STOP USING AI DESCRIPTIONS

[wykesy2013]

Sold a handful of items on EBay - it's  obviously second hand, even though sometimes it's practically new. But I will always describe the items condition and maybe a quick line of reason for sale. Pretty sure that's what people want to hear? 

AI descriptions produce a meaningless bulky essay of what the item might be good for, I read the first few words and end up with Blah Blah Blah - AI needs to stop and quick! Everyone just wants the actual description - not a very poorly worded sales pitch. I assume it actually stops the sale!?? ... I always click off items with lazy AI descriptions. 

Stop the AI - thank you - that is all 

[lucy_farmer]

Oh yes... AI descriptions are complete carp. All they do is take the category the item is in, and the words from the description and mash them up with a load of old advertising cobblers.

 I'm pretty sure it puts off way more buyers than it attracts.

(I've put an AI description in one or two of my own sales because, through curiosity,  I pushed the AI 'button' to see what it would do. The result made me laugh so much at it's sheer hopelessness, I left it there along with my reaction to it ! and the real description of course...)

[1902elder]

I don't buy from any seller using AI, if they are too lazy to do it themselves, how do I know if the description is accurate or a load of cobblers. I saw an ad for a film camera, and the details gave it as x mp. MP only applies to digital. I messaged the seller and pointed it out to him, and very soon he had replaced the decription with his own

[wykesy2013]

Fair play for pointing it out, you would have helped the seller. I have never taken the time to educate others that their AI descriptions are counter productive- maybe it's a case of educating the basics - minimal descriptions ie keep it short and sweet (like a speech) 

[wykesy2013]

Yes agreed - that's exactly my point - it doesn't work as it'll put buyers off! 

Maybe is a case of ignorance or uneducated - EBay have created a bad buyin experience with this 'technology' 

[theelench]

 but MOI think it actually takes the words from your title and IS, mashes them together with some advertising speak and produces the "description".

I usually let AI have a go, mainly because it's meant to be learning what buyers are actually looking for and homing-in on the same words in my title and IS.  That might be a useful clue as to which of the random IS is important to buyers rather than what ebay thinks is important to them.

Yesterday's effort with a fruit bowl makes me think it is not learning at all, it's just getting more confused and turning-out more tosh than the last time I used it.

AS always it decided that my bowl was "stunning" but this time instead of "Enhancing any room, decor, or glass collection, it thought it would enhance any "Glass or ceramics collection"

More worrying were two glaring inaccuracies.  A decorative detail of leaves and berries was mixed with marketing blather and turned into a major feature of the bowl, which it isn't.

From somewhere, but not from my words, it decided that the maker (Brockwitz) was renowned for their high quality products, IMO  but only if you happen to like their particular design interpretation of Art Deco but at least possible.  But definitely wrong that it made the designs in "high quality / grade glass".

I think it's stretching itself since I last tried it but is now inventing things to say that are nothing to do with my words.  Because a bit of decoration can be called a "theme" does not make it the Main theme and nowhere in the title or IS is there any comment or indication of the quality of materials used in its manufacture.

[lucy_farmer]

Yep, you're dead right about 'words from the TITLE and the category being mashed up . I put in the word description by mistake then couldn't work out how to edit a post after posting it! .....☹️

(How do you edit a post by the way? I notice that some posts: like your last one here!-  have 'edited' in the top right corner, *without* the 'mods' fingerprints, so I assume you've done it yourself?)

[eastern-lights]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

(How do you edit a post by the way? I notice that some posts: like your last one here!-  have 'edited' in the top right corner, *without* the 'mods' fingerprints, so I assume you've done it yourself?)

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You only have five minutes (I think) from posting to edit a post. Top right of your post, click on the down arrow, select "edit reply".

[lucy_farmer]

'You only have five minutes' 

Dammit...... that'll be why there was no 'edit post' option.  I've got to be a bit quicker off the mark/pay more attention to what I'm doing in future 🙄

Thank you for the answer!

[wyntersemporium]

I use ai and quite like it but tweak it as I go along 

[fatbobfan]

There are some classics out there,

I was looking at mens bracelets, used and new, low and high value, it was the look I was after, not the brand.

'blah blah blah

and this piece will bring high end quality and value and will be an asset to adorn any collection,

Was I looking at Le Gramme, Versace, Sabo, Northskull? 

No £15 unbranded, 

[thesmokingrunner]

I have just seen an absolute classic produced by eBay's Artificial Idiot for a pair of Oakley Flak sunglasses:

In the Item Specifics the temple length is given as 133mm.

In the Item Description it appears as "...a temperature length of 133mm".

[tressygirl]

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@thesmokingrunner wrote:

I have just seen an absolute classic produced by eBay's Artificial Idiot for a pair of Oakley Flak sunglasses:

In the Item Specifics the temple length is given as 133mm.

In the Item Description it appears as "...a temperature length of 133mm".

I think a new ' Competition' thread could be started with examples of the Best ( Worst! 😉) AI  descriptions,  think your example would figure in the Top 10 !

@thesmokingrunner 

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[johnwash1]

I think a new ' Competition' thread could be started with examples of the Best ( Worst! 😉) AI  descriptions,  think your example would figure in the Top 10 !

Worst?  Not even close!  Unless it was scored by AI, of course.

AI outside ebay, in the real world, and for some purposes, can be amazing.  I occasionally dip into the subReddit ChatGPT and think of all the wonders AI could be used for, medicine, education, mental health, electronics design and perhaps how to assassinate a presidential candidate (since humans seem so incompetent at it).

[clearingmyshelves2025]

I looked at the same item listed by two different sellers, both who had used AI.

Trouble was both descriptions were virtually identical. As a seller you want your description to stand out, be different from the crowd. All AI does is mimic. 

AI creates buzz words, language used in corporate selling. Totally meaningless.

[scagsy-77]

Awful, pointless, unnecessary, unwanted, system.

I'm that frustrated with it now, that I've started a GoFundMe for SkyNet in the hope that their AIs can invent time travel and draw their attention onto finding John Connor, instead of thwarting my efforts to buy a 'spares or repairs' toaster that I can repair for the family to gather around this winter and warm their fingertips.

Time is the only thing that money can't buy. (Although a 1st Class stamp is catching up fast)

In my opinion, real 'intelligence' would be condensing descriptions to their most basic parts so that we can see if the item in question is what we need, at a glance.

[fatbobfan]

Definitely right with the doing for good, so interesting as well

One that strikes a cord, is AI is being used with mammogram results and compared with human checking, and with success.

The algorythm was highlighting pattern differences the human eye was not/could not detect and bringing this back to be checked again.

A quick google and it is already being a lot in medicine, hope they run side by side as humans and machines can make mistake