I recall a buyer I had a couple of years back who told me I had “ambushed” her into purchasing some Waterford crystal which was chipped. I had 6 glasses, 4 perfect and 2 with problems to the rim. Put 3 auctions up, the chipped ones over an hour later so that they were away from the others. I put chipped in capitals in the title, in the description and also pictures of the damage. When I queried what the hell she was on about and how did she miss the word chipped, she said “I don’t have time to read the listing you should have listed them somewhere else like Amazon!!!”

Item specifics are good for refining search but shouldn’t be seen as a way of replacing the description. especially in such a diverse marketplace as eBay.

I think that the item specifics are really meant for refining search – would someone searching for new nylons want to be presented with your product (may be a pleasant surprise)?

To sell discontinued lines, cabbage stock, catalogue returns, shop clearance as “New” (without clarification) is ……… a common practice.

The obvious exception for me would be antiques. I wouldn’t feel honest describing something as “New” if it was say older than 5 years. Then “Unused-Since new” would be simple enough.

With eBay focusing on the selling of new retail items the outlets must be unhappy about their new products being placed in the same search result as new products that in reality are not new as defined by something that you buy from a shop.

On the definition that new is something that you buy from a shop are you sure that “New old stock” is the answer?

I always use “used” for mint in their original packaging collectables as I believe that collectors only look at used items anyway in those catagories in which I operate. I may be right or wrong but the items for the most part always appear to be found whatever.

There are issues around used items in certain catagories (clothing as an example) so ultimately this is a matter of judgement for the individual. How you define “new” in clothing may be completely different to how you define “new” in a media section.

“New old stock” is the perfect way to describe things that are new, yet vintage — such as some of the Converse Chuck Taylors and other vintage sneakers that we sell. They’re completely unworn, sometimes even still in the original box, but they’re 20-30 years old or more, which doesn’t quite gell with the literal meaning of new.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this and if eBay start doing the same thing on ebay.com!

It is absolute that private sellers are not bound by the same redress that business sellers are subject to. eBay must obligate private sellers to make this clear if an unwanted gift is being sold.

This can be done by automatically flagging this up at the top of any listing by a private seller (and all overseas sellers?) when a “new” classification is applied.

And ebay should limit the number of “New” sales by private sellers to no more than 20 per month or 5 each week.

With this regime in place eBay surely could keep the status quo rather than tampering?

How can it mean anything else?

Private sellers should not be allowed to list new items full stop or be allowed to even use the word “new”!

Only business sellers should be allowed to use the word new and classify an item as being new!

It simply is not possible for a private seller to offer something that is new with all the rights that go with that.

Private sellers should be restricted to the use of the word “used”.

Like New
Excellent
Good
Acceptable

for the categories like video games but the definition of Good means it must include either the manual or box making all loose games regardless of condition “acceptable” — BUT the majority of people do not follow the guidelines of ebay and might list a game cart as “good” despite being loose.

Breaking things up into different kinds of “New” doesn’t really seem to fit with eBay 2010.

I may think “new-unused” is a fair description of something that is 2 years old but never used, someone else may feel that I shouldn’t use the word new…Horses for…

I think it’s the ones who wouldn’t who eBay are trying to sort out – you know, those ones, “it’s last season’s style so how can it be ‘new’”…

I like “new old stock” and “as new” – and if eBay are thinking of dropping their wholesale antipathy towards those phrases, then I’m all in favour.

Keep the defaults just as simple as possible please.

In fact all aspects of eBay would benefit from a Dr Beeching style rationalisation.

Just because you can process infinite minutiae with computer processing at next to no cost does not mean you have to.