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Following on eBay: Building Collections
Create inspiring collections and expose your inventory in a whole new way
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With great photos and a little creativity, you can market yourself in a whole new way by creating collections that showcase the depth and breadth of your offerings, highlight your expertise and experience, and inspire browsers to become buyers. 
Will I be notified if someone posts a comment on one of my collections?
Collections are groups of eBay items hand-selected by eBay members, mixed and matched around a theme, concept or passion. By creating intriguing and inspiring collections of products, you can attract eager buyers who are able to purchase items right from the collections you create. Your collections can also be exposed to new buyers via sharing from other members and have the potential to appear on the eBay Today page. Items you've listed may even be featured in collections others have created!
Starting in April, users can post comments on your collections, enabling them to have ongoing conversations centered around your items or themed collections, and enabling you to engage with your potential buyers and highlight your expertise.
Ready to create? Here's a great example of a themed collection:
You can also create collections with a gift recipient in mind:
Collections can go even further, with rich concepts or stories behind the selected items, as shown in this example:
Follow these top tips for building your own collections:
- Aim to create collections that resonate and inspire discovery. Unleash your knowledge and passion, and let users relate their passions with yours. Include a rich variety of items, and really dig to find that eye-catching item!
- Create a number of collections. We recommend creating 5-10 collections, with around 15 items per collection.
- Use—or seek out—tasteful, high-quality images. Buyers are attracted to interesting, engaging and clear imagery. The more attractive and interesting your collections, the more likely they are to gain a following.
- Choose a concise and descriptive title that explains what's in the collection. For example, "Camera gear for outdoor sports" is better than "John's stuff".
- Add items to your collection that make sense together. Seek consistency—each collection's theme should be apparent to the viewer. For example, if you have a collection that features automobile accessories, it'll look a little odd if you add gardening tools to the mix.
- To create an even richer experience, add complementary items offered by other sellers to your collections. Buyers prefer to shop from collections that feature a rich assortment of related, complementary items. To keep your collections fresh and compelling, be sure to include items that best illustrate the collection's theme—regardless of who is selling it.
- Add comments about the items you picked for your collections. This is a way to give your collection extra personality, and explain to other eBay members what makes each item in your collection special.
- Fuel the conversation—respond to comments that other users post on your collections. Responding to posts from your followers or other users is a great way for you to connect with other members and show off your expertise and ideas. It's not a requirement, but it definitely helps keep interested shoppers engaged with your collections!
- Update often by adding new items to your collection. Adding new items means your picks will show up more often in your followers' feeds. Also, collections that are frequently updated are more likely to be featured on other eBay pages.
- Factor in social media. Consider how your collections will look on social platforms like Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs.
Don't miss these new avenues for selling—start creating collections today: your first one is a click away!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are collections?
Collections are groups of items curated by sellers, experts, and members of the eBay community around specific themes or topics. They give buyers a new way to browse a selection of items that have been hand-picked to intrigue and inspire.
Why create collections?
Shoppers on eBay might create collections that:
- Act as shopping lists: For example, things they need to buy as they're expecting a baby
- Are inspirational: For example, ideas for furnishing their living room
- Share their style, and connect with eBay members that share similar interests.
- Highlight expertise and knowledge: Best racing bicycles and accessories, for example.
- Serve as a wish list: Items they'd love to buy—or receive as a gift!
As a seller, you can create collections to:
- Showcase your expertise and knowledge to millions of eBay members in the community
- Better market or merchandise your inventory
- Connect with your buyers in-between purchases
- Create a following, as sharing a collection—both on eBay and via social media—is far more compelling to buyers than just sharing an item
Do I have to create collections?
Creating collections isn't required, but collections offer you a great way to get more exposure for your items to people with similar interests by showcasing both your items and expertise.
How do I create a collection?
Creating a collection is a breeze! Check out this easy-to-use guide on how to create collections.
How do I edit my collections—delete an item, add a collection description, or choose a cover image?
There is an easy-to-use guide available with step-by-step instructions on how to edit your collections.
How many collections can I create?
You can create up to 100 collections.
How many items can I have in a collection?
You may include up to 200 items in any one collection.
Can my collections include items from other sellers?
Yes. In fact, one of the best ways to create appealing collections is to include items that best express your collection's theme—regardless of who is selling the items.
What happens when I follow a collection?
When you follow a collection, you may then see items from that collection in your eBay feed as they're added to the collection. You can stop following a collection at any time. The member who created the collection will not be notified when you unfollow their collection.
Can everyone see my collections?
Unless you make them private, your collections will be viewable to everyone by default. If you don't want others to see or follow some or all of your collections, you can set them to private, so only you will be able to see them. Learn more about customizing your privacy settings.
To change a collection's status to 'private', follow the steps below:
1. Find the collection you'd like to make private. Collections that are public can be identified by a globe icon, which appears in the top right-hand corner of the collection thumbnail.
2. Click on the 'This collection is public' link, which appears above your collection's main photo.
3. Click on the 'Yes, make private' button to confirm this action.
4. Once confirmed, the privacy setting for that collection will read 'This collection is private'.
Why should I make my collections public?
Collections are a great way to showcase your expertise—as well as the items you're selling. Besides appearing on your profile and—for subscribers, your eBay Store—your popular collections may appear on other eBay pages, including eBay Today, the eBay.com homepage, View Item pages, and in search results. It's also a great way to keep buyers in the loop about your new listings.
If I follow a seller's collection, will they start sending me emails?
No, not unless you sign up for their eBay newsletters.
Do collections ever expire?
No. Unless a collection violates one of our policies, it will remain on eBay.com until you delete it.
What if I don't have time to build collections? Is this going to impact my holiday business?
We understand how busy it can get during the holidays. While it's impossible to determine the impact collections may have on your holiday business, it is another way to market and get exposure for your items on eBay. Investing a few hours now could really pay off in the long run.
How can I make sure that eBay is recommending my collections to buyers?
We currently don't offer any sort of reporting on how many times we recommend collections. There are a number of factors that go into how we determine which collections are recommended to buyers, including things like the popularity of a collection and how relevant a collection is to a person's interests. The most certain way to get exposure for your collections is to develop high-quality collections and actively promote them in all of your marketing efforts, including those through social channels like Facebook and Twitter. Learn more about attracting followers.
Why doesn't my collection appear in the results when I search on the "Explore Collections" page?
Not all collections on eBay.com are displayed on the Explore Collections page. To optimize the chances your collections will appear on this page, be sure to follow best practices for creating collections, including a minimum of 10-15 items per collection.
If an item saved in a collection is sold or is no longer available for purchase on eBay, will it be automatically removed from my collection?
No, items saved in your collection will remain in your collection until you delete them—even if it has been sold or the listing has ended. If an item in your collection has been sold, the 'See similar' link will appear in the image description.
Items that are no longer available will appear like this:
As a best practice, be sure to refresh your collections often by adding new items and removing ones that are no longer available.
If an ended item saved in a collection gets relisted, how will it appear in the collection?
There is no mechanism to update the status of an item in a collection if it's relisted—the item will continue to appear as 'Item not available' until the collection is updated with the relisted item. It should be noted that if a member clicks on an item in your collection that has been relisted, they will see the updated listing. As a best practice, be sure to frequently edit your collections and replace items that are no longer available with the relisted items.
Can I share my collections on other sites, like Facebook or Twitter?
Yes. You can share the URL for any collection not set to private. If you later opt to make a collection private after you've shared the URL, anyone (besides you) who tries to visit your collection will be informed that the page is no longer available.
Can I reorder the items in my collections?
You cannot reorder items at this time, but we do plan to add this functionality in the near future. You can, however, identify one listing to be featured as your collection's cover image—which will be the first image that appears in your collection.
Can I choose a different image other than the main item image to show in my collections?
No, not at this time.
Why is eBay now advertising collections on View Item pages?
eBay is always looking for new ways to both connect buyers with the items they are passionate about and showcase the depth and breadth of items sellers like you offer. By adding collections to the View Item page, we are creating additional connections between interested buyers and sellers’ items.
How does eBay determine what collections are surfaced on the View Item page?
A number of factors are taken into consideration to determine the relevancy of a collection to the item being viewed—including similar or identical items and collection popularity.
Will collections appear on all View Item pages?
No. Collections will only appear on a View Item page when there are a minimum of three collections identified as relevant to the item being viewed.
Where will collections appear on the View Item page?
Collections will appear at the bottom of View Item pages, below the ‘See what other people are watching’ section, as shown below.
How many collections will appear on the View Item page?
In order for collections to appear on the View Item page, there must be a minimum of three eligible relevant collections available. The maximum number of collections that could show up on a page is nine.
Can I opt out of having collections appear on my View Item pages?
We believe this change will offer buyers more information to make better, faster buying decisions so we are not offering sellers the option to opt listings out of this program at this time.
What should I do to improve the chance that my collections will appear on View Item pages?
To improve the chance your items will appear on View Item pages, we recommend you follow the best practices described on this page for creating quality collections that members will want to follow.
How do I report collections with inappropriate titles?
To report a collection with an inappropriate title, use the ‘Feedback on our suggestions’ link, which appears to the right of the section title and above the suggested collections, as shown below.
How do I report items in a collection that violate eBay policies?
To report an item that violates eBay policy, use the ‘Report item’ link that appears above the eBay item number in the top right-hand corner of the item description.
Do I have to be an eBay member in order to post comments to a collection?
Yes, you must be a registered eBay member to post comments to a collection. Learn more.
How do I post my comments to a collection?
Posting comments to a collection is easy:
- Sign into eBay (You must be a registered eBay member to post comments.)
- Scroll down to the bottom of the collection page.
- Type your comments into the box and click on the Comment button.
Can I post comments to my own collections?
Yes, you are welcome to post your own comments on your collections.
How long can comments be, and can they include hyperlinks?
Members can post comments up to 2000 characters in length. Members may only hyperlink to other eBay pages.
Am I required to respond to postings on my collections?
No. While you're not required to respond to postings on your collections, it's a great way to both connect with other members who share your passions and to showcase your expertise and ideas.
Is there a limit to the number of posts I can add to a collection?
While the number of postings that can be added to a collection is unlimited, members are limited to a total of 50 postings per day, regardless of whether they are posting comments to a single collection or multiple collections.
Can I block members from posting comments on my collections, or opt-out my collections all together?
No. All eBay members who can view your collections are allowed to post their comments. If you don't want comments posted to your collections, you have the option to make your collections private.
Can I block members from viewing some—or all—postings on my collections?
No. All comments posted on collections will be viewable by all eBay.com members, unless the comment is removed by either the collection owner or eBay. If you don't want comments to be posted to your collections, you have the option to make your collections private and not visible to other eBay members.
Can I remove offensive comments left on my collections?
Yes. Collection owners have the ability to remove postings on their collections. To remove a posting from a collection you own, follow these steps:
- Sign in to eBay.
- Select the comment you want to delete.
- Click on the Delete link that appears under the posted comment.
Is a member notified if I remove their comment from my collection?
No, members will not be notified when their comments are removed from a collection.
Will anybody else be monitoring comments for inappropriate content?
A dedicated team of moderators regularly monitor posting activity. These moderators have the ability to both block members from posting comments and remove inappropriate or offensive content that doesn’t adhere to our community content policy.
Will I be notified if a moderator removes a comment from one of my collections?
No, you will not.
In an effort to minimize the number of notifications in your inbox, only the first posting within a 24-hour period will trigger a notification.
Can I opt-out of these notifications?
Yes, all notifications will contain a link that will allow you to opt-out of future comment notifications.
Is there a limit to the number of comments that will appear in a collection?
All comments posted to a collection will remain viewable unless they’ve been removed by either eBay or the collection owner.
Can only members who follow me or my collection comment on it?
No, any registered eBay member who can view your collection will have the ability to post comments.
What if a member posts transaction-related comments or questions to my collection?
If a member posts questions or comments related to a transaction, you have the option to remove the comment and contact the member privately via My Messages, simply by clicking on their user ID.
What if another member posts something negative about me or one of my items and I don’t see it?
While it's good practice to regularly monitor the comments made to your collections, eBay does have a team of moderators who regularly monitor postings and receive reports from members. They have the ability to remove any postings they see and deem inappropriate or violate our community content policy.
Do collections with lots of comments enjoy increased visibility on eBay.com?
Relevance and popularity are two of the many considerations that determine which collections are highlighted to shoppers on eBay. We encourage you to follow our top tips for building collections and actively grow the number of members following your collections.
Can I respond to comments about me or my items in other members’ collections?
Yes, registered members can post comments to collections owned by other members.
Can I request comments about me or my items in other members’ collections be removed?
To request the removal of comments posted to other members’ collections, please email your request to the eBay moderator team who will assist you with your request for removal.
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