KEY WORD SPAMMING ? BREACH OF LISTING POLICY ?

[*smee*]

Here is a snippette from ebays key word spamming guidelines

What’s inappropriate
Don’t include:

Anything that is not true
Keywords that are unrelated to your item to try to lure buyers searching for these words This is known as "keyword spamming" and it is against eBay's listing policies
Prohibited and restricted content (see eBay's Prohibited and Restricted Items)
based on this or any other rule/policy you may find amongst the treasure chest of ebay listing policies would you say this listing is keyword spamming or not ? or in anyway a breach of a listing policy ... and if you do why ??
should the listing be allowed to stand as is ?

290361367056

[tellomon]

snipe!

[Roo]

Hmmmm...the word 'New' used in the title....but the item specifics state 'Used'?

Could be an old template being used and they forgot to change the Item Specs?

I'd probably contact the seller and ask them.

[*CountessA*]

The listing itself also states "new and sealed", whereas the condition says "used".

I tend to agree with Roo in thinking it's to do with a previous template.

[*Brum6y*]

With over 3,500 items for sale and over 15,000 feedback - I would be agreeing with Roo and the Countess.  It would require a serious effort to ensure the odd slipup didn't get through - it is bound to happen.

You could:
- Contact the seller who may fix it up - or not
- Report it to eBay and it may get pulled
 or
- Leave it be and let potential buyers ask the seller for clarification.

I'm not fussed and woudn't be motivated to do anything... well, maybe let the seller know.

[bnwt]

my favourite is chinese sellers who use the word leather in the title

new red leather ladies handbag

once you scroll down a mile through the listing you'll find the bag is made from 'lovely soft AAA pu leather'

to be honest there is something strange going on it that it appears there is a blatant scam happening ... if you do a search for leather handbag you'll find hundreds of listings from around 15 - 20 different sellers ......... they all sell the same stock, use the same photos, the same listing templates

all selling "leather" handbags are amazing low prices ........... needless to say they all have bad DSR's & feedback

I read in one of their feedback comments that the sellers merely sell the stuff as an agent on a commission basis

so it seems a handbag wholesaler has recruited people to do the selling and has spread the risk of bad feedback over a wide base

of course reported the use of misleading titles to eBay and of course you know what they did about it

[*CountessA*]

Oh yes... the use of the word "leather" to sell something that's not leather. It's highly annoying - and there's no excuse for it.

[cueperkins]

Keyword spamming is 'Rife' on ebay.....

Take Jewellery for instance....go and search Vintage Jewellery....lmao.....

vintage esq, vintage style, vintage look, vintage design, vintage new....

You'll get the whole bloody lot....what the hell is vintage esq?. 

Same with Antique....antique style, antique look, antique design.....

Sellers use these terms to suck people into clicking into their listings, but all it does for me is get me so bloody irritated with their obvious deception that I sign out and give up half the time.

Ebay are useless when it comes to enforcing keyword spamming rules.....and bnwt...it's the Asian listings that are the most prolific in this suck in game of words....but at least you can filter them out....there are still a HUGE number of Aussie sellers spamming the hell out of collectible categories....I wish I could filter them out.

[*FluffyDuckee*]

Yes Cupie.  Another example.  Just do a simple search on "solid gold" and see all the entries come up for non solid gold, but with the words 'solid' and 'gold' in the title.
Makes it so hard for buyers to easily find the real thing. 

[cueperkins]

I don't doubt it fluffy and the problem is that most buyers don't realise how to filter out the garbage....my average search goes something like this....

Priced Lowest
Vintage Jewellery -style -look -esq -design
Australia Only

And EVEN THEN, I have to sift through listings that somehow slip through the search cracks. 

Leather would be a doozy.....they'd be using

Leather Style, Leather look, Faux Leather, leather lookalike, Leather feel, Anything that allows them to get the word LEATHER into their search legitimately or not. 

bnwt.....why don't you approach ebay to install a category for real leather goods only.  They've done that in the jewellery section i.e. Real Antique/Vintage and Reproductions....but of course, you still get the wonkers who insist on listing new jewellery in the bloody vintage/antique section don't ya ?.  Why isn't it a listing violation?  that would soon put sellers off spamming the hell out of various categories if they could be suspended for it yes?.

[*Brum6y*]

(please excuse the following ... it is serious - but very tongue-in-cheek..)

My, my Cupie, we ARE the idealist!!

As if eBay had any real morals, ethics or conscience about getting things right for their own sake...

... they're only interested in their P&P  (I think eBay outlawed the P&L internally)

[*Brum6y*]

(aside - a linguistic challenge: put the words eBay, ethics, morals and conscience into a sentence.  Rules: must be a positive statement.)

[tellomon]

No love for the eBags!

[cueperkins]

OK, here's a current example of Keyword spamming

I'm in the Jewellery section and I search

Australia Only
Lowest Price first
vintage silver 925
Title and Description

I get 1811 Listings. 

So, knowing how much time I'm about to waste, I decide to do a new search....same as above but...

vintage silver 925 -new.

This time I got 181

So....More than 1600 sellers are flooging 'new' jewellery under the keyword of 'vintage'....

Then I decide to do the same search as above, but this time with

antique silver 925

I get 1646 Listings

Refined to : antique silver 925 - new

I get 43....

Speaks for itself really doesn't it?

And they reckon they're making searching easier?....maybe they should impose listing violations on anyone spamming categories with items that are not genuinely vintage, or antique?....sheesh.