Hello
Below is the support case I filed: and their initial response.
Whta follows that is the email I sent to AuctionBytes
If anyone is unsure on some of my terms please ask. I am doing this stream of consciousness and the Auctiva Tech Folks should know what I am saying.
I had not realized Jewelry & Watches was affected as all the other times it had not been, or if it was it was handled a lot better then today's mess.
If Auctiva thinks that completely removing existing Item Specifics from listings in the Saved and Closed Folders is acceptable they are sadly mistaken. I typically use all 15 item descriptors if I have to go into all 750 plus listings (both saved and closed files)
and to:
re-add 15 item descriptions for each listing - that means cross referencing with the eBay listing before they disappear)
find a description to use
ReList
that will take (because of my slow internet connection (please note: not Auctiva's fault this time I have to go 10 miles to a wireless tower) about 10 minutes per listing
so:
let's assume 750 listings
that's 15,000 minutes
or 250 hours
when I work I bill at $70/hour plus expenses (for 5 years this century I have had no assignments)
so that's a lot of money tied up in redoing things needlessly
if it is going to cost me that much in time and money I might as well find a place that imports eBay listings complete with Item Specifications. I know it will cost me more that's why I have tried to "suggest" they raise their prices and raise their service. As I have also said I hate change but if this turns out to be as it appears I will make like a tree and leave. I hope the others join
that is not a threat it is a promise
the reason I am so strident is because I know :
how easy it would have been to convert the existing category numbers to the new ones.
even if, as it appears, there is no one for one conversion of categories possible, one could be defaulted to. For example Fashion Jewelry>Necklaces and Pendants>Choker has gone away. In addition so have all the sub categories under Necklace and Pendants, except Body Jewelry. Auctiva could/should have converted all the existing Fashion>Necklaces and Pendant's sub categories to the new Fashion Jewelry > Necklaces and Pendants category.
or Auctiva could have at least coded a work around so when we picked the new Necklace category our existing Item Specifications would not disappear
I sincerely hope I am incorrect and Auctiva has a way to automate this for all its customers.
I for one am willing to pay $75.00 towards what it will cost to allow me to stay where it is comfortable
I sincerely hope I am incorrect and Auctiva has a way to automate this for all its customers.
I for one am willing to pay $75.00 towards what it will cost
ed
________________________________support ticket_____________________
edaneff@mfx.net
Customer
Posted Wednesday, 9/12/2012 3:04 PM
since the Category Fix went in Custom Specifications are missing says it all
Operating System: Windows XP
Browser: FireFox 9.x
edaneff@mfx.net
Customer
Posted Wednesday, 9/12/2012 3:06 PM
sorry should have added
1.. deleted cookies
2.. deleted cache
3.. started and re-started FireFox
Brandon B.
Support
Posted Wednesday, 9/12/2012 3:14 PM
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Auctiva support. EBay just made a number of category changes that included changing the numbers on the categories. So it may be that the category you are using has changed. Please be sure that you are using the "browse" option to select the category on the lister page. As that will select the correct new category and should show the item specifics. If that is how you are selecting the category, then let me know what category you are trying to select so I can try it from my end.
Thank you,
Auctiva Support
________________________________ end ___________________________________________________________________
Hi
I hope the below turns out to be much ado about nothing built if it does not this decision will rival "New Coke"
Sadly I just got off the phone with eBay and the very nice customer rep checked and said from everything he could see this was done on purpose.
I am sure someone in the "cloud" thinks this will give them more money. perhaps it will but I'd like to know how. They took a system that worked and gutted it. I don't even want to think about the silly Best Match.
What recent MBA grad thought taking 30 or more sub categories and combining them into one was a good idea. This has to be a major redesign of all their systems to accomplish this "feet" (because if it wasn't it would have been easier (i.e. cheaper) to leave the existing category structure and just ignore the parts they didn't want to use any more) and we all know how well major redesigns go., really in most companies.
This is based on Jewelry and Watches Main category, primarily Fashion and Ethnic Sub categories
What I have seen today (I list on Auctiva)
it appears that most of the Jewelry and Watches sub categories have been gutted expect Fine Jewelry.
For Example: Fashion Jewelry>Necklaces and Pendants>Choker has gone away (as have all the other sub categories under Necklaces and Pendants).
I won't rail long on eBay except to say that it is the stupidest decision I have ever heard of in any company. If one wants items to sell. Why would you make it impossible to sell an item.
In the past they had an excellent set of categories (sure some others would have been nice but none the less it was a good set of categories)
Now all the sub categories of Fashion Jewelry & Watches have no sub categories (e.g.. necklaces and pendants; Earrings: Rings; etc.)
EXCEPT get ready
Body Jewelry > breaks down into 4 categories
Body Piercing has a break down of 11 categories
Naval Rings has a breakdown of 7 categories
and none of those have a further breakdown
SO let me see all the popular categories have 0 sub categories and Body Piercing has 22 sub categories.
I am speechless and hope Bonanza gets bigger faster because eBay wants Jewelry folks to disappear as well
nothing more to say except all we have is you folks in the press. I have no idea if they did the same thing with other Major categories or not.
ed
P.S. I meant to add that Fine Jewelry and Bridal seems intact or at least they actually have sub categories of sub categories
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