Another low in Feebay Lens marketing.

[Toyon]

Item #280382311370. Now, I am a fan of the Versar lens, an extra rapid rectilinear with lots of that ineffable Wollensak tweaking. But to call it a "Verito era lens" is a real pure drivel designed to dredge up unwitting Verito searches. Might as well call the Mets a "Red Sox era" team.

[Andrew]

what ya complainin' about, it comes with free fungus....

[Darren Kruger]

Item #280382311370. Now, I am a fan of the Versar lens, an extra rapid rectilinear with lots of that ineffable Wollensak tweaking. But to call it a "Verito era lens" is a real pure drivel designed to dredge up unwitting Verito searches. Might as well call the Mets a "Red Sox era" team.

You can try reporting the auction to ebay as a listing violation for keyword spamming. Not sure if ebay will do anything about it though.

-Darren

[Toyon]

You can try reporting the auction to ebay as a listing violation for keyword spamming. Not sure if ebay will do anything about it though.

-Darren

I'm sure feebay charges a fee for that.

[CG]

Ebay does nothing unless the infraction will lower their profit.

[Brian Ellis]

As key word spammers go, this one is very mild. At least the lens purports to be something like a Verito and at least he only uses one key word. Usually the key word spammers are selling a product that could be used with any camera - e.g. a box of film - and the heading will be something like "Film for Deardorff Linhof Ebony Tachihara Shen Hao Wista Canham Camera."

[Darren Kruger]

As key word spammers go, this one is very mild. At least the lens purports to be something like a Verito and at least he only uses one key word. Usually the key word spammers are selling a product that could be used with any camera - e.g. a box of film - and the heading will be something like "Film for Deardorff Linhof Ebony Tachihara Shen Hao Wista Canham Camera."

Here's all the spammy keywords I could find on the listing:


Vitax
Verito
Deardorff
Wista
Canham
Ebony
Taylor & Hobson Cook Anastigmat Ser. II
soft focus
ULF (Does a 10x12" lens count as ULF?)


I think I was able to fit most of these on my complaint to ebay.

-Darren

[jb7]

If only they'd said 'beanie baby'

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"But to call it a "Verito era lens" is a real pure drivel "

Too bad that they are both listed together in the 1919 Wollensak catalog so I guess it really IS a Verito era lens.

"•ULF (Does a 10x12" lens count as ULF?)"

Yes, it is bigger than 8x10 and would be considered 'soft focus' compared to modern glass.

No, it's not my listing and I have nothing to do with the seller.

[Brian Ellis]

Here's all the spammy keywords I could find on the listing:


Vitax
Verito
Deardorff
Wista
Canham
Ebony
Taylor & Hobson Cook Anastigmat Ser. II
soft focus
ULF (Does a 10x12" lens count as ULF?)


I think I was able to fit most of these on my complaint to ebay.

-Darren

You left out Coca Cola, which he also mentions. Don't you think he's spamming for people doing soft drink searches? And he uses the word "glass," which you also left out. Don't you think he's spamming for Tennessee Williams searches? But you include "soft focus" as an example of key word spamming when he's selling a portrait lens?

The lenses you list are in his ad because he's selling those lenses in another auction and he's cross referencing the other auctions. Sellers cross-reference their other auctions on ebay all the time, I've never understood that there's anything wrong with that. And the cameras you mention are in his ad because he's selling a lens that's used with cameras and he's giving examples of some cameras the lens can be used with. Seems fine to me. It's not like he strung together the names of every large format camera in existence, which is what real key word spammers do.

Not to mention the fact that none of the words you consider to be "spammy key words" will even turn up in a search unless someone does an advanced search because they don't appear in the title of the ad. For that reason the obvious key word spamming ads I've seen stick all of the relevant words in the title, not put them in the body of the ad as this seller has done.

Under your theory a seller isn't supposed to mention products he or she is selling in another auction, can't make any reference to the cameras with which his lens can be used, and can't use a generic term like "soft focus" even when the term is relevant to the product he's selling. I don't think you're going to get very far with your complaint on this one, at least I hope you don't.

[eddie]

he bought up the lenses from the ebay sellers old-aurora-mining-co & hometownfarm

[Darren Kruger]

But you include "soft focus" as an example of key word spamming when he's selling a portrait lens?

Are all portrait lenses soft focus?


The lenses you list are in his ad because he's selling those lenses in another auction. Sellers cross-reference their other auctions on ebay all the time, I've never understood that there's anything wrong with that.

And the cameras you mention are in his ad because he's selling a lens that's used with cameras and he's giving examples of some cameras the lens can be used with.

too bad it is against ebay policy. From ebay's Search and browse manipulation policy (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/search-manipulation.html):

Brand names, celebrities, or other product details can't be specified in a listing if you're not selling an item by those brands. For example, if you're selling a Coach handbag, you can't mention Gucci or other brand-name handbags.
Comparing the item you're selling to a popular product. For example, you can't say "the Zune MP3 player is just like the iPod."
Promoting your other listings and naming brands in those listings. For example, you can't say things like "Check out my other listings for Adidas, New Balance, Nike, and Puma shoes."


(note there are more restrictions listed at that web page.)

I doubt ebay will do anything about my complaint other than sending an email to the seller saying "don't do that."

-Darren

[goamules]

They probably won't even do that. Can you provide the email address one should use? I've complained about egregious falsifications of the TITLES and nothing was done, the auction remained until the end anyway. When an ad title reads "Darlot..." and the lens isn't anything remotely made by that mfg, you'd think OhBoy would stop it. They haven't.

[Toyon]

"But to call it a "Verito era lens" is a real pure drivel "

Too bad that they are both listed together in the 1919 Wollensak catalog so I guess it really IS a Verito era lens.

Of course it is a "Verito-era" lens - the point is that it is a specious description.

"•ULF (Does a 10x12" lens count as ULF?)"

I agree, anything bigger than 8x10 is ULF in my book.

Yes, it is bigger than 8x10 and would be considered 'soft focus' compared to modern glass.

The Versar is not a soft-focus lens by any reasonable description of the genre. Just sharper when stopped down to f11.

No, it's not my listing and I have nothing to do with the seller.

[Darren Kruger]

They probably won't even do that. Can you provide the email address one should use? I've complained about egregious falsifications of the TITLES and nothing was done, the auction remained until the end anyway. When an ad title reads "Darlot..." and the lens isn't anything remotely made by that mfg, you'd think OhBoy would stop it. They haven't.

I used the "report item" on the auction.

You need to be logged in to report an item. After you click it goes through a couple of menus on why you are reporting the item and then you get to describe the problem in 100 characters or less. I think for a bad title you would want "Listing policy violation" -> "misleading title" -> "intentionally misleading or deceptive titles".

-Darren