Ebay product catalog

[j.hermit]

I'm parting out sets on ebay (minifigs, sets w/o figs);  when I list items, should I be using the product catalog for details?  The catalog usually refers to the retail version, so I'm already omitting stock photos and the product description to avoid customer confusion.  I'm also tired of the "price trending at" that has nothing to do with an individual minifig's price. 

 

Is there a reason (Best Match or otherwise) to use the catalog, or is it even appropriate on a parted out set?  Other parter-outers - what do you do when you list your items on Ebay?

 

[justafrog]

Don't use the catalog for non-complete items. It will confuse the buyers, and when they file not as described claims, you'll lose.

 

Catalog is fine (for the most part - in books it was written by drunk ADD monkeys with a vendetta against booksellers, not sure how accurate the LEGO portion of the catalog is...) for complete items as the manufacturer issued them.

[j.hermit]

Thanks;  somehow I had a feeling you would be the one to answer.  I've had a feeling lately that I should drop the Product Catalog in my listings, but that's what I've used since I started, so I needed some validation before I started making any changes. 

[Fcbarcelona101]

Ha, just a couple days ago I realized that the description for the 6210 Sail Barge actually had information about a women's spray perfume. Fun times.

[Alpinemaps]

Ha, just a couple days ago I realized that the description for the 6210 Sail Barge actually had information about a women's spray perfume. Fun times.

The other day, I saw a listing for a Hobbit set (I think), that the product catalog said was an SSD (not of the Lego variety!)

[justafrog]

Well, there ya go.

 

I figured the eBay catalog must be whacky for more than just booksellers, but since I haven't really sold any LEGO suitable for using the catalog at all, I wasn't sure.

 

So, new advice: use the catalog on complete items AFTER you've verified it's not telling your buyer you're sending them a George Foreman Grill.

 

And, just an FYI for anyone who hasn't run into this little gem yet: sometimes, they change the catalog after you list. Sometimes they send you a notification of this, oftentimes not. So your accurate catalog description might turn inaccurate without warning.

 

I know it seems like the advice should just be "never use the catalog", but Cassini (eBay search) likes the catalog. In my experience better to use it and deal with the occasional hilarity of unannounced changes, when it's appropriate to use it with a complete item, than to not use it.