• How are you educating sellers to let them know their listings may not be visible through Search and via Browse immediately?
• Does this affect all new listings?
• I'm a seller -- will I still be able to find my own items?
• Which listings are being affected?
• Why is eBay making this change?
• Will impacted items appear in the "Newly Listed" sort option for Search, and at the top of listings pages when users browse?
• When do these changes start and which eBay sites will be affected?
• If my listing is impacted, how long should I expect it to take before my listing is viewable in Search or via Browse?
• Will additional time be added to the listing duration?
• In the past, I have been unable to see my listing for over 10 hours -- Why?

 

How are you educating sellers to let them know their listings may not be visible through Search and via Browse immediately?
It's important that sellers understand that it may take several hours before their listings are visible in Search and via Browse. In addition to this announcement, we are also adding messaging in the Sell Your Item (SYI) listing tool.

Does this affect all new listings?
No. For safety reasons, items reportedly most favored by fraudsters may not be viewable for several hours before the listings are indexed into Search results. However, the number of listings impacted is a small percentage of the overall number of new listings on the site.

I'm a seller -- will I still be able to find my own items?
Yes. Any new listing is immediately viewable through My eBay, or by searching by item number.

Which listings are being affected?
Unfortunately, it's not possible for us to give specific criteria for what listings may be impacted, because that information could be used by scammers to work around our Trust and Safety efforts. Overall, however, this security measure impacts only a small fraction of new listings.

Why is eBay making this change?
As the marketplace has grown and changed, it's more important than ever for eBay to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our Community. Over the last several months, we've been working on a number of initiatives that comprise a more proactive approach to securing the safety of the marketplace.

We realize that some of these changes may cause an inconvenience to our Community. We take this very seriously, and, as is the case in this situation, only make decisions that can have this kind of impact when we believe they are necessary for the health of the marketplace.

Will impacted items appear in the "Newly Listed" sort option for Search, and at the top of listings pages when users browse?
Yes! To maximize exposure for these listings and ensure that buyers who browse by category see these items, we've made an important change. Any listings impacted by this process will appear in the "Newly Listed" sort based on when they are made visible in Search (as opposed to when they are listed). This ensures that they will appear at the top of default Browse results — as well as within the "Newly Listed" sort option for Search — where they belong.

When do these changes start and which eBay sites will be affected?
These changes are already happening across all of our eBay sites, globally. This communication is intended to help sellers better understand why their listings may be not be indexed and viewable in Search for several hours, and to make the Community aware of our ongoing Trust & Safety efforts.

If my listing is impacted, how long should I expect it to take before my listing is viewable in Search or via Browse?
Impacted listings may not be viewable for several hours. Unfortunately, it's not possible for us to give a number of hours, because this will depend on the specific criteria for what listings may be impacted. However, please remember only a small percentage of our overall listings are impacted.

It's also important to note that revising a listing may start the clock over on a listing that is not immediately indexed. This can add to the time the item is not visible via Search.

Will additional time be added to the listing duration?
We've considered this option, however, many sellers list their items in such a way that they end on a very specific day and time that works best for them. If eBay were to modify a listing's ending time to add a few hours, we could cause a significant disruption for these sellers.

In the past, I have been unable to see my listing for over 10 hours -- Why?
We are sorry to hear about this. If you've waited for more than 24 hours after submitting your listing, and your listing still does not appear in a keyword search, you may have another issue. 

Sometimes listings do not appear because they contain profanity (occasionally intentional, but often mistaken typos). There are also a small number of other reasons that may prevent listings from appearing on the site. If you have a listing that is not visible after 24 hours from submission, you may wish to contact Customer Support.