TameBayChris
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« Reply #20 on: November 18, 2009, 08:27:42 PM » |
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Featured plus as I understand it. now only moves you top of page you appear in best match with so if you are on page 50 under best match you will only be at top of page 50 the $15 cost in that case of very questionable benefit.
That's how it was supposed to work in the UK, but in reality they never programmed it correctly and for years it got you to the first page of search results which it shouldn't have done!  On most other sites it works as it should, but when it comes into it's own is when buyer start refining searches. As soon as a search puts you on page 1 of results you're at the top. If you're unfortunate enough to have your listings demoted in search as a below standard seller do NOT waste any of your money on listing features as they'll not benefit you much at all. You'd just have to ride the storm until you get back to being a standard seller and rely on people finding your listings in other ways and it will hurt your business, but at least you'll save on listing enhancement fees in the mean time. |
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shyer
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« Reply #21 on: November 18, 2009, 08:31:35 PM » |
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Slightly off topic I believe about 90% of my buyers do not know how to turn off best match or how to refine searches. You would have broader experience what would your figure be?
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #22 on: November 18, 2009, 08:33:54 PM » |
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Slightly off topic I believe about 90% of my buyers do not know how to turn off best match or how to refine searches. You would have broader experience what would your figure be?
I'd say that pretty much all buyers use the search option eBay present to them. At most as far as I can tell people will change to lowest price but are more likely to refine with product finders (the item specific options in the side bar) to refine searches. They will click for just auctions or just fixed price as those tabs are more prominent and sometimes they just want to buy now and not bid on an auction |
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*FluffyDuckee*
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« Reply #23 on: November 18, 2009, 08:35:10 PM » |
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Thanks Chris
Is there a specific algorithm that is used for key words? Can key words override other factors?
I recently conducted an experiment where I searched for title of a dvd and then the category:
Snow White & Friends DVD
This returned a listing with that title and the word DVD in the Ebay title.
I then changed the order and put the category first:
DVD Snow White & Friends
To my surprise I recieved a slightly differerent result and in fact in no. 4 of the list was Snow White and Friends 123456. This did not have DVD in the title, but matched it higher than most other DVD's.
What would have caused this in your opinion?
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Kacsa |
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2009, 08:35:52 PM » |
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I do think it's important to forget selling experience and your knowledge of the site and think like a buyer. It's very instructive to sit down with a novice eBay user and watch how they search for something with no input or help. It may surprise you what they do and how little the average buyer knows about using eBay.
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*Brum6y*
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« Reply #25 on: November 18, 2009, 08:38:00 PM » |
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Chris,
The term "below standard seller" is one about which I have some concerns...
It has been reported - and I have seen some instances - where sellers with 90-95% feedback and DSRs in the 4.5 - 4.7 range have listings ahead of a seller with 100% FB and DSRs of 4.8 and 4.9!
Do you have an understanding as to how this happens?
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #26 on: November 18, 2009, 08:38:55 PM » |
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Thanks Chris
Is there a specific algorithm that is used for key words? Can key words override other factors?
I recently conducted an experiment where I searched for title of a dvd and then the category:
Snow White & Friends DVD
This returned a listing with that title and the word DVD in the Ebay title.
I then changed the order and put the category first:
DVD Snow White & Friends
To my surprise I recieved a slightly differerent result and in fact in no. 4 of the list was Snow White and Friends 123456. This did not have DVD in the title, but matched it higher than most other DVD's.
What would have caused this in your opinion?
eBay do (in some categories only!) use category and item specifics to augment keywords when deciding which products to recall for a search term. I've not been able to determine a full list or even a partial list with any accuracy but DVD is definitely a term that gets more weight even if it's not a keyword in the title. Colours for clothing appear less predictable, but for multi-variant listings they 100% use item specifics, although I'm not convinced non multi-variant listings would have colours pulled from specifics. |
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shyer
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« Reply #27 on: November 18, 2009, 08:40:53 PM » |
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chris I have a zero paypal payment average on my sales (long story) I suspect it affects my best match search results .Looking at my compeditors ( with about a 80% paypal payments history on sold items) and all other known factors taken into account.
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #28 on: November 18, 2009, 08:41:13 PM » |
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Chris,
The term "below standard seller" is one about which I have some concerns...
It has been reported - and I have seen some instances - where sellers with 90-95% feedback and DSRs in the 4.5 - 4.7 range have listings ahead of a seller with 100% FB and DSRs of 4.8 and 4.9!
Do you have an understanding as to how this happens?
I don't know about Aus, but for UK it's possible to have poor feedback displayed (12 months) but be measured on recent feedback (3 mths). It depends on whether you're a high volume or low volume seller. The reverse is also true - if you have fantastic 12 month feedback but your 3 month feedback and DSRs are poor then you could look like a good seller but be lowered in search results based on recent feedback |
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #29 on: November 18, 2009, 08:43:11 PM » |
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chris I have a zero paypal payment average on my sales (long story) I suspect it affects my best match search results .Looking at my compeditors ( with about a 80% paypal payments history on sold items) and all other known factors taken into account.
I'm afraid I don't have experience of that - in the UK all listings have to offer PayPal as a payment option so naturally take up is high. I don't know if offering PayPal affects Best Match placement on other sites, but would be interested to find out if anyone out there knows? |
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shyer
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« Reply #30 on: November 18, 2009, 08:47:21 PM » |
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Chris ebay Australia requires paypal is offered and I do end up with about 5% paypal payments for sales. However they are payments to my paypal account that can accept money . Not the paypal account I find best to list with. As I said a long story.
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #31 on: November 18, 2009, 08:51:16 PM » |
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Chris ebay Australia requires paypal is offered and I do end up with about 5% paypal payments for sales. However they are payments to my paypal account that can accept money . Not the paypal account I find best to list with. As I said a long story.
I remember in the news eBay/PayPal's attempt to force themselves on users - a mistake in my opinion. They won't try that in the UK simply because the penetration of PayPal is so great it's not worth the hassle to try and enforce it on the minority. I always wonder what would have happened if they'd been like Amazon with a rigid payment structure from day 1 - no one complains that when they sell on Amazon that they can't use their own merchant account etc, but that's something eBay can't change (and sorry... a little off topic  ) |
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*FluffyDuckee*
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« Reply #32 on: November 18, 2009, 08:51:19 PM » |
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Nic pic Chris!!!
In your opinion does perfectly matched key words override higher postage costs and sellers DSRs at any time?
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Kacsa |
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #33 on: November 18, 2009, 08:53:30 PM » |
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Nic pic Chris!!!
In your opinion does perfectly matched key words override higher postage costs and sellers DSRs at any time?
There's no such thing as perfectly matched keywords - see http://tamebay.com/2009/11/best-match-secrets-part-1-getting-found.htmlKeywords are simply what will get your listing in or out of the search recall. Either the buyers search included your keywords or they didn't, but they're unlikely to search for your entire listing title. Once the search recall is determined it's then over to Best Match to order the results which is where postage costs/DSRs etc come into play. |
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shyer
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« Reply #34 on: November 18, 2009, 08:58:07 PM » |
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Chris interesting comment about amazon payments I regularly buy on both USA amazon and ebay USA. I recently purchased a S/H camera and I noticed that Amazon USA was getting about twice the price for the same item Ebay USA was getting. It was quite a shock
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*Brum6y*
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« Reply #35 on: November 18, 2009, 08:58:10 PM » |
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Chris,
The articles cited at the beginning of this thread make references to goods that are repeat sellers - such as T-shirts. Gaining an impressions and sales 'history' is straightforward enough when you have an inventory of 1,000 consisting of 100 pieces of 10 products - but do you have any specific suggestions for products where the range is wider, but the sales per product are less? For example, an inventory of 1,000 but with 5 pieces of 200 products?
... which, for the most part, cannot be honestly presented in any multi-variant form of listing.
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*smee*
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« Reply #36 on: November 18, 2009, 09:01:01 PM » |
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Hi Chris ,
It has been suggested that by sellers creating false ID's or getting mates to put in offers on best offers this will promote the listing up the best match list
futher more it has been suggested that some actually purchase there own or their mates BIN items (but later mutually agree to cancel transaction) for the same reason .... have you heard of this happening or can you see any benefit in doing this ?
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Trustee for the Yibida, Tello & Smee family trusts trading as "The 3 Amigos"
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #37 on: November 18, 2009, 09:09:05 PM » |
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Chris,
The articles cited at the beginning of this thread make references to goods that are repeat sellers - such as T-shirts. Gaining an impressions and sales 'history' is straightforward enough when you have an inventory of 1,000 consisting of 100 pieces of 10 products - but do you have any specific suggestions for products where the range is wider, but the sales per product are less? For example, an inventory of 1,000 but with 5 pieces of 200 products?
... which, for the most part, cannot be honestly presented in any multi-variant form of listing.
I'm in the same boat - many of my items can't be multi-variant. There are two options - use more auctions and rely on buyers finding your products. eBay is without a doubt changing (Tesco, the third biggest retailer in the world is in the process of setting up on eBay UK as of this moment) and the best advice is to look at your inventory and source niche products which others don't have. I know that's easy to say and not so easy to implement, but if 100 sellers all offer the same product I'm never going to be biggest, have the most stock, or be able to negotiate the best prices. I need to recognise that and work to my strengths |
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #38 on: November 18, 2009, 09:11:12 PM » |
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Chris interesting comment about amazon payments I regularly buy on both USA amazon and ebay USA. I recently purchased a S/H camera and I noticed that Amazon USA was getting about twice the price for the same item Ebay USA was getting. It was quite a shock
Amazon quite simply attracts a different class of buyer - eBay and Amazon are getting ever closer in product range and listing format and it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out in the long term. Although many customers use both the vast majority appear to use either eBay or Amazon which is why ALL sellers should consider listing on multiple channels. The days of just eBay are well and truly over for most businesses. |
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TameBayChris
New Knight
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« Reply #39 on: November 18, 2009, 09:16:40 PM » |
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Hi Chris ,
It has been suggested that by sellers creating false ID's or getting mates to put in offers on best offers this will promote the listing up the best match list
futher more it has been suggested that some actually purchase there own or their mates BIN items (but later mutually agree to cancel transaction) for the same reason .... have you heard of this happening or can you see any benefit in doing this ?
Best offers are only any good if they turn into sales. I've heard of it happening, I've no doubt it does happen, but I'd caution strongly against it. Contrary to popular opinion eBay are getting remarkably good at linking accounts and if you even log in to two accounts from the same PC they'll know it. In reality large sellers simply can't do this as they have too many listings and not enough available totally unlinked accounts on different PCs in different locations to cover their entire product range. If you have 1000 fixed price listings gaining 1000 unlinked accounts to place a best offer which then isn't paid (or is paid but refunded) isn't a practical option. A wise ex-eBay employee once said to me "It's much easier to see conspiracy than to credit eBay with any intelligence or the ability to communicate effectively" and that's so true  (Not of course that I could possibly want to make fun of eBay ;-) ) |
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