'Listings Require Action' - I've updated & updated but can't see what is wrong with my listings

[jane-de-cluttering]

I posted here about this notification I 've been receiving from Ebay, about a month ago.  No-one here could advise me as to what was my problem or the general issue.

Since then I've received more 'urgent' emails from Ebay.  On 23 Sep an email said I still had 19 listings which required action & if they weren't updated then "you won’t be able to publish new, relisted or revised listings in certain Home & Garden, Food & Drink, and Fashion categories".

So I undertook the very tedious exercise of inspecting & updating every single one of my listings - scrupulously.

Today I get a similar notice - still 19 listings require action.

All of the notices recommend I subscribe to Optiseller in order to be able to easily view which are the problem listings.  [I haven't done so & can't see what this might cost without doing the initial registration.]

Is this a hoax?!!  Is anyone else getting this?

[lane-ends]

They, ve extended te deadline.

Optiseller is unethical marketing by ebay, they know where the issues are so they could tell us (if there are indeed any). Instead they are saying sign up for free trial of a paid product...Which is in effect force promoting a product.

Why waste time chasing these ghost listings. Wait until they fail to upload then you will know which ones they are, and fixed them then. Would not be surprised if turns out you have non.

[negron18]

sometimes as in my case it was i had links that took the buyer to a website outside of ebay. My links were deadlinks that only showd up when i clicked on html and found anything that had (htps) then a website. The strange thing was that ebay themselves said don't worry we can't see that there are no links to outside webpages yet i kept getting the same messages as you. 

Many of my dead links i found were either to paypal or ebay itself or links from webpages that i used to use to host gif files or background screens for listings. 

I thought initially it was my listings that needed UPC codes or certain genres filled in, but just when you revise your lisitng in the description section there is a HTML u can click and look for any website link files that may have HTPS and delete them

[jane-de-cluttering]

Thanks Negron. But no, I have no links.

[lynne8221]

Jane, I was receiving these messages as well & couldn't find anything to indicate what was wrong with my listings.

Rang the 1800 number for Ebay & explained my problem.  CS rep said they have a tool which removes whatever is in the listing that shouldn't be there & she did it for me (about 20 listings.)

Since then if I receive the message I just ring & they fix it for me.  Takes all the stress out of not knowing what the heck is wrong with the listing.

[jane-de-cluttering]

Thanks Lynne. But you seem to be saying that there was something there which should not have been, rather than there was missing information. And whatever it is, you continue to receive warnings even though presumably you are not inserting the problem data into new listings? This sounds like an Ebay problem!

[lynne8221]

Jane, they said that my listings had data from other sites - they don't know how they got there & neither do I.  Maybe has to do with all the ads Ebay run on our listings???

Anyway they were happy to clear the said listings & I keep getting the warning every so often.  I just leave it until there are about 10 listings & then ring them & they clear them for me.

 I do my listings from scratch but this keeps happening.  I figure it's an Ebay problem as much as it is mine & they don't seem too concerned about it when I ring.

For the last week I've had just one listing that requires action, so have just left it & will deal with it later if I don't have any more.

[curraone]

Hi Jane:  I don't know if this helps because I'm not very teccy savvy - but your listings have a lot of stuff in the them, which is probably what the bots have picked up.

For example - this is what one of your listings looks like in HTML

<font style="font-family:Arial" size="4">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">These are a lovely
loafer made in Italy by Stilmoda.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Euro size
41 or AUS size 10</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">They are in
a nude pinkish tone of patent leather.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>The white rubber sole is man-made.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span>The heel is 2cm high.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> The interior length is 27cm. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">Tassels to
the front and stitching around the edge of the sole.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Classic loafer look.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">Beautifully
comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>Not much worn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>In very good condition.&nbsp; Purchased new by the owner. <br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p></font><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:107%">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:normal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Happy to
answer questions, or take more photos – esp in regards to colour. </span></p>

When this happened to me some months ago - I went into every listing and "washed" the descriptions in Notepad - which removes any codes - so I did this to yours and now it looks like this:

These are a lovely loafer made in Italy by Stilmoda.&nbsp; Euro size 41 or AUS size 10<br><br>&nbsp;<br><br>They are in a nude pinkish tone of patent leather.&nbsp; The white rubber sole is man-made.&nbsp; The heel is 2cm high. The interior length is 27cm.<br><br>&nbsp;<br><br>Tassels to the front and stitching around the edge of the sole.&nbsp; Classic loafer look.<br><br>&nbsp;<br><br>Beautifully comfortable.&nbsp; Not much worn.&nbsp; In very good condition.&nbsp; Purchased new by the owner.<br><br><br>Happy to answer questions, or take more photos – esp in regards to colour.&nbsp; <br>

Also I notice you don't start with the HTML code thingy they told us last year you must have as the first line:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width initial-scale=1"> 

[jane-de-cluttering]

Thank you very much Curraone. Unfortunately this is absolutely beyond me. I've never inserted code. I simply type out a WORD document and copy & paste into the standard Ebay template. I've not been selling for 12 months yet and I don't recall ever being advised to commence with HTML code. As I say I only follow their template. I think I will just continue on my own merry way until they decide to throw me out!

[jane-de-cluttering]

Hi Curraone - I've started washing everything. This will take a while! But I wonder why Ebay only refers to 19 listings when I'm thinking that it is every one. And if anyone else is looking for an app to 'wash' their listings, this was the best free one I could find. https://wordhtml.com/

[brerrabbit585]

If you want to get rid of the &nbsp; bit, just do one space between sentences instead of two.

When I copy and paste anything into listings I always do it using the HTML tab (with the rest of the description copied from another listing).