Buying and Selling on eBay: Tips, Tricks, Problems & Questions

[HansderHund]

You're looking for the <table>, <td>, and <tr> tags. If you duplicate listings a lot, you should only have to set it up once and be (fairly) good to go.

Quick reference:
* <table> and matching </table> are your opening and closing table tags
* <tbody> and matching </tbody> are the opening and closing tags for the main table body (and yes, that is kinda redundant considering you have to wrap everything in <table></table> anyways)
* <tr> and matching </tr> are your opening and closing table row tags
* <td> and matching </td> are you opening and closing cell tags (I think td was originally for "table data").

HTML tags works in a nesting fashion. (...Basically) all tags require closing tags. So if I switch the main view on GS7 from Preview Mode to Editor Mode

View attachment 829278

I get a view that looks like this:

View attachment 829277

Notice the <table></table> section of that code is in a format similar to the below:

<table>
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td>first row, first cell</td>
            <td>first row, second cell</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td>second row, first cell</td>
            <td>second row, second cell</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

Once you get the table layout how you want inside the code view, just duplicate that listing repeatedly and from then on only edit a listing in the Preview Mode. When I duplicate my dress shirt template listing for a shirt, I get:

View attachment 829287

Similarly, I have a sortof "really nice shirt" template which I'll duplicate for shirts that I've actually taken the time to fully measure out. That looks more like this:

View attachment 829288

The table code for the above is:

<table class="“measurements”">
    <tbody>
    <tr>
        <td>Marked shirt size:</td>
        <td>L</td>
    </tr>
  <tr>
        <td>Chest (measured flat from pit to pit):</td>
        <td>24.625”</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Shoulder:</td>
        <td>20.625”</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Sleeve (measured from top of shoulder seam to cuff tip):</td>
        <td>24”</td>
         </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Back of collar to hem:</td>
        <td>32.5”</td>
         </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>Pocket?:</td>
        <td>Yes</td>
    </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

That's the basic organization. There's far, far, more that you can do (like disappearing cell borders, table borders, interior cell padding, margins, stretching when it fits small screens)... but that gets into the fiddly part of HTML and requires using CSS (think of HTML as the framing for a building and CSS as the paint), and I do not like making my own CSS work with ebay. Because ebay needs standardization (and to not end up looking like old myspace pages), they force you to write CSS in a way that is so, so, so inefficient compared to how you write CSS for web pages anywhere else.

(EDIT) I didn't mention why ebay's roundabout way is actually a pain **********: any CSS that you write must use either inline styles, or be explicit through classes and IDs to the HTML element you're trying to 'paint' with CSS. Said a simpler way, expect HTML code to work 90% of the time when writing for ebay, expect CSS code to work 30% of the time if you're trying to adapt CSS tutorials from around the net to ebay templates. It's an infuriating environment to learn CSS in.

If you don't ever get really, really deep into it, then just remember that under the hood much of the stuff GS is doing to give you the level of control it does with is amazing.

The thing I've found with damn near any programming language is that you forget which tags/keywords/method/functions names all the time. I often use this site as a resource for HTML stuff. Linked is the section on tables.

A HUGE thanks to @Lirum for such a detailed tutorial. It's incredibly helpful that you have screenshots and use language that a beginner can understand. I'm sure you've helped a huge number of lurkers as well.

Really, thank you for taking the time out to help explain things to me. I know most people are busy with jobs/lives, so it's generous of you to lend a hand! Unfortunately, that probably means you'll be my go-to guy for help with my stupid questions!

 

[Lirum]

A HUGE thanks to @Lirum for such a detailed tutorial. It's incredibly helpful that you have screenshots and use language that a beginner can understand. I'm sure you've helped a huge number of lurkers as well.

Really, thank you for taking the time out to help explain things to me. I know most people are busy with jobs/lives, so it's generous of you to lend a hand! Unfortunately, that probably means you'll be my go-to guy for help with my stupid questions!

No problem! Always happy to give back to this thread and community when I can.

 

[Fueco]

What colors are the stripes on this skeet shirt?

 

[bert9000]

Got another message from the buyer Monday and I told him to go through eBay for the return request. He messaged me again today asking for my return address. Does he need this to start the request or should I just remind him to go through the system?

 

[Orgetorix]

Is this a trick question like The Dress?

I see tan and blue.

 

[bert9000]

@Fueco Looks orange and blue? If you meant specifically I don't know much about color names.

 

[Fueco]

Is this a trick question like The Dress?

I see tan and blue.

Yeah, it just reminded me of the dress.

Edit: my best description is blue and tan.

 

[Reosymes]

Got another message from the buyer Monday and I told him to go through eBay for the return request. He messaged me again today asking for my return address. Does he need this to start the request or should I just remind him to go through the system?

Tell him there isn't any way you can act upon the return without him opening a return request first.

 

[drlivingston]

Got another message from the buyer Monday and I told him to go through eBay for the return request. He messaged me again today asking for my return address. Does he need this to start the request or should I just remind him to go through the system?

Let him send it without going through eBay. He is only hurting himself.

 

[dadjeans]

What colors are the stripes on this skeet shirt?

View attachment 829614

Between the eyedropper tool on MS Paint and "Color Name & Hue" from http://www.color-blindness.com/color-name-hue/ I wound up with "Portage" and "Harvest Gold". Apparently I can't just read something, chuckle about it and move on like the rest of the world...

 

[1ofTheCoolKids]

^
I like to call those "multi-color" striped shirts.

 

[SpooPoker]

Toast and Periwinkle.

 

[ace13x]

What colors are the stripes on this skeet shirt?

View attachment 829614

Light Cornflower Blue and Peach.

 

[masaccio]

What colors are the stripes on this skeet shirt?

View attachment 829614

I see blue and yellow—I immediately thought "UCLA" when I saw it.

 

[bert9000]

Here he is again for those that want to block. Does it seem like he's just fishing for a partial? He hasn't left any feedback yet but I will definitely call eBay when that happens.