eBay Canada item location tests in Best Match
11/03/2010 at 09:38
eBay Canada are starting tests of changes to the Best Match sort order starting this week giving different priority based on Item Location.
Best Match on the Canadian site has for some time given a boost in search to domestic items, in the belief that buying from your own country is a better buying experience than a cross border transaction. This will be suspended if you’re in one of the test groups so that eBay can gauge how much the item location affects buyer behaviour.
For sure it’s often a simpler quicker buying experience to buy from a domestic seller but I’m constantly amazed when I buy from overseas just how quickly items are delivered – often faster than some UK sellers appear able to despatch.
We know that many TameBay readers are based overseas, but sell into the UK. Also many sellers based in the UK make a large proportion of their income through selling outside the UK. How important is cross border trade to your business? Would you prefer equal visibility for yourself and sellers from other EU countries, what about the Far East or sellers from the US where customs charges come into play?
JD says
10:49 am on 11/03/2010
Hang on here! What about UK peeps paying for ISV?
Money down the pan?
northumbrian says
12:15 pm on 11/03/2010
Canada without the Trade to the USA is like Scotland without England
to Trade with
its Barmy to obscure or hide folks from your largest trading partner
northumbrian says
12:18 pm on 11/03/2010
if I pay a listing fee I want as many people on the planet to see that listing and as easily as possible
Gary says
1:35 pm on 11/03/2010
Do eBay Canada and eBay UK/USA ever communicate with each other?
This puts a big question mark on the ethics of charging for international visibility when ebay sellers are being advised that this is a fee for providing a level playing field on overseas eBay sites.
Do those from outside the UK pay an international visibility fee to list on eBay UK?
northumbrian says
1:46 pm on March 11th, 2010
the .com site has a fee for UK visibility
Sue Bailey says
6:07 pm on March 11th, 2010
the ethics of charging for international visibility
Oh Gary, you crack me up
Eddie says
7:27 am on 12/03/2010
I have said all along that :
ebay.co.uk should be for UK buyers only
ebay.de should be for German buyers only
ebay.fr should be for French buyers only
etc etc etc……
…and create ebay.us for USA buyers only.
If sellers want to sell worldwide or buyers want to buy worldwide then go to ebay.com
Chris Dawson says
7:58 am on March 12th, 2010
Or they could get the long awaited eBay.eu online
JD says
9:43 am on March 12th, 2010
Still no action on this then?
The only access link that I can find is at
http://www.ebay.eu/
and then clicking the Sweden box (this used to take you to Tradera the eBay Swedish partner site – but not any more)
http://www.ebay.se/
This goes to the International Markets site where you can navigate with multi countries and multi languages. (advert free! – at least for now).
Some words of warning!!
It is still very much in ‘Beta’ and seems to have made zero progress since the first announcements at the back end of last year. It is still partly populated with auctions even though the site should be BIN only. Also many items are not being picked up.
Even though my items are available (with shipping costs) worldwide they do not show in the ‘All eBay sites’ or in the ‘European Union’ options.
Some update from eBay on the intentions for this overdue and apparently moribund project would be welcomed.
JD says
10:08 am on March 12th, 2010
Wow!
There has been an update. The site is now limited to the 6 ‘new’ sites and is language specific only for those 6.
Auction items seem to have gone.
The ‘Worldwide’ eBay sites option has gone, (no clutter from the far east then?)
My stuff is still not showing up in the ‘Europe’ option.
Progress nonetheless!
JD says
10:29 am on March 12th, 2010
Spoke too soon or still a (Friday) work in progess.
All category links and search SNAFU.
JD says
6:46 am on March 13th, 2010
This update seems to have stuck overnight and my initial comments at 5.1.1.1 are valid.
UK stuff not shown in the Europe option, whereas Germany, Italy, France and Spain stuff is. Their items therefore get pulled up in 2 options rather than just the 1 for UK items – foul!
Buyers in Russia and Norway are presented with the message:
‘*Estimated local currency. As You are buying an item within the EU, there will be no additional costs for customs, duties and/or taxes.’
when viewing a UK item page (and probably items from other EU countries as well) – you can see where that could lead!
In some cases there is a mismatch between the search categories and the ensuing results.
Will keep digging and call eBay Monday!
northumbrian says
10:08 am on March 12th, 2010
thing is many buyers dont know they want to buy outside their own country ,until they see the item or the price,
northumbrian says
10:12 am on 12/03/2010
all this reminds me of the yellow pages of years ago
which covered a whole area and was very effective ,
then some smart arse decided to split it up into smaller sections, it then cost you twice as much to gain the same coverage ,with less effect
JD says
10:17 am on March 12th, 2010
The smart arse would say that he had got the required result?
northumbrian says
2:24 pm on March 12th, 2010
whats that then
Yellow pages being a complete waste of space these days,
and yell.com fighting hard to be noticed?
whirly says
3:02 pm on March 12th, 2010
I remember the days when the yellow pages made a handy door stopper, these days it’s so thin it would struggle to hold open the cat flap.
northumbrian says
4:03 pm on March 12th, 2010
yellow pages/telephone was the ebay of the day for us, it was wonderful
we had the full page advert, we gave it the works
now we dont even have our telephone number in,
so careful ebay , it could be for whom the bell tolls