posted on July 6, 2004 09:52:00 AM new
Thanks to eagle-eyed Lucy, again, here's the latest on Books:
Planned Changes to Category Structure and Item Specifics
[email protected] (view author's auctions)
07/02/04 12:21 PM
Hi Everyone,
We have completed a careful review of the feedback on the issues highlighted in our post 6/30 (Proposals for Changes in Books) and of 2 months worth of key performance measurements in the books category. The purpose of this review was to determine the impact of Item Specifics and Category Structure changes in Books and to identify potential improvements to help sellers grow their businesses.
We had originally planned to wait until next week to get enough feedback on the issues we raised, but there has been enough consistency in the initial feedback that we feel we can go ahead and get solutions underway rather than wait until next week.
One thing we'd like to clarify is how we have determined the direction we plan to take on item specifics vs. categories in the books area. While community sentiment on the discussion boards has been negative on category roll-ups, the sales trends in the books category overall have been positive. This would indicate that on the whole, sellers are benefiting from these changes. Because of this, we will not be replacing item specifics with the old category structure. What we're asking instead is that you continue to try to make this work and that you give us feedback on what we can change about the current system to make it work better for you.
Based on the feedback you gave on the issues we raised in the 6/30 Proposals for Changes in Books thread, we'll take the following action:
# We'll split Fiction & Nonfiction into separate areas.
Currently sellers can already browse within nonfiction subject areas or within fiction, but it is not clear to some buyers how to do this and you've identified other drawbacks with the current structure. This is a significant change and will require technical development on our end as well as potentially requiring sellers to change some listings, so we will be back with a more detailed proposal on our approach to this to minimize disruption of your current business.
# We'll Add Fiction & Literature subgenres to Antiquarian & Collectible.
We will use the breakdowns the books voices group proposed, with no changes. We are targeting to make this change Wednesday July 7th.
# We will ensure all the original categories are available in item specifics.
Almost all are present now, but a handful will need to be added. We hope to have all these values available by the end of the month.
# We'll add First Editions and Signed item specifics to Fiction & Nonfiction. I'll be back with a timeline on when this will occur, but also hope to have these values available by the end of the month.
# We will not add an Item Specific for Book Language.
Your feedback was clear on this. However, we will be adding languages to the language study area per our commitment to C).
# We will not add more condition values for Books.
Your feedback was clear on this as well.
# We will add the ability on view item pages to see other listings of the same genre.
This was a feature that was available before the roll-ups so our goal is to simply bring back what was there before. This will require code work on our end and we need to determine how soon this will be possible. We will come back to you with more details as soon as we have them.
We believe solving these issues and continuing to gather feedback from the community on other improvements we can make to item specifics will be the best solution for Books.
Finally, we apologize for any disruption these changes have caused and thank you for your participation in the debate and discussion. eBay is a better place because of it.
posted on July 7, 2004 03:08:00 PM new
Maybe I don't have the hang of the new books arrangement, but my sales are waaay off. What's the key to getting it right?
Part of the problem is all the huge bookstore sellers (with multiple IDs! that make them sound like an old lady in her attic) who are selling books for under $1 with $5 media shipping.
posted on July 7, 2004 03:40:58 PM new
pelorus: I think we're all struggling in the books category. The way it now is, it's important to get as many of the best key words in the auction title, sometimes without enough room for the book title! It's a real balancing act.
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posted on July 7, 2004 07:17:13 PM new
I also don't like the current Books category. However, I have sold a few decent books lately. It boils down to one thing - keywords! Seriously, include the word book in the title + as many keywords as you can squeeze in. (This is true in Pottery category also). The title of the book does not necessarily have to be in the title.
The title of the auction does not have to make sense.
Another tip. Books don't necessarily have to be listed in the Books category. Do a double category listing.
