List another item similar details, photo handling

[johnwash1]

So you've got a whole bunch of photos in your photo gallery. You've listed something, and now you want to list a similar item.

Not an identical item, of course. No, a similar item.

Lucky you. There's a button: List a similar item. No seriously, that's excellent, I'm not being sarcastic.

But of course, being similar, not identical, you want to use different photos, already in your photo gallery.

Go on, try it, I'll wait. Usability nightmare, isn't it?

First of all, there needs to be a button "Delete all photos" otherwise you can't get rid of the last one. But really this isn't a glitch, the whole thing needs rethinking, to make photo handling when revising a listing straightforward. Perhaps this needs moving to Website Suggestions, but I fear it may languish there for too long.

[tony41]

So you've got a whole bunch of photos in your photo gallery. You've listed something, and now you want to list a similar item.

Not an identical item, of course. No, a similar item.

Lucky you. There's a button: List a similar item. No seriously, that's excellent, I'm not being sarcastic.

But of course, being similar, not identical, you want to use different photos, already in your photo gallery.

Go on, try it, I'll wait. Usability nightmare, isn't it?

First of all, there needs to be a button "Delete all photos" otherwise you can't get rid of the last one. But really this isn't a glitch, the whole thing needs rethinking, to make photo handling when revising a listing straightforward. Perhaps this needs moving to Website Suggestions, but I fear it may languish there for too long.

I have had no problem using "List similar". I do almost all my listings this way. Admittedly, I normally have only one photo per listing,(being a stamp seller) but presumably the last photo which you cannot delete is the same as my single photo (it is the "last" one). What I do is click on "Choose photo" select the new photo I want to use and the old one is replaced. I can see that it is a less simple process if you use many photos per listing but it is one way round.

[rocks2dust]

I have had no problem using "List similar". I do almost all my listings this way. Admittedly, I normally have only one photo per listing,(being a stamp seller) but presumably the last photo which you cannot delete is the same as my single photo (it is the "last" one). What I do is click on "Choose photo" select the new photo I want to use and the old one is replaced. I can see that it is a less simple process if you use many photos per listing but it is one way round.

I also just click Choose Photo and upload a new photo if it isn't something recent in my list. I don't use Remove Photo Slot unless there are too many of them for the new item I'm listing. You can Choose Photo without first removing any of the old photos.

[johnwash1]

So you guys don't have a problem. Lucky you.

Maybe you'd get more sales if you took care to have multiple photos on your listings, to show every aspect of what you're selling.

You guys are saying the user interface is fine (for your limited needs). I'm saying the user interface is badly designed. But neither of those opinions is worth a hill of Casablancan beans, the only way to know for sure is to pull a few dozen punters off the street, with no experience of the site, sit them down, give them a sheet of tasks to perform, and video what they do. Having myself been heavily involved in user interface design I know it's the only way to get valid data.

I'm betting that ebid have never done that. And it shows.

[rocks2dust]

No, we're saying that you don't have to go through all the steps you are doing. Deleting photo slots is a wasted action - simply click the Choose Photo button for each photo you want to replace and select a new photo. If you have an existing photo, rather than scrolling through all your photos, just upload a new copy from the folders on your computer. Ebid uses a major third-party service to host and expire photos, so asking them to provide folders is likely more complicated than it may sound to you.

[johnwash1]

No, we're saying that you don't have to go through all the steps you are doing. Deleting photo slots is a wasted action - simply click the Choose Photo button for each photo you want to replace and select a new photo. If you have an existing photo, rather than scrolling through all your photos, just upload a new copy from the folders on your computer. Ebid uses a major third-party service to host and expire photos, so asking them to provide folders is likely more complicated than it may sound to you.

Firstly, I'm not necessarily creating the auction from the same computer that I uploaded from. In which case I don't even have access to any local copy.

More important, even if I accepted that your advice is correct, the very fact that you're having to 'educate' me shows that this is not as well designed and obvious as it should be.

Rocks2dust, thanks for trying to help (I assume that's your intent). I didn't start this thread because I needed help to do this. If I had needed help I'd have posted in an appropriate forum. This forum is "Website Suggestions". And I'm suggesting there's (considerable) room for improvement in this part of the site. And a need for usability testing.

"Ebid uses a major third-party service to host and expire photos"

Yes, I'm well aware of Amazon's Web Services.

"so asking them to provide folders is likely more complicated than it may sound to you"

I didn't mention folders, so I don't know why you're saying this. And your final words sound perhaps condescending or patronizing? Was that your intent?

[rocks2dust]

Firstly, I'm not necessarily creating the auction from the same computer that I uploaded from. In which case I don't even have access to any local copy.

More important, even if I accepted that your advice is correct, the very fact that you're having to 'educate' me shows that this is not as well designed and obvious as it should be.

Rocks2dust, thanks for trying to help (I assume that's your intent). I didn't start this thread because I needed help to do this. If I had needed help I'd have posted in an appropriate forum. This forum is "Website Suggestions". And I'm suggesting there's (considerable) room for improvement in this part of the site. And a need for usability testing.

"Ebid uses a major third-party service to host and expire photos"

Yes, I'm well aware of Amazon's Web Services.

"so asking them to provide folders is likely more complicated than it may sound to you"

I didn't mention folders, so I don't know why you're saying this. And your final words sound perhaps condescending or patronizing? Was that your intent?

What you or I find "obvious" or intuitive doesn't mean that it is worth a change or even easier to use for the majority of sellers. I disagree that this is a problem here any more than it is on any other site I've used. On at least a couple of sites, there are policies in place that can get you booted for using the same uploaded photo for the same item, after numerous complaints from buyers who didn't get the exact item pictured. If you are using multiple devices, then I suggest storing your photos in the Cloud or a photo hosting site along with other information you are using for creating listings. Certainly, you mentioned folders minutes before posting here in another, related thread -

I have many uploaded photos. I've reached the point where it would be useful to move some of them into new folders (or even existing ones, if I had any).

It isn't obvious to me how to do this.

Last I checked, there was nothing wrong with pointing out alternative ways that work well toward getting to the desired goal. Your posts come across as negative, demanding and snide - was that YOUR intent?

[johnwash1]

... Certainly, you mentioned folders minutes before posting here in another, related thread -

True, but that was a different thread.

... Your posts come across as negative, demanding and snide - was that YOUR intent?

Yes.