posted on February 25, 2002 10:22:07 PM new
If you've occasionally paid the $19.95 to get your item featured in its category, and get primo listing space on the FIRST page of that category - well KISS IT GOODBYE!
Ebay added two tabs to pages within categories - all items and buy-it-nows. And they PULLED out all the featured items. Now, your featured item (even THIS isn't working right now) WON'T SHOW UP till the page that it is on is displayed!!!! It won't get "front page coverage" in your category. It will BE BURIED, and only show up as a slice at the top of the page it is already on.
Here's the announcement from 2-25-02, 18:16:06 PST ...
***Featured Items in Search & Listings***
As part of the recent addition of the "Buy It Now" tab, we changed the way Featured Items are displayed in Listings to match the way they are displayed in Search results.
Currently, when searching for items, Featured Items are displayed based on the sort order. In other words, if the items are sorted by "newly listed", the system will display the top 50 results under newly listed and any Featured Items among those 50 items will be displayed at the top of the page. The next 50 items will display on the next page, and any Featured Items among those 50 will be displayed at the top of the page, and so on.
Until this point, Listings results displayed all Featured Items at the top of the first page, regardless of the sort order and how many Featured Items there were. This often meant that the first page, or even multiple pages, of Listings consisted only of Featured Items, making it difficult to gain exposure for a single Featured Item.
With this change, all Listings and Search results will display the same way.
Regards,
eBay
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 25, 2002 10:28:42 PM new
I was wondering what happened to the featured...I feature all my items in Dutch auctions...they dont sell any other way.
posted on February 25, 2002 10:39:28 PM new
FACT: My previous featured $19.95 items got 20-50 hits within 1-2 hours after they appeared on the front page of their category. They averaged 500 hits in a 7 day auction.
FACT: I launched a featured $19.95 auction tonight about 8pm (not knowing about this CRAP!). It's now 10:40pm PST - and it has gotten TWO HITS.
My featured items ALWAYS paid for themselves.
This new system? They'll only be found the last day when the page that they are on FINALLY makes its way to the front of a search. Then, they'll supposedly be in a little band at the top.
BUT OF COURSE - EVEN THAT ISN'T WORKING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know that MANY powersellers and folks who pay for this service also use AW! Email Powersellers Support NOW!
***********************
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 25, 2002 10:52:04 PM new
Clarification - by "featured $19.95 items" in the above post, I meant that I'd purchased the $19.95 version of featured auctions. I believe they are called "featured plus" or "featured in category". My items themselves start much higher than $19.95 - as if that will help now IF THEY CAN'T BE FOUND!!!!!!
Okay, west coast is turning out the light, but SOMEONE help us here!!!
**************
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 26, 2002 06:07:27 AM new
Just woke up this morning - and got a CANNED response from PowerSeller support for the MESS they caused with BURYING featured auctions.
PLEASE, if you're a PowerSeller, FLOOD ebay with emails protesting this!
My featured auction? Only has 18 hits, when it SHOULD have had 100 by now!
****************
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 26, 2002 07:53:56 AM new
This is a terrible move by ebay. I hope they will return to the former listing format. It is really rotton to pull a trick like this on people who paid to be on the top of the page and was not forwarned of the pending changes. SHAME ON YOU EBAY!
posted on February 26, 2002 08:44:10 AM new
Here is the response I got back from Powersellers.
Hello,
Thank you for writing to let us know that your Category Featured Items
are not appearing at the top of the category. As part of the recent
addition of the "Buy It Now" tab, we changed the way Category Featured
Items are displayed in Listings to match the way they are displayed in
Search results.
Currently, when searching for items, Category Featured Items are
displayed based on the sort order. In other words, if the items are
sorted by "newly listed", the system will display the top 50 results
under newly listed and any Category Featured Items among those 50 items
will be displayed at the top of the page. The next 50 items will display
on the next page, and any Category Featured Items among those 50 will be
displayed at the top of the page, and so on.
Until this point, Listings results displayed all Category Featured Items
at the top of the first page, regardless of the sort order and how many
Category Featured Items there were. This often meant that the first
page, or even multiple pages, of Listings consisted only of Featured
Items, making it difficult to gain exposure for a single Featured Item.
With this change, all Listings and Search results will display the same
way. We realize that this change may be confusing and surprising to
you, and we do apologize.
As always, if you feel that this change has affected your featured
category listings, you're welcome to write in with the item numbers and
we'll be happy to consider them for a credit.
We appreciate your business. As always, we wish you luck in all of your
future endeavors.
posted on February 26, 2002 09:12:27 AM new
Here's a wild theory.
eBay and Half are one and the same. Half gets a nice 15% FVF plus a cut of the s/h fees paid by the buyers. eBay gets 5.25% or less FVF and other fees.
By promoting the BUY IT NOW aspect of eBay with special search functions and now 'pull down tabs' doesn't it appear a little like they are trying to alter the mindset of the users on their site toward the idea of purchasing rather than bidding? The purchasing rather than bidding because there is more money in them thar hills.
posted on February 26, 2002 09:25:09 AM new
Can you add/delete this option if you go in and revise your auctions (before any bids)? Sometimes I'll go in and change categories or other things, and before I give final approval to the changes there is a display of how fees are impacted. Sometimes they go up, sometimes down. I don't know if it works with gallary plus, but if it's not getting you what you need (especially if you've already enjoyed the benefits for a few hours/days) it might be worth a try. You can always cancel the changes and leave it the way it was.
`·. >(((º>`·.¸.¸>
ahwahneeliz
>(((º>¸¸.·.>((º>··.¸><((((ºcJ
posted on February 26, 2002 10:09:56 AM new
Log your protest here, by clicking on "suggestions" and following links until it gets you to a dialog box to leave your actual message:
posted on February 26, 2002 01:50:44 PM new
Latest list of things you can do to protest ...
Don't rely on posting here OR on ebay's forums as a way to let ebay know you are FUMING!
Use EVERY means you can to contact ebay:
1. Leave a suggestion at: http://pages.ebay.com/community/suggestion/
2. Call them directly, if you're a silver or gold PowerSeller
3. Email PowerSeller support directly, if you are at ANY level of PowerSeller status
4. Ask for a refund - they should be slammed with hundreds of thousands of dollars of refund requests today
5. Continue to post here on AW's "ebay outlook" page AND on "AW Services/AW Feedback". (I've started a thread there asking for AW's lobbying help)
5. If you have media connections, USE THEM!
One more comment ... PowerSellers get flamed sometimes because of the assumption that they are too big to care about the customer or too big to ever give good personalized service. But, it is the PowerSellers who have Ebay's ear! THANK YOU, PowerSellers, for taking the ball and ROLLING with it. I'm only bronze level, so I've done an email to support, but the higher levels have PHONE NUMBERS to call for all of us!!!
Okay, let's roll!
*********************
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 27, 2002 11:52:55 AM new
I suggest that everyone go to ebay's own chat boards, especially the "Auction Listings" forum where SMOKE is rising. Here's a direct link.
The two best threads, with info, are:
"Who's the genius who decided to bury ..."
"Buyers and sellers vote ... crapola?"
We NEED to take action!
**********************
"Sweetfulfillment" - from my FAVE song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - dedicated to FULFILLING your ebay dream needs
posted on February 27, 2002 10:43:46 PM new
Deaf Ears?? I think not this time.
***Featured Items***
We have received a number of comments from members regarding the recent changes to Listings results. In particular, members have complained about the way Category Featured Items are displayed and the removal of buyers' sorting tools like "New Today". We apologize for not appropriately communicating these changes to you and will re-double our efforts to ensure that proper notification is given whenever we make changes to our site.
After considering the effect these changes have had on sellers who utilize Featured Items, and on buyers who used specific browsing tools that are no longer available, we are reinstating the previous format. We will return to the way we used to display Featured Items in Listings and we will provide buyers the ability to sort by "New Today", "Going, Going, Gone" and "Ending Today". The new "Buy it Now" tab we announced two weeks ago will remain.
It will take approximately three to four days to reinstate the previous format, and we will notify you as soon we have made the changes.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience that these changes have caused our members.
posted on February 28, 2002 06:23:40 AM new
Ok, so eBay brings Features back to the way they were. But I for one have learned how little eBay thinks before making major changes.
Before the Feature I make a $200.00 per day profit (not bids, just pure profit) in eBay sales.
After the change here is what my BIDS (not profit) where:
2/26 $10.00
2/27 $40.00
2/28 $30.00
After seeings this has opened my eyes and I'm sure the eyes of other PowerSellers or anyone who makes a living on eBay.
Over the last few days I have been promoting my other (non-eBay related) websites and moving all my efforts to them. Will I continue to list on eBay after Features come back: Yes, but not to the level as before. Before this change I spent $5000/month in eBay fees. Next month I will spend a MAX of $1000.00 in fees.
Using eBay as your sole or primary source of income is juse too risky especially when the Internet offeres so many other opertunites for making large incomes. I have leared a lot since Monday and I hope others have as well.
posted on February 28, 2002 08:07:05 AM new
I see the pricks backed down again. They like to see how far they can push the sellers with their crazy constant changes. Wonder when they will raise fees again?
