“What I want people to be able to do is select weights, package types and quantities.”

eBay calls this “creating a listing with variations” and it looks something like this:

eBay offers listing variations in the following categories:

• Baby
• Clothing, shoes and accessories
• Health and beauty
• Home and garden (some sub-categories excluded)
• Jewelry and watches
• Pet supplies
• Sporting goods

What is a Variation?

Instead of creating a number of separate listings for a product that has a choice of options, you can create a single multi-quantity fixed price listing that includes all the variations you offer. For example, a T-shirt might come in multiple colors and sizes. Buyers can select which variation they want to purchase from the single listing.

How To Create a Listing With Variations

To create a listing for beef jerky that offers variations in flavors I would first select the option (located near the top of the Sell Your Item form) to create variations:

Upon clicking the Create Variations button, I’m presented a page where I can tell eBay what kind of varieties I’d like to offer my customers.  After clicking the link labeled Enter Your Own Variation Detail, a pop-up appears where I can name the variation (flavor) and enter the first option (barbecue):

After clicking Save, I’m presented with the opportunity to enter the next flavor (teriyaki):

Create SKUs

I would click the + Flavor link to add more.  Clicking continue will provide the opportunity create additional variations.  After I’ve finished this process, eBay asks me to create a SKU for each variation:

Add Pictures

Next, I can enter the pictures that are applicable to the specific variations and shared pictures that apply to all:

Price and Quantities

Finally, I can enter the quantity of each variety I have in stock and available to sell and specify the price for each variation:

You’re Done!

Clicking Save brings me back to the Sell Your Item page where the Variations table now shows the fruits of my labor:

This is actually a pretty neat feature that eBay offers.  If your category and your inventory support variations, you might just give it a try.

Questions?

If you’ve got a question that you would like me to address on this blog, feel free to drop me a note.

…but I think I can live with it.

Almost makes me think that eBay is listening!  (If you are, thanks eBay!)

Unfortunately, this phenomenon impacts every seller who manages to get their listing found on Google.  There’s no way to opt out, and even Top Rated Sellers get this treatment.

If you are concerned, there are some things you can do to minimize the impact of eBay’s Google Penalty.

Read about them after the jump…

Because your listing’s description is now below the fold and hidden from your customer’s view, it’s important to get as many details as you can in the top section and in view of the customer.  With the exception of the free gallery image eBay provides, I normally host my own pictures and display them in the listing’s description.   The pictures eBay hosts are in the top left hand corner of the screen – prime real estate on a web page.  I now pay the extra $0.75 for the eBay’s Picture Pack in order to get as many details in front of the Google visitor as possible.  I add additional pictures, details, …

…and encouragement to scroll past my competitors to look at my description.

Alternately, you can take advantage of eBay’s frequent free listing promotions and flood the category with duplicate auction listings and ensure that its not your competitors that show up before your description – but links to your other offerings:

Depending on eBay to send traffic to your listings is no way to run a business.  If you’re like me, you take the time and effort to get your listings to show up on the first page of Google’s search results to draw customers.  While I’m upset, with eBay for diverting some of this traffic away from my listing, I’m not powerless.  Neither are you.  I hope you find these suggestions helpful.

• might not make the sale; or
• might not provide this proverbial stranger wandering in the eBay store off the street a good buying experience.

eBay’s Google Penalty

Therefore, when a visitor clicks-through to your listing from Google, they are immediately presented with this unusual box at the top of the listing…

So, if you’re like me and spend the time and effort to run a Search Engine Optimization campaign for your eBay listings (or just lucky enough to rank highly in the search results), eBay thanks you by immediately trying to lure away the customer you just brought to the auction site.

But this is just the first jab of eBay’s Google Penalty.   If your customer hasn’t clicked away yet, eBay shameless sticks five links to other listings before your listing’s description above the fold – meaning your customer has to scroll down to view your description, if they have any remaining inclination to do so!  Click on the image below to enlarge it.

eBay doesn’t seem to care if you have perfect feedback or are a Top Rated Seller.  Every listing is subject to eBay’s Google Penalty.

Want to experience the eBay Google Penalty for yourself?  Try a search like this on Google: manilla envelopes site:ebay.com

Replace “manilla envelopes” with whatever you’re selling (use your listing title in quotations) and see if it’s happening to your listings.  You say it isn’t happening to you?  Log out of eBay and try the search again.  (Tricky aren’t they?)

Does this seem just a little shady to anybody else?

Although there’s no way to opt out of this or prevent it, I’ll provide some ideas on how you can mitigate the Google Penalty in my next post.