Time away for 3 months or out of stock option, how does that work?

[musicyouneed]

Next year I will be going away for just over 3 months and am looking at my options of not losing my thousands of listings.  From reading I can see, that you can set it up for 30 days, then go in and reset it for another 30 days and do the same for the last 30 days.   Someone mentioned the out of stock option, how does that work?  Any other ideas on how to save my listings?

[rocketscollectibles]

Someone mentioned the out of stock option, how does that work?

I guess bulk edit > quantity > 0

So your listings keep renewing while no one can buy. Never tried but it could makes sense

After you would need to redo your whole inventory tho if you had multi quantity listings

[recped]

Out Of Stock is safe for at least 6 months, the oldest ones I have still active are from April 2nd. eBay used to end them after 3 or 4 months but that hasn't happened in the past two years.

It's a simple process, in your settings turn on the OOS option, it's a global setting. Then bulk change the quantity listed to zero. To reactivate bulk change the quantity to 1.

The only complication is if you have a variety of quantities available on some or all of your listings. If you do then there is more work to reactivate with the correct quantity.

If you will have good internet access Time Away does have some advantages such as the auto-reply for m essages and the banner on the listing pages for those who may stumble on they via an outside link.

I've used both, the OOS when 30 days is not enough and no internet access available and also when Vacation settings were only available with a Store subscription.

[ricarmic]

I've used the "extended time away" method. All you do is end time away and then immediately restart it for the next 30 days. It was no problem at all.

[38e_avenue]

You can end the listings, and they will be stored as "unsold" for 90 days.  I do that every year with my 3.000 listings, when I am going on summer vacation (for 2 months). 

[recped]

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@38e_avenue wrote:

You can end the listings, and they will be stored as "unsold" for 90 days.  I do that every year with my 3.000 listings, when I am going on summer vacation (for 2 months). 

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The problem with that is you lose all sellling history (multi-quantity listings) and watchers (all listings).

The OP is going to be away for 3 months, that is usually more than 90 days so they would lose everything.

Even if they expected to be back in action within the 90 days what happens if they are delayed by a day or two?

[musicyouneed]

Thanks for all your responses.  Yes, I will be away over 90 days, I think it will be a total of 95 days.  Going to Australia on a cruise.   I probably will do the 30 day extended time away and keep renewing it.  Interested in learning more about the out of stock option too.  I may also do an initial 30 day time away, then end all my listings, and then do a sell similar a few days later and then do another 30 days and then another 30 days.  Ending all the listings 30 days in, would be a back up as they would be in my unsold for 90 days, just in case things get screwed up.    I would have to do this to all 3 of my ID's.

[38e_avenue]

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@recped wrote:

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The problem with that is you lose all sellling history (multi-quantity listings) and watchers (all listings).

The OP is going to be away for 3 months, that is usually more than 90 days so they would lose everything.

Even if they expected to be back in action within the 90 days what happens if they are delayed by a day or two?

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I never cared about my listings history. Every single time after I came back and relisted all my items, they started to sell like hot cakes. Many items have "bad" history, which is gone, too.  All 3.000 "brand new" items listed the same day - imagine! 

I also don't care about the watchers - I own a STORE, not a GALLERY 😀

Concerning 90 days - all items can be relisted on 85th day, and then immediately ended, so the next 90 days will start again, right?  

[ricarmic]

I only went for 2 months, but there was no interruption at all. I didn't even pause between re-opening and re-closing the store again so as to make sure nobody found a way to buy something in between. I did this as a test at the end of a shorter pre-long vacation and again during the actual long vacation once I knew I didn't have to wait at all.

From our perspective when you use time away "hidden" style, they're all still there, running but hidden from searches, but viewable via your active listings list. They are also happily accumulating charges (I sometimes list in 2 categories so I'm slowly accumulating 8c $C and 6c US$ 2nd category fees) same as with your store, the monthly bills for that come through as well.

From eBay's perspective all is good you're running and paying for all your stuff, its just that you made it so nobody can see it.

I really can't fathom a scenario where the listings would be deleted, the greatest problem would be that they wouldn't be viewable again for some failure of the ending of the time away.

IMO there's a much greater risk of consequenses from ending 2000 items and relisting them again. (As a note, for me this option would cause a large amount of work as I still have just under 1400 grandfathered items missing required item specifics (that won't help my items sell even if I did populate them) that I could not "sell similar" because of that, I'd have to fix them all first).

[musicyouneed]

IMO there's a much greater risk of consequenses from ending 2000 items and relisting them again. (As a note, for me this option would cause a large amount of work as I still have just under 1400 grandfathered items missing required item specifics (that won't help my items sell even if I did populate them) that I could not "sell similar" because of that, I'd have to fix them all first).

I worry about that too.  I every so often end some listings and then sell similar, and it only lists 95%, as some have issues and I spend hours trying to figure out which ones had the problems.  I have quite a bit of time before I go so I might try it a few times.

[femmefan1946]

Barring a hiking trip to the Rockies, not a great idea as winter approaches, Ending all your listings, getting to any computer 40 days in (being careful here) then re-listing them for ten minutes or so, the Ending them again, keeps the items for up to 90 days.

Then on Day 80 , which eBay sees as 40 days on the Unsold list, repeat the relist and end.

When you return, you could have everything relist at once, or you could relist (as Sell Similar) only some each day, until all are relisted.

Unsold Listings because no one can buy from you so why tease them?

Sell Similar because it allows you to modify as you re-list.

Some each day, to catch the small increase in Visibility by having "new" listings ever day.

[femmefan1946]

I still have just under 1400 grandfathered items missing required item specifics (that won't help my items sell even if I did populate them)

It is often possible to use N/A as a response to Required IS that don't seem useful to you.

[recped]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

I still have just under 1400 grandfathered items missing required item specifics (that won't help my items sell even if I did populate them)

It is often possible to use N/A as a response to Required IS that don't seem useful to you.

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Bad idea, N/A is worse than leaving the field blank (a grandfathered listing). In Music there are only 3 required IS, not that difficult to fix and although I can't provide proof it will make it easier for buyers to find stuff especially if those buyers use the left side filters.

[musicyouneed]

What I think I am going to do is put on time away for 30 days, at 29 days or so or close to it I will end my listings.  With that I should have say 29 days plus 90 days = 119 days to relist, that should be plenty as I will be away about 96 days total.  I also will be home at the time so if there are issues I should be able to handle them.  What do you think of my plan, any issues I may have, or is it a good idea?