eBay is resuming plans to require Item Specifics in additional categories beginning September 9th, and it touted two tools to help sellers make their listings compliant.
In February as part of its 2020 Spring Seller Update, eBay announced plans to institute required attributes in listings in the Electronics and Home and Garden categories on March 31st, but weeks later announced it was postponing the rollout.
The plans are back on, and even more categories will be impacted. In addition to Electronics and Home & Garden, other categories with required Item Specifics will include Watches, Business & Industrial, and Sporting Goods.
Sellers will need to update their listings as described in PDF files available on the eBay website:
New item specifics for Electronics: Download details
New item specifics for Home & Garden Winter: Download details
New item specifics for Watches: Download details
New item specifics for Business & Industrial: Download details
New item specifics for Sporting Goods: Download details
New item specifics for Home & Garden Summer: Download details
eBay had begun making certain Item Specifics required in some categories last year, but it was a disaster by all accounts, particularly in the clothing category.
In this week’s post, eBay described two tools that could help sellers update Item Specifics in their listings.
Optiseller Aspect Finder+: eBay is making this third-party tool available to sellers at no charge through the end of the year. It noted that sellers who use third-party selling tools should check with their provider before using Optiseller – and be sure to read the terms and conditions.
Item specifics Download/Upload file: “Available on the Seller Hub Active Listings page, this tool will allow you to download an Excel file containing all your active listings that are missing required, soon-to-be-required, or recommended item specifics, edit your item specifics in bulk, then upload your listings back to eBay,” eBay explained.
Find the full announcement on the eBay Announcement Board.
I hate to say it. But Ebay is a giant garage sale,or maybe street fair, thats it. It’s a place where people sell things they cant sell on amazon….because it’s used, made in China (Generic), or vintage, handmade…..Amazon beat out Ebay, plain and simple. There is no reason to sell on ebay other than the reasons listed above. If you have in demand name brand stuff for a reasonable price why sell on Ebay. When for the same price with shipping costs included you can sell / warehouse / and ship from Amazon and have it to the customer in a couple of days?
Forcing this stuff on sellers is not going to work. Going down that road again?? It seems like this CEO is starting to go down the same path as the ceo’s before him. Ebay is what it is, trying to change it and force it to be something it’s not is just going to make them loose business. They kicked auctions to the curb, destroyed and lost that business. Fee’d to death the non professional seller to where they dont want to bother selling any more, and would rather just throw the stuff out. They jerked around clothing sellers to the point to witch several other category specific sites started up and thrived. Now they are going to start this again? Just cant get past the point of “wanting to be Amazon”.
The issue with all of this is to “HELP” eBay – not to help sellers.
1) eBay thinks that sellers work for free – and can complete eBays catalog FOR FREE “just cause they said so”.
The guys in the Vuitton case (“we are just a venue”) must be turning in their graves.
2) its also to protect eBay from predatory buyers who use the excuse (when they do a chargeback) “I didnt know what it was – it wasnt well described”. ‘Cause you know a blue size 10 dress made by Steve Maddon (just a random name) IN EBAYLAND becomes something else when it get to a buyers house.
Just continue to dump on sellers and make listing items MORE DIFFICULT .. cause you can.
(this is where they eBay cheerleaders jump in and say 1) but but but its eBays platform so YOU HAVE t do what ever they say 2) its entirely legal for eBay to do this or anything else cause its in the TOS … and MORE
Today – Pierre and his stupid broken laser pointer would never sell, not even CLOSE. No brand name, no UPC, an INR comming right up – but PIERRE is busy on some Carribean Island drinking up a storm, like the SLEEPING GRIFF – hes way to busy to help sellers in ANY way….. its all about the Benjamins right Pierre ?