From collectibles to cars, buy and sell all kinds of items on eBay
aAdvanced Search
Attention small business or part-time sellers near Atlanta:
Learn from experts and network with sellers at
eBay: On Location in Atlanta, March 19-20
SPACE IS LIMITED! REGISTER NOW
Topic Archived and Locked This topic has been archived and locked - replies are not allowed.
Last Post Sep 9, 2008 11:13 AM by: marnisue@ebay.com
Replies: 827
marnisue@ebay.com
Posts: 1,037

The Playground is Back

May 9, 2008 9:47 PM
Hello Everyone –

The Playground is now back! It has a new look on the front and updated technology on the back.

Just click the link on the top right side of the search results page to get a sneak peek!

Here is an overview of what you can expect to see:

What's in: Snapshot view! Color & Price Sliders! Enhanced Search Refinement!
What's out: Keywords dropping from your Search Queries, Hyper-Expanded recall bringing in unwanted inventory & Aspect Boxes
What's back: Category Browse Path!

As you can see, based on your feedback, we have taken the best of what you saw on the Playground last year, and married it with the best of eBay Classic!

Jeff King will make an official announcement about it on Monday. In the meantime, please take a look and post back here to let us know what you think.

I will be back on Monday to read through and respond to your posts.


Thanks for your time,

MarniSue
eBay Classification, Global Search Team

COMING SOON:
The Finding WorkShop: Come learn about what is new Finding 2.0 from our team!
Also Office Hours: We will be monitoring a specific Office Hours thread to address any concerns you may have about Finding 2.0
We will announcing the dates & times soon

MarniSue
eBay Classification Team
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
ted_200
Posts: 11,961
(1 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 9, 2008 10:41 PM
What's back: Category Browse Path!

Gee, there's an actual improvement over what I saw a couple months ago! Oh, wait, that feature was in the original search.

Now, just "What's back:" the rest of the existing system (except Best Match) and throw out everything else that was in the New Search Experience, or Finding Experience, or whatever your calling this functionless piece of junk these days, and you'll have it about right!

This site just can't stand any more changes right now. Buyers are going to log in, get bombed with pop-up ads, won't be able to make anything work right, and are going to log right back out!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
marnisue@ebay.com
Posts: 1,037
(2 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 10, 2008 7:41 AM
Hi Everyone -

I am dropping in for a quick visit to let you know that if you want to read more about the playground,
please visit here: Link

And if you would like to go to the playground directly, enter: Link in your browser and click the big blue button to enter the site. To return to eBay.com, click the link at the top of the playground pages that reads "go to the regular eBay site."

Lastly, if you would like to provide your opinion somewhere besides the boards or in addition to your board post, you can access the survey by clicking the link at the top of the playground pages that reads :give us your opinion,"
or access it directly by entering Link in your browser.

Thanks and have a great weekend,

MarniSue
eBay Classification Team, Global Search

MarniSue
eBay Classification Team
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
accessoriesandgifts
Posts: 2,188
(3 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 10, 2008 1:55 PM
I really love the new look. The snapshot view is most impressive, and it is totally easier to refine your searches. I look forward to this being rolled out. A definite improvement!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
damned_disciple
Posts: 657
(4 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 10, 2008 7:41 PM
Best match is the worst.

I really haven't read a positive thing written by any ebay USER. You might as well call this option "randomize" because that would be far more appropriate.

I'm not sure exactly where you're getting you're data from but to make "best match" the default search when the vast majority of your customers don't use it and more to the point don't even like it shows you have no regard for either your sellers or your buyers.

It's bad enough to claim to be a global marketplace yet seeing results from worldwide sellers is not a default setting. Looking at the thing I buy on here constantly... your default shows 150 available items in the music category for this particular band; I get 829 items if I click on the little link at the bottom:

See all items including those available from non-English speaking countries/regions.

That's a big difference, no?

A lot of these are auctions by sellers in the UK.

They speak English in England, by the way.

I wonder how long it takes the average ebay newcomer to figure all that out?
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
chopsueysisters
Posts: 9,654
(5 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 10, 2008 9:25 PM
I want you guys to fix the shop ebay stores box. You are messing it all up for those of us paying $49.95. MarniSue why can't you corner someone!

blah



It was an alien... shaped like a banana!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
beachgal707
Posts: 2,560
(6 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 11, 2008 5:33 AM
marniesue -

here we go again! round 2 of NO SALES while you guys sit in your air conditioned offices studying data that doesn't make any difference!

why? buyers are NOT cattle that can be herded at your discretion to increase sales because there are far too many variables you cannot take into consideration.

take a good look at the numbers marniesue. there are far LESS members/buyers NOW than when you started this project. remaining members spend a lot more time on ebay than ever did before because they can't find anything!

how about closing playground & giving us back PLAIN SIMPLE KEYWORD SEARCHES because ebay will take care of itself if you leave it alone.

chop is right. store boxes are now trashed because i listed a ton of fixed price auctions and box only shows 1 item per category!

is your team responsible for inserting HUGE ads that take up 1/2 my monitor every time i search? if not please forward to the appropriate department because no buyer wants to deal with this.

beachy B-)
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
chopsueysisters
Posts: 9,654
(7 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 11, 2008 9:00 AM
Beachy!! You caught it too? The Shop Ebay Stores box? call me ok!

blah



It was an alien... shaped like a banana!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
chopsueysisters
Posts: 9,654
(8 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 11, 2008 9:15 AM
and the new search HIDES OUR RED DOOR? That is One of the first things Ebayers said. And our ABOUT ME Page

blah



It was an alien... shaped like a banana!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
rushinto
Posts: 81
(9 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 11, 2008 1:38 PM
Why does opting out of the playground dump me back to the home page instead of dumping my into classic search. That's very rude. You can code it so my search terms get transferred into the playground, you can also code it so they get transferred out.

___________________

I'm confuzed
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
cfrphoto
Posts: 210
(10 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 12, 2008 12:20 AM
I tried the Playground again with mixed results:

1. I appreciate that the old look subcategories in the left panel are back. An improvement would be to add the check boxes in the main panel to allow two or more subcategories to be searched at once.
2. The top search box is better, but it still loses context. Now, when I search in Stamps > United states, it reverts to the category Stamps instead of the deadly All Categories. Better, but not good enough.

3. Page rendering is very slow on a 64 bit Windows Vista machine with a fast Xeon Quad processor and 4 GB of memory with a broad band Internet connection. The slow is on the eBay side. The search should not refresh when the back button is used from a listing. The browser should be directed to use the cache. Despite eBay Support subscribing to the long held (and untrue) urban legend about having to clear the cache, my browser is set up correctly and I know when to manually refresh the browser cache.
4. I notice that the Stamp Category custom item specifics have gone missing. It is probably a good thing anyway since, Blackthorne and some other volume seller tools still don't support CIS. Unfortunately, this means that many sellers cannot influence item specifics in a more positive direction.
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
marnisue@ebay.com
Posts: 1,037
(11 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 12, 2008 10:04 AM
Good Morning Everyone -

accessoriesandgifts post 3
Thank you very much for your positive comments. We are very pleased to hear that you like what you see!

damned_disciple post 4
Thank you for taking the time to post. Since Best Match and Global search are a function of classic and the same on playground as in classic, I would like to address your concerns off line or in a different thread. Please feel free to email me directly at MarniSue@ebay.com, or post your thoughts about Best Match here: Link


beachgal707 Post 6

All of our efforts are to increase traffic, sales and buyer confidence.

Did you look at the playground before you posted or are you speaking about the ads on classic? I will be happy to forward your concerns on regarding the ads or anything else.

Thanks for posting!

Choppy post 5, 7 & 8
Is the stores box issue the one you emailed me about? I thought in your last email you reported it fixed. If not, please email me again with the details so I can forward it to the stores team.

I will also forward your concern about the display of the red door & about me icons.

Thanks for taking the time to post

rushinto post 9
Why does opting out of the playground dump me back to the home page instead of dumping my into classic search.

Thanks for bring this up. I will forward it on and see if we can improve upon this behavior.

cfrphoto post 10

Thank you so much for your very constructive comments.
I have forwarded your suggestions to the team for to see if we can incorporate them in the future.

As per Custom Item Specifics, you are correct, at this point they are not searchable via title search or via Item Specific search, but we are working towards that end. However, each time a seller assigns a values for CIS in the sell flow, sellers are asserting their influence as to what will be recommended to other customers and eventually should be visible in search. Additionally, they are providing valuable information to their customers on the View item page.

Thanks to all of you for taking a peak at the playground.

We look foward to hearing more from you.

MarniSue,

eBay Classification Team, Global Search

MarniSue
eBay Classification Team
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
damned_disciple
Posts: 657
(12 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 12, 2008 1:37 PM
Hi marnisue, this is as good a place as any to discuss it.

Why are worldwide seller's items not visible in the default search? Internet savvy people might not notice how to "see" ALL available items for a few weeks, years, maybe even never. How is that fair to buyers? You're wanting to make this a better buying experience by limiting options? Doesn't make any sense.

As for "best match" please considering retitling it "random" because, again, that's what it looks like.

As for the "playground" it looks very nice, and I can't wait to see the new one in a couple years... and the one after that... who knows, maybe by then eBay won't have to worry about the little people & our flea market junk.
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
damned_disciple
Posts: 657
(13 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 12, 2008 1:38 PM
Thanks for unnecessarily stretching out the page!
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
)
beachgal707
Posts: 2,560
(14 of 827)

The Playground is Back

May 12, 2008 5:49 PM
marniesue -

the ads are on classic & must be 500 pixels by 900 pixels because they take up nearly all the width of my monitor & 1/3 from top to bottom. also you can't get rid of them UNLESS you click on them which is very dangerous. they seem to be from pgn1.yahoo . . .

didn't spend much time on playground because beachgals prefer sandboxes BUT i did notice many of my FIXED PRICE auctions & STORE INVENTORY seemed to have gone poooooof!

here are some major issues:

1) default was set at BEST MATCH instead of ENDING SOONEST which makes selling items via AUCTIONS pointless.

2) my keywords keep getting changed because your programmers seem to think they know best for me.

3) search results were a joke!

please don't take this the wrong way, BUT your efforts (correction - i should say jeff's efforts) to increase sales, traffic, and buyer confidence has been a disaster from the word go.

best match in whatever form (ebay classic or playground) is bad for buyers, sellers, and ebay in general because ebay has become nothing more than a joke because no one can find anything anymore.

one more thing - ask someone to fix the home page. the callouts look like they were designed by a 6 year old. if ebay wants to be a retail site, then it needs to look, feel, and act like it.

beachy B-)
Reply
Name:
Email:
 
Tip: To create a link - type the desired text, highlight it with your mouse and click[Click for url tag]
Tags:
 
Page: of 56

New to eBay Boards? Try a visit to our Community Discussion Boards Help and Welcome Center .

Want to visit another board? You can view our Community Overview Page or select from these lists:

Community Help Boards:

eBay Tools Boards:

Category-Specific Boards:

General Discussion Boards:


Feedback Forum | Discussion Boards | Groups | Answer Center | Chat Rooms | Community Values

About eBay | Announcements | Security Center | Policies | Government Relations | Site Map | Help | Contact us
Copyright © 1995-2010 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time
hosted by LiveWorld