UK Community Update

[katie@ebay]

Hi Everyone!

Today we launch the updated eBay community in the UK. 

As you will have noticed, the eBay community looks different. We have launched the updated design of the community with a few new features:

• Mobile experience enhanced
• Reduced load time
• Quicker navigation through the site

Of course, all your previous posts, messages and comments are still where they were before. The changes to the community are focused on the look and feel, to enhance your experience and allow mobile users to fully utilise the community, too.

If you have any questions about the new eBay community, feel free to ask below in this discussion board.

[cee-dee]

Katie, I'm going to take issue with what you said "Of course, all your previous posts, messages and comments are still where they were before. "

No they're not. They may well be there, but not where we left them. 

Take this forum, Community Update. We see your thread and open it, it opens at page one. You have to scroll all the way to the bottom to see the numbers for pages 1 to 4. 

Why doesn't the thread open where we last read it? Why do we have to go all the way down to the bottom to get to the other page numbers?

This is a pretty new thread, what about some that have been active for years? Opening one of those (if you can find it) opens at the very first page posted years back. Why? Also, opening the thread on the other pages has the Opening Post at the top of every page you open. Why?

If ebay want to kill off all discussions, just tell us instead of prolonging the agony? 

[*wild*rose]

Surely even the eBay staff can see how awful this update is, Katie? 

It takes AGES to scroll and navigate.  I have chronic pain (as I'm sure other users do) and it's extremely tiring and frustrating to use the new forum.

Please change it back to the previous format.

[rainbowtrax]

See my new signature below. And that is just the tip of the iceberg on all the things that are wrong with this ridiculous makeover. It's not an update, it's just a dumbing down and from the general lack of posts, even the dumb can't use it.

[cee-dee]

Obviously (well it's obvious to most?) there's something putting off people from posting? I wonder what it is? 😇

There's lots of views but not many posts.

Perhaps the old saying applies You can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink?

[robmar0se]

I tried to reply to yr post, but crashed (again!) Try again later

[theelench]

Just had a quick look at Seller Central and Business Seller Board's first two pages (going back to last Sunday roughly).   Only one thread on each have replies that've reached double figures.

Well done ebay,  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

[katie@ebay]

Hi all,

Thank you for your continued feedback on this thread. We have gathered all insights and have made all the changes possible at this time. I shared some of these in my reply yesterday.

Some highlights from this update were:

• Reintroduced spellcheck.
• Ensured the photo icon appears in the text box for to you add images within the text.
• Readded the titles under your username to show level of experience. These are not new to Community UK but we have simplified the titles and readded them.
• The feedback score and link to "View Listings" will now show on the threads under a members username. This also appears on the profile page.
• Message numbers have been re-added.
• The member to member answer centre board is now restored and members can get support from our Community Experts, even if they arrive via the eBay help pages.

We have reintroduced linear threads since then to make the discussion threads more similar in reading style to before.

I appreicate all your comments here and want to reassure you we are taking note.

Thanks, 

Katie 

[cee-dee]

I wonder why it's crashing?

Perhaps you could tell us what you're using? If a computer, is it Apple or Windows? Computer separates or a laptop? Which Operating System (version) and which browser?

Me? This is an HP Envy Laptop (using a mouse though), Windows ten, Edge browser.

[katie@ebay]

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing this. I want to make sure we take a closer look at this.

Please share some further details about the device and browser you are using and we can review.

Thanks,

Katie

[cee-dee]

Katie, what do you mean by "linear threads"????

The main criticism is that the threads don't show up in the order of the last posted on. On a discussion board we don't want them in the order they are now ie in the order of the last thread posted.

[katie@ebay]

Hi there, 

Thank you for this question. When we first moved to the new community layout the replies were showing up in an order that depended on the post you were replying to. 

Your reply would have been indented below the person you were replying to. 

Now all threads are one below the other in time order.

Hope this helps to explain.

Thanks, 

Katie 

[cee-dee]

Thank you for your reply, I followed that OK BUT..... you knew there was going to a "but"?

As mentioned above, it's the order the threads are appearing that's the main bugbear and there's been no explanation of why it was done that way or why the thread order can't be put back the way it was before.

[robmar0se]

sure, no problem re the site crashing.

I am using win 10/64 pro v 20h2 with wifi keyboard/mouse, via Chrome zoom down to 90 Version 88.0.4324.190.  Process i (1) expand box so I can see what I'm typing.

(ii) Click on the reply box, (iii) type away,(iv) click on preview, then (v) close preview, and (vi) click on reply.

I have on several occasions get a crash report which is only on the Ebay discussion board site - and as far as I can see there is no way of gettting back to anyautosave etc.

[cee-dee]

Have you tried not clicking on "preview"?

Copy your post by highlighting it, right click and click "copy"?

[robmar0se]

May I also add to this too?

The sequencing is also an issue when undertaking a search - for example try "Hermes"  (always popular),  and you can see the jumble of items in no particular order, long thread, short thread.  

As it stands searching is pretty pointless.

[katie@ebay]

Thank you for your reply.

We were seeing some issues with the preview function yesterday but saw improvement today. I will continue to escalate this issue with our teams.

I am very sorry for any inconvenience caused without that feature as we work to resolve.

Thanks,

Katie 

[i_failed_my_dna_test]

Katie , the only possible improvement is a return to what was here before the alterations .

Tell the team (if thats what he/she is called ) to stop playing around trying to improve the mess that they have made .

[gallovidian]

---

@i_failed_my_dna_test wrote:

Katie , the only possible improvement is a return to what was here before the alterations .

Tell the team (if thats what he/she is called ) to stop playing around trying to improve the mess that they have made .

---

Yes, yes, yes!

We cnstantly see people sounding off on the boards about changes to the system that I find barely noticeable.  But here we have something else. In discussions of changes we would normally find a fair number of people saying they liked them, if they did. But they don't. We see quite a few people on the boards with problems they have encountered through using mobile phones, which I believe any sensible eBayer should regard as an occasional emergency measure, if that. But seeking greater parity between phones and computers by eliminating what it takes a computer to use, is an unwise and harmful step. The dissent could be much greater. I was told of this thread on a part of the site I never visit, and I don't doubt many more are in the same boat.

Have you noticed how many fewer replies threads are getting, and how much more quickly they slip out of sight on that long, long page? Display in order of the last post is important too. Under the old system we could take a quick, easy look at which threads are enduring, because they matter. We could see at a glance which were still running, and who had kept it running. Do you remember the sustained and dirty campaigns to make people believe that the Money Back Guarantee didn't apply to collection items, or that sellers should refuse to accept Paypal for collection items, or that many Chinese sellers misdeclare their items as being in the UK as their standard business practice, or that it is acceptable for sellers to lie about the reason for cancelling a transaction? All of these are liable to slip out of signt unchallenged, leaving people deceived as to their  rights. Deceived as to their rights means someone gets money of theirs to which he isn't entitled.

I shouldn't want to carry water to my own well unless it is to serve some serious purpose, and I actually disapprove of the kudos system. All too often it is for "helpful" in sometimes self-seeking discussion, and we shouldn't count their but weigh them. "Helpful" from the people who brought their problems to the board weigh heavier. But I have received 1971 "helpfuls", one ler less than six of my 11064 posts, and more in the last month than anyone else on the Buyer Central board. Some others, expressing similar views, have done much more for the community than that. I have always considered it a mark of success when someone says "Are you paid by eBay to post here?"  Well it is a fine idea, but we aren't.

These boards aren't just social media, to be used the way so many do smartphones. They serve a serious purpose, which keeps people buying on eBay and makes life a little thinner for the fraudsters it could so easily attract. Surely our opinion must count for something?

M eanwhile the Resolution Centre appears to be inoperable, and "Contact eBay" in "Help and Contact" has recently been restored. It isn't even as if eBay's IT experts, whom I'm prepared to believe are among the best, didn't have better things to do than this.

[cee-dee]

A simple way to enable the threads with the latest posts showing at the top of the board could be by adding to the "Sorted by" menu = last posts?  

[katie@ebay]

Hi there,

Thank you for your post.

The threads should be appearing in order of newest to oldest. This is set this way across the community unless your personal preferences on the account are different. You can double check these preferences here

The sort options on the home pages of each board will default to most recent and when in a thread it will default to Newest to Oldest. Is this what you are seeing on your side?

I want to make sure I am fully understanding your request.

Thanks,

Katie