eBay UK listings updates
16/07/2009 at 17:22
Just a few updates for sellers on eBay.co.uk:
The listing frame really is back
It’s been officially confirmed that the listing frame (aka categories down the side of the view item page) is back, and not just a glitch.
Multi-variation limits
There are some limits to what sellers can do with MVLs:
- Maximum 5 variant criteria per listing: if you’ve got waist size, length, colour, button/zip fly and cut on your jeans’ listings, you won’t be able to add in stitching colour as a sixth variable.
- Maximum 30 options per variant.
- Overall maximum 120 variants per listing.
If you’ve got a lot of size and colour variations of the same line, I’d advise splitting them up by colour, especially if you’re using the clothing category’s free Gallery Plus to highlight your listings. I will be testing, though, if size-specific, colour-varying listings increase multiple purchases; I’ve a sneaky suspicion they might.
“More than 10″ now an optional setting
A few months back, the quantity display on multiple item listings was changed, so that buyers saw “more than 10 available” rather than a huge quantity: it seemed to push them into buying now rather than thinking they didn’t need to, and sellers liked it. With the new view item display, however, the actual quantity available seemed to have returned to listings.
Pinkie James has now confirmed on the PowerSeller board that this has now become an optional setting. Sellers can choose to show “more than 10 available” or the actual quantity: the option can be found under My eBay > Site Preferences > Selling Preferences.
Note, though, that if you’re signed in as a seller, on your own listings you’ll be shown the real quantity available on the listings page.
ME’s back!
About Me page links have returned to view item pages.
Updated to add that the UK Community Manager has now confirmed on the PS forum that About Me links are to return to the UK view item pages (though what I and others were seeing previously was not the return of the Me page link… anyway, mind the patronising doesn’t hit you on the way in 
).
ebuyerfb says
12:06 am on 17/07/2009
Typical eBay. Go too far one way and then backtrack. It does look like all good news this time.
Looks like this is live on .com as well.
Chris Dawson says
6:35 am on 17/07/2009
Tut tut – why call it backtrack? Isn’t this one of those cases where eBay listens to the community, hears their concerns and responds accordingly? Ain’t that a good thing?
Jimbo says
7:46 am on 17/07/2009
#2 Chris, It is a good thing in the above three instances.
I just hope that they don’t listen to the very vocal community on a couple of other issues – feedback & best match.
The one major issue that really does need addressing at the moment is overseas sellers clogging up the search with non-selling 1p & 99p auctions.
Bigpoppa says
8:10 am on 17/07/2009
Strange how eBay have the time to code and implement an optional setting for the “more than 10″ setting (wasn’t broke). Yet, markdown manager (broke) can’t be fixed, strange.
eBay really do need to build a hotlist of fixes, sourced from the buying/selling community.
board_surfer says
9:11 am on 17/07/2009
Hmmmm….mark down manager reduces the FVFs
I would imagine it is lower down the list of things to do than “decide who’s turn it is to get the doughnuts in”.
Jimbo says
9:19 am on 17/07/2009
What is the problem with markdown manager? It seems to work for me.
board_surfer possibly markdown manager increases final value fees (I use it to move stock, which isn’t moving).
whirly says
10:39 am on 17/07/2009
I don’t think any praise should be given for back tracking, the original change was pointless and stupid, IMO it should not have ever been made it the first place.
Cory MacRae says
12:23 pm on 17/07/2009
The confirmation that the listing frame is back in the listings is a good thing. I don’t care if it is a climb down, a back track or a re-think. It is a good thing for sellers and I hope it stays.
Bigpoppa says
2:48 pm on 17/07/2009
With markdown manager, promotions can hang. In our case, we have around 500 lines that are stuck on “ends in the next hour”.
eBays suggested fix….”cancel all our listings and relist”!
Eddie (AuctionChex) says
4:18 pm on 17/07/2009
……but is it back for good, or will even MORE changes affect the view item page, such as removing sellers branding via HTML formatted templates ?
What do I mean, read this and weep from an AuctionBytes artice :
http://prune.it/VFdb
whirly says
4:51 pm on 17/07/2009
I read the same thing