Moderation problems in online marketplaces: Difference between revisions

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======Item descriptions======

In regards to item descriptions eBay has the following requirements<ref>[[:File:E bay policy item description.png|"eBay seller item description policies"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-30</ref>:

In regards to item descriptions eBay has the following requirements:<ref>[[:File:E bay policy item description.png|"eBay seller item description policies"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-30</ref>

{{Quote|The listing page is where buyers get most of their information about an item. Information in the listing helps buyers decide what to buy and know what to expect when they receive the item. It's important to make sure that the listing is only used to describe the item for sale and to communicate the terms of the sale in a professional way.

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The [[Spotify Car Thing]] (SCT) is a now discontinued and bricked-out-of-the-box product that continues to be sold on some online marketplaces. There are legitimate reasons to sell discontinued or bricked products: some people may be interested in refurbishing them, they may want to use components for their own purposes, etc. Even with the positives in mind consumers have an expectation that the seller is honest, platforms must moderate content such that the consumer is aware of any flaws in the purchase. The SCT is a perfect item to demonstrate that companies do not moderate the content properly.

=====eBay listings violate the policy=====

=====eBay listings violate the policy=====

It is not difficult to find several examples of the SCT being sold on eBay with objectively inadequate descriptions, ~~its so~~ significant that ~~a video of~~ the ~~situation is far more effective than~~

It is not difficult to find several examples of the SCT being sold on eBay with objectively inadequate descriptions. A snapshot of all 63 posts found searching for "Spotify Car Thing" selling a Spotify Car Thing was made on 2025-01-30 at 3:15pm ET and stored as a .csv.<ref name=":0">[[:File:Ebay spotify car thing posts.csv.pdf|"Ebay spotify car thing posts.csv.pdf"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-31</ref> The findings of the snapshot are particularly concerning towards the efficacy of eBay's moderation system.

#29 (46%) of all postings are "new" condition.<ref name=":0" />

#3 (4%) of all titles included "bricked" or similar.<ref name=":0" />

#3. 13 (20%) of all titles included discontinued.<ref name=":0" />

#6 (9%) of all titles included mention of hacks or "DeskThing" - some are even pre-hacked.<ref name=":0" />

#14 (22%) of descriptions mentioned the bricking.<ref name=":0" />

#28 (44%) of descriptions mentioned discontinuation.<ref name=":0" />

#18 (28%) mentioned desk thing or hacks.<ref name=":0" />

#3 posts had no description at all.<ref name=":0" /><ref>[https://archive.ph/4VEhS "Spotify Car Thing posting"] - archive.ph - archived 2025-01-31</ref>

#The average price was $161.54 - Car Thing originally costed $89.99. The max price was $350, min was $30 (around the min price spotify sold it at).<ref name=":0" />

The fact that even just one post exists without a description for a product that effectively does not work without significant modification is evidence that eBay does not truly require an accurate description and that eBay does not take pre-emptive steps to protect consumers from potentially bad products sold on the platform.

==References==

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ======Item descriptions======
-In regards to item descriptions eBay has the following requirements<ref>[[:File:E bay policy item description.png|"eBay seller item description policies"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-30</ref>:
+In regards to item descriptions eBay has the following requirements:<ref>[[:File:E bay policy item description.png|"eBay seller item description policies"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-30</ref>
 {{Quote|The listing page is where buyers get most of their information about an item. Information in the listing helps buyers decide what to buy and know what to expect when they receive the item. It's important to make sure that the listing is only used to describe the item for sale and to communicate the terms of the sale in a professional way.
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 The [[Spotify Car Thing]] (SCT) is a now discontinued and bricked-out-of-the-box product that continues to be sold on some online marketplaces. There are legitimate reasons to sell discontinued or bricked products: some people may be interested in refurbishing them, they may want to use components for their own purposes, etc. Even with the positives in mind consumers have an expectation that the seller is honest, platforms must moderate content such that the consumer is aware of any flaws in the purchase. The SCT is a perfect item to demonstrate that companies do not moderate the content properly.
-=====eBay listings violate the policy=====
+=====eBay listings violate the policy=====<!-- Note: this may violate the no "do your own research policy" but given its relevance I'm including it. -->
-It is not difficult to find several examples of the SCT being sold on eBay with objectively inadequate descriptions, its so significant that a video of the situation is far more effective than
+It is not difficult to find several examples of the SCT being sold on eBay with objectively inadequate descriptions. A snapshot of all 63 posts found searching for "Spotify Car Thing" selling a Spotify Car Thing was made on 2025-01-30 at 3:15pm ET and stored as a .csv.<ref name=":0">[[:File:Ebay spotify car thing posts.csv.pdf|"Ebay spotify car thing posts.csv.pdf"]] - wiki.rossmanngroup.com - accessed 2025-01-31</ref> The findings of the snapshot are particularly concerning towards the efficacy of eBay's moderation system.
+#29 (46%) of all postings are "new" condition.<ref name=":0" />
+#3 (4%) of all titles included "bricked" or similar.<ref name=":0" />
+#3. 13 (20%) of all titles included discontinued.<ref name=":0" />
+#6 (9%) of all titles included mention of hacks or "DeskThing" - some are even pre-hacked.<ref name=":0" />
+#14 (22%) of descriptions mentioned the bricking.<ref name=":0" />
+#28 (44%) of descriptions mentioned discontinuation.<ref name=":0" />
+#18 (28%) mentioned desk thing or hacks.<ref name=":0" />
+#3 posts had no description at all.<ref name=":0" /><ref>[https://archive.ph/4VEhS "Spotify Car Thing posting"] - archive.ph - archived 2025-01-31</ref>
+#The average price was $161.54 - Car Thing originally costed $89.99. The max price was $350, min was $30 (around the min price spotify sold it at).<ref name=":0" />
+The fact that even just one post exists without a description for a product that effectively does not work without significant modification is evidence that eBay does not truly require an accurate description and that eBay does not take pre-emptive steps to protect consumers from potentially bad products sold on the platform.
 ==References==
 <references />