Archive for February, 2009

Dear eBay Queen;

I have some antique yellow ware mixing bowls that I would like to put in the antique category.  I wrote the auction up, and was getting ready to list it and received this warning:   

Attention Sellers!

Before proceeding, please verify that the item you are listing was manufactured in this era and is not of the “style” of that era. “Vintage-inspired” items or modern reproductions of vintage items belong in the Vintage Reproductions category. If they are listed elsewhere, it is considered a violation of eBay’s policy on item categorization. 

If you continue, your listing may be reviewed for policy violations which may result in actions to your account. 

Please help us sustain the trust of the eBay platform.  Click here for eBay’s policy on item categorization: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-categorization.html

Warning: By clicking the submit button, you are confirming the item is authentic.

My bowls are authentic and truly antique. I hadn’t seen this message before last night, do you think I should just skip putting them in the antique category, and put them in the mixing bowl category to save any hassle or issue I might get from eBay?

I’ve also been wondering how eBay will police this policy?  I know when I’ve asked an antique dealer how old something is, they just answer, "Well, I just know."  And for the most part that’s true!  Frequently (almost always), vintage status will be impossible to prove.  What’s next….every old thing has to be certified "antique" by some third party?  Is eBay going to hire experts to tell sellers they are wrong? I think it might be easier to monitor if they turned it around and asked sellers to verify they know the object was NOT manufactured at any time in the last, say, 50 years. This would be easier to do than pinpoint a date.  How is eBay going to try to define the difference between antique and collectible, and between collectible, old, retro, etc?  Will we need to certify we know the difference between Art Deco and Art Nouveau, between Victorian and Edwardian? This seems almost impossible to me to enforce.

Sue H, Ottawa, KS

Dear Sue; 

If you know your bowls are antiques, then I would put them in that category. I believe eBay is trying to warn others who are not sure about the age of the item, and those that are just putting it in that category to get more exposure. 

I looked up yellowware bowls, and found sellers are putting them in a couple of different categories.

• ·         Antiques/Primitives
• ·         Pottery and China
• ·         Kitchen and Home Mixing Bowls

If this were my item, I would look to see which category had the best success with selling a bowl like mine.  If the highest selling bowls are in the antique category that is where I would put it, if not I would do what would give me the best price for the bowls.

eBay is going to have some issue enforcing this, but if you know your product’s age, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Dear eBay Queen;

I sold an item on eBay and the buyer did not pay for it.  After 8 days of waiting for payment, the buyer left this feedback: "seller overcharges shipping, quality was not as described. Terrible. No reply"

The buyer knew the shipping up front, because it was listed as a flat 3.50 in the eBay ad.  I turned the buyer into eBay for non payment! Then I received an email from eBay saying the buyer wants to pay for it. I sent an invoice to the buyer, and an email asking why they left a negative before paying.

What should I do now?  What about the negative?  

Heidi; Williamsburg

Dear Heidi;

That really stinks! If this were my transaction, I would put it all in eBay’s hands.  This buyer left unfair negative feedback.  I would contact eBay and let them know they left this feedback before they even paid for the item, and ask them to remove the feedback.

If your buyer doesn’t pay within the next seven days, I would follow through with reporting them for non payment by closing the transaction.  This will also remove the negative.

Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 350158153041 (Enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page)  Remember those old metal high chairs? Check this out Vintage Cosco Metal Tray Baby High Chair Pink Retro SOLD $101.07 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item260354849950