ImplementedAutomatically Update Item Specifics when using List Similar as well as Sell

Comments

• 21 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 1 Likes Vote Down

  I just listed 25 US stamps between Scott #1317 and 1462. These stamps were issued between 1966 and 1972. All 25 stamps are shown as issued in 1966. Only (3) were issued in 1966.
  
  That means I have to go back and delete the year of issue information from 22 listings. Please provide me with some way to disable your automatic fill in until you fix it. I will not be listing anymore stamps until it is fixed - I can't afford the time to go back and edit listings because of errors committed by Hipstamp.
• Mark Rosenberg Staff

  September 2016 edited September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  If you click on "Sell" and create a new listing, and enter in a title, we will automatically fill in the item specifics for you, including year. However, if you click on "List Similar" we will not automatically fill in anything for you. The values for all fields will be the same as the listing you just created - this is how List Similar has always worked. As in when you clicked on "List Similar" all values will "stick".
  
  We will review this further, but in general, if you have your Default Listing Settings set in the Members Area > Selling > Seller Tools > Default Listing Settings, you shouldn't need to use the List Similar option.
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Mark, I have been using "list similar" on Stampwants/Bidstart since 2007 and on Ebay since 1997. That way if I am listing "US 1317" and then "US 1318" I only have to change the 3 last numbers and the picture - 4 minor changes rather than completely typing all the numbers over again. And now the item ID number but on the first page that too is merely changing the "7" to an "8". It is the only way to list with any speed and it eliminates a lot of errors.
  
  When we "list" an item by pushing the "List now" button we are brought to a page that has different options - one of which is "List similar" - are you saying that we are not supposed to use this ????
  
  I guess I can get used to just deleting the filled in year date and hopefully that will prevent the system from trying to fill it in when I go to the next page...........
  
• Mark Rosenberg Staff

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Just to clarify - when you click on List Similar - we are not automatically filling in any data. We're not trying to fill in the Year, or any other information for you. When you click on List Similar, we create an exact copy of the listing. Whatever you have entered in for the Title, Stamp Type, Year - everything is all copied. So if you have the Year set for a specific listing, and then click on "List Similar" the Year would be the same as in the original listing.
  
  You can continue to use List Similar, and any information you want to change from the previous listing you would change - including changing or removing the Year. Only when you click on "Sell" and are not using List Similar do we now automatically fill in the Item Specifics, including Year, for you based on your title.
  
  We'll make a note to look into offering this option through List Similar as well - just keep in mind that we are not trying to fill in anything automatically for you when you're using List Similar currently.
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  OK - it looks like as long as I delete any number appearing in the year of issue when "listing similar" for the first listing the blank space will stick. Only if I forget do I end up with errors on all subsequent listings.....
  
  As long as there is a work around I can deal with it
  
  Thanks for your patience, it's just a little frustrating at times..........
• Dave Bennett

  September 2016 4 Likes Vote Down

  Mark has got to be the most patient and diplomatic site administrator I've ever encountered! And no one compares to him in accessability and his willingness to help!
  
  I just read his long and calm explanation of HipStamp's functionality to a seller here who declared he was leaving! The fact that he was so gracious and helpful to a disgruntled hothead really impressed me! I would not have been able to hold my tongue!
  
  I wish more members would use the 'Contact Us' feature to open a Help Ticket for their personal problems, and allow Mark to work efficiently on cases of true worth, and not make him take the time to wade through all the nitpicking here in the Forum. (sometimes, though, Carol, a problem like yours is good to air here for us all to learn from)
• RRoss Berger

  September 2016 3 Likes Vote Down

  Very well said Dave. Mark and Justin have both worked tirelessly to help us all with the challenges that arise from a new site(including me). I am happy to be stamping again after a 18 month vacation.
  Ross
  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/ross-stamps
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  I couldn't agree more. I posted this as a question because if I were not paying attention I could well have had several hundred listings all showing the year of issue as "1966".
  
  If I was the only one who didn't notice the problem when I used the "list similar" function I should have used the contact us feature (which I have utilized in the past).- I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone else using the "list similar" function that they need to check out their listings for errors. Someone else must hit the "list similar" button when listing 30 or 40 similar items (same country and condition) or am I the only one?
  
• RRoss Berger

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Carol,
  I use the "List Similar" all the time. I have the catalog open and use copy and paste a lot but thats what works for me right now. I am also trying to learn the CVS spread sheet but some of my meds fog the brain so I'm a slow learner!!!!
  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/ross-stamps
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  I have spent ab couple of hours trying to begin to understand how the bulk lister works and it might as well be in Latin.
  
  I used Turbo Lister when I was listing a lot of stuff on Ebay with no prpblems. I guess I just don't get this CSV format. I made a file for the old Bidstart sold data from day 1 and can extrapolate everything except the description from it but it is nothing like the bulk lister templates.
  
  
• Mark Rosenberg Staff

  September 2016 1 Likes Vote Down

  Thanks Dave!
  
  Carol - We have gone ahead and updated the List Similar feature, such that it too will now update the Item Specifics (including Year when available) based upon your Title.
  
  The way the standard Sell Your Item process worked, once you selected the category, we automatically filled in the Item Specifics for you based on the title. This of course is why it wasn't used in List Similar - since a Category is already set. However, now, when you List Similar, if you change the Title (and already have a Category set) we'll re-populate the Item Specifics, including Year. So all in all this should work as you would expect it too.
  
  Let me know if you have any issues.
  
  We're also trying to get the Bulk Lister help videos out the beginning of this week.
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Thank you so much Mark. All of us appreciate all that you have done in such a short period of time and look forward to growing a new website even better than Bidstart.
  
  Looking forward to the videos whenever you get a chance to release them - I need to understand CSV's better......
• John Coles

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Well done Mark. Take the day off LOL
• RRoss Berger

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  I also Thank you Mark.
  
  https://www.hipstamp.com/store/ross-stamps
• MMichael Duehr

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Mark,
  
  After listing a number of items over 2 days I am finding for me it's a mixed bag. Sometimes it will automatically change the main cat and year of issue fields other times it doesn't. The 2 fields that are changing on a constant basis is the country and cat number fields. (I do use the topical field a lot so I don't if that is part of it or not)
  
  
• Mark Rosenberg Staff

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Keep in mind these are two different, and essentially opposite features. Automatically filling in the Item Specifics information based upon the Title, is about changing the Item Specifics information where we can - based on the title.
  
  The List Similar feature is about keeping every field exactly the same as it was in the first listing, so that you only need to change what's different from the last listing. This includes the title, description, and all item specifics.
  
  Conversely to listing a new item - where all fields start blank (or set to your Default Listing Settings). So for example when creating a new listing, and you provide a title, and then select a category, we will automatically attempt to detect the following item specifics for you:
  
  Country
  Catalog Number
  Condition
  Stamp Format
  Stamp Type
  Year of Issue
  
  Note we do not attempt to determine the category, or any other information. Any Item Specific we can not determine for you - we leave blank for you to fill out accordingly. Also to note, we can only determine Stamp Type and Year of Issue if we have a Country and Catalog Number - and that Country and Catalog Number is in our Catalog (click on Catalog in the header).
  
  When you use List Similar, we'll do the same. But if we don't have information for one of these item specifics - when we "leave it blank" you'll still see the information from the first listing - since that is the point of List Similar - to fill in all fields with the information from the first listing for you.
  
  That being said, it may make sense to clear Stamp Type and Year of Issue if we don't have that information - but that would be a change from how List Similar is intended to work.
  
  What is everyone's thoughts on this?
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 edited September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  I just listed 36 US stamps and it was flawless - it saved changing the catalog number manually in one location and automatically added in the correct year date for me which avoids errors and saves time looking up each stamp. The time savings was somewhere around 8 to 10 minutes for the batch of 36 and I didn't have to keep going back to check and recheck that I had typed it correctly.
  
  It makes listing almost fun ...... please don't take it away ..
• MMichael Duehr

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  I wouldn't want it changed either. (Even though I did have some that it didn't work that way,it was still faster having some of the information) And it also helps to know why that information isn't showing up some items. Please don't change it.
  
  For me having the private ID sticky would also be a big help.
• Mark Rosenberg Staff

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Just to clarify I was only referring to the case when using List Similar, and we could detect the Country and Catalog Number, but we did not have the Year of Issue. Only in that case, if you were using the List Similar process we could then clear out the Year of Issue. Otherwise you may not be able to tell if we filled in the Year correctly, or it's just the data you had from the previous listing. Both ways would be correct - just trying to see what makes more sense...
• MMichael Duehr

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  It may be a problem for some. Some time back when getting some of the stuff set up for both Ebay and seeing how SG was going we just starting adding the year at that time,so I do have the year on the items I am listing now. I can how this can be a problem for those who are not doing that so either way is fine with me. As i do use the topics a lot I just check both the topic and year since they are both together.
• HHenry Brooks

  September 2016 0 Likes Vote Down

  Right now it fills in the year of issue perfectly when using "list similar" and I change the title ( say from US 1316 to US 1317") which was exactly what I wanted after having the year "stick" and create errors in every subsequent listing that went unnoticed. "Sticky" is no good for year date. In the 36 listings I made I went through 3 or 4 years and it was absolutely perfect..