posted on November 15, 2000 03:35:06 PM new
My question to the happy herd out there concerns the ASIN and ISBN links for auction and Z-Shop listings. I did not necessarily mind when they cut the links from 9 to 3, but they also removed the search engine that found the appropriate links. Now if I want to use the correct number I have to search in another window and cut/paste the numbers in. More time spent for the same result. Even worse, I have noticed that when I relist an item that had the links established, the link field is often now blank. In other words, the relist feature retains all the information about an auction except the numbers you found earlier.
In short: more work, less sales.
I don't see how this benefits Amazon. This change might influence me to list on Marketplace IF I sold what they sold (I do not). Further, it cuts my sales and, thus, their cut of my sales. Finally, it limits the selection bidders have to choose from. I don't see the logic here or how Amazon benefits.
I don't know how this is affecting others, but I have seen my sales drop by about 35-40% over the past several weeks - it started the weekend they implemented the Marketplace feature. I called them this evening and voiced my concern. What are your thoughts?
Forgive me if this was covered in another thread. I could not find it. Ardvark01
posted on November 16, 2000 11:48:33 AM new
Yes, its affecting my sales as well (in addition to the bug that caused 90% of my auctions to NOT be automatically relisted at the end of last month).
I used to sell a lot more stuff through zShops prior to these new "improvements."
I pay $40/mo for a pro merchant subscription and I'm not certain its really worth the money.
I stepped up the number of listings (significantly) and am listing in more (appropriate) categories - that seems to have helped a bit, but simply put, the listings are more difficult to find.
Oh, and not being able to "automatically" suggest ISBN numbers is a royal pain - takes TOO long to do numerous listings...and yes, I've had them disappear when I relist too.
New challenges every day. :/
-OnlineAuctions (but not anywhere but here!)
posted on November 16, 2000 03:13:45 PM new
Long ago when I started selling on Amazon, the ISBN number was large. Now that I need to cut & paste it, it is so small I can barely even see it. I am constantly cutting & pasting the colon or additional info adjacent to ISBN.
I wish Amazon would at least make it larger so I can see it and cut & paste easier.
Most of my items are not books or CDs and finding the appropriate subject in books takes a LOT of time, but I think it is worth it.
posted on November 16, 2000 03:29:35 PM new
Thank you both for your comments. I thought I might just have a "bug" of some sort in my computer that was eliminating the ISBN numbers when I relisted. Yes, I also noticed that the ISBN numbers seem a bit smaller than they used to be. I am in the cut-and-paste mode to supply ISBN numbers for my better items. My less expensive items are going to do without links for the moment -- it is just too much work to do it correctly.
Any thoughts out there on why Amazon would consciously remove the ability to "Automatically suggest" ISBN numbers?
posted on November 17, 2000 06:41:21 AM new
My personal opinion as to why Amazon did away with the automatic ISBN numbers being inserted when you put in a word is that sellers were getting items ISBNs that were unrelated to auction item, and were not going back and pruning them out.
This way, sellers will think very carefully about where they place their items next to Amazon's books.
posted on November 17, 2000 08:29:24 AM new
watafind,
Good thought - I can see Amazon having a problem with unrelated links showing up next to their items. It seems a bit severe, however, to cut the number of possible links as well as the ability to find them.
posted on December 20, 2000 01:04:03 AM new
The bottom line with taking away the Crosslinks is to draw more attention to their books. Keep the money with them. That would be the only logical reason. No one in a right mind would do this for any other reason.
They say it is because it was being linked to unrelated items. That is a LIE. That is a corporate response to a question they are tired of answering. It worked 90% of the time for me. Nothing is perfect. We all know that with all the recent "improvements" as they call them. They will tell you it was being "abused". How could it be? They are the one's who set it up. We were just typing in the words. If something unrelated comes up....So what. The auction was designed to be an "open market". Let it happen as it happens.
Amazon wants people to leave the auctions. It is as pure and simple as that. They have mistreated people in a big way.
