Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

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Ina Steiner

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

October 02, 2009

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

By: Ina Steiner

Fri Oct 2 2009 11:47:16

Sellers are now coping with eBay's Fall Release (SR2), including the Top Rated Seller program, which I've written about in a previous post. eBay is also changing the way Best Match search works, and has provided sellers with a new tool it says will help them understand and improve their performance.

Sellers can find the search visibility tool under the "reports" column. Click on "Search visibility analysis" and get a report showing your items and how they stack up in search results. Thanks to a most helpful reader for sending me an example from his report:

Best Match factors
Price: $21.99
Shipping: $3.50
Free shipping boost? No
Sales/impressions: 0%
Seller performance: Top-rated
Other factors
Impressions: 1,001 - 2,500
Unique click-throughs: 26
Unique click-through rate: 1.49%
Number of watchers: 2
Sales: 0
Sales/unique click-throughs: 0%

What did AuctionBytes readers think of the tool when eBay announced it? Here's the results from our survey (1,113 readers took the survey):

"eBay is introducing a new Search Visibility tool that will allow sellers to analyze the search visibility for their listings and provide insight into the factors that affect visibility."
Good: 59.3% Neutral: 28.2% Bad: 12.5%

Now that the tool has rolled out, what do you think of it - is it helpful?

Note: here's a blurb on one of the ways eBay is changing Best Match search, see more information here:

Listing performance score for Fixed Price - Impressions count: When only a few people view a Fixed Price listing and the item is snapped up quickly, it's a fair indication that the listing is more relevant to those who see it than a listing with thousands of impressions and no sales.

That's why in the improved Best Match, launching in September, Fixed Price listings in most categories will have a listing performance score based on the listing's recent sales in relation to the number of recent impressions it received. An "impression" is any time a buyer sees a search results page that includes the listing.

For example, in the new Best Match, a listing with 100 recent impressions and 10 recent sales will score higher than a similar listing with 1,000 recent impressions and 10 recent sales.

This listing performance score will be a more accurate measure of how buyers perceive a listing's relevance than recent sales alone.

Comments (76) | Permalink

Readers Comments

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Garbage in Garbage out

Fri Oct 2 12:00:48 2009

Not too helpful, no actual help to raise your listing & it doesnt show exactly where your item ends up. I wasted an hour playing with it last night, before realizing I'd get more insight from tarot cards. Best match is a rigged roulette wheel.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: joe

Fri Oct 2 12:07:33 2009

So ridiculously complex, like everything Ebay now. The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away...

I made my website dead SIMPLE, on purpose. We'll see who wins.

Joe

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: nora

Fri Oct 2 12:39:59 2009

NO

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Top-Rated Seller

Fri Oct 2 13:10:03 2009

So far being a Top-Rated Seller and following eBay's mantra over the past 12 months of only ONE featured listing and concentrating our sales ''recentcy'' into that one listing has resulted in a fatal blow to our sales under the NEW Best Match Search.

EBay told us we had to END ALL of our listings, many with over a 1000 units sold, and start them all again WITHOUT featured first.

A total revamp of our entire sales strategy overnight without any warning.

--------

As for the new search visibility tool, we cannot see any use for it yet. The information is just too hard to drill down to and when we compare the placement the tools ''says'' we should have to what we see in actual search results a few seconds later. They do NOT match at all.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: nora

Fri Oct 2 13:11:12 2009

I was a great Seller judging by all the wonderful comments and feedback left to me by Buyers.
Ebay has come up with to many subjective and judgmental metrics.
Their ratings are not transparent and so the ratings are useless.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Hardrock Rules

Fri Oct 2 13:28:13 2009

Best Match 2 SUCKS ! Best Match 1 Sucked, but Best Match 2 takes the cake. It is just eBays way of covering up the fact that time ending soonest was the best route for ALL sellers and should of never been changed in the first place to best match 1 or 2.

On the Auction style listings whether you suck as a seller or are Top Rated it goes by time ending soonest claiming to be Best Match. I predict by next April or Next Fall, Fixed Price listings will be thrown back in as time ending soonest also. Hey eBay IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT !

But the ebay code is this, if it isn't broke DO fix it ! And when your CEO ( Donahoe ) is broken for real, you don't fix him with replacing him with a REAL CEO who knows the Market !

So there you go eBay Rules: If it ain't broke we WILL Fix it, and if it is broke we WON'T fix it !

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: J

Fri Oct 2 14:05:17 2009

The first line ...

"Sellers are now coping with eBay's Fall Release (SR2)..."

... pretty much says it all where new eBay releases are concerned.

Why should sellers have to "cope" with every single new release? This is so convoluted and difficult to understand it makes it useless, especially for smaller sellers.

Yet again it appears eBay is releasing changes in the name of job maintenance within eBay. These people have no idea what it actually takes for a seller to deal with the new eBay.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: stryker

Fri Oct 2 14:42:51 2009

Ping-pong-ding-dong pick a peck of bullcrap
Ding-dong-ping-pong waste-away a day

Anybody that expends more then thirty seconds decoding this latest mess-o-metrics might as well go into their backyard and try to decode the secret workings of a colony of ants

Here is everything you need to know

The formula is designed to promote the platinums and attrition out the debris(the rest of us)

We don't have enough information to verify the data nor are we going to get it

Once this latest whimsical algebric attrocity has achived its purpose and another round of human garbage (us) has been chased/suspended from the site
it will change again

I wish somebody would just pop up and say april fool already

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Ebay h8er

Fri Oct 2 15:18:47 2009

It really matters not where you fall, or what you sell. Ebay has hardly any buyers anymore thanks to Dummyho. I'm on first page in most of my listings, top 5 raised search, powerseller, bloo bloo blah, none of that matters IF THERE ARE NO BUYERS!

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: STRYKER

Fri Oct 2 15:47:30 2009

how much of our massive seller fees do you think went to the development team? How many millions spent to destroy a working system ?

And please stop calling bestmatch a search , it is not, it is a funnel , designed to chute users to their desired partners.

Look ebay, just be honest. save us the time the trouble and the nonsense
Stop trying to devolping increasingly complex calcuations to achive your simple goal

Just revise best match thusly;

Every item from every titanium goes first.
Then every item from the platinum
Then the base that built the system which ebay now considers deadweight (most of us) can fit their listings in.

Of course the nonexistant rolling blackout appearence method will be used to allow the mass who pay the fees just enough appearence to keep them afloat and paying.

This is way it seems to break out with every change...........

Lets just cut to the chase

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Ivica

Fri Oct 2 15:53:53 2009

Hardrock I agree with you man, along with the rest of you of course, this is bullcr@p....my sales have EASILY plummeted right after they started releasing the new 'updates/algorithms' etc. in to the system, at lEASt like 60%... But yeah seriously though, this is ridiculous. I'm definitely a 'TRS' w/5.0, 5.0. 4.9 and a 5.0 rating (and I agree w/some notions that the PROPER naming of this program at LEAST should have been 'Top-rated POWERSELLER', and have kept the powerseller logos upfront as well on the item pages, with this such radical shift in the opposite, confusing the eBay buyers of their familiarities and slapping good honest hard-working individuals in the face whom of which MAKE such a vibrant community.

In my specific category, mainly 'computer accessories', like cables and the sort, oh I watched other sellers closely too, take the hit as well, even really big sellers at that, after they released this (and I hope they're still freakin tweakin' away here chh..ridiculous) - the majority of our listings that I could CLEARLY remember as I'm sure we all do just became dECIMATed, completely scattered, more than likely resetting our sales histories etc. (although I only counted ONE, out of quite a few that had first page rankings that's actually still up there, and by gosh who know how that happened)....these guys are freakin' retarded man seriously (shakes head).

I'm still watching for their announcements boards as well and reading things around as I can and yep, even been playing with this so called 'tool', listing duplicate items with different keywording etc. and have only made a few very basic conclusions about my analysis of the keywording scructures/rankings (I'll have to wait for more sales to pour in - if they do of course, to conclude more), but other than that yehp, a bunch a' crap, and I know you guys can agree with that.

.......eBay..you could freakin ROCK if you freakin did the right things, seriously, I've tried them all with very earnest attempts (Amazon etc.).....this is by far the BEST platform for the INDIVIDUAL, just so long as you don't ROB that individual OF thus.

At least Best Match 1 most people in my categories understood, and we got it, and I'd say we actually pretty much conquered it....but this....hOOoluh moluh.....

And to conclude Stryker you're absolutely right my friend, with lack of transparency how does releasing this so called 'tool' to us even help the face..........honestly I just don't think THEY even know what they're freakin doing over there.......might look good on paper but when that 'blankety-blank' rolls out chshh......that's a different story...........

If I come across anything potentially huge and important for us or something I might find that would be helpful, I'll come back and repost too!

Keep f-in rockin', keep pushin' n' doin' ur things, never give up, screw these desperate corporate punks :(..gurrh.....

-Ivica W.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Joe

Fri Oct 2 16:51:56 2009

Anyone that uses this tool or any ebay tools is a NITWIT looking for a playground.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Hardrock Rules

Fri Oct 2 17:04:33 2009

This is the HONEST TO GOD TRUTH, when John Donhoe Started this stuff in 2008 I was earning $450 to $800 a week constantly, and was a good seller, not a scammer.

I knew his changes and Best Match would bring destruction to my income & family and it did. I remember walking around one night knowing his changes would knock me down to about $200 a week if lucky and they did. I walked around 1 night looking in each of my kids rooms looking at them as they slept with tears running down my face, then my wife as she slept and crying cause I knew Donahoe was about to erase everyones hard work. I felt so bad that I had failed them as a breadwinner, and that the A-Hole Donahoe was the cause of this, punishing the majority good cause of the few bad as he gets $22 Million for himself and family to destroy other less fortunate peoples livelihoods.

That man has caused me and others so much pain and suffering cause of all this Horse Sh** it is unreal.

MR. DONAHOE I want you to know your not perfect, your not right about everything, you have REALLY hurt allot of people and families making us jump through hoops with your constant changes only to change them again. You know Mr. Donahoe, business is business but where is your compassion and thought for your fellow man ?

We are not names and numbers, we are real people who worked years to build our jobs on eBay up to provide for our families. Lots of us have disabilities that eBay was a God send till you came along and undid what we built up.

And to make matters worse you did it to us during the worst of financial times since the Great Depression for us less fortunate, commoners that are not blessed to get the money you do during a recession.

Someday I you will be shown what you did to all of us "NOISE" and the hurt, stress and devastation you brought down on us who desperately need a few Hundred or more each week to survive. Do you know what it is like to take care of your family on $200 a week ? And how hard it is to fight through all your BS changes to get that $200 even when raised search or TRS ?

This last year I have been making $150 a week more often than not since you took over when I 'NEVER' made $150 a week when working fulltime 7 days a week before you took over, but I sure do now.

How many of you other sellers have lost income since JD brought down his disruptive innovation on us from what you were used to making ? I am down at least 50% to 60% since 2008 and Best Match 1

Good Job JD -Maybe Pierre should give you a Bonus for a CEO job well done, Sellers don't trust Buyers, buyers don't like sellers, the Top Rated Sellers are hated by the Non Top Rated. You have created a thriving market of hate and mistrust

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: formercanadianplatinumpowerseller

Fri Oct 2 17:51:57 2009

@Hardrock Rules

I am right there with you, except I lost my business and went bankrupt.
My 1 year old was born during all the crap I was going through trying to keep my eBay business going.
I see a shrink now and am on medication for anxiety and depression.
JD is an arrogant f*ckwit that doesn't care.
I am so sick of everyday folks like you and I getting our lives turned upside down by CEOs like JD.
You ( Hardrock Rules ) can always contact me if you need to chat about things.
Don't try going through this alone as you are not alone in this fight.

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Karma

Fri Oct 2 17:54:49 2009

@ Hardrock Rules

same here, my profit went down 50% the day JD took over.....

Also they are burying us with all these "metrics" - check here, check there, check everywhere - and see how you are doing, not doing, how you can do better, how you have no control over what is going on - haha....

Do these infantile beings have nothing better to do than to keep adding metrics???

Search (In)-visibilty tool did NOT tell me anything, left me more confused even...

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Ming the Merciless

Fri Oct 2 18:06:43 2009

@ Hardrock Rules

First, let me how sorry I am you like hundreds of other ebay sellers, have been virtually destroyed because of John Donahoe.

The Ho must be taught that there are consequences to decisions, and while he's learned a few already the hard way, there are still many more lesson thay need to be pounded home to him.

The Ho is a clinical narcissist and sociopath. This is why he videos himself and why he doesn't care who he damages to achieve his grandiose goals and meet his sadistic personal needs.

Take just a little of the justifiable anger you feel and redirect it towards the destruction of ebay.

Many of ebafia's policies and practices are, IMO, illegal and violate the Sherman Anti Trust laws, IRS regulations, Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, Fair Trade Commisssion policies, intellectual property rights, and so on.

REPORT EBAY AND REPORT DONAHOE BY NAME!

1. US Department of Justice (DoJ)
Anti Trust Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
E-mail: antitrust.atr@usdoj.gov

How to submit a complaint:

http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm

2. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580

Mission: The Federal Trade Commission is the nation's consumer protection agency. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection works

For The Consumer to prevent fraud, deception, and unfair business practices in the marketplace.

The Bureau:

Enhances consumer confidence by enforcing federal laws that protect consumers

Empowers consumers with free information to help them exercise their rights and spot and avoid fraud and deception

Wants to hear from consumers who want to get information or file a complaint about fraud or identity theft

To report a company for a pattern and practice of suspected fraud:

1-877-382-4357

The FTC doe NOT resolve individual consumer complaints. Please confine your remarks whether verbal or written to

ebay/PayPal policies you believe are illegal.

Online fraud complaint form:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

3. Securities and Exchange Commission
SEC Complaint Center
100 F Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20549-0213

http://www.sec.gov/divisions/enforce.shtml
(above link includes information about insider trading and sending tips and complaints

1. Insider trading: http://www.sec.gov/divisions/enforce/insider.htm
2. Tips and Complaints: http://www.sec.gov/complaint.shtml

Online complaint forms: http://www.sec.gov/complaint/selectconduct.shtml

Hypthetically, if I were filing an SEC complaint, I'd strongly consider:

--False or misleading statements about a company (including false or misleading SEC reports or financial statements)

-- Stock price manipulation to enrich executive with stock options? Note that ebay has had several cosnecutuve quarterly losses yet their stock has more than doubled and they've been buying up their own stock.

5. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Chairman
House Energy and Commerce Committee
2204 Rayburn
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Telephone (202) 225-3976
Fax (202) 225-4099

LOS ANGELES OFFICE
8436 West Third Street, Ste 600
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Telephone 1 (310) 652-3095
Telephone 2 (818) 878-7400
Telephone 3 (323) 651-1040
Fax (323) 655-0502

http://waxman.house.gov/

6. Attorney General’s Office
California Department of Justice
Attn: Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
(916) 322-3360

http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=CLR>
7. Attorney General's Office
2115 State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509
Consumer Protection Division: 800) 727-6432

Online complaint form: http://www.ago.ne.gov/consumer/emailforms/consumer_complaint.htm
R>Specific consumer complaints to the Attorney Generals against ebay/PayPal should be directed to the California and Nebraska Attorney general's Office Divison of Consumer complaints. Complaints could include PayPal holds on seller funds, ebay billing issues, PayPal confiscation of seller property, etc. PayPal complaints should be directed to both attorney generals' office, and ebay complaints should be sent to California.

General comments:

-- Emails and phone calls are fine, but SNAIL MAIL has more impact. PLEASE send all complaints with regular USPS mail.

-- When filing and mailing WRITTEN complaints, spring for an extra envelope and stamp and send a copy to the San Jose Better Bureau. Little will come of it, BUT ebay MUST file a written response.

-- Rep. Waxman has the ability to hold public hearings on the conduct of a business or industry. He has the power to subpoena executives past and present, past and present rank and file employees, and records. Consider the possibilities :-)

8. San Jose Better Business Bureau
1112 S. Bascom Ave.
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 278-7400

9. Ebay operates in all 50 states. Therefore sending copies of complaints or filing directly with your state's attorney general's office will make a difference if they receive enough complaints. Your can find your attorney general and consumer protection
information by using a search engine using these keywords (Your state) Attorney General Consumer Protection.

Please post this information on every relevant website and blog -- especially TV news, newspaper, financial, and business media blogs and websites. This information should be posted in hundreds of location on a daily basis for maximum and persistent exposure. Remember that certain corporations hire people to disrupt blogs and that includes spamming them to bury
unwelcome messages.

10. Michael Moore

http:///www.michaelmoore.com
mike@michaelmoore.com

Michael can do for ebay what he did for GM and do it all over again!

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Hardrock Rules

Fri Oct 2 18:27:48 2009

Thanks for your support formerCAPS and Karma, I need your support, that man has turned individuals lives upside down, this is not and was not a game.

I feel sad for the Non TRS I know what that slap in the face feels like, you pay $$$$$$ every month to eBay and you feel like they do not appreciate your business. I started noticing a real change around 2005 - 2006, and that I believe is when Governor Wannabee Meg Whitman brought her baby pumpkin ( Donahoe ) on board. When he first came to announce he CEO, I got the impression he felt we were scum and that he was ashamed to be part of a company of scum (small sellers, used goods, antiques sellers) Then he disrespected the core calling us noise, yet they lie and YOU SPOKE WE LISTENED ! Well who to H*ll spoke ? The Top 10 sellers out of millions ? Cause they sure did not listen to he other 99.999% of the millions of sellers complaining.

My Answer is 'NO' Auctionbytes, the new search tool does not help

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: Hardrock Rules

Fri Oct 2 18:35:14 2009

@Ming = Thanks for the info it is appreciated. You see eBay with Donahoe turned around and bit the hands that feed them, the atrocious salaries etc. They left us sellers build it up to it's stature then turned around and PUNISHED US ! God knows I was dvery affected since this man took over with all this stuff, and I know there are countless others. eBay used to be simple, you list, you sell you ship end of the story. Yes there were bad ones, but they did not have to do this to all of good ones.

I see non TRS sellers with awesome DSR's I mean what is wrong with this company ?

You can only get 1 buyer out 199 that leaves you a 1 or 2 or your toast ? Good Grief ! Appaently the bad sellers made Donahoe think the other 99.8% of us were trash and scammers

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: fruity

Fri Oct 2 18:42:35 2009

Its helpful to me because I can see how ebay is moving more and more towards Google adwords PPC model. Ebay and hey John Donahoe himself clearly outed their way of getting sellers to comply. They dangle carrots in front of us all. My prediction is that ebay is going to start going after traditional PPC sellers, so they are starting to seed the ground with people conditioned to put value on those impressions and clicks etc. Its just another way to MILK US dry.

I'd rather have a colonoscopy with a cactus than put any effort into reading, much less believing, anything ebay rolls out

Is eBay's New Search Visibility Tool Helping Sellers?

by: formercanadianplatinumpowerseller

Fri Oct 2 19:19:12 2009

@Hardrock Rules

Anytime.
I am serious about contacting me if you need someone to talk to.
I have 2 kids ( 4rs and 1 yr ) as well as a beautiful wife that had suffered by watching their daddy/husband slowly get broken by eBay.
Now, I am getting fired back up again and realizing that it is not me that is broken - it is ebay.
I speak to people daily about standing up for themselves.
Do what is right in your heart - everyday.
Get support where you can and pass it on.

Again, I am here to help anyone.
Anyone here who visits this blog and others.

Thank you.

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