Ebay cancelled my item!

[torinsmom]

So, since when is putting "like new" in your ad a violation of some sort? My son got this astronomy device last year for Christmas and it was taken out of the box ONCE to look at. It IS like new, so I don't know how that misrepresents anything. UGH! The auction was ending today too and now I have to relist.

Marsha

 

[lynxstch]

I don't think it was the 'like new' phrase..I just bought a dvd from ebay yesterday that was described as 'like new'..and I know that auction ran for quite awhile, cause I was watching it! I have seen 'new', 'like new', 'good condition', and 'acceptable' all listed under descriptions..and they didn't seem to have problems..good luck relisting your item, but I would check with them and ask for sure why it was cancelled!

 

[torinsmom]

No, it WAS the phrase like new....

This is what the email said--

You recently listed the following auction-style listing:

120358306476 - Excalibur Space Navigator--Model 765 Like New-Astronomy


The listing was removed because it violated the eBay Search and Browse Manipulation policy. The violation occurred when you included the following information in your listing:

Like New




We notified members who placed bids on the item that the listing has been canceled.

Sellers are not permitted to include any information that does not describe or is not directly relevant to the item being sold within a listing. Any information included within a listing that may misrepresent the terms of sale is also not permitted.

For more information on this eBay policy, please visit:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/search-manipulation.html


I guess because if someone searched new, mine would come up? I just wanted people to know it had not been really used.

 

[bicker]

Here's an blog entry on this issue:

http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2007/10/1193144741.html

And an eBay forum posting:

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?threadID=1000656676

This posting indicated that the concern is not just "like new" but really the word "like" itself:

http://news.iwantcollectibles.com/ebay-like.shtml

As a buyer, I appreciate what eBay is doing. "Like new" does constitute keyword abuse AFIAC, i.e., it is returned when people search for "new". I suspect, and appreciate that, they would remove listings that say "Used -- Not New" for the same reason, even though, altogether, the words very accurately and clearly describe the item.

 

[Imzadi]

Someone who was selling the same item probably reported you. I would change the description to "Mint condition - removed once from box for inspection." Make sure to leave it out of the title.

 

[agnes!]

Is it because the phrase "Like New" was in the title of the auction? Can "Like New" be used withing the description itself?

The whole thing seems rather odd to me - I don't understand what the problem actually *is* with the listing the way you have it. I do think it's strange that the auction was reported so close to the end of the auction.

Did some reading on the subject. I don't care WHAT EBay says, saying that "Like New" is keyword spamming is laughable to me.

Is "never used" allowed?
Similar words...
Mint condition
only removed from box
as if new (they probably wouldn't like THAt either)
costs xxx in store
bought as a present, kid didn't like it
box *only* opened, but store wouldn't take it back
Condition so good we would say it was new BUT box seal was broken
fresh from the store
selling because I can't stand looking up at aliens

Good luck with your auction OP (& I agree with Imzadi),
agnes!
PS - The things you learn on the DIS...I never knew it was keyword abuse either.

 

[bicker]

One of the suggestions was to use the abbreviation LN for "like new". I suspect that "likenew" might be okay as well.

I know that folks find prohibitions against the use of the word "like" annoying, but there are real reasons for it -- it isn't really "laughable" when you're the one liable for claims that stem from false advertising, or subject to bad PR because you host such false advertising for others. If our society was such that buyers didn't get so upset when they have a difference of opinion with a seller about what really is "like" something else, then things would be different. But that's not the way our society is. As we have seen on the DISboards, many times, as it pertains to WDW, customers are very likely to get upset in response to anything that that they didn't expect, even when the written description of what they were purchasing couldn't possibly be construed as implying what the purchaser inferred. Until that tendency, on the part of customers in our society, changes, things like what we're seeing eBay do, in this case, will likely continue, and get more insidious.

 

[Imzadi]

As we have seen on the DISboards, many times, as it pertains to WDW, customers are very likely to get upset in response to anything that that they didn't expect, even when the written description of what they were purchasing couldn't possibly be construed as implying what the purchaser inferred. Until that tendency, on the part of customers in our society, changes, things like what we're seeing eBay do, in this case, will likely continue, and get more insidious.

Yes, some idiot surfer dude high on weed could be bidding on the auction and actually speaks, "Well, like man, you know, like it was, like cool, umm...you know, dude, like new, you know what I mean? Like yeah!" and would be really expecting a brand new item. Like you know?

 

[daisyduck123]

You can't have "like new" in the title...maybe the listing too, I can't remember.

My mother had a listing pulled last summer because she used "like new" in the title.