Summer update is out on .com

[dutchman48]

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-summer/index.html

[dutchman48]

This is scary in the changes to stores when buyers do searches, and not really sure what it says.

If your Store has custom categories, those items will be regrouped to the most appropriate eBay category for users to find when they are searching your Store.

[dutchman48]

Here is another fun one:

 Starting in September, your returns can be used against you.  "Poor Buyer Experiences" could result in additional fees and extended delivery dates.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Basically  it means the category name a seller used in their store could be considered wrong or unacceptable and needs to be the same as a category that eBay uses and will be changed to the "closest" match at their discretion. Have no idea what would happen, if you by chance had an item in 2 categories.

-CM

[happy_pigeon]

Ours is coming soon. It's currently being given a last look-over, because our content differs from the US in some ways.

Once it's live, I'll do the usual AB post and open a thread so that I can try to address any questions folks have. 

[dutchman48]

So what is the point then of store categories?

[dutchman48]

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@happy_pigeon wrote:

Ours is coming soon. It's currently being given a last look-over, because our content differs from the US in some ways.

Once it's live, I'll do the usual AB post and open a thread so that I can try to address any questions folks have. 

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So what happened to the comment you made in a previous post about mirroring the US updates?

Because we are in Canada we have to deal with 2 sets of updates and if you call CS, they only deal with what it says in the US updates.

This carp with we are different but still the same as the .com has to be dealt with.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Originally I believe the idea was so a seller could categorize their items in a way that worked for them. I had a variation of this sort of a change done to me a number of years ago. Switched from the Purolator shipping system to Loomis. Was told they could move our customer database from one to the other to save re-entering it. Not what happened. It garbled the addresses and we were forced to go through and fix every entry manually....Approximately 1500. Hopefully we don't need to be nervous for our stores??? Another concern could be if your category had a typo or used Canadian spelling for example.

-CM

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

What was the translation for "Extended delivery dates"? Things that make ya say Hmmmm!!!

-CM

[dutchman48]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Originally I believe the idea was so a seller could categorize their items in a way that worked for them. I had a variation of this sort of a change done to me a number of years ago. Switched from the Purolator shipping system to Loomis. Was told they could move our customer database from one to the other to save re-entering it. Not what happened. It garbled the addresses and we were forced to go through and fix every entry manually....Approximately 1500. Hopefully we don't need to be nervous for our stores??? Another concern could be if your category had a typo or used Canadian spelling for example.

-CM

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Look at my store. My list of categories is how my buyers search. If Ebay messes with them and sends people to a general search on Ebay, why have a store.

Categories was one of the reasons I have a store.

[dutchman48]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

What was the translation for "Extended delivery dates"? Things that make ya say Hmmmm!!!

-CM

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It is all the same double speak Ebay uses so they can interpret it any way they want or do what they want.

Unclear policies are designed to benefit Ebay and buyers and enable punishment of sellers as Ebay sees fit.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

And in looking at your store your categories make perfect sense and are appropriate to my eyes. No guarantees things wouldn't change either in a minor or a major way once this kicks in. I've found a few stores with thousands of items, gone to look to see how their items were sorted and all were in the original category called OTHER. Guess they couldn't be bothered to categorize to something that would make some sense.

-CM 

[dutchman48]

Here is a post from the US boards:

"Yes, I also spoke to them several times. They have no intention of changing it. It is here to stay. The search bar for the top of the store, when used dumps you out of the store and back to ebay's main search. Then it is hard to struggle back into the store. They actually are leading people to other stores instead. This may work if they are looking for a specific item but what if the customer wants to just browse your store. It is almost like their system is fighting the customer to throw them out of it. Try browsing your own store using someone else's account it is very enlightening"

It sums it up very well

[kawartha-ephemera]

This is scary in the changes to stores when buyers do searches, and not really sure what it says.
 
QUOTE If your Store has custom categories, those items will be regrouped to the most appropriate eBay category for users to find when they are searching your Store. UNQUOTE

To say this is a puzzling explanation would be an understatement... Glad I no longer have to worry about organizing a store.

My guess is that the key word to pay attention to is "Regrouped".

Some store subscribers on .com have been complaining lately that the new store format search box results are no longer exclusively searching the subscribers store listings. Instead, the searcher is shown results from the whole of ebay. I haven't experienced this search behaviour myself. I'm wondering if this is what ebay is referring to but this is just a guess on my part.

Perhaps ebay intends to direct store searches to "Regrouped" results outside of the store. IF so custom store categories could continue to exist but would not benefit the store subscriber if the customer runs a search while browsing the store.

I guess it's a wait and see game they're playing.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Those are scary pictures you paint. Sadly it seems like eBay does not have a go back button. Maybe tinker but not go back and undo something that should have been left  alone. I've tried resorting my categories alphabetically  but unfortunately that function does not seem to be working properly.  Store tab does not work when I go to dot com.  Have to access through the visit store tab instead. Then when I go to visit my listings(in dot com) it shows 259 listings. On dot ca it shows 257 which is correct. Not sure why there would be a discrepancy. Looking at categories that I have created it appears some have been moved already. In my store I called it Automotive. Looking on dot com its called eBay Motors. Weren't these changes supposed to roll out in June? Guess we will have to see how this all plays out.

-CM

[reallynicestamps]

I responded to that complaint.

As a buyer-- not a seller.

If I am looking for an Eileen Fisher Silk Dress and you have one, but it is beige.

I could scroll down in your Store-- or I could Search and find the dress I do want elsewhere.

Sorry, Search is for the buyer not the seller.

[dutchman48]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

I responded to that complaint.

As a buyer-- not a seller.

If I am looking for an Eileen Fisher Silk Dress and you have one, but it is beige.

I could scroll down in your Store-- or I could Search and find the dress I do want elsewhere.

Sorry, Search is for the buyer not the seller.

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[momcqueen]

I don't really want to see ebay change my Store Categories. I've put a lot more thought into them than ebay has, to be sure. No one looking for diecast Disney Cars goes into the TV and Movie Characters category, no buyer on earth thinks that way. And the LEGO minifigs as organized by ebay are all screwed up. Plus, the Product Catalogue doesn't know a 1:14 scale diecast scale car from a 1:65 scale diecast.

Bottom line: if the ebay Categories made sense in the first place, we wouldn't need our own Store Categories. I really think ebay needs to get the #$%& together in their house before coming into mine and rearranging the furniture here. 

[hlmacdon]

Ebay categories are generally garbage and poorly curated outside of the more braindead mainstream categories. The new store format is the of a drunken chimpanzee. Seriously who tests this stuff internally? The search change in particular is the most god awful UI design I have seen in years. 

I have never see a company behave as a bigger impediment to its own success. 

[hlmacdon]

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@dutchman48 wrote:

This is scary in the changes to stores when buyers do searches, and not really sure what it says.

If your Store has custom categories, those items will be regrouped to the most appropriate eBay category for users to find when they are searching your Store.

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I believe (and hope) this refers to the new search behavior where the search bar for the store no longer displays the results within the store format, but rather goes to the traditional ebay seller's item listing. In that case your items just get linked back to their parent category since your custom categories do not actually exist on eBay's category schema. When you click on "see seller's other items" that is the view I am referring to. 

Basically a mental midget of an executive has decided that rather than maintaining a consistent UI/store experience for anyone who uses the store search feature, they'll dump you back to an ebay search results view which will presumably allow them to offer other seller's products/more ad space, etc. This is a net net loss for sellers who maintain a store as the new experience is all about buyer conversion at your expense. 

As a side note I find it beyond hilarious that eBay is trying to crackdown on the sort of falsely claimed savings that the Competition Bureau slapped Amazon for. Nice to see them trying to address retail concerns that date back, I don't know, dozens and dozens of years now?