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Published: April 13 2011, 3:20:00 PMUpdated: August 18 2022, 2:30:52 PM

Question

I received messages from eBay explaining that some items we listed did breach the duplicate policy. What should we change to comply with this policy?

 

Answer

Here is a sample list of some of the attributes considered collectively to determine if items and listings are significantly different from one another:

  1. Price
  2. Color
  3. Size
  4. Compatibility
  5. Use or purpose
  6. Quantity (selling a set verses an individual)
  7. Item Specifics
  8. Title
  9. Item Condition
  10. Photos
  11. Subtitle
  12. Location
  13. Product ID

A difference is considered significant when it addresses a significantly different user need or offers a significantly different value to buyer. The key for understanding what is a duplicate is the "significantly different" statement. eBay is going to look for (2) or more of the attributes listed above to be significantly different for it to not be considered a duplicate.

Make sure the title reflects the primary difference and that it makes sense to the buyer In addition, you can then make sure that you use item specifics with the differences between products supplied and provide a unique product ID number. This should show significant enough difference to keep the items from being identified as duplicates.

It is very important that sellers adjust their tools and processes to comply with this policy as continued violations could lead to account actions or restrictions.

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