posted on October 24, 2000 11:24:02 AM
I was searching for a widget and found a seller who had 67 auctions clogging the search with keyword spamming.
I was a little ticked that I had to sift through these poorly titled auctions (I could have discarded them out of hand before checking through a few of them).
Sorry I guess it was one wasted search too many....so I emailed safeharbor.
So here is the reply...which kinda floored me:
+++++
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to report these auctions to eBay.
In an
effort to provide our community with the best possible service,
we have
reevaluated our view of keyword spamming.
The auctions that you have reported have been reviewed, and it
has been
determined that these auctions are not currently in violation of
our
keyword spamming guidelines.
We apologize if you have had auctions of this nature ended in
the past
under the existing policy. The keyword spamming policy itself
was not
intended to make listing items more difficult
for our members, but rather to make eBay a pleasant and fair
place to
transact business. We are constantly reviewing our policies as
well as
feedback from our community. With this in mind, we have
determined that
we should allow more descriptive words in auction titles and
descriptions.
We are always open to suggestions about how eBay can improve the
way
auctions are presented to our community and bidders. You may
write in
at any time to [email protected] with any
suggestions or solutions for the "keyword spamming" related
issues.
We do wish you a long, successful relationship with us, and we
also
thank you for being an asset to the eBay trading community.
Regards,
Brett M. M.
eBay Customer Support
+++++++
The auctions clearly said see my other auctions of...which were not nominally related to this item.
No it wasn't a Coach/name brand type of spam.
I have never had an auction closed for keyword spamming because I have CAREFULLY avoided it after seeing the problems here and as a bidder hating it in my searches.
But now it appears ebay sees that sellers need hits no matter how desperate.
I have mixed feelings. As a bidder aaaarrrrgggh!
As a seller I am starting to wonder if a spam or two...oh I hate to go there!
Capriole
(only spamiole here)
(spelling)
[ edited by Capriole on Oct 24, 2000 11:25 AM ]
posted on October 24, 2000 11:30:22 AM
Wow. I knew there was a buzz on the Ebay boards a week or so ago about a "new" guideline for interpreting the policy, but it was my understanding that it was the same old "one brand name reference in the description only" interpretation with the official Ebay stamp of approval. I suspect that one of the newbie SH staff handled that complaint. I really doubt that the new interpretation guidelines allow one to include mention of all other merchandise a seller has listed, whether it relates to the specific listing or not. It might bear resubmission to see if the next staff member agrees. If you get a different response, it might also be worthwhile to then email that person a copy of the original response and see if the staff member who originally handled your complaint gets a bit of inservice on the new guidelines.
pickersangel everywhere
posted on October 24, 2000 01:36:07 PM
I hope we're not heading towards keyword spamming. I doubt the dilution of search ability would be made up by the few extra urge purchases of unrelated items. Many buyers (including myself) go hunting for specific items, and making it harder to actually find those specific items would lower the number of bids I make.
----
What's being done in the name of direct marketing nowadays is crazy.
The above are all just my opinions, except where I cite facts as such.
Oh, I am not dc9a320 anywhere except AW. Any others are not me.
Is eBay is changing from a world bazaar into a bizarre world?
posted on October 24, 2000 01:50:35 PM
Capriole ... a response from eBay "Brett" eh? Hang in there - you've got a long ways to go before you reach the end of the eBay alphabet. I'm already up to the Y's (Yuri).
I knew there was a buzz on the Ebay boards a week or so ago about a "new" guideline for interpreting the policy, but it was my understanding that it was the same old "one brand name reference in the description only" interpretation with the official Ebay stamp of approval. I suspect that one of the newbie SH staff handled that complaint. I really doubt that the new interpretation guidelines allow one to include mention of all other merchandise a seller has listed, whether it relates to the specific listing or not. It might bear resubmission to see if the next staff member agrees. If you get a different response, it might also be worthwhile to then email that person a copy of the original response and see if the staff member who originally handled your complaint gets a bit of inservice on the new guidelines. 