on โ30-01-2014 01:45 AM
I run a couple of auto parts & accessories business's and ebay is one of our main channels for online sales. At present the ebay standard search does not show a sellers name unless selected as an option. Nor is there a brand field so it will appear in search. Given that auto parts in particular need quite a bit of descriptive text in the already limited space in the title as most customers (and we have surveyed them) really dont read the descritptions at all it is quite important that they can visually see
1. The product
2. The brand
3. The seller
These first three have by nearly all us parts and accessories sellers been incorporated into the images as the only method of visually displaying this.
4. The title itself needs to accurately describe what the item is and what it fits.
We have emebedded into every description a message with big (gif) moving eyes and the word "Look" asking the customer to verify their vehicles information so we can send the correct item. Less than 2% of them do and we then have to email or call them to confirm.(which we do and they like it)
Further when people are buying as is clearly demonstrated in traditional retail stores people like to see the big brand signs, a good display and obviously the price. Online retail is no different.
This policy effectively removes our ability to display a brand logo or our own logo as a trusted seller in the online space to the customer.
When i buy from ebay sellers i like to viusally see in search the brand I'm buying especially when I'm looking for a well known brand.
I think that ebay has got this totally wrong and that it will likley cause a significant sales drop in many categories as peopleare either too time poor or simply too lazy to read the bulk of the descriptions we put in. Ebay's biggest seller uses heavy text and branding in all their images. And rightly so as it shows professionalism and branding.
I am curious as to other thoughts about this. That last time ebay made such a radical change was several years ago when listing fees were too expensive for parts sellers to list all their inventory so we used the old store format instead. When they removed items in stores search from the main search our ebay business basically ended right there. When they changed a couple of years ago so BIN listings were free there was an immediate and huge increase in sales across the board in our category and ebay came alive for us again. Ebays own revenues in the category went up massively.
As of now if we suffered any more than a 30% drop in our sales I would be forced to lay off several staff and possibly even leave ebay altogether.
If ebay really want this policy they have to give us more title space, show our sellers id's at the very least in default search and either include extra but separate image fields for brand logos and store logos or at least a brand text field. Ebay have been trying hard to convince more big brands to come on board but by removing the ability to display their logos they will probably get lost among the fake items. Most big brands police the use of their logos carefully. We ensure we have written permission from all the brands we sell on or off ebay to use those logos for the purpose of selling genuine branded items.
If other sellers agree that this new policy will be very detrimental then we need to voice our opinions to ebay on mass as unless we do nothing will change. Ebay is a great channel but I am very very fearful these changes are going to cripple many actual business's who deal as we do in major brands and provide a high level of service. There will be no way for the buyers to deliniate a quality seller from some backyard hack trying to make a quick buck without providing the service and back up support that we and many many other high quality sellers out there do.
on โ30-01-2014 07:07 AM
on โ30-01-2014 02:34 PM
I think its important and agrre with you that the image needs to be clear. Text through the image doesn't help at all but a brand and seller logo or some other info around the image but not through it seems to grab the attention of most buyers. I note you have that in many of your own listings. I would like a nice crisp image only if ebay gave us a little more recognition in search with a Brand logo field and seller name / logo field. Its the anonymity this will create I dont like as we are proud of our business and the service we offer and want our customers to easily see who is us and who is someone else. Like when you look through a shopping centre for the different stores signes.
on โ30-01-2014 08:33 PM
You can still watermark your pics with your seller name. The brand should be covered in the title/listing. Not sure what your beef is.
on โ02-02-2014 11:01 PM
just big DOG ebay taking out money and not providing a website that works ...................typical ebay !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
on โ14-02-2014 10:22 PM
Here is a better issue that will now arise....
eBay have put in writing to us that - Disclaimers are not allowed at all in listings.
The new policy states that it must be the item being sold in the picture.... we have just got confirmation from eBay that means EVERY organic ( wood, furniture, stone, leather) product on eBay must be individually photographed. Every wood floor board, every cricket bat, every piece of furniture etc.... This will have problems in duplicate listings as the item title and description will be identical and yet the picture HAS TO BE the one that you are getting. If you sell small products then you must show all the products making the item illegible to view on gallery. Imagine all those made to measure products now have to be removed as they are not the exact item buyers will receive and the list goes on
The good news is that Aust Sellers will probally be able to knock OS sellers out of market for not having exact products shown for sale as they tend to use the same photo across various user names.
โ15-02-2014 11:05 PM - edited โ15-02-2014 11:05 PM
I already do that. I sell used books and I would never use stock photos or the same photo. Unless the books are identical. Or catalogue details, especially when they are often wrong.
Not an issue for me. But I take the time to do things properly.
on โ17-03-2014 11:34 PM
Well that going to cost ebay big time. When dealing with Auto Parts it would take years and years to attempt to provide an exact picture of each item. We looked at doing actual item photos for a brake products range and it would take a full time photogragher about 1 year just to do that range of nearly 30,000 items. With car seat covers as another example that would require getting a vehicle and fitting the covers to each vehicle to appropriately display the item. This could simply never happen. Ebay Australia moves several hundred thousand dollars of seat covers across all the sellers every month. I cant see them wanting to give away that revenue or the revenue from millions of dollars of parts sales across ebay Australia monthly.
Time will tell......
on โ18-03-2014 05:13 PM
The requirements are for USED items.
I assume you are selling NEW items, so stock pics are still allowed.
โ06-04-2014 06:13 AM - edited โ06-04-2014 06:16 AM