This “Preview” site is under development by eBay. Please report any technical issues you encounter to their customer service as they prepare for the official launch.
There has been much discussion in the eBay community forums as to whether or not fixed price auctions and store listings from third party image hosts, including SSB, are compatible with eBay Express.
Our templates are compatible, and there are already many listings using SSB image hosting and templates on eBay Express. Note that since buyers have access to a true shopping cart, only Fixed Price and Store Inventory Format items are included.
Some sellers’ listings are either not appearing at all, or appearing some of the time, and eBay has stated that their developers are working to resolve the issue. One of eBay’s support representatives suggested that a picture URL be included under “Picture Web address (Free) under the “Your Web hosting” tab on Step 3 of the Pictures and Details section of the Sell Your Item form.
For sellers unfamiliar with the “Preview Picture” this is the photo that appears at the top left when the actual listing is being viewed. This is NOT the same as a gallery picture. Many SSB subscribers prefer not to use this preview picture, as it seems redundant to show one above the template in addition to the pictures showing within the template. Our directions generally exclude it.
Our testing efforts have confirmed that using a gallery picture alone is not sufficient. We’ve confirmed that use of a “Preview Picture” is necessary for eBay Express to be able to take your listings from the main eBay site. If you have any existing auctions where you did not use one, you must revise each of them.
To display a preview photo using SSB image hosting, when you get to "Add pictures" sections, click on the "Your own Web hosting" tab and paste a URL where it says "Picture Web address (free), and DO NOT check off the box that says "The description already includes a picture URL for my item.” This is the opposite of what our instructions usually say to do in this area.
Another thing to review is Item Condition as indicated under Item Specifics. Specification of item condition is required. Be sure all your listings specify one. Previously, this field did not exist in their selling form, but it now appears just above the Item Description box. If you have older store listings, you should check each one, because you may find many that are blank.
Here is how to revise your auctions:
Locate your auction and click on the link to revise it.
Click on the “Edit Description” link. You will be brought to the page where you may specify your item condition. Select a condition from the drop down list and then “Save Changes” on that page. You will now be back to the main auction revision page.
Next, click on “Edit Pictures and details” link. This will take you to the page where you’ll be able to specify the Preview Picture URL.
The easiest way to do this if you already have a gallery picture pasted on that page, is to first scroll down to the gallery section and copy the URL that’s already there. Just use your mouse to highlight the entire URL, right-click and select “Copy.” Then scroll back up to the “Picture Web address” area, paste the URL you’ve just copied, and UNCHECK the box below. If you get an error messages in red after pasting, delete any extra space just before the URL (eBay doesn’t like this).
Be sure to “Save Changes” and “Submit Revisions.”
Our testing team member revised her existing auctions and watched her auctions appear within minutes on the eBay Express site!
If, after making these changes, your auctions still do not appear, please review the eBay Express Criteria.
Here are the complete rules as posted on the eBay Express site:
Bay Express Selling ChecklistIf you've qualified to become an eBay Express merchant, here is a detailed checklist of the steps you need to take to have your eBay.com listings appear on eBay Express.
For general information about why these criteria are included for eBay Express, please read the answers to questions asked about selling on eBay Express.
Seller Criteria
- Maintain a feedback score of 100 or more, 98% positive or better
- Maintain a public feedback profile
- Support your listings with a PayPal Premier or PayPal Business account
- Ensure your PayPal account settings are set to ship to unconfirmed addresses or make sale-by-sale decisions ("Ask me for unconfirmed addresses")
- Be registered as a U.S. registered seller, or Canadian registered seller shipping from the U.S.
Listing Criteria
- List on eBay.com
- List in Fixed Price or Store Inventory format
- Fill in the item condition field (i.e. New, Used, Refurbished) in Item Specifics. (some categories exempted)
- Use Pre-Filled Item Information for listings within Books, DVDs & Movies, Music, & Video Games.
- Include shipping costs (flat, calculated or free) in the shipping fields.
- Provide a picture or gallery
- Use eBay checkout or the new checkout integration API (for 3rd party order processing)
- Items must be located in the US
Category CriteriaThe majority of eBay.com categories will be included eBay Express. Categories not included in eBay Express at this time are those not covered by PayPal Buyer Protection or categories where Category Managers are still working with the community on representing their categories in eBay Express. See the complete list of categories included or not included.
We hope the above information has been helpful. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact eBay Express. The URL to the site is http://www.ebayexpress.com and there are links at the bottom of their main page to reach their customer service.