posted on August 18, 2001 08:18:26 PM
I've been listing a ton of trading cards on half.com, to the point where I recently topped the 2000 mark - big problem!
I can no longer browse my inventory since I hit this level. Any attempt will result in the message:
"Categories with high levels of inventory may not be available for browsing. To find a product in one of these categories please search for a specific product below by entering a UPC or ISBN in the search box."
It has become evident over the last few days that "may not be available" actually seems to mean "will never be available". Of course these are trading cards, so search by UPC or ISBN is not an option.
They have effectively cut me off from editing or deleting any of my items. I've got one item out there that, due to a typo, is listed for $89 instead of 89 cents. So aside from the fact that this looks kind of dumb, I just can't believe that they would do this to a seller. Doesn't seem like a very bright way to be running a business.
I sent an email to their address for high volume sellers a few days ago, hoping that this program might offer some relief, but to date no response from them.
posted on August 18, 2001 09:12:49 PM
I'm really sorry to hear about the problem you're having. I was just about to start a thread similar to this simply asking if any trading card sellers had found a way to search their inventory besides paging through everything. I've held back on listing items there because it takes so long to edit/delete items if need be. Now to hear this really concerns me. I've sent several e-mails to customer support about adding a search feature for trading cards. At first I received responses like "we're aware of this issue and have it on our list of things to address." Now I don't even get a response.
I'm curious as to the overall feeling at half.com about trading cards and their future there, especially since they've added no new 2001 cards to their database since trading cards first became available in late April
I don't have any suggestions or answers unfortunately - just more of the same concerns.
posted on August 18, 2001 10:31:59 PM
High Volume sellers of any kind on Half are at a great disadvantage. The server is slow, there are many mislisted items, and navigating to a specific one is tedious. I have over 100 items on half--I wait till a few sell, then add a few more.
Half needs to get serious about upgrading their inventory listings. Don't hold your breath--it has taken years for eBay to put real polish in their namesake site. I can't understand why eBay doesn't send a few of their techies to do a makeover of half. It's not that hard.
posted on August 19, 2001 11:34:27 AM
emak: I also emailed half regarding the inventory management back in April and got the same response/lack of response you did.
I guess their non-answer is the answer: *Don't list more than 2000 non-UPC/ISBN items in any one category of half. You will not be able to change or delete a single item.*
mballai: Thanks, I've seen enough of this kind of poor service and engineering in the past few years to know better than to hold my breath.
posted on August 19, 2001 01:31:59 PM
Customer service at Half. is poor. As stated, it takes 3 days to respond to questions. Never any less. They never give complete answers or respond to more than one question at a time.
posted on August 19, 2001 01:42:32 PM
The sad thing is there are a lot of very good sellers on Half and the place does move merchandise. I find it better than eBay for many books, so I am not giving up on them.
