Changes to Item Links Pages - could impact sales?

[pastime]

Has anyone noticed the change to Item Listing page Link?

They no longer have the https item etc:


but now have: Home>Buy>etc - which no longer takes you directly to the Listing, but takes you to the Categories page:

which then takes you to this: so any buyer, if they do click on an eBid item will not be clicking to the Sale/BIN page.

Any thoughts as to why this change has been has made?
Marie.

[Stnenopmoc]

Think there is some general upgrading going on.

Look at the top right of the forum page at the 'search eBid' box, thats also new.

The top of the eBid home page now rotates with eBid information included, think that's also new

Think the comments from ebidders, on the home page, could do with updating; there's one on there thats nearly celibrating its 20th anniversary

[theElench]

I've no idea what is going on although I've also noticed one or two minor changes to page layouts over a few months.

Why has your your wall plaque taken you to the Jewellery & Watches categories page?

If taking the buyer to the categories page is the intention it won't do my chances of a sale any good because, as I've complained about before, for glass the categories page doesn't even show most of the sub-categories. For some reason (that has never been answered) it only has 3 sub-cats., with all the others hidden under "Glassware". Making it appear that, for example, there is no Date Lined Glass on ebid unless the searcher clicks on Glassware to get to the next level.

As for my searches on GS. If this change has made any difference, all I can see is that when I tried to improve my visibility by changing listing titles to more specific word order rather than relying on "Art Deco", that helped and I did get Ebid on the Shops filter for my listings of "Bagley" "Sowerby" and "Stolzle" glass. Although no ads. on the first couple of pages.

Looking today, Ebid has vanished from the Shops if I search for "Stolzle Glass". My complaining FB to GS was never answered and even more than before, I wonder if there has been pressure from Trump on the Tech. giants like Google to exclude non-USA sites ? All I can see now on GS is wall-to-wall etsy and ebay with a sprinkling of one-man sites and specialist sites, some of which could also be US run.

[pastime]

I've no idea what is going on although I've also noticed one or two minor changes to page layouts over a few months.

Why has your your wall plaque taken you to the Jewellery & Watches categories page?

If taking the buyer to the categories page is the intention it won't do my chances of a sale any good because, as I've complained about before, for glass the categories page doesn't even show most of the sub-categories. For some reason (that has never been answered) it only has 3 sub-cats., with all the others hidden under "Glassware". Making it appear that, for example, there is no Date Lined Glass on ebid unless the searcher clicks on Glassware to get to the next level.

Hi Elench,
Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse. (Why has your your wall plaque taken you to the Jewellery & Watches categories page?) I had taken several screenshots of different links. Using the night-light eBid link was just to illustrate the new type of 'Home>Buy>etc' now showing for each listing (and not the https links that were used before).
Also, the Categories page was again, being used to illustrate what was the type of page that would appear when clicking on that item.

If you get the time please click on one of your GS listings and see if you get the same as I did yesterday, when 'visiting' a listing on GS.

It would be helpful if we knew why eBid Central has made these changes to our listings?

[theElench]

I think I see what you mean although I never looked at the https url previously. My listings have also changed to the version you're seeing. If I click on the Home, it takes me to the Categories page. If I click on Pottery, Porcelain & Glass, I'm taken to that Level 1 category. If I click on Glass I'm taken to that Level 2 sub-cat. and if I click on Date Lined Glass I'm taken to the Level 3 sub-cat.

I can't click on the item number as, already viewing the item, I'm already there.

More to come.

Edited to add.

Looking at GS and searching "bagley glass".

The only way I can find any of my listings is to tick the "Ebid" box in the the Shops filter, then I can see lots of my listings.

Clicking on one at random (not from the Sponsored stripes), I'm taken to a page that shows some of the ebid ad., NO url and from which, if I want to see the whole ad. and BUY button I have to click on the Visit Site button (which I think might have cost ebid for the Click?)

Before I could view the whole ad. without clicking Visit Site, so perhaps GS is trying to squeeze Ebid for more cash ?

From what I've read both obay and esty now charge the seller for external ads on sites like GS. So far Ebid does not, but if my guess is right, I can't see that lasting.

Perhaps the change on the listings is Ebid's reaction to that change ?

Perhaps either The Management or someone who knows how Sponsorship/Promotion works can enlighten us.

[pastime]

Hi Elech,
Thank you. After leaving my message went on to check GS Shopping for Bagley & Art Deco - no eBid listings. Clicked on the eBid tab showing (which must mean that your efforts are working). When clicking on listings in that section all clicked through to your listing pages - I'm assuming that is because of the eBid framework.

What would help is to be able to click on an eBid listing just on the GS Shopping list and see where that links to.
Yesterday, I couldn't find any of my listings in GS, so couldn't check. Went to Images and found 2 listings which clicked through to the Category page - which is like a brick wall for someone wanting to possibly buy the item they clicked on!

Whether or not this is an ongoing change and I just happened to check at that moment - or is this a totally new situation that will make sales more difficult, it would be helpful to find out for sure.

[theElench]

I'm sorry to say it doesn't mean my efforts are working. That Ebid can be seen on the Shops filter is entirely down to Robbie Lowe's suggestion that I change my listing titles from the very generic parameters of "Art Deco glass etc." to the narrower "Bagley / Sowerby / Stolzle art Deco glass". Only by that narrowing of the focus of the results does it remove enough of the competition to make Ebid visible.

So far my efforts have been confined to ticking the "Ebid" box and then viewing an occasional (non-sponsored) listing in an effort to get GS to show my listings on the first 3 pages of their results. I've had no success at all. (Admittedly I've not been too well lately and my efforts have been less regular than I would like.)

I never search much further than P.3 because it's said that if you're not in the first 2/3 pages of results your items will hardly be looked at due to the audience's short attention span.

When I first started taking an interest in GS it was because I could always find some of my listings and I was trying to increase that number. I was pleasantly surprised when, by viewing a couple of my ads. regularly, "Ebid - theelench" appeared on the Sellers filter. I could view individual ads. WITHOUT clicking the "Visit Site" button. That has now changed.

The only way I have found to view one of my ads. in full is to tick the Ebid box and view a shortened version of the ad. To see the full version with I would now have to click the Visit Site button. Something I'm loathe to do in case Ebid is then charged for the Click. Especially when I'm not at all certain that by ticking the ebid box will persuade GS to show any of my ads. on its main pages.

[gazza]

Hi Marie,

Not sure I understand what you are saying.

No the item links have had no changes
https://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/vin...-221760896.htm
is the format before and are still today. The https is still there.

If you are talking about these links https://www.ebid.net/forums/attachme...9&d=1755180239 appearing on the listing details page . Then they are not new, they've always been there and have not changed at all. Apologies if I've misunderstood

Thanks,
Gazza

[pastime]

Hi Gazza,Thank you for your help - it's 2 queries and I'm not sure if they are linked.

On the 14th Aug I looked on GS for eBid listings - didn't see anything on Shopping. Looked at Images and found a silver charm listing, clicked on 'Visit' and was taken to the Category Section. I took screenshots because Google Image Search keeps mixing my listing Image with my other different listings, which then need to be deleted and re-listed in the hope that they are not mixed up again.



I tried to double check the GS Image the next day, but couldn't find it - I'm unsure if this is a GS odd linkage or a blip or the different item link now showing in our listing links (which now doesn't seem to go directly to the listed item):
Posted a PYA including the old http listing - which went directly to the item listed.

The following week I posted a new PYA but the wording link had changed and I fiddled with it, but could only get the link to the Night Light Listings page - is this what happened with the GS Image link?

1. It's now very difficult to find eBid listing on GS - it appears to be wall-to-wall ebay & etsy listings, so I haven't been able to click on anything else to check this out.

2. How do I link directly to the PYA listed item?

Sorry, as you must have gathered I'm not very IT savvy and would be grateful for any help given.
Marie.

[robbielowe]

The mixing of images and listing descriptions is still happening on Google. I had to delete listings and restart last week for a recent new listing.

I had noted the mixed up descriptions/images were coming from the non-uk national sites. the links eBid.net/eu ./nz ./au ./it ./ie etc.

Further details in the thread https://www.ebid.net/forums/showthre...-eBid-coverage