posted on June 2, 2004 02:18:08 PM
Anyone know if eBay will get rid of the "item specifics" for the book category? Since they started that all auction sales of mine in the book category have fallen by 70%. Anyone else have this same problem?
posted on June 2, 2004 05:30:42 PM
Yes, my sales have dropped, though not as drastically as yours!
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We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on June 2, 2004 06:23:13 PM
It was a terrible change for Ebay to make. Just terrible. Read the Ebay book sellers' board for their comments.
___________________________________
As I've matured, I've learned . .
#2. . . that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.
posted on June 2, 2004 07:01:14 PM
Not only was it bad in the book category, but I no longer shop the record categories. I don't go in looking for a specific item. I used to browse the going going gone looking for a bargain.
It's a shame what Ebay is doing but I think rather than changing back their intention is to make everything Item specifics within the next few months.
Once that happens it may minimize the damage as everyone will eventually get used to shopping that way.
posted on June 2, 2004 07:07:08 PM
If a person does a title search for a title of a book including author why wouldn't they find your auctions? What am I missing?
posted on June 2, 2004 07:23:02 PM
I have read the many bulletin-board posts from booksellers describing how their sales have suffered, and that is obviously terrible for them.
I've been selling full-time eBay for over 6 years, and for the last 4 years, my sales are 95% or more books.
I was extremely apprehensive about the changes, however, I worked very hard to adapt my titles, content, and use of item specifics to remain effective.
Before the items specifics change, I had averaged 70% sell-through with book sales of between $3,000 to $5,000 average per month.
I just finished adding up my book sales SINCE the change, and for the last month, my sell-thru was 72%, with 268 successfully concluded book auctions, and total sales just under $4,000 -- so I don't see any difference really, in fact, I think on my better items, both books and some magazines, that bidding was better than before.
I didn't pick out any particular books from my working inventory to skew those results, either, just worked with what I would normally have sold.
My conclusion is that bidders were certainly able to find my items -- I used both AuctionTracker and watched the Vendio "hits", and they were as good if not better as they were before item specifics were implemented.
I think the key to all this is to really fine hone your skills of presenting, describing, accurately listing your title with the correct item specifics category, and really learning how to effectively use the most-likely-to-be-searched keywords in your title.
Also, you really have to learn your craft, and strive to develop a razor-sharp feeling for what people want to buy, and for what might interest them.
posted on June 2, 2004 07:49:11 PM
Hello. I've been doing this for five years. I know all about keywords, accurate listings, good descriptions, subject placement, etc. etc. etc. The fact remains that a lot of people who buy don't log on with specific items in mind. They browse categories. Fiction, especially has been hurt: someone interested in browsing for poetry or mysteries aren't going to want to browse through the currently 1,907 pages of listings for "Fiction & Literature." And that's just one example.
____________________
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on June 2, 2004 08:38:53 PM
Ditto to what Bunnicula says here. Almost no serious book reader goes into a book store looking for one specific book. The browsing capability in Ebay books categories is what is now missing.
Even if I enter a b&m bookstore looking for a specific book, I ALWAYS BROWSE. Ditto in the Ebay subcategories, which used to be there. My only conclusion has to be that those Gen-X dimwits at Ebay DO NOT READ OR BUY BOOKS.
___________________________________
As I've matured, I've learned . .
#2. . . that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.
posted on June 3, 2004 06:11:57 AM
upriver, you are right on target. I have been selling books for 5 years, and constantly have to change how I do it. The biggest thing is perceiving changes in what people want to buy and acquiring the appropriate inventory.
Still, eBay's item specifics has had a damaging effect on sales, and makes listing take more time rather than less. Much of my inventory is not in the eBay database, either. Screw 'em. ebay is not the only place to sell books online.
posted on June 3, 2004 07:02:55 AM
bunnicula: If someone wants to browse for poetry, they can search the words poetry (1650 items), poems (587 items), poet (587 items), poem (1299 items), poets (377 items. Some of those results are going to be books, some will be records or DVD's, but they are certainly searchable & browsable. It's not at all perfect, but the books can be found. Perhaps poetry is easier for that than 'mystery' or 'science fiction', but even with the old category ways, sellers would throw their items in many different categories, so to find the poetry books, you would have to browse through fiction poetry, plus literature, literary collections, non-fiction, antiquarian, and perhaps even history or some other category. At least now, you get an across-category search result.
I agree that the specifics change has negatively affected browsing ability, especially on esoteric or perhaps 'limited interest' items. But some of the books I sold since the change were pretty darn esoteric (a British local parish history for example), and still sold for very strong results.
pelorus: Adapting to eBay's many changes these past 5 years has been a challenge, anyone who wants to do this anything approaching a living simply has to really think & strategize how they do it. I personally don't like the items specifics changes, but I am finding that I can adapt to them, as can bidders obviously, and that my sales have (so far) continued to be just as strong as before. As far as listing time, I use Vendio to launch auctions, and the items specifics really only takes a few extra seconds per title -- I suspect it takes much more time from what I hear if you are listing through eBay itself.
posted on June 3, 2004 12:19:04 PM
bunnicula...I see your point,thanks for explaining. All I'm selling right now is audio books so I haven't noticed the change as some of you have. I'd say the change will hurt me as well when I get back to the records again. I'm am so behind in listing I'll never get caught up.
