posted on July 13, 2004 06:10:42 AM new
From the AuctionBytes Newsletter:
eBay said it will change the way the item description area of the view
item page displays. The item description content will be now be cached
by browsers, causing users to notice improvements in loading times
when they view the same item more than once, or when they refresh a
view item page. As a result of this change, sellers who have used html
tags to customize the item page outside the item description area (to
change font color for links outside the item description, for
instance) will now only be able to customize the area within the item
description. Any active listings, or listings that have been created
in a listing tool such as Turbo Lister but not yet uploaded, will
automatically be adjusted.
posted on July 13, 2004 06:31:23 AM new
Meadow: Do you think this means that the messages we include in our description, to be automatically added from Vendio at the time of listing, are considered part of the description, not outside it? Hope so. ~Adele
___________________________________
posted on July 13, 2004 07:47:00 AM new
Roadsmith,
I think the items you speak of will be part of the description, if I'm not mistaken. What Ebay is objecting to, I believe, are the backgrounds on "their part" of the page, and changes in their fonts outside the description area.
I am looking for an example on Ebay right now to post here.
posted on July 13, 2004 07:52:47 AM new
So I am not the only one who saw this! Good! I am not going nuts. I tried to list a few auctions yesterday using HTML. Well, the top part of the description looked very very tiny. I thought it was something I did! NOPE, it was E-BUTT. After posting my HTML, I had to back in with their editor and changed it. I don't know that much HTML, just enough to do some basics in the description. I don't change backgrounds and flying figs etc. They changed something. that's for darn sure!
posted on July 13, 2004 08:04:57 AM new
Actually, this (YET ANOTHER!) change by eBay has affected every one of my 70+ auctions -- I list through vendio using a very simple template with some very basic html & font-sizes -- the eBay changed re-scaled all my fonts in the middle section of all my auctions, so they start off properly in a nice large readable size, then abruptly go to a smaller font, and then end up with my original font. I use blue color for head-lines on major sections & that didn't change.
It appears the problem now with eBay's change is that I used to be able to put in the following html tag just ONCE at the beginning of my Vendio set-up description:
</font size="4">
This would give me the type-size I liked right through my entire description.
Now, however, it appears that I have to put that into every paragraph I create, or they default to a smaller eBay type face. As usual, what a bunch of crapola on eBay's part! Monkeying around with stuff that is just not necessary to fix!
(In fact, in trying to revise one of my auctions, I'm finding I have to put the font size html in front of EVERY item in a bulleted list, too -- geez, what a nutsy change!)
[ edited by upriver on Jul 13, 2004 08:08 AM ]
posted on July 13, 2004 08:13:16 AM new
I could not find any example of what I was talking about. I used to run across great numbers of auctions with distacting backgrounds behind Ebay's portion of the page. One seller I used to shop regularly used to change all of eBay's wording to a pale pink. Very hard to read.
I have added a background to Ebay's portion
and have changed thier font color myself in the past. It's quicker and easier not to. It falls into the catgory of "just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should". Like the sellers that put music files on thier pages that irritatingly play endlessly while I'm trying to concentrate on the item's description.
I haven't seen any of this in a while. Maybe eBay already figured out how to eliminate most of it by preventing changes to their html.
Edited to say - me need spell checker? No, I'm perfect. NOT! LOL!
[ edited by meadowlark on Jul 13, 2004 08:18 AM ]
It looks like you have to specify font and size for each paragraph, likely having to put beginning tags and closing tags on every paragraph if you want your own html. That's the way I learned to write html, so it's not a biggie for me, just a major irritation to change everything.
When you don't put both, it looks like the "intuitive" aspect of Ebay's setup no longer recognizes that you want the font to stay the same until you use the end tag "[*/font] (without the asterisk).
The reason the headings stayed the same is probably because you have tags at both ends of the headings, like:
[*h3]heading text[*/h3]
right?
Again, leaving the asterisks out. I added them to make sure this would display here.
Does that make sense?
Does eBay care it screwed up thousands of auctions today? Naw.
posted on July 13, 2004 12:37:47 PM new
meadowlark; and upriver....
i had all my auctions change last night...not being computer savy, i thought i had screwed up again...went to live chat, no help, he couldnt understand it...so i went and revised one of my auctions to get it back to the original font size...DID WHAT UPRIVER
REFERS TO...
------------
i waited and waited today, finally referenced these two auctions to live chat again...she just didnt understand me; she didnt understand the "picture[s]" either...below is the two auctions, if anyone is interested...or at least we know if there is a past and present here..let me know is this is what you are experiencing.
--------------
this r/w/blue template is +2 years old with me
----------------
Umm... I actually like the smaller font better. LOL!
Sorry, but the bigger print makes me feel like I'm being yelled at. On your auctions, the smaller font just doesn't look bad. Some people's stuff may be worse, though, I guess.
posted on July 13, 2004 02:32:42 PM new
I do put font sizes on the paragraphs on my home page, but for ease of editing I didn't do that on ebay.
I wanted it clean enough and easy enough to slap text into sections, using hidden text to delineate shipping, payment and other permanent, yet changable info.
My Header tags are great, now my words below are rather small.
You know, it's the twonks who have red ebay text on pink backgrounds who have ruined it for us all.
They should be lined up at dawn and forced to listen to hours of midi music. Except the ones with midi music on their pages...they should just be shot.
Feeling less like Tom Terrific and more like Crabby Appleton!
No, I haven't seen any smaller ones. Just saying I didn't think yours looked bad.
You were originally using font size 4. Ebay's default is 3, I'm pretty sure, so +1 = 4. So when Ebay changed, it went to 3. I write most of mine in 3 and 4. Your headers are +2 so are size 5. This is based on looking at the source code of the page that still has the larger type or was corrected back to what it should be.
Here's what I saw in the soucre code on the page with the smaller writing:
...<*font size=3><*B><*font color=red><*font size=+2> ..DUNCAN PHYFE CHAIRS ..<*/B><*/color=red><*/font size=+2><*P>
<*font color=blue><*B>..please bid on this set of one arm...
So it shows that the part that started with the blue font did not specify size, and then defaulted to Ebay's default. I have never used the + or - sign. I have always specified the exact size. Either way works.
posted on July 13, 2004 03:34:08 PM new
So out of my auctions running, I got about 50 without bids (still early, LOL!) that now have a middle section that defaulted to eBay's smaller font-size. Revised one, took about 3 minutes, so thanks eBay, they all look like #*!@, but I'm simply not going to waste 2 1/2 hours revising them.
posted on July 13, 2004 03:40:44 PM new
upriver, that sux
The only way I knew that a change was going to happen was 'cuz I subsribe to AuctionBytes online newsletter. You can go to www.auctionbytes.com to subscribe.
I am not connected with them, just find it a useful tool. I think their staff read this board too.
posted on July 13, 2004 03:51:22 PM new
Hi,
I contacted Chris at Vendio customer service about what was going on and this is his explanation:
>eBay has recently changed their style sheet, and in doing so, has
>changed the behavior of any HTML you may be using. Most of the <h2>
><h3>
>style tags changed to where these are all small fonts. They also
>changed
>what happens after a <P> tag. If you were using a <font size=_> tag,
>you
>will now need to enter this after every <P> tag as well. We would also
>
>urge you to contact eBay to ask them to switch this behavior back to
>how
>it worked previously. Chances are this was not fully intentional on
>their part, and they will hopefully switch this back (sooner than
>later.)
>
>Best regards,
>
>Chris
>Vendio Customer Service
posted on July 13, 2004 03:56:48 PM new
myoldtoy: Yes I noticed that, too, the seller page and other eBay pages such as feedback page have changed to some new font, which personally, I find harder to read & my eyes aren't as good as they usdabe! Not only that, the darned feedback page no longer fits on my 14" computer screen, in order to read the f/b someone has left me this week, I have to use the bottom scroll-bar & move it over.
Oh, you dreary eBay technocrats, get a life! It's summer, you should be cooking steaks or shrimp on the BBQ, not making our seller lives difficult!
posted on July 13, 2004 04:03:32 PM new
Um..does this mean my shipping calculator after the *<p>* will not show up? I am not really very savvy about all of this, I am using a great calculator that I found on this forum and would hate to lose it. I have a few auctions set to launch at 6:30 so I guess I will look and see what they look like. Thanks, Pat
i have typos all the time..not because i am inherently ignorant, but having two cataracts done, i just dont see my errors.. on anything less than a 12...
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i had auction close this p.m., the scroll problem appeared on me too..in fact, if blurred the edge of my tos where it stated the ups amount..and it would nt print either..
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mot
posted on July 13, 2004 04:08:27 PM new
MOT, Upriver is right.
Especially when he/she said:
Oh, you dreary eBay technocrats, get a life! It's summer, you should be cooking steaks or shrimp on the BBQ, not making our seller lives difficult!
I heartily agree.
I just had a thought! eBay probly dusn't pay it's employeeees much and gets only da leftover broken-eyeglass pocket-protector hunched-over virgin programming geeks in da industry to work there!
Pmelcher, your shipping calculator is probably fine, as long as it appears in your description area.
[ edited by meadowlark on Jul 13, 2004 04:10 PM ]
posted on July 13, 2004 04:21:31 PM new
"Oh, you dreary eBay technocrats, get a life! It's summer, you should be cooking steaks or shrimp on the BBQ, not making our seller lives difficult!"
Upriver is dead on. I just want to bombard Ebay e-mail with that statement, over and over. In fact, I wonder if we just sent it to spoof, all of us, they'd get up from their desks and leave for a few weeks for warmer climes.
posted on July 13, 2004 04:57:54 PM new
Hey guys....what a nightmare right?? I've talked to 2 people at ebay and they have no clue what's going one....I cleared my cookies thinking that's it and it's not!!! So does that <font size=> after every <p> go the same as the <font face=> too. I can't get my font style back to normal too....anyone else having that problem?
Brenda
posted on July 13, 2004 05:23:19 PM newRIGHT ON, eBAY HAS DONE IT AGAIN but as I inspected my auctions, not much had changed - I create all my auctions in the FULL version of FrontPage, and apparently the HTML tags are in place in most places needed.
eBAY reminds me of the Government, creating jobs to employ people! YUCK!
posted on July 13, 2004 06:37:35 PM new
My listings are all written in FP, but there are plenty of font errors in my listings. The only parts that look right are sections of print in between something else, such as a picture. That forces FP to put the font info tags in again.
This goof can be worked around by replacing every <p> with a <br>, but we have too many listings to make that a reasonable option.
I'll just spend this week writing descriptions, and I won't list anything. That makes this the first week in 2 years that I haven't listed at least something new, except for the week my husband was in the hospital!
Gee, Thanks, eBay!
********************************************************
[br]
Vintage Estate Items with Flea Market Pricing[br] DIRTY BUTTER ESTATES[br] Careful Packing and Worldwide Shipping
posted on July 13, 2004 06:54:02 PM new
onetrack: Bummer!
For me, luckily I only had 6 items-to-go already written, so not much there needing revision. I revised one of them & just launched it, just to see if all the revised html worked, and it did! Now I'm away for a few days, hopefully it will still be working when I return, and eBay won't have messed things up anymore.
Feeling less like Tom Terrific and more like Crabby Appleton!
