out like the 100 best searches for each type of collectible. Then have these setup as template searches for buyers. Then rank them base on use. Over time, we will be down to about the best 10 search routines for each type of collectible.
The more complex a search system eBay implements, the more buyers we leave behind. The more complex an informational system eBay puts in place, the more data errors on the part of sellers.
Answer
Well, I think design wise, the edsel is the best looking thing to come out of the fifties.........BUT
does that make it a useful item
no it was and is a toy
is that what ebay is becoming?
Answer
Doowhoper,
Oh, there is not only "Rock:Alternative" but also "Rock:Indie". I will browse later. Of course I am at fault for not scrolling down and fully reading an auction that actually had no interest to me at all - I only scrolled far enough to check whether they used Item Specifics, and had assumed they didn't since there was no breakdown on the "sellers other items" pages.
Incidentally, WHY did it become the sellers responsibility to create a search mechanism within their own auctions if their area of sales was swallowed by Item Specifics, when those who sell elsewhere on the same site, get the same service from just using "View Sellers Other Auctions" ? Doowhoper, as someone who prefers Item Specifics do you find this particularly fair, or should all worthwhile sellers be linking to sorted auctions using their own templates within their own auctions?
Why should CD sellers NOT have the same mechanism where, say, a seller of militaria, has auctions that can be sorted down into time period and country of origin (in the case of World War One and World War Two) just by clicking on "View Sellers Other Auctions" and using the links on the left of the page?
Explain to me what I am missing in this mechanism, and how this circumstance makes Item Specifics useable in that way, let alone an improvement on the category structure?
As far as books go it's nice to be able to to get into the antique section where you can choose the year or whether its 1st edition,signed etc.
I myself like them better than the catergories but I realize I'm in the minority.
I feel that Item Specifics can work in tandem with a good category structure, and provided that enough information is also supported by the item specifics. But they need to have limitations removed. A seller of true antiquarian books can not enter the year on books that pre-date 1000 AD - the form will not accept it, and his valuable books are not visible (see the book board for people affected). The last time I checked the Magazine section, the dating only went back as far as 1980. If you are seeking the July 1948 issue of Popular Mechanix to complete a collection, then Item Specifics does not support you, if you want the July 1988 issue it does. Where is the value in such an incomplete system?
Am I Being unreasonable? Does this really replace the category structure satisfactorily?
Kevin