Seller News June 2010

More descriptive item condition values

The new item condition values will be more descriptive and will make it easier for sellers to specify item condition accurately. These new values are designed to help manage buyers’ expectations, reduce questions and improve customer satisfaction. In addition, when buyers filter their search results, the new detailed values will increase the chance of listings appearing.

These new descriptive values have undergone market testing to ensure that they are relevant for sellers in the different categories.

When will sellers be able to use it?

The new item condition values will be available in all listing tools for selected categories from 10 May 2010 and will be optional for new listings.

From 27 July 2010, it will become mandatory to list with item condition values in selected categories for new, relisted and revised listings. Whilst it isn’t required for Good ‘Til Cancelled listings, sellers are encouraged to update it when they can as it’ll become mandatory next year.

In addition to current listing tools, sellers may consider using the new and improved bulk editing and relisting functionality to update item condition. It will be available to some sellers in mid-June as a beta test and to all sellers in July. Learn more about the new bulk editing functionality

Available in these categories

Review the look-up table for more information about:

1. New detailed values and the categories it’ll apply to; and
2. Categories where it’ll be mandatory to list with item condition values and the exceptions.

Take action

By when	Take action
10 May 2010	Start using the new item condition values in new listings
1 July 2010	If sellers want to, update item condition values for all listings using your preferred listing tool or the new bulk editing and relisting functionality.
27 July 2010	Item condition values mandatory in selected categories for new, relisted and revised listings.
Now	Review our Seller Checklist

1. Why is eBay introducing new values for item condition?
2. In which categories is item condition not mandatory?
3. Where can sellers find a list of definitions for the new item condition values?
4. How will the new item condition values work with search?
5. How will revising items work when the new item condition values are still optional?
6. How will revising items work when the new item condition values are made mandatory?
7. When will the new item condition values be available in bulk editing tools?

1. Why is eBay introducing new values for item condition?

The new item condition values are more descriptive and will make it easier for sellers to specify item condition accurately in their listings. Buyers will know exactly what they are getting and overall, it will help manage their expectations and improve their satisfaction with the transaction. In addition, with more options to filter, buyers will be able to quickly search for what they’re looking for based on item condition.

For sellers, the new values will help to manage buyers’ expectations, reduce buyer questions and increase customer satisfaction.

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2. In which categories is item condition not mandatory?

From 27 July 2010, it will be mandatory to use item condition values for all categories except:

Antiques
Art
Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles
Coins
Collectables
Crafts
Dolls & Bears
Events Tickets
Holidays & Travel
Local Services
Pottery, Porcelain & Glass
Property
Sports Memorabilia
Stamps
Toys & Games
Vehicle Parts & Accessories
Wholesale & Job Lots
Everything Else

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3. Where can sellers find a list of definitions for the new item condition values?

These new descriptive values have undergone market testing with buyers and sellers to ensure that they are clear, relevant and make sense. Exact definitions for each value will be published on eBay’s help pages.

Also, these definitions will be available in the Sell Your Item form as sellers list. For buyers, definitions will be displayed within the “more options” layer in search and on the item page.

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4. How will the new item condition values work with search?

Buyers will be able to further refine their searches by item condition using the Condition menu on the left side of the search results page. This will help buyers to quickly find what they’re looking for.

These values will be transferable across categories in search. For example, a buyer searches for “Harry Potter” and gets listings of books and clothing. If the buyer uses the ‘New’ filter in the left-hand margin, the search results will include only new books and new clothing.

Search will also use the new item condition values in addition to title to search for items. For example, a search for “brand new dress” will bring back items with the title dress and the new item condition “New”.

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5. How will revising items work when the new item condition values are still optional?

If sellers are revising something on their listing other than item condition, they will not be required to update the item condition during the optional timeframe. However, if sellers want to revise the item condition value, they will be required to select from one of the new definitions. This is also true for relists.

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6. How will revising items work when the new item condition values are made mandatory?

From July 27 2010, sellers will be required to add an item condition every time they revise a listing (auction-style, fixed price or Good ‘Til Cancelled) that doesn’t have it. This only applies in categories where it’s mandatory.

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7. When will the new item condition values be available in bulk editing tools?

All the listing flows and bulk editing tools will be updated to show the new item condition values at the same time the values are available on site. Sellers may need to download the latest version of any tools (such as Turbo Lister) in order to list or revise items with the new values.

Sellers can also edit the item condition field using the new bulk functionality available for testing in June 2010.

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