40K Ebay sales - Revenge is best served cold...

[Denzark]

I thought I would share this with you. I like to surf ebay for plastic 40K crack. At least once a day I will scroll through pretty much all sales ending in the next 12-24 hours just to see if there are any bargains.

But...

I hate it when people put in weak models from other manufacturers, in a listing that is in the parameters of W40K. I don't want to trawl through acres of this. I don't want to see the 99p toy tank you have bought, blotched with codex grey and then called 'Leman Russ Alternative' in the Imperial Guard sub-category. I don't want to see a generic robot down as a necron.

By chance I came across ebay's own policies on 'search/browse manipulation'. for example, when you list an old armorcast baneblade and put 'not forgeworld' in the title to pick up all people who search for forgeworld. This is actually not allowed. And one day I even had a listing ended for something similar.

I have discovered how to be Mr Anally Retentive and report these incorrectly listed things in the hope that people will use the correct sub categories. You get a choice of: Confrontation, Heroclix, Historical, Mechwarrior, Pirates, Scenery and Paint, Star Wars Miniatures, Warhammer, Warmachine, or Not specified.

I reckon it is fairly easy to identify your stuff into one of the 1st 9 - or if not sure, use the not specified. So anyhoo thought I would tell people how easy it is to report these entries if you find them similarly annoying.

1. Click 'report item - look directly down under the 'watch item' - past the advert, and you'll see it on the right.

2. Next screen has 3 drop downs:

3. First says 'report Category' - you want 'listing practises.

4. Next says 'Reason for Report' - you want 'Search and Browse Manipulation'

5. Last says 'Detailed Reason'. You have amany choices here. An 'other manipulation'. 'Misuing a brand name' - this for example would be calling something forgeworld that ain't. 'Misleading Title' - so calling something 'imperial guard' that isn't. or possibly the widely abused 'pro-painted'. 'Listing in an incorrect Category'. This is where I have banged in a lot, for other comapny stuff being put in the 40K listings. Note that if something had been converted to fit in - alternate tank with official LR turret, I wouldn't do this. Or something like the aliens APC, painted in chapter colours with imperial eagles on it - a recognisable attempt to make something belong. the last one is 'Keyword spamming' where the urchin puts as many possible terms in to get the attention of the search listings ie: 'Forgeworld Chaos Space Marine Dark Blood Angel Wolves'.

6. After that, you click 'send report'.

So, if this vexes you like it does me, you now know you are only 5 clicks from banging in a report - takes 15 seconds max, and will probably get the lisitng pulled with no warning or questions asked.

You think this is harsh, encourage people to list accurately and not try to attract searches...

Ta Ta For now.

[Uberbeast]

I've often been annoyed when people toss in keywords that have little to nothing to do with their poducts, like plain old dice sets with Necromunda and Mordheim in the title, then flooding everything with their listings. Forgeworld is another big ones I've seen recently misused, people tossing it into any old listing despite having no forgeworld for sale.

[Necron2.0]

The only caveat I'd like to add to the OP's statements is if you're reporting against a "power seller" or a "top seller" you may as well piss into the wind. I and others posted against "Midgard Models" for the better part of a year with absolutely no effect. Midgard used to spam the hell out of everything.

[Denzark]

Necron - interesting - I have never had any feedback - and never kept an eye on what I have reported so don't know what effect it has. merely that in the past i have had stuff dumped purely on the say so of others. I may have to try this as an experiment!