Summer update is out on .com

[dutchman48]

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

[cumos55]

I am confused the difference between Store Categories... and Custom Categories.

Store categories stay.... but not custom categories...

I list books mainly in non-Fiction  History Canada....plus other categories

My store has  all of my listings placed in specific categories...  The listings are spread across 295 categories and subcategories..... It took me 10 years to get here

Anything relating to Canada's military history is presented in History, Canada  not in Military and War.... because it is Canada's military history... Canada's History

A potential buyer does a search across all listings  from all sellers

and then... they come to my store which is specific to categories and subcategories defined by me.....

Many buyers started with a search on eBay... all sellers...

but when they found me  they were able to find  the book based on my categories and subcategories for my listings.

My listings ... in My store ... allocated...  to My categories/subcategories

[hlmacdon]

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@dutchman48 wrote:

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.

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LOL  I honestly wonder sometimes if there is some sort of ebay training orientation where staff are trained in the dark arts of annoying sellers with their responses.

Hi @noodlevette, yes, requests filed by a buyer for SNAD that is actually remorse is included in the peer benchmark. The good news for you is this is true across your peer group as well. We consider a number of factors to make sure how often this happens for the kinds of items you sell are similar to those in your peer group.

[hlmacdon]

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@cumos55 wrote:

I am confused the difference between Store Categories... and Custom Categories.

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Looking at how ebay defines it, Store Categories/Custom Categories are the same thing. These are categories that you create as a seller that have no direct link to eBay's own defined categories.  The categories you create are used for buyer's to navigate within your store structure. When they use the search feature that goes out the window since it unceremoniously ejects the buyer from your store view to eBay's traditional view. 

[cumos55]

I found the place in the update where my store can be adjusted  to the new format.

My store in the  new format is now shown on eBay.com

All of the store's categories  and subcategories  are accessible.

At the top of the page there is a position where it says.... Search this store

the Search can be across all listings in the store....  or specifically to a category or cubcategory

The result for a search are show in relation to eBay categories...

<<<<<This represents the removal of custom categories>>>>>

The store categories and subcategories  are gone.....

Why in this format?

The next step is why..

At the top of a page one has the option......Show results from all sellers

One can adjust the eBay categories  for the report and on the left navigation column

and now one sees the results from the store shown in relation to that of other sellers.

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The store, categories  and subcategories  are there....  This has not changed 

How the results within the store are presented has changed,  and the option for bringing  in listings from other sellers is now available. 

This report is presented as  defined by the categories selected in the left navigation column. 

The categories in a search from within a store, and all subsequent searches, before or after lisings from other sellers are included   are presented in relation to eBay categories......

[cumos55]

The confusion on my part has disappeared. The wording in the update was somewhat confusing...

If you want to see what was found by me...

Visit my store on eBay.com, and do a search for Winnipeg..... 

and then add the ... Show results from all sellers.

[cumos55]

My store on eBay.com

https://www.ebay.com/str/cumos55

The new format for the store....  and then a new search reality.

Categories and Subcategories....  all present and available for a search

In gallery view  the photographs are large  and very colorful...  The first series of words in the title of the listing are shown with the photo...

The listings with descriptions are readily accessible

Then do a search... and more 

[momcqueen]

So..... this doesn't look like the Big Deal as it was understood to be based on your post. 

[cumos55]

Not a big problem..... Just a new adjustment to what we know as the store on eBay

[hlmacdon]

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@momcqueen wrote:

So..... this doesn't look like the Big Deal as it was understood to be based on your post. 

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If your transactions tend to be single items and you rely on ebay categories to organize your store products the impact should be minimal. If you tend to sell multiple items within a transaction and rely on a non-ebay hierarchical category structure to facilitate faster and easier shopping for your customers then it will have some potential detrimental impact as it makes filtering store search results a less structured experience.  

[cumos55]

The first search is always within store inventory,  and will continue so.... until the listings for other sellers is added to the mix.

The search within the store can be  across all inventory in the store.. or  within a category or subcategory.  This is the same as it was before.....  The only difference is that with the new format  the search report is based on eBay categories and the report is based on the first step in a search.  One can always go back to the store  and start a new search 

It is the potential buyer's choice whether to stay within the store  or add listings from outside the store to a search .

[kawartha-ephemera]

RE: New store format search

The above is a very good analysis but I wonder whether if it would be worthwhile to consider why store search has abandoned custom categories.

To me, it would seem pretty clear the current "new" store search is not yet fully implemented. The old custom store categories cannot be utilized for product based search so they're being eliminated from search.

Once search "Regrouping" rolls out to more and more categories the final result on store subscribers of the "new" store search may be very different than it is today.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of ebay eventually removing custom store categories altogether. This is pure speculation on my part but it would seem the next logical step towards this whole product based search overhaul.

[cumos55]

No store categories  would mean no store... and No fees for a store....

A search in a store can be done over all listings, or within a category or subcategory.  The search report may be presented using eBay categories, but the report will always be  for listings in the store. One can always go back to the store and start a new search

Over 75 % of my listings are History Canada..  Without categories and subcategories  the store would be one big mess.   Store categories allow a seller to present listings in a unique manner.  For my listings this uniqueness gets lost  if eBay categories are used in the store.

My books that relate to Canadian military history would get lost within Military and War,  in Non-Fiction books,  which is focused on  US military history.

[kawartha-ephemera]

I agree completely, it would be a horrible idea to eliminate custom categories, with the thought and work you have applied in developing your book categories a user may not even need to run a search.

I'm trying to imagine how the new "Regrouped" search results will look once product based search arrives to books and other vintage, collectible categories.

What exactly might appear in the grouped results of new, used, refurbished etc. ?

If the store being searched has inventory well matched to the search terms I would hope they will appear in these groups somewhere. If there is no matching inventory I imagine the grouped results will fill with other sellers' inventory.

[otteropp]

Looking at your Store in .com I cannot see a Search box at all.

[pjcdn2005]

The poster you replied to doesn’t have a store but if your comment was to cumos, the search bar is at the top to the right of the eBay logo.  It looks like the regular eBay search bar but specifies ‘search this store’

[otteropp]

Thank you, yes my reply was to Cumos.

I have just checked and now the Search box is there but it was not there earlier this morning.

My own Store on .com has been drifting in and out of the new style and the old style for the past two days and there was no Search box at all and many other ongoing problems. 

[hlmacdon]

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@kawartha-ephemera wrote:

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of ebay eventually removing custom store categories altogether. This is pure speculation on my part but it would seem the next logical step towards this whole product based search overhaul.

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That is a possibility as the purpose of moving to a product based search is to establish a consistent database of items from descriptions down to category specific attributes and categories and subcategories themselves. With that sort of consistency it helps fine tune the roll out of other features such as the presentation of other products from other sellers on your store page using similar to every other feature ebay is busing cloning from Amazon. It is easier to implement algorithm driven features and have them deliver relevant results when you have a consistent and detailed database structure. They would certainly have to improve their existing category structures as many still lack any meaningful subcategories and attribute filters. 

There is a feature and cost savings carrot to entice sellers to maintain a store, so any changes, whether to categories or stores themselves, may not necessarily lead to a large attrition rate.  Changes are being made to increase conversion rates and at this point ebay doesn't care if your product is the one converting or another sellers.