Q:
The new item layout, with photos appearing in an inset box that you can click to enlarge, is a major step backward -- the pictures, even when enlarged, are significantly smaller than under the old layout. Look at any of my auctions under the two formats and you'll see the difference. I rely on people being able to see the CDs they're bidding on, but they're too small to be readable under this new layout.

I note that the new FAQ encourages us to make sure we use pictures that are 1000 pixels wide -- for heaven's sake why, if what actually shows up when you click 'enlarge photo' is barely 400 pixels wide?

Please consider going back to the old system where the photo -- full size -- is included in the item description.

A:
The picture on the item page is 300 pixels on the longest side.

If you host your pictures with eBay, then we'll show an enlarged image up to 500 pixels (or 800 with supersize). Note, however, that this means if you provide an image that is only 301 pixels, then the "enlarged" image won't look bigger to the buyer.

If you host your pictures off of eBay, we put a cap on the image size in the enlarge layer for a consistent view. That's worked well for most images, but hasn't worked so well for large images that are large because a seller wants to show detail. (vs. those that are just large because the seller's camera settings created very large pictures). Therefore, for those self-hosted pictures, we'll be making a change so that they open in an "enlarge window" that shows them in actual size.

In either case (on or off eBay hosting), we will continue to show larger pictures in a separate window rather than at the bottom of the page to help improve page-load time for the buyer.



Q:
In the announcement it stated that more people will be seeing the new view item page. When will the new view item page be the default on the site and when will the old design be retired?

Also which format did eBay finally decide to go with? I have seen 2 or 3 different versions.

A:
We expect to move completely to the New Item page sometime this summer. You can see what the final design on our information pages here.



Q:
If a seller opts to NOT show his or her competitor's items on their pages, will the sellers OWN items appear?

Why are we not being allowed to control our Cross Promotions any longer?

A:
Yes, you can opt out of merchandising your items on related item description pages. This means that your items would be merchandised on the description page for your items and not those from other sellers.

From the FAQ:

As a seller, can I opt out of this merchandising?

Yes, but if you do, your merchandise will not appear on other sellers' item pages, so it's important to consider the tradeoffs.

To change your cross-promotion settings, go to My eBay > Account > Marketing Tools > Items Promotion Summary

You can also change your cross-promotion settings on My eBay > Account > Site Preferences > Promoting Similar Items on eBay Pages and Emails > Marketing Tools > Items Promotion Summary.


Q:
PLEASE add back the eBay Store categories navigation bar for the seller on the right OR re-do the horizontal bar to show MORE categories (this can easily be done).

Also, I'd like the About Me icon back as I click on that frequently when surfing the site.

On a positive note, I DO like the much-larger picture that appears at the top of the listing.

A:
We will add the AboutMe icon back to the pages.

High bidder ID will be available to the seller when he or she is signed in (not there right now). High bidder ID is currently available on click-through to bid history.

We are considering some changes to store categories treatment based on some feedback we've had recently.

And one thing I just announced in a thread about pictures: self-hosted pictures will appear in an enlarge window as actual picture size (we're downsizing them in the enlarge layer right now).