Is it possible to retrieve accvidentally deleted drafts?

[merfar2107]

As per title. I'm guessing not but hoping like mad! TIA.

[kopenhagen5]

Try going back in your browser history but it will probably say can't find file.

If any were saved as a template try there.

[merfar2107]

Thanks kopes, will try the browser, but it's a long way back. I was just deleting one and must've hit the wrong little box and they all disappeared. 😞

[davewil1964]

Of course you have everything necessary to recreate a listing stored on your computer. Just start the listing from scratch.

If not, I highly recommend you start doing so.

I keep everything needed to create a listing at least until the item is sold. Usually after, but that's just me.

[davewil1964]

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@merfar2107 wrote:

Thanks kopes, will try the browser, but it's a long way back. I was just deleting one and must've hit the wrong little box and they all disappeared. 😞

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It can't be that far back. Drafts only live for a max of 2 and a half months.

[merfar2107]

No luck, kopes. Do you think they'd be available on old backups?

[merfar2107]

Dave I'm so sorry to be so dim, but can you explain what you mean? I'd be very grateful. (And always willing to learn).

[davewil1964]

Drafts disappear on the 16th of the month after the month after the month they were created. If you created a draft on 1-29 February, it will fall off on 16 April.

So, a max of 2 and a half months.

[merfar2107]

No, it wasn't that. I accidentally ticked the ' delete the whole column' icon because I was rushing, so have lost 10 drafts. my stupidity. 

What I'm very interested in learning about is what you meant by this: 'I keep everything needed to create a listing at least until the item is sold'

Do you coy to word, or screenshot? Is that what you mean? Again, apologies for being dim, but I am genuinely interested in learning. TIA.

[davewil1964]

All of my descriptions are kept in Notepad files. Far better than Word as Word contains a lot of extraneous formatting. When I sell something the description gets put in a 'sold' file. When I get another copy of a book I already have to hand most of what I need to relist it. About 5mb in Notepad files, so not a lot.

For pictures, I take scans of front and back covers, also stored on my computer. I only delete them when I sell.

So, if I lost a listing, for whatever reason, I already have the relevant information to recreate the listing without undue effort. I would never rely on eBay to store information about MY listings. That, to me, is my responsibility.

For example: last year eBay got rid of autorelists. That meant I had to upgrade my store and delete about 900 items from my store account. As I was getting monthly unlimited non-store freebies, I put them in that account. It was a bit of work, but I didn't have to dig books out of storage and recreate the descriptions and pics. I already had them. It took about a minute per. 15 hours that I would prefer not to have spent, but better than the probably 90 it would have taken otherwise.