Infuriating eBay misnomers....

Is it just me or is anyone else get a rise in their blood pressure from sellers using words or terminology to sell an item when they really don't apply.

For example using "Shag" while selling a Tiki item that is not of a Shag design. Another good example would be Eames, which seems to be attached to lot's of mid-century items. One seller even goes as far as making every crappy vintage clothing item he lists "-like"...."gabardine-like","atomic-like", etc..

It smacks of false advertising and trickery. Plus, it really gets to be a chore when using these terms to search for items and you get back a load of unrelated crap!!!

Matt

Imagine trying to sell an actual Eames piece on Ebay! Or buy one! It must actually hurt those who are really selling something atomic or whatever.

There is a guy who puts "look good in your tiki lounge" in all his decriptions and I see way too much of his stuff. Luckily I can identify his auctions easily and not look.

Shag, Tiki, Moderne, Eames era, Atomic, Lounge, Sputnik, Starburst, Retro, Bertoia, Knoll, Mid Century Modern, Danish, Barware, Saarinen, Nelson, Space Age, Tiki Bar, Patton, Pop, Space Age, Retro, Vintage, Mod, Exotica, Polynesian, Hawaiian, Hawaiiana,

AND

HYSTERIC - GIRLY - EMO - MOD - HARAJUKO - RETRO - ROCKABILLY - LOLITA - CHIC - OP ART - POP - BOLLYWOOD SUPREME -MIZUNO -FUNKY - CARNABY STYLE - JUNKO - BRITISH ROCK - SWING - KOOKY - WAVE - DOLLY - MISFIT - EGO - NERD - GYPSYS - HAWIIANA - STROKES-like...

TRUE EBAY

Beware the beast of man
For he's the devils pawn.
Alone among God's primates
He kills for sport, lust or greed...

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2004-02-19 17:41 ]

In the newest Modernism magazine there's an article on Jens Risom. Now when you do a search in Ebay on Risom you find a bunch of stuff that wasn't even designed by him! You see descriptions like "eames risom ..."

Good thing most people can't spell Le Corbusier!

On 2004-02-19 17:41, Atomic Cocktail wrote:

AND

HYSTERIC - GIRLY - EMO - MOD - HARAJUKO - RETRO - ROCKABILLY - LOLITA - CHIC - OP ART - POP - BOLLYWOOD SUPREME -MIZUNO -FUNKY - CARNABY STYLE - JUNKO - BRITISH ROCK - SWING - KOOKY - WAVE - DOLLY - MISFIT - EGO - NERD - GYPSYS - HAWIIANA - STROKES-like...

Don't forget GOTH! I see that a lot.

I'm also seeing SATC (Sex & the City) or CARRIE a lot when looking for vintage aloha wear. On the plus side, it's always attached to crappy 80s "vintage" stuff that I want to avoid.

Don't forget "VLV"!

One I see a lot, as I collect Knoxville, TN stuff, is "Knoxville" as in Johnny Knoxville. It's very annoying...

How 'bout using "Brady Bunch" to describe anything tiki.

There was an episode of Mr Ed with a tiki in it so if you ever see an ebay listing that says "Leilani Tiki Mug Mr Ed" it's one of mine.

"NOT"

As in "Not Tiki","Not Fender","Not Ludwig". So when your results come up theres this carved squirrel and they've done you the favour of telling you in the item description that its "Not Tiki".

Thanks for clogging my search!

I loathe those people....
TG

I hate "L@@@@@@K".

You forgot "ESTATE"...
which means it was probably picked up at a garage sale most of the time.
:wink:

Ah yes, VLV. It's so ubiquitous, why does anyone bother with it? Surely no one is using it as a search term? You see it year-round, too, not just in the months leading up to Viva Las Vegas. Bizarro.

I think I've become the kohalacharms of freakishly small vintage aloha wear.

I think VLV is code word for:

"HELP!!! I'm broke, want to go and am selling my stuff to afford it!!"

Keywords never bother me because the only thing more irritating is trying to search by category...I'd rather sift through some misguided auctions to actually be able to find the cool stuff. besides, now that almost everyone uses the gallery image its even easier to weed through the crud.

I use VLV when I do searches, it usually pulls up some cool stuff. I will do VLV shoes or VLV dress. It is usually 50's rockabilly style stuff that I want to see and would wear to VLV.

And as a seller on ebay I am not quite sure how you would list your item if you don't use Eames, Mod , Space Age and all those other descriptive words. How would people find your stuff, if you have an all black floor length Lace dress that a Gothic chic would wet herself over why not use GOTH in your title. How else is your bidders going to find your stuff.

As far as using Eames that is describing a style a decor. If you are looking for a true eames piece all you have to do is punch in Charles Eames, that will bring up what you want, don't put eames era.

I personally like that fact that I can describe a style I am looking for such as Mod, Eames, Rockabilly, VLV and get a whole mess of items that are something someone into that style would dig. And with the refined searches you can get so incredibly detailed in your search you really should not be having to many problems finding what you want!
Some people do use vintage, 50's, eames, space age and terms like that really loosely, but some of those people I really believe don't know what decade there item really came from anyway, and aren't those the finds that we all love, the ones that where miss titled and no one found because it was put in 70's eames face vase lot, but was an awesome tiki mug lot (I actually got a bunch of cool mugs that way). So you can't bitch to much about people using the wrong terms.

On 2004-02-19 17:41, Atomic Cocktail wrote:
Shag, Tiki, Moderne, Eames era, Atomic, Lounge, Sputnik, Starburst, Retro, Bertoia, Knoll, Mid Century Modern, Danish, Barware, Saarinen, Nelson, Space Age, Tiki Bar, Patton, Pop, Space Age, Retro, Vintage, Mod, Exotica, Polynesian, Hawaiian, Hawaiiana,

AND

HYSTERIC - GIRLY - EMO - MOD - HARAJUKO - RETRO - ROCKABILLY - LOLITA - CHIC - OP ART - POP - BOLLYWOOD SUPREME -MIZUNO -FUNKY - CARNABY STYLE - JUNKO - BRITISH ROCK - SWING - KOOKY - WAVE - DOLLY - MISFIT - EGO - NERD - GYPSYS - HAWIIANA - STROKES-like...

TRUE EBAY

---

Beware the beast of man
For he's the devils pawn.
Alone among God's primates
He kills for sport, lust or greed...

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2004-02-19 17:41 ]

Atomic, why are you looking up LOLITA? :lol:

Atomic, why are you looking up LOLITA? :lol:

In my never ending search for POOP PALS one must use all available tools!

I see EICHLER popping up a lot too, which is annoying to those of us who actually have books on real Eichler houses to sell!

OK, I have occasionally used 'Eichler-esque' in a description when something looks very Eichler but is not credited. Spank me!

I see, HETO, in that case I'm glad you're able to use it. VLV doesn't annoy me, doesn't get in my way, but I was seeing it on every darned thing. I guess that's since all I look for anymore is vintage aloha wear; it's all a subset of the VLV-friendly stuff.

p.s. - AC -- have you bought one of your beloved Poop Pals yet? Bring one on Friday and make it poop wasabi peas!

The best tiki bar is the one that's within stumbling distance of your bed
The Humuhumu Room

[ Edited by: Humuhumu on 2004-02-24 16:37 ]

It does crack me up, though, how some sellers call ANYthing from the '70's or older "VLV"! No clue - they think it equals "vintage." I talked with a vintage storeowner in Austin last year who also sold on eBay; she was emailed by another eBay seller, who was ALREADY USING the term on her goods, what VLV actually meant! The Austin gal made up something hilarious to tell her - I can't remember what.

I'm just irked/amused when I check a dress that says VLV, and see something that NO self-respecting vintage maven would ever EVER think about for VLV. Maybe to wear to wash her '57 Chevy...

yeah it can get silly. But I am glad we have them (keywords) for ebay. I do have to admit it does make me alittle ill when people come into my shop and use keyword terms. My huband actually had a chic come in last week and ask for VLV stuff (just like that, she said V. L. V.). It just made her look really cheesy and like she had no clue what she was looking for, Especially since she was standing in the room with all the 50's clothing ? But hey everyone has to learn sometime.

hahahahahaha!
At least she didn't say "VLV" as one word, as in "vliv" or "vilv"!!

What the hell is "VLV"? Sounds like a venereal disease or some new-fangled Russian submachine gun...

OH MY GOD!, I hope I don't have "VLV"!!!!"Two men where captured today outside Tikrit. Both were carrying explosives and "VLV's".

Or some stupid car name some marketing genius created: "The new Ford VLV 6000 (SUX Series)

Please, Please eBay sellers in the future try not to use acronyms my feeble mind cannot decipher.

I can hear it now...

"I'm lookin for some-a them there VULVA dresses!"

VLV is Viva Las Vegas, a big rockabilly hoedown in Vegas every April. Do people (including the fellas) like to get spiffied up for it? Well, let's just say that vintage dealers do very, very well in March.

Adding my two clams to this debate, Ebay sells (get ready) several MILLION items per DAY! The only way for a seller to not get their items competely lost in the avalanche of crap is to throw in as many words as possible that will draw buyers to the item during keyword searches. It does get very obnixious sometimes, but as a buyer and a seller, I can see both sides of the argument.

That said, if you get too nutty with using keywords that obviously have nothing to do with your item, Ebay WILL pull the plug on your auction.

But come on, let's all be real: Ebay is a business. People don't list items there for fun. It is kind of a pain in the keister, in fact:

obtain the item
photograph the item
get photo hosting
upload the photo
write a description
create the lisitng
wait a week
email the buyer
wait for the money
buy or hoarde packing materials
pack up the item
drag it to the post office

repeat ad nauseum

Given all of this effort, why WOULDN'T a seller do everything in their power to make sure the item sells?

The only way to make any real money is to do big batches of items together (like I was doing with my Dynasty mugs... which I think of as a public service for Tiki newbies haha), or to sell high-ticket stuff.

Right - back to it...

I must confess that I when I sell a group of those old 1940s-1950s stuffed animals with the plastic, human faces, I put "Mark Ryden-esque" on the auction description. It's the only way I know to steer the right type of buyers towards them. It always works, but I still always apologize to Mark Ryden in the auction.

Still, not many people have started using "Mark Ryden" to sell non-Ryden items. I laugh at how "Eames" has come to mean anything mid-century. It's really diluted a very specific term.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-02-25 12:23 ]

I know about "Viva Las Vegas' the event. How they hell can "VLV" be used as a description to sell an item? Just another example to confirm my theory that 99% of those on eBay reinforce the case for eugenics.

Surely it's a sign of the downfall of our already decrepit "civilization"!

Hey I think the list goes like this:

obtain the item at garage sale
poorly photograph the item
get cheapest photo hosting
use your computer some more
write a misleading and garbled description
spend 2 minutes to type in a form
impatiently wait a week
email the buyer a cryptic message
Guess at shipping charges and multiple x 10
impatiently wait for the money
save old newspapers
wrap in one piece newspaper
charge the customer $3.00 "handling charge" for .001 cent tape and free USPS Priority box
tape with one piece scotch tape.
Get your fat ass of the couch and go to post office 3 weeks after receiving money.

The effort? It's called BUSINESS! I think what is bothering folks is the misuse of keywords that do not even remotely describe the item being sold.

The antique and "collectibles" business has always had it share of the ignorant, the weaver of tall-tales and the downright criminal. It just seems that more and more they are concentrated in one place-eBay.

Actually, I prefer Euthanasia but Eugenics just sounds so damn SEXY.

Well, to be honest, I don't give a rat's ass one way or another. I have deliberately been wasting your time.

Read Lawgiver 29:6

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2004-02-26 01:07 ]

I can't stand it when sellers:

Use the term "great condition for it's age".

Say "sold as is".

Say something like "I don't know much about [fill in name of collectible] but it looks in good shape to me".

Don't offer much information about the item and say "ask questions before bidding". Those sound like a trap to me.

When they list ten pages of rules and instructions all in one huge paragraph.

And the worst: WHEN THEY USE ALL CAPS AND/OR MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!

I avoid all sellers that do any of the above.

Look at the blatant misuse of keywords by this seller!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3900565047

Oh wait. That's my auction.

Sabu

Hilarious! You're crackin' me up!

That's F*cked up, Y'all!

Read Lawgiver 29:6

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2004-02-27 13:51 ]

And while we're on the subject I wish Tiki Barber's parents gave him a different first name (Maybe Floyd).

Tikis- they're my anti drug

Sabu, that auction is the bomb! I am going to suggest it to 'whowouldbuythat.com'.

We'll get a good price on that Shriner clown bank for you come hell or high water!

Mind you, even AFTER my Miss Piggy nightlight with the evil glowing eyes was featured on the whowouldbuythat.com site, I still only got 10 bucks for it.

Thanks Tikifish,

I've had a few items hosted on whowouldbuythat.com and it definitely has helped to sell them. I submitted the Shriner Clown Bank, but maybe another suggestion from you would help them decide. I think Drue and Shauna (the site hosts), sometimes hold off on displaying an auction till the last day or so - so they can't be accused of helping to sell items. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Sabu

Another one I'm trying to get into whowouldbuythat.com:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31744&item=3179937625

Sabu

I saw a couple of items that would lead one to believe they are actual Trader Vic's pieces but aren't.

The first is item number 3709570202 with a title that reads "1963 Trader Vic's American Art Pottery Bowl".

What's kind of odd is that in the body of the description it states "...a nice piece of American art pottery it is a glazzed bowl or candy dish but I'm not sure what it is"

The title states 1963 Trader Vic's (blah, blah,blah). So this person is aware of all that TV's is, yet not sure if this is a candy dish or what. Right.

The bowl is cheap junk to boot (who's 'my92redtruck'?)

Next is item 3902355475 the 'Trader Vic's KAVA BOWL hawaii tiki mug vintage style'. This person does cop to the fact it's a remake, but the state "I've been waiting FOREVER to finally get my hands on one of these babies", to what... turn it on ebay?

They also state its "actually more beautiful than the originals". Right. (Who's astro-lounge)

NOTE - please do not come unglued if any of these sellers are ultra-sensitive TC members!

(just having a little fun folks.)

Next is item 3902355475 the 'Trader Vic's KAVA BOWL hawaii tiki mug vintage style'. This person does cop to the fact it's a remake, but the state "I've been waiting FOREVER to finally get my hands on one of these babies", to what... turn it on ebay?

I never cease to be amazed at the stupid things Ebay sellers say. Tell him to keep his hands off the babies!

OK, sizing.

I found a perfect example. The dress title is: "Black Chinese Cheongsam XXL - Brand New!." So I'm expecting pretty damn big, no? Big enough for womanly childbearing hips, at least, no? The description:

This dress is for a XX-Large ASIAN SIZE (AMERICAN X-Large) and fits chest to 40",waist to 34", hips to 32".

I write a friendly letter quoting this, then adding: "I personally don't think most Americans call a dress with hips of 32" (meaning for a woman of 30-31" hips) 'AMERICAN X-Large.' Is the hip measurement a typo? Thank you, alice b"

The answer just came from a Fei Wu: "this dress is X-Large size."

OK, so I guess there's a bit of a language barrier.

The moral is, our waiflike lovely Humuhumu is apparently XL (in the hips), and I am f***ing "Godzilla L" or "Jabba the Hut L."

And what the hell kind of measurements are those for a dress??? 40-34-32??? Is that for a speed queen stripper who's had gi-NORmous Double D implants, and is now preggars?? My impression is that the average woman is NOT 8" bigger in the bust than the hips, and bigger in the waist than the hips.

I continually crack up at how the dresses I fit into are listed on eBay anywhere from Small to XXL. (Except in the case of the above cheongsam, in which case I guess I would fit hip-wise into their XXXXXXL size.)

Just getting something off my non-double D chest,
F

SABU!!!! You crack me up!! I need to learn how to post stuff on Ebay to get my Ya Ya's out there and not here. Too funny man!

Oh come on!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35713&item=3286507431&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10034&item=2395106458&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
"EACH IS CRAFTED IN WOOD NOT PLASTIC!"