eBay Sets AI Loose on Sellers with No Warning

by: Goo Goo

Too late Jamie, you can't run a proper organic search engine, you already lost the game, your 4 promoted listings programs do so well eBay has lost 30-40% of your customer base.  AI is not going to save eBay, Devin Wenig was talking about Augmented Reality 5 years ago and Blockchain.  What good did any of that do for eBay, the Real Reality is eBay is a massive failure and sold out their own sellers.

by: Alfacar

Why do you need less time to list if you get no views and sales and are stuck with inventory?

by: BatmanOfOz

Skynet wins again!  :)

by: Goo Goo

"Why do you need less time to list if you get no views and sales and are stuck with inventory?"

The truth can become belly laugh material; in eBay's case the truth is a comedy sitcom that never ends.

by: COVID-19

This sounds very juicy! I can already foresee problems as more sellers use this magic button. Once this A.I. [bleep] gets adopted mainstream, check back here with me so I can gloat "I told you so! Hahahahah!"

by: toolguy

How smart is eBay's "AI"?

Well, I've been on the site for over 25 years.

I always look at things in List view yet eBay keeps showing me stuff in Gallery view.

If it were really smart it would NEVER show me gallery view ever again, yet it seems to do so just to piss me off!

by: lessthanthreerecords

I don't understand how this can even potentially save time.  Writing a description doesn't take all that long, and once it's done, it has everything I want to convey to the buyer.  Alright, so clicking a button and inserting an AI-generated description is quicker.  But, then you need to proofread it, add details it left out, remove/correct errors, etc.  I fail to see how this process will take LESS time!

by: GetAGrip

Everyone who is surprised by this PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS.

by: Goo Goo

"I don't understand how this can even potentially save time"

This is for Wall Street so this dud of a CEO who has continuously lost sales since the day he was hired can make the false claim that he is improving the marketplace.  Jamie also knows sellers have pulled billions of dollar's worth of inventory because he is not showing the inventory in his pay per click search, he thinks if computers do the listing with AI that this lost inventory will magically reapperar on eBay's ghost town.

by: toolguy

@Goo Goo

Can I just call you Jed?

by: I Must be Crazy

One more reason to list from a computer, not the mobile app. The mobile app from eBay is garbage.

They need to stick to facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers.  Forget about AI, or pay an entity that is capable billions to design and build it.  The programmers at eBay have their hands full keeping 90's era technology up and running on a consistent basis.

by: Goo Goo

I Must be Crazy, the code base is spaghetti code, all this talk about technology from eBay CEO's Wenig and Jamie are buzz words to fool investors, the smoke and mirrors show will not keep the Titanic above water, they are too far gone, AI, Blockchain and Wenig's BS about Augmented Reality shows how far these guys are detached from real reality.  They even have new competition from a company that sounds like their BS (TheREALREAL), so much competition they may as well take the company private or close it down.   Why do you think eBay's venture arm is investing money in start ups, because they know for a fact eBay itself is finished.

by: toolguy

@pace306

You have major competition. . .ROTFLMAO

eBay's finished, going bankrupt, won't be around long.

"Haven't you read the eBay forums?" lol

by: Goo Goo

Face Facts Tool, your Boy Jamie Walmart is as fired as Devin Wenig was, so is the smoke and mirrors book cooker CFO Steve the Wall Street Priest, now that is a pathological liar of fine vintage for sure.  These jokers have done nothing since they got their jobs other than blow smoke and lose massive amounts of sales, sellers and billions of dollars in inventory.  eBay is done man, face reality, Jamie Walmart will soon when they give him 50 million dollars just to remove him from eBay HQ., that is how bad this guy is.  The incompetent Board of Directors needs dissolved for hiring 3 incompetent CEO's in a row.

by: toolguy

@Goo Goo

I could care less who eBay has as a CEO, I'm a small fish in a large pond.

As long as I can find what I want to buy I'm good, as long as buyers can find what I have for sale I'm good.

Who cares about the Board of Directors? I don't

You're barking up the wrong tree, most everyone here buys or sells on eBay, there's no investors here! (OK, there might be 1 or 2)

by: pace306

Tool

Im the LEADER of the group (sellers against eBay?) (you can pick the name)!

Its why I was always wondering why Devin Wenig sent people to attack the Steiners instead of me. The Steiners were ANGELS compared to me (they were almost saints). They never said one bad word - it was usually me and my merry band of angry sellers!

The AI nightmare that the OP encountered is a LEGAL issue as well.

Sellers know that they are responsible for the words in the listing. The item details of a listing and the pic can say one thing - Blue Blouse Size 6 - but if the body of the listing says RED - you can and will get a SNAD - and eBay will be more then happy to hand it out to you.

How can a seller control what eBays crackpot AI does?

As for eBay - they arent going out of business - they are an institutional "safe" stock and eBay has too much (seller) free cash on hand.

Sure they will never grow beyond $45 a share - but does anyone really care?

NO

WS doesnt care, Griff & Jaime dont care (they make $$$$$) - so things will continue as always!

by: Snapped

First mistake is eBay programming their AI under the premise it is (or even could be) even one part of an IQ point ‘smarter’ than even the most ‘intellectually challenged’ among us.

Because even a moron (lacking some ulterior agenda of course) would take a beat to assimilate the fact that all the data fields ‘it’ wanted to ‘help with’ were ALREADY populated by a human mind in the example cited.  At the very least, it could learn from it and use that as a means to get ‘smarter’ about what is most appropriate under predictable (but never identically detailed) circumstance.  

But no.  eBay arrogance and hubris still rule.  And YOU don’t matter a bit.  At least THAT should come as no ‘surprise!’.

by: Goo Goo

Jamie Walmart will automatically make your listings, just enter the UPC Code, then he will pack the order using Augmented Reality, have the carrier pick it up, using software you will automatically get feedback, eBay will text the customer and ask if they want to return within 30 days, if not eBay Payments will one day pay you, then in 6 months when a chargeback hits your account and they remove the money from your linked back account you will have NSF fees hit your negative balance and you will certainly be out of business for good and your credit will be ruined for 7 years.  This is the abomination you will be dealing with when you sell on eBay.

by: compwaco

I'm sorry if this comes off as being sarcastic but it is not new, just being extended to more categories. For over many years now eBay has forced "pre-filled information" on sellers of CD's and DVD's. We are required to put in UPC's (if you are caught not using upc's available in the catalogue you are subject to suspension) and that connects their info to the listing. (While we can check a box to not include it parts will always be included, including their disclaimer that the seller is responsible for the content of eBay's added incorrect info that is forced on us) We have been complaining about incorrect song titles, incorrect numbers of discs in sets, incorrect images and other misc. errors for over 10 years. The most frustrating part being even if a message is sent trying to correct their errors, I have never seen them care enough to fix them.  

by: Goo Goo

There are better places to sell versus eBay, the best is the local swap meet or flea markets, Amazon is a hell hole just like eBay, they hide listings same as eBay, no way to 'grow a business' on either platform, look for alternatives to both sellers.