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(Blanche posted about this in the main forum yesterday but it received no attention, which is troubling since this is a situation that I feel has dire implications for all of us selling on eBay. Right now the heat is on booksellers, but as we saw with the category-to-category spread of Item Specifics, I worry that soon we'll all be under the gun.)
In the past month or so, eBay has canceled (and continues to cancel) literally hundreds of booksellers' auctions. The offense: keyword spamming or search manipulation. But in reality, the only thing these sellers are guilty of is properly describing the items they're trying to sell.
One seller had 90 of his auctions erased from existence in one day. Another lost more than 40. Many are now on the verge of having to give up selling on eBay. If you look at their feedback, they are apparently all members in good standing.
The book sellers, most of whom seem to be longtime eBayers and Powersellers, were not guilty of masking keywords in white type or including unrelated terms in their titles or item descriptions -- practices universally recognized as actual keyword spamming.
All they did was describe the contents of the books they were trying to sell. Some of them included the Table of Contents in their listings or incorporated brief excerpts from the book. Some who were trying to sell history or genealogy books included relevant place names and/or family names addressed in the book -- in other words, the exact kind of information book and magazine buyers are looking for (see this here thread by KevinT for a discussion of the keyword spamming issue and the difference a good description makes: )
Without warning, eBay struck down their auctions and instructed the sellers not to use more than 25 keywords in their future item descriptions, in effect making it extremely difficult or impossible for these sellers to reach the right buyers.
The problem of auction cancellations among booksellers appears to have reached epidemic proportions. (From what I've read, it seems like a purge.) In response to the outcry, Giles Cassell, whom I gather is eBay's liaison to the book category, started a thread on eBay's book discussion board soliciting bookseller input about this issue. He says he is supposed to be meeting with eBay's Trust and Safety department this week to find some resolution.
Blanche linked to Cassell's thread in the eBay forum yesterday:
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.js...0&msRang e=40
The thread contains posts by the affected sellers I referred to above. I suggest everyone read it because the implications are chilling. It makes me think the day is coming soon when we won't be allowed to create our own item descriptions at all on eBay, but will be required to "input" the entire description by checking off multiple-choice options -- sort of an expansion of the present item specifics template. It's like we're moving towards a point of no longer being sellers, but merely data entry clerks for some giant preformatted catalog.
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Well, heck! I've got practically the entire contents listed in my quilt book auctions.
I wonder if I can revise and relist witihout having to pay listing fees again if they are zapped?
I wish someone had some good news for sellers.
Joan
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Spaz,
Thanks for the "reprint" - I didn't see Blanche's post on it, but glad I didnt miss this one. I have a batch of books I've been sitting on, waiting to find time to list. I like the item specifics for SOME things, but:
It makes me think the day is coming soon when we won't be allowed to create our own item descriptions at all on eBay, but will be required to "input" the entire description by checking off multiple-choice options -- sort of an expansion of the present item specifics template.
I don't doubt that you're right. I'm sure it'd be GREAT! for sellers of the drop-shipped, mass merchandise variety, but why force everyone to use it.
Shouldn't be any harder to divide the listing PROCESS into seperate "systems" just like that have options for Auction-Fixed Price-Store, they could make the listing itself be a choice. Merchandise Catalog style or Unique Auction style.
I just don't like my chioces being made FOR me.
You know?
~ gem ~
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This is where third party lsiting software really earns it keep....you don't lose your ads
then you go in, revise, edit and whatever, and relaunch them...
if you use ebays sytem to launch, you can kiss your buttocks and your ads good bye.
and you do get all your listing fees back on the original ads, so it doesn't actually cost you anything.
My questions is....why does ebay put so much money and effort into frigging keyword spamming, and leaves the abusers and fraudsters to roam free. This kind of enforcement really costs ebay big money, yet it is so stupid.
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Originally Posted by spazmodeus
It's like we're moving towards a point of no longer being sellers, but merely data entry clerks for some giant preformatted catalog.
lol
So we get to BE in the catalog, but can no longer list one for sale....
eBay is so amazing...
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Originally Posted by gabs-a-lot
and you do get all your listing fees back on the original ads, so it doesn't actually cost you anything.
Is this true? If so, some of the folks on the ebay board aren't aware of it.
I just posted on that board thread. I think it's the first time I've ever posted on an ebay board. (or maybe the second, can't remember)
I figured I don't have much to lose (I don't have any auctions listed right now) and I think they should be aware that some of us WON'T list our book/magazine inventories there (in an ebay store) if this isn't resolved in a reasonable way.
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You know, the major problem isn't the lost fees. The problem is the lost sales and income because sellers who specialize in antique/vintage books with historical or genealogical subject matter CANNOT include all of the important names of the people or places in their description. They can only include 25 names or places (keywords) and this is simply not enough to help a buyer find these books via the search engine. Buyers are looking for certain names, cities, towns, etc. and if they don't come up in search, they don't find the book.
This doesn't just affect booksellers. The vintage clothing and handmade doll clothing dealers have had the same problem. Of course, we already know what happened with Kevin's vintage trade catalog listing.
If eBay prevents sellers from adequately describing their merchandise by limiting them to 25 keywords, the buyers cannot find what they're looking for and they will leave the site. We aren't talking about ILLEGAL keywords like using a brand name that is similar to what you're selling or has absolutely nothing to do with what you're selling. We're not talking about hidden white on white text either. EBay is preventing sellers from using more than 25 LEGITIMATE keywords in their listing description. Basically, they're telling YOU how to best describe your merchandise. I was under the impression that the sellers were paying eBay for space to sell their goods. Who's working for who here??
Blanche
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Would it do any good to reference the here threads on the ebay board or is that a no no
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Took a stab at posting in that thread too. Notice Giles hasn't come back since he started that thread.
I wish there were a TRUE competitor for ebay. I'm going to be listing some stuff at O, but would really love a true competitor for ebay(O just left a bad taste in my mouth I haven't been able to wash out). They(ebay) are just shooting themselves in the foot, and pretty soon they are going to hit that really deep artery and that's going to be it.
And I mean a TRUE competitor-one with the advertising dollars to back up their site.
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Hi mildreds. It's ok to reference the relevant here threads on the eBay Boards. I have done so myself in the past.
mgc, thanks for posting in the Bookseller Board thread. I think we have a shot at getting them to change this overly restrictive rule if enough folks complain.
Blanche