eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

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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 26, 2009

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

By: Ina Steiner

Wed Aug 26 2009 21:59:20

Readers have asked me about some problems they've been having this week. An email came in this evening with the subject line, "eBay Email Bodies Missing":

Ina, For the last two days I have sent messages to ebay thru the ebay messaging system. For each message, I had a copy sent to my email address so I can retain the communication. Lo and Behold the email gets sent to my email address however the body of each message is missing, however the message headers are intact. I went into my ebay message "sent" folder and it's the same there, it shows the message as sent but there is no message or body type to be displayed. I guess they do not want a paper trail on emails to ebay or retention of those messages anymore!

I found others were having the same problem according to this August 23rd eBay Discussion Board post on the Technical Issues board, "Impossible to submit a question to Customer Support - question deleted!"

Another email came in reporting a problem, this one about duplicate listings on eBay. The seller's the problem has been ongoing - "I will list an item and it will sell. A few months later the same item will sell again."

Another person emailed reporting that there was a new problem involving duplicate listings: "I just checked my "seller's other items" There was one that was in there 3 times, and three others that duplicated once." That seller said eBay customer service told them, "This is a technical issue that we are currently aware of and working on," and credited the fees. eBay did not respond to an inquiry about a duplicate listing problem by press time.

I've gotten additional inquires about the media category shipping-caps question raised by Griff since I wrote about the issue on Monday. eBay did not respond by press time to inquiries sent on Monday and again today.

Comments (67) | Permalink

Readers Comments

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: kw

Wed Aug 26 22:35:31 2009

Gosh, Ina, now ebay isn't responding to you either!? Ebay customer support has slipped even further .. lol.

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: matza

Wed Aug 26 22:50:59 2009

They should ad more advertisements and more gizmos & gadgets, more rules, Lord knows we sellers could all use a lot more rules. I say they make a new rule once a week and change the site all around twice a week.

More disruption is needed.

A blood pressure feature would be nice. They've been so innovative over the past year and a half I'm certain they can come up with some form of usb port blood pressure monitor thing. All sellers must be connected to their blood pressure usb monitor while doing any business on ebay. If their blood pressure goes above a certain level. Restrict their selling abilities for 30 days.

Of course sellers would be expected to purchase their blood pressure gadget direct from ebay or no selling without it and must pay by paypal. The safest way to pay online. Of course anyone can still buy on ebay with or without the monitor. It would only be required for sellers.

I wonder why my ebay bill has never just disappeared into thin air leaving me owing nothing. I find it very peculiar the glitches always favor ebay.

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: It's over

Wed Aug 26 23:01:59 2009

Ebay is an unknown, inside an artichoke, covered with racoon poo.

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Ming the Merciless

Wed Aug 26 23:31:02 2009

I've been reporting this revenue generating scheme for years including more than once to Ina who to my knowledge didn't write about it.

IT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE 2004!

When I first began to notice it, ebay reps connected me to e watch in Salt Lake City. The tech I worked with for one week finally tracked down the source of the problem (coding) and promised it would be fixed quickly.

It wasn't fixed quickly...or ever. When I emailed the tech two weeks later to report the problem was still occurring, the tech told me she was instructed NOT to make any changes.

I reported so many double and triple listings of one item and relistings of previously sold, unique items that ebay finally refused to give me any more refunds which they snidely referred to as "courtesy" refunds.

When I continued to press the issue, I was removed from powerseller support --not that it mattered much then or now.

This is an organized criminal enterprise that cries out for a RICO investigation.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Need a good laugh tonight?

Read how ebay works hard to prevent fraud and how cooperative they are with law enforcement. Be sure to swallow your coffee or other adult beverage before reading:

http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=6
1710

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: RicRoe

Wed Aug 26 23:52:44 2009

That seller said eBay customer service told them, "This is a technical issue that we are currently aware of and working on," and credited the fees.

More subterfuge from eBay customer service. If they are " aware" of the problem, why is there no announcement on the boards?

I was under the impression that when there are issues on eBay, the Announcement Boards are where users were supposed to go to get the latest information.

Since John Donahoe has become CEO, rarely do issues get posted. This works against buyers and sellers as well as eBay.

If users were able to see Announcements properly posted, it would save a lot of traffic to the understaffed Live Help department.

Of course, Donahoe & Co do not want to go public with formal announcements each time they have technical issues, preferring instead to conceal issues from users as well as the Board of Directors.

eBay is becoming a nightmare at every level.
Failed policies, unannounced policy changes, hidden fee increases, defective search, listings that multiply like rabbits, emails missing content, browser inconsistencies, PayPal outages, Pay Pal shipping issues, 3 consecutive quarters of declining sales... the list of failuresgets longer by the day

When will John Donahoe be held accountable for the multiple failures taking place across eBay and PayPal?

How many more levels have to breakdown before the eBay Board of Directors take definitive action to right this sinking ship?

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: fruity

Wed Aug 26 23:56:57 2009

Ebays puts in millions of dollars into customer service and they can't even afford consumers a text copy

I can't wait to see what they skimp when it comes to PCI DSS compliance! LOL

anyways, there's no need for customer service in ebays eyes. You're supposed to shut your mouth and obey

All of us, oBay!

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: fruity

Thu Aug 27 00:21:51 2009

ps. the duplicate listings that hasn't shown up in any big detail that i've noticed for almost 2 years, but I noticed it too friday or saturday. it was a big diamond or close to it so I didn't care to tell them. Hope they get dinged for it! LOL

Anyways, this was my pet project that I worked on for months on the stores board. We did screen shots for those that didn't know how, for those that ebay said wait up to 24-48hrs (and then 72hours!) the disbelievers and many of those were seeing not just duplies but ghosting. That is when your listings show up but then they disappear and then come back again.Think of it as internal outages limited to your listings. No one believed us because there are layered issues. Some of it is because of the screening, some of it is because of the listing service but the one thing that was consistent with the ghosting at least was that it got even worse up to 10 days when ebay had a listing promo. I tracked it all.

For the person that wrote you Ina, they may not be encountering the same duplication so to speak. They may have prior to the original sale relisted that product and if it was multiple qty, the qty actually increases. Its hard to explain it but if you originally had 6 in a listing and sold 4, you would have 2 left in your inventory. But if you relist, its got Bill Cobbs calculator, it thinks you still have 6 (and I swear, sometime I think it just spits out a number). If you do a relist and dont EDIT to review the qty before you submit then your qty will not be accurate. I want to add that, I use the SYI form (the advance one note there are 2 versions) so I see it happening there. How you list and what you use to list can make a difference as well as other factors, and that is why many sellers totally reject that this is happening.

Some sellers who are new may panic when they dont see immediate display of their listings and that adds to the confusion. They may also revise it thinking they can verify if its active, but what happened in the past was it caused it to be delayed even longer for indexing

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: fruity

Thu Aug 27 00:29:40 2009

oops. anytime you see a sudden spike of people commenting and observing duplicate listings or ghosting you should be aware and check your friends and other sellers, have others check yours. And when you see it happening, you should be concerned because that can only be happening in mass due to a code change/conflict or increased congestion.

Congestion through the pipes can cause data loss or time delay. Time delay is as good as data loss if you're paying money to list.

Either way, ebay either doesn't prepare or they don't want it known. So they say its a glitch or send you the form mail that tells you how to find your listings in the My ebay selling screen (which is pointless)

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Tina

Thu Aug 27 00:30:28 2009

Thank you Fruity!!! I don't think you could have put it any better.

Too bad they won't be around long enough for all of us to oBay!

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: John

Thu Aug 27 00:36:35 2009

We have had this problem for years. We have noticed that duplicates appears when they go and relist themeselves. WHat is even worse is that some items just dissapear! We do a regular inventory every year and find approx 3% of our listings vanish over the span of a year. Not aqn insignificant number when you consider that we have an inventory of 4000 unique items at any one time.

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: fruity

Thu Aug 27 00:36:47 2009

oops oops. and for those who are just new around here, when ebay had their outage, they tried to ignore it until they finally crashed and the stock took a nosedive. It was the one time that Meg I believe didn't get her bonus. Ever since then, ebay on the face has been adamant to never have that happen again. And I think in part of that fear of having the Wall Street Journal tear you a new one and your stock tanking, ebay goes above and beyond to point the finger at everything else and tell its users whatever you saw its something else with their POS form emails and ESOL. We might be better off not telling ebay, then they'll have a full outage and that'll teach em. Let them fall into their own bear trap. Someone will help them I'm sure! LOL

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Steveo

Thu Aug 27 00:38:05 2009

Did anyone ever notice nearly every ''glitch'' is beneficial to eBay's goals or their bottom line?

I thought glitch means accidental or unintentional and therefore would produce a random outcome.

When was the last time there was a glitch where customers were undercharged or given more than they paid for?

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: sorbet

Thu Aug 27 00:41:27 2009

I've spent hours today reading informative comments in this blog after an eBay customer rep hung up on me for suggesting that perhaps eBay should suspend fees until its "many technical issues" are resolved as, otherwise taking fees for services which aren't being provided consitutes theft. The referenced problem was a "glitch", ongoing for some weeks (and possibly still occurring), wherein purchased second categories were never added to the listing , although the fees were quickly and efficiently deducted. Nor was this acknowledged problem ever posted on the announcements board to warn unsuspecting sellers. Ironically, as we all know, Ebay is demanding higher and higher standards of sellers while it is so debased as to concoct deceitful schemes to defraud its members. In a pathetically humerous post script, as a response to my pleas for viable promotions to offset fees for my failing business (I could not afford to ship for free), on two occasions I was telephoned by eBay reps and tutored in sales "tips". Thus twice it was suggested that with my packages I include professionally printed cards or little gifts, since an "excellent seller" goes above and beyond an otherwise flawless transaction (mind you, this summer if my items sold they only netted about $9 - and deaf ears to my explanation that all items are tissue-wrapped with hand-written "thank yous"). I was able to keep my cool by playing along and pointing out the golden opportunity for eBay to help its sellers - by offering gratis those cards and trinkets which sellers could then pass along to buyers. I'm a Powerseller with 100% FB, but not among the new elite "Best Seller" or whatever. I'm getting a kick out of seeing that medallion icon next to much less-than-perfect FB rating. Confusing to buyers? You bet!

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: fruity

Thu Aug 27 00:59:20 2009

Glitch is codeword for risk management. lol

Ebay has long since deleted mine and others threads that show its not a user initiated error but you have consumer rights with outages or loss of service and to ensure that you get your monies back, you should you can lodge a complaint with the BBB (I think the San Jose office). The reason I suggest this and not others is because
1) there's enough sellers potentially impacted that you could easily trigger BBB to take notice. Local complaints will not get enough attention.
2) Ebay has said before on something else I can't recall but we were due a refund and Auctionbytes posted that ebay said sellers would be reimbursed. And then they said a few weeks later ummm no we're not giving you back the money. So filing a complaint first ensures if they pacify sellers and say you'll get your refund and then afterwards pull the same crap again, you now have a large enough complaint file that the BBB will act on.
3) Plus its an easy complaint to file, easy to explain. you paid money for listing and yours is not there, disappearing or otherwise erratic which is non standard service provided.
4) then take it to twitter and tell all your friends because with the other blackout that went down with Paypal earlier this month, it got attention and these 2 events may be connected

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: For Pates sake

Thu Aug 27 01:11:08 2009

The duplicate listing problem on ebay/com has been going on for around 3-4 weeks that I know of...one day I listed 3 items (only had 3)yet 12 were showing in my 1,100+ listings????

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: For Petes Sake

Thu Aug 27 01:17:31 2009

..Another irritation, I listed 21 identical items on 1 day auctions (separate auctions)..only took 11 hours for them to show in search?????

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: John the Tool Seller

Thu Aug 27 02:13:29 2009

It never takes more then an hour for my listings to show in search.

In fact lately stuff has been showing up in about 5 minutes.

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Theresa

Thu Aug 27 06:34:04 2009

In the last month, I have somehow sold three unique items from my ebay store that had originally sold months and months ago. All three sellers were very angry when I explained to them that I no longer had the one-of-a-kind items. One left me a negative feedback and I'm sure the others left me low DSRs. I have over 5000 listings in my store and now have to spend countless hours simply browsing those listings looking for things that ebay might have decided to relist for me! And ebay has the gall to put in place a place a policy that says I cannot list things that I don't have in inventory? I think they need to fix their own programming first!

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Theresa

Thu Aug 27 06:36:17 2009

oops....I meant to say the buyers were angry, not the sellers, duh, in my comment above

eBay Mysteries Include Missing Bodies, Duplicate Listings

by: Another weird ebay thing

Thu Aug 27 08:01:49 2009

I noticed a strange ebay thing that started yesterday. When our auction listed is ended, the body of the description is empty and the page counter returns to zero. What is ebay hiding now?

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