More empty categories

[TonyBridger]

A new member joins, asks for extra watch categories then disappears. 6 months later the categories are added to all the other empty catergories and most likely will stay empty for ever.

*shakes head in amazement*

[MagnetsAndHangers]

Yup - and I dont think all these empty categories look good for ebid - especially if someone just pops in for a wander around.

Maybe support could find a way of making the empty categories invisible (to buyers only) until they are populated.

[adruml]

I'm just thinking the negative of empty categories are reflected through folks who search via category/narrowed sub category search rather then keyword title search.
I can't imagine an empty category hurting eBid, rather the lack of items to fill the category being the culprit.

[dardonboi]

Categories just need a total make over. Sometimes there are several places you could put things and then other times when you are looking for what you think should be there are not. Every day there are more requests for new categories and they seem to be created without much thought behind adding them.

I wonder if more general categories on the main pages and then more specific needs should be taken care of in the sellers store pages wouldn't work better.

[Maelbrigda]

but not all sellers have stores

[dardonboi]

but not all sellers have stores

That is true. I didn't think about that.

[damian_steele]

Every day there are more requests for new categories and they seem to be created without much thought behind adding them.

So what's the alternative? eBid staff are not going to have expertise in every single area of selling so they have to be guided by those who say they do and that means trusting sellers when they ask for certain categories. I suspect that even if eBid were to directly copy Feebay's categories there would still be people wanting something different. The same thing goes for taking category listings from guides or reference books; someone will always want something else. So what should eBid do, refuse to create news cats?

Seems to me that they can't win no matter what they do.

[madelaine]

I asked for some stamp categories (in August last year). They were added yesterday. After Easter I will be populating them.

Can't speak for the watches - didn't agree that they were needed but I can't claim any special knowledge in that area.