CONT'D: Unsold Items in Sold Items List

[cousinquiller]

In Feb I posted a concern about items that I have sold appearing in my Unsold Items list in My Ebay. Someone said that it's because I'm using Sell Similar to create new listings and I should be using Relist instead. I've since learned that this isn't the solution. One problem is that if I use Relist, the listing that I use to do this with will disappear (because I'm over-writing it) and I need it so that I can relist in future.

The more relevant problem is with the relisting of items, not the creation of new ones. An example: I list a vase. Its number ends with 376. It doesn't sell. I relist it. Whether I use Sell Similar or Relist, it's given a new number: 253. The number 253 listing sells. Because both the old and new listings have different numbers, the vase will now appear in two places in My Ebay: in the Unsold Items list as number 376, and in the Sold Items list as number 253. The only way you can make a sold item disappear from your Unsold Items list is to, under Status, choose "Not Relisted." Hope this helps someone. 

[femmefan1946]

@lotzofuniquegoodies

I keep all my descriptions in a text file on my desktop. With the HTML coding attached.

Mostly I use it when another copy of that book title comes in, but they could be used to replace lost/out of time listings.

I have more recently started keeping photos in another file, because of the switch from dotCA to dotCA and dotCOM.

I use the Sell Your Item Form because TurboLister never bothered to make a Mac version, because most third party listers charge and I am very very cheap, and because I never understood why TL was useful.

[cousinquiller]

Thanks. I keep all my write-ups and photos (some I've had for years), but it's still tedious to create listings again with them.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

I've never seen that happen with my listings to date. Knock on wood. I wish though it would be possible for unsold to stay in the unsold folder for longer than 3 months before those old listings get purged. Some items are seasonal and others need a bit of a break. Once those items get purged its time consuming to have to re-create those listings or remember which ones were removed. Appears the only current way now is before they disappear is save as a draft for future relists.

-CM

[cousinquiller]

I agree; I wish you could save them for longer. One thing you can do, btw, is to select them all, choose Relist, and then set them to go up weeks away (I'm not sure how far into the future a date you can choose). When the date approaches, if you need more time, then do it again.

[momcqueen]

I’ve not experienced this but I tend to use either Good Till Cancelled Listings or Auto-Relist automation. My Solds have never hopped into Unsolds but quantities will reset to the original amount with a Sell Similar instead of Relist, I discovered.

[femmefan1946]

I found three copies of a book listed as Active a few hours ago.

I deleted two, and added notes that they were Duplicated.

Then I noticed that the one I had left up was the copy that had sold (this is a good seller, and I grab copies whenever I see them).  And it was to say the least, frowsy.

From time to time I put all my Active listings in alphabetical order. That puts the duplicated listings together and I can then delete them.

Doesn't help with Sold but relisted anyway items.

This glitch has been going on for years, possibly decades.

@happy_pigeon

[kawartha-ephemera]

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@cousinquiller wrote:

 One problem is that if I use Relist, the listing that I use to do this with will disappear (because I'm over-writing it) and I need it so that I can relist in future.

Here's a suggestion. 

You can save the desired listing as a "Template". When you have any listing open for editing  (revise listing) there is an option available at the bottom of the listing form to save the listing as a template. Once you have at least one saved template in the listing form's memory vault you can simply choose the template you need and create the new listing very easily and quickly. I'm not sure how many templates can be saved but there may be a limit. It would not surprise me that the save as template option is available only in the advanced listing form. Personally, I'm still using Turbo Lister so I don't use the listing form all that often.

The more relevant problem is with the relisting of items, not the creation of new ones. An example: I list a vase. Its number ends with 376. It doesn't sell. I relist it. Whether I use Sell Similar or Relist, it's given a new number: 253. The number 253 listing sells. Because both the old and new listings have different numbers, the vase will now appear in two places in My Ebay: in the Unsold Items list as number 376, and in the Sold Items list as number 253.

The only way you can make a sold item disappear from your Unsold Items list is to, under Status, choose "Not Relisted." Hope this helps someone. 

The surest way to avoid inadvertently listing something twice or maybe even an item that has already been sold is this:

Each time an unsold listing or group of unsold listings are relisted change the filter to "Relisted" and run a search to bring up the list of the items just relisted. Select everything in that list and DELETE them all. 

There is no need to tempt fate by keeping those old relisted items around, the items most recently relisted that do not sell during their listing period will surely return to the unsold list. One copy is sufficient.

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[cousinquiller]

Thanks. I'll look into the Template option. I thought you could only create one template, and I sell all kinds of different things, but I guess I'm wrong. As for the other comment, I have started to delete the relisted items. That tidies things up, but I'm not sure it solves the problem of screening out what's been sold. I guess my biggest problem is that I'm not good at remembering what I've sold (it's an age thing), and there's not much I can do about that!