eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

August 14, 2008

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

By: Ina Steiner

Thu Aug 14 2008 014:24:46

eBay is continuing its testing of the new View Item page after making some modifications. (See Thursday's Newsflash article.) Interestingly, eBay is including a "merchandising module" that includes items from the same seller or from other sellers - but sellers will be able to opt-out of having other sellers' listings included in their module.

A reader who's been exposed to one of the new Item page designs emailed me some feedback, including the following:

It does NOT show which countries you will ship too, which makes no sense. You have to go to the Ship & Pay section for that info which will lead to more international bidders trying to bid without knowing whether they can or not.

The Ask seller a question link, doesn't seem prominent enough.

BIG ISSUE. I have an eBay Store WHY Doesn't eBay PROMINENTLY display that info under the Meet the Seller section. Preferably with red door icon & words in bold on line by itself.

Comments (30) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: lu mcinturff

Thu Aug 14 06:28:18 2008

The bigger question is the installation of the new yagoo advertising area beneath the search string and above the next page. For example - if you input "native american fabrics" at the bottom of page 1 listings - but before where you can click on page two - are advertisings that take a person away from e-bay showing native american fabrics at shopzilla, globalenterprises and pendleton. Then you click on page two - if you are still there. E-bay will not allow me to place the link that brings a person back into my store (http://www.nativeamericanfabrics.com but.... will take people away from coming into my store and away from e-bay. This does not make sense to me.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Jim S.

Thu Aug 14 07:58:46 2008

I think the new View Item Page is a cleaner look, but one of the changes that concerns me is losing some of my store branding. On the new view page, my eBay store left category navigation column is no longer displayed. This allowed lookers to just click on one of my store categories and go right to the appropriate store page.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Leslie

Thu Aug 14 09:16:00 2008

Store Owners will lose their best advertising tool - the listing frame at the left of the description. This arrogant decision was based on a survey of 12 (that's ONE DOZEN) eBay members.
If you are a store owner that would actually like some exposure for your items, please let eBay know that this is not acceptable to you.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: persians2

Thu Aug 14 09:47:22 2008

Where are my store catagories? I do not like the left navigation box being removed. I do not want competitors items advertised on MY item page that I paid for.
Also, why is there advertising below the search string list, before the link to the next page, some ads even taking buyers AWAY from Ebay??
I am also a buyer and was searching and , at first, thought there was no link to click for the next page...just the advertisements?? This makes no sense at all! Why send buyers AWAY from Ebay??? PLEASE put the link to the next pages ABOVE the competitors ads! You do not even see the next page links unless you scroll down past the ads. WHY would Ebay do this?

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Sue

Thu Aug 14 10:42:30 2008

Right on to everything persians2 just said.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: steve

Thu Aug 14 10:46:52 2008

It seems like every decision that Donahoe & Company make is just a disaster and always at the peril of the seller. So much clutter for the sake of another dime. Greed, greed and more greed. ANYTHING for a buck, even driving traffic AWAY from eBay. They are taking eBay from a somewhat clean easy to navigate site to the e-commerce equivalent of a Grand Bazaar.
All of this is further evidence of Donahoe's complete disdain for the sellers who built the company. The only good news is that this will further alienate sellers and eventually another auction site will take hold. It can't happen soon enough for me.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Scott

Thu Aug 14 10:53:44 2008

I guess if they are fewer listing, it will cost eBay less overhead to run the site. I love the idea of paying money for a listing to advertise other products.

I wonder which one of the other sites will be the one to list on for the coming Christmas season?

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: B. Robert

Thu Aug 14 12:00:00 2008

The very concept that I should pay a high fee to list items on eBay; and then eBay advertise other items on my listing page is absolutely foolish of me to partake in the event.

eBay actually charges advertisers to display the adverts on the very page I pay high fees to list my items. (I used to.. I no longer sell on eBay for these reasons and more).

At least on the Internet, when I sell my items; if I choose to use Adsense, Google pays me a percentage if others click on the advert.

Why any seller allows eBay to continue to receive income on adverts that they then display on Sellers item pages; where the Seller has paid high fees, is a mystery to me.

This is the straw, that breaks the Camel’s back!

eBay should be sued for such practices. It is not even a written agreement that Sellers oblige to allow others adverts on their searched items and listing pages.

I discontinued writing reviews and guides for the very same reason when I realized eBay was using other's adverts on my reviews and guides when trying to create traffic to my own items.

About the only place that a Seller might be safe, currently (but not for long); is on their own eBay MyWorld and Feedback pages. However, don't expect your ‘About me’ page to remain clear of other's adverts.

eBay is a double standard in total action and execution. They are a corporate mafia.

It is so very frustrating to see the arrogance of a company continue to use people (sellers) as pawns on a chess table and continue to knock them down with their army of clueless players using brute force.

I can only say that there is one positive in all of this arrogance spitting out from eBay.

I finally 3.5 years ago, went to the Internet and applied my efforts to online websites.

I earn 4 times on the Internet what I could earn on eBay. Yes, there may be less traffic; however, the sales, earnings and profits are 4 to 5 times greater.

Additionally, on some sites; I use Adsense Adverts, and I then earn income from the clicks when visitors click on other links for other products.

Sellers; please wise up or do something about the way eBay treats you.

Complaining is like sitting in the rocking chair; it continues to keep you busy, yet gets you nowhere.

Stop eBay in their tracks for the obvious abuse to Sellers.

Surely, there has to be something said for Sellers to pay high fees on items to list products; and then eBay collecting income by advertising others wares on those very same pages where you (a seller) have paid in such expensive listing fees..

Get wise.. and up and out..Opt out of eBay; and place your items on the Internet on websites and learn how to earn a living via online.

Great success to all...

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: faison

Thu Aug 14 12:19:28 2008

I don't know why all the whining or Ina treating this as something new. It was AT LEAST 3 years ago I saw other sellers items on my listings. So I went into my ebay and turned it off. Problem solved.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: ooak_handcrafts

Thu Aug 14 12:22:17 2008

We've opted out of the feature allowing our items to be on other sellers' pages and theirs won't show up on ours.

As to the rest -- there is still the little matter of negative feedback that buyers can leave and we sellers can't.

New page designs as a diversion from that?

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Lana

Thu Aug 14 12:27:20 2008

I also did not like it. I tried to list a similar item using an already listed item and couldn't find the link and when I did finally in small print at the bottom of the page, It was virtually blank and I had to rewrite everything anyway. What good is that.
Also links to my store pages are gone, I don't like having to click to see the larger picture, it was at the bottom of the page before. The place where I described general info about payment, tax info, time for payment due etc is gone. In general very user unfriendly.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Patricia

Thu Aug 14 12:28:27 2008

This seems to be a lesser bungled change then the rest of the nonsense being cooked up and institued by ebay this year - I think they had better stop putting lipstick on the pig and get down to the nitty gritty. They've lost the trust, faith AND business of a lot of sellers who also happen to be buyers.

Ebay - open your eyes - Amazon's profits are up 41 percent over last year and yours are stagnant. Amazon - the company you wish to copy is getting the influx of refugee sellers from YOUR site while you fiddle around making everything "pretty". You won't get ONE Amazon buyer to buy from you - not under the present circumstances. I can't think of where or when I've ever seen such sheer dense stupidity!

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Ron J.

Thu Aug 14 12:55:51 2008

I sent an email to ''Customer Support'' [name itself is a joke] telling them that I do NOT like the new listing page design. My left-hand navigation bar is gone. The clickable catagories in the header are gone. My store colors have been fiddled with leaving the header bar, or what is left of it, virtually illegible. My ''ID Verified'' icon & the icon for my ''About Me'' page is gone. The whole thing is a mess!
I got a response back a few minutes ago from eBay. An arrogant rude response. Said that any comments, suggestions, etc from sellers will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary and that eBay has no need to act on anything that is said to them in these comments suggestions and complaints.
I have been struggling along, trying to get my sales up to PowerSeller level, and am THISCLOSE to telling eBay to take a long walk off of a short pier.
Like previous posters, I really hope to see a viable alternative to eBay show up that will allow small-volume sellers like me to succeed, even if just marginally.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: formercanadianpowerseller

Thu Aug 14 14:04:25 2008

Yet another stupid eBay idea.
Why the hell would I want competitor's on MY listing page?
Can sellers place links to OTHER auction sites on the item page?
Probably not.
This is unbelievable.
Anyone reading this should tell eBay NO THANKS and start selling elsewhere as eBay will eventually close you down.
Take my word for it.
They will string you along and charge you as much as they can until you either leave or they paint you into a corner with THEIR advice and then suspend you.
When ever to correspond with ebay - keep copies of everything.
Record phone calls if you can.
User Agreements can sometimes be overturned if you receive verbal instructions from ebay or Paypal.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Cliff Aliperti

Thu Aug 14 14:14:20 2008

Ron J. -
That's funny, I sent them the same e-mail the second that I saw it. It seems that's the most overwhelming complaint so far, and well it should be. I put a lot of work into organizing my categories, I feel that left nav bar is the most important feature on the page after the item itself.

The page itself is attractive and sleek, but we need all of the proper features there. Honestly I'm not a fan of the tabbed navigation (for shipping, other items) either, as I think a lot of people won't notice it, or click off the main item description and not have the patience to click back. I'd like to see that go too.

I'm glad everyone else is picking up on the left nav bar issue, I'm hoping this is another case where eBay will hear enough voices to reconsider (like the links policy).

ooak handcrafts --
I'm pretty sure I opted out of this (other seller's items on my pages) awhile back too, but I went in to check today and I couldn't find where eBay had put the option. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you give directions to that option?

Thanks, Cliff

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Patrick Alexander

Thu Aug 14 14:49:12 2008

Competitor ads on your item page ?

I predicted this over a year ago on the eBay Seller Central board.

Several people laughed at me & said I was paranoid. Asked me ''Where do you come up with this stuff?''

Lucky guess, I suppose........

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Finally Ticked

Thu Aug 14 14:51:04 2008

This is so aggravating. Why won't they stop messing with everything; so that sellers can sell instead of dealing with insanity every other day?

I can't find where to opt out either. Direction would be much appreciated.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Fed Up

Thu Aug 14 15:09:24 2008

Robert,

Love the "Corporate Mafia!" Absolutely!

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: Steve

Thu Aug 14 15:24:49 2008

Has anyone seen Donahoe's parents lately? I feel sure that their is likely 3rd party advertising on their persons.

eBay Continues Testing View Item Page

by: annon

Thu Aug 14 16:00:16 2008

Other sellers items were only on Closed Listings before. NOW they're going to be on LIVE listings.
Big Difference.
They said there would be an opt-out to not show them, (keep in mind this is a test so it's not available yet) but added that if you're also a seller that your listings wouldn't be displayed on other sellers pages either.

Isn't that what search is for?
Does ebay think they need to show buyers other items on auction pages or is the new Best Match search failing to translate into bids and they think it might help if they advertise on everyone's listings?

The page links showing UNDER the advertising on search pages is just STUPID. If you type in a search and don't pay CLOSE attention to how many items the search returns you might not even notice there are more pages.

Hiding those "next page" links under the Advertising was incredibly dumb.

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