Featured Did you receive the ebay active content message about Google Chrome?

The link ebay provided to see if your listings have active content, asks for you to agree to their terms, but no terms are listed. The link for that just brought me back to the same agreement page. Have any of you used the service?

 

I don't recall this.

 

Here is a link to a discussion on ebay boards where people are having the same problem. It explains what chrome is doing.

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Sellin...anges-to-Chrome-will-affect-your/m-p/27427507

 

I used the "i-ways tool" mentioned in the ebay message (I checked the "agree" box, although I don't know exactly what the terms are, but am not worried about it). It only took a few seconds since I only had two listings to scan. The "i-ways" report showed one listing was secure and one wasn't. The one that was secure was a scheduled "test" listing I created in which I changed each reference to "HTTP" to "HTTPS". I use Web Hosting Buzz to store 5 graphic files in my ebay template, but it sounds like several other third-party vendors like Auctiva and Vendio are going to provide bulk editing options. I'm planning to just use the "sell similar" option for my listings and am considering getting rid of my template with graphics altogether.

 

Ummmm.....
I've NO clue what the Helsinki that all was.

 

Joan, thank you for that information. I use the same template for everything. The only thing that may be a problem is Auctiva content for "Payment" and "Shipping" buttons. I think if I get rid of those, I should be alright.

The testing site is so overloaded, I'm getting a timed out error now. I'll give it a try in the morning.

 

Mill Cove Treasures, I hope you're able to get into the testing site. I'd be interested to know what the report has to say about the Auctiva content. My report didn't give any detail about the my unsecure listing or how to fix it. My son is the one who told me I needed to change HTTP to HTTPS.

 

When I get in, I will let you know what happens.

 

I appreciate that.

 

I'm not a seller, but know what Google is doing due to email conversations in my workplace. Basically, after mid-October websites containing forms need to have HTTPS instead of HTTP at the beginning of the URL or a security warning will occur. And of course, if you sell things online you don't want potential customers to see a security warning when they try to buy from you.

That was my low-tech explanation, but it also affects sites that host images that you might use in online listings. I did not read the eBay discussion linked above, but assume it goes into much more detail that will make sense to those who sell online.

 

I learned from the ebay discussion forum that you can use their bulk editing function on auction item descriptions and do a search and replace and quickly change all HTTP to HTTPS in one fell swoop, although it may not work with all third party image hosting services.

 

I finally got through to check my listings on the i-ways website. As I suspected, it was older code from an old auctiva template "button" that had http instead of https. I completely removed the code from one listing and added the "s" in another. I ran the report again and both of these fixes worked.

It also warned me that photobucket code was not https. I'm not sure why this showed up since I no longer use photobucket. When they pulled that blackmail stunt and wanted me to pay $400 per year, I removed all my photobucket codes.

 

I have two very plain templates I use so that was easy to fix. However, I write the auction description in those templates and save each description template on my computer. I've read so many horror stories over the years where ebay has wiped out all of someones listings by mistake. So, I made it a habit of saving each one years ago. Those old descriptions come in handy when I find and list the same item. I'm not going in to change all of those. I will just have to remember to make the changes if I use these in the future.

 

I've been following the eBay Community Discussion on the HTTP/HTTPS issue and found that a member (berserkerplanet) wrote a little "widget" that uses an open source program called Autohotkey (both of which I downloaded free) so I can do an HTTP/HTTPS search and replace in a matter of seconds when I want to use "sell similar" on one of my "sold" items. To find the discussion on The eBay Community, you can search Here we go again! "Changes to Chrome will affect your listings: Update now!", but there's a lot of confusing information to wade through. If anyone else is interested in trying the search and replace widget with Autohotkey, let me know and I can try to provide some instructions.

 

Don't use Chrome.....Don't use eBay.....no hassles.....but alas also no sales!!!!!