eBay launch Facebook application
10/04/2008 at 23:07
eBay.com have announced the launch of their own Facebook application to allow you to show off your eBay listings to you Facebook friends. Though there are already plenty of eBay applications for Facebook, one might hope that the official version would bring something new to the Facebook feed.
Sadly I’ve been unable to test it: I don’t know if it’s only available to US users, but nothing on .com will allow me to “share” my eBay listings. The promised links don’t appear either in My eBay, or on the Congratulations page when I’ve listed an item, even on .com. Maybe a .com registered seller could let us know if you’ve managed to make it work? I’d very much like to know how this will work: if every item I ever list on eBay is going to appear in my Facebook feed, I think my friends will have had enough of the relentless advertising within a couple of days.
Even if I’d managed to dig out a link to share my listings, eBay’s terms and conditions would worry me: sellers are advised that having their Facebook friends bid on their listings is a violation of eBay’s shill bidding policy. The policy itself mentions “family members, roommates and employees” who are forbidden from bidding – which I can’t help feeling is rather different to the eclectic mix of people on my friends list, the majority of whom are in fact acquaintances made via the eBay boards, who have no priviledged information about my listings, and who know me mainly or solely as an eBay seller. In fact, several of my Facebook friends were my eBay customers before we friended.
For the moment, then, I’ll be sticking with Eddie’s eBay Gallery, at least until eBay get their application sorted, and perhaps until they figure out how Facebook works.
Kate says
12:22 am on 11/04/2008
I want to add something about ebay to my facebook profile – you didn’t include a link to the ebay gallery application, but I think I managed to find it and add it to my profile anyway. However I don’t really understand the whole facebook thing, does the gallery show up when people look at my profile? It doesn’t show up for me when I look at my own. How do I know if it’s there? I tried to find your facebook profile Sue but failed miserably – how do I find it?
It’s all just too confusing for me
Sue Bailey says
12:56 am on 11/04/2008
Kate – I can see the gallery on your profile. Sometimes it takes a while for new apps to show up, I think.
As for adding people, you need the email addy or the real name. As I don’t have a very rare name, you probably need to guess which email address I used
Kate says
7:18 am on 11/04/2008
Yes Sue I found about 300 Sue Baileys!
Thanks
Adrian (vzaar's Chief Geek) says
8:27 am on 11/04/2008
I’ve been using the eBay Marketplace app (http://apps.facebook.com/ebaymarketplace/) which is mostly okish, but not super.
Thought that was an official eBay app….
Sue Bailey says
10:48 am on 11/04/2008
Kate, I’m very common
Adrian, I’ve been using that one too and totally agree with the “mostly okish but not super” assessment. I feel at the moment, none of the applications quite do what I want, but I’m not really sure what it is I *do* want.
Eddie says
1:28 pm on 11/04/2008
“but I’m not really sure what it is I *do* want.”
Typical blerdy ‘wimmin’ fault that Sue , never met one yet that does
Josordoni says
1:57 pm on 11/04/2008
If men do know what they want, I’ve never met one who will come out and tell me what it is either….
Sue Bailey says
1:58 pm on 11/04/2008
That’s the last time I pimp Eddie’s apps then :-p