eCRATER.com Forum Index

SearchSearch
ProfileProfile
  Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   
Log inLog in

Quick request for suggestions on the Google Shopping Feed
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    eCRATER.com Forum Index -> Selling on eCRATER.com
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
HandmadeJewelryByJim



Posts: 23

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 5:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MoonwishesStore wrote: "Many never understand that these diseases can have long-term effects. Just do what you can. Nobody should expect more."

You're right, with the exception, of course, of caregivers and close family/friends. And sometimes even we can't explain things in ways people can understand. Ask any cancer survivor to explain in any language what it's like when, through overdoing it with physical and/or mental work (for that matter, how mental work comes from the same enery levels as physical stuff) what it's like when your energy levels bottom out at zero, but you're not at a point where you can (or will) stop, and you go into negative energy levels. They know exactly what you're talking about, but beyond simple phrases like, "it sucks" you probably won't find anyone who can put it into words. Then try explaining how crossing into those negative energy levels can take several days to a week or longer to recover from.

Those who haven't been through things like cancer (and I'm not talking simple stage 1, either), whether as a patient or caregiver, have no frame of reference. And I'm perfectly happy with those friends of mine who don't understand NOT having that frame of reference...and hope it stays that way.

When I was diagnosed with cancer #1, on either 26Jan06 or 27Jan06 (midnight +/- 5 minutes), my soon-to-be one of three oncologists gave me a 50% chance of just walking out of the hospital alive. I looked right at him and said, "bullsh*t 50%, try 100% 'cause I'm beating this." When I was being taken into my room on the fourth floor of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center's Cancer Care section, I told my nurse what I'd said. She responded, "Well I sure am glad to hear you say that, because it's people that come in here with an attitude like yours that tend to walk out of here alive. People that come in here thinking they're going to die, usually do."

Here's something for you and anyone else still going through any major health issues and/or the aftermath---I thought about this quote from Sun Tzu every day during my first cancer:

Sun Tzu wrote:
VI.2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him."
-- Sun Tzu, The Art of War, ca. 500 BC, 1910 Lionel Giles translation.

And another important one (also from the Lionel Giles translation):

Sun Tzu wrote:
III.18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Know whatever it is you're facing. Learn everything you can about it so you can fight back that much stronger, meaner, and more effectively.

There are those who claim that your attitude doesn't matter. I mentioned this at a Relay For Life Event Leadership Team meeting to our American Cancer Society rep, and she very frankly responded, telling me flat out that those people are "full of it."

And since this has gone WAY off-topic, I'm closing this post here, except to say this one last thing about Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Before cancer #1, I worked in 16th Special Operations Wing Intelligence. In our weekly (mission permitting) briefings, Sun Tzu was quoted on a very regular basis. I later learned that for, at least USAF Special Operations Forces, Sun Tzu is mandatory reading, and if I remember correctly, that was for all US military SOF units. Despite its age, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is still one of the most, if not the most respected and even revered books on military doctrine in the history of mankind. It is said that the general who follows Sun Tzu's teachings will always win. I just wonder what would happen if both sides were.... Smile
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Be grateful in all things. Even stuck at home in miserable pain and I look out the window to see a blizzard blowing, I say 'thank you' that I no longer have to drive into work in that kind of a mess. For some reason just about anyone else can call off if you can't see the hand in front of you face, but health care workers, especially nurses must!

In many ways, this is not really off-topic. Many come here to help their income for whatever reason, maybe they just want to afford a daily latte, I don't know. But their attitude is lousy especially when they say hello I'm new, and then those of us that know how eCRATER works more or less, offer suggestions and we are told to mind our own business because they know what they are doing. We see places that evaluate venues and many times these folks pull up stakes and then somehow find these sites and leave eCRATER lousy feedback because of the nasty people on the forum (me being one of the nasty people as I can recognize their writing style). Some are happy to get help and others 'know what they are doing' and so any suggestion is met with a negative.

It is vitally important to all sellers here to have this be the best site possible so buyers will come and this site will grow. So seeing things like fuzzy photos or upside-down ones etc. is apparently part of what they know how to do things! Or descriptions that don't tell you a bit of info about the product unless you actually know what the name of it is! How many know they need a widget, but they don't know the real name for it, so they can't find it, because nobody wrote it out in the description that it is made to help fix whatever.

I'm still waiting for the day someone tries to sell a laptop or tablet that includes something more than the internal details. My first computer, PCs were just coming out and I had found a very good magazine that explained everything I needed to know, Now PC's are even more complicated and almost impossible for a layperson to even know what they are getting. I guess we are just supposed to know these things. I do a lot of product reviews and the one thing that all products get marked down on is instructions in a font size too small to read, lack of any coherent instructions, no illustrations of what to do that are understandable. And most of all LACK of instructions that are needed. Yesterday I got a rice cooker to use and review. The only 'recipes' in the instructions was for making cake! Nothing at all about how to cook long grain vs. short-grain rice, etc. What is the point of a rice cooker if they don't tell you how to use it? I have no plans to make a cake in it!
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MoonwishesStore wrote:
Get busy living or get busy dying."

I've only seen the movie once, but remember that line. It touched me, as well. Suffering from PTSD can be maddening at times, but my faith keeps me going. About 20 years ago, my sister bought me a shirt with a tough-looking Tweety bird on it that said "One tough chick." I've outgrown it, but keep it in the closet because it gives my spirit a little boost every time I see it. LOL


Last edited by pickychicky on Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:17 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We all have amazing stories. Perhaps that is why we stick here. Kind of like the "Little Engine that Could"! When working with eCRATER, I am usually calm and relaxed, Amazon is what gives me the grief at times. For about the first couple of years, if I would comment on their forum, I was treated as someone that didn't know squat. Now I know I have a few supporters, but I have found I know a lot better than many folks on that forum. One poster told me flat out that on every post I made I should clarify that I am a very small seller and didn't care about making a million bucks like he was apparently trying to do. I know my limits and I know I don't have the energy to grow this one to a Million dollars that is for sure.

Sorry to hear about the PTSD. I have stuff in my background that could have left me in the dust, but I wouldn't let it.
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
HandmadeJewelryByJim



Posts: 23

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, seems all of my products were rejected by google. Something about a GTIN, whatever that is. I don't even recall seeing a field for that in the last page where you enter the information for the google feed, and I've definitely never heard of it.

So where does that go, and what do I put there given that I don't even know what it is?

Thanks,
--jim
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The GTIN is the UPC or ISBN. Since you have neither of these for your handmade items, you have to do [!identifier_exists:false!] If you are putting the attribute on your listing page. If you are filling in the page that pops up when you click on the G, on the left side put identifier_exists and on the right false. Note the HTML code is correct and you can tell if any of yours isn't if you look at one of your listings via your store as a customer would, you will see some of the code at the bottom of the page. That tells you which one is incorrect to go fix it. The attributes are very picky about set up - no capitals on the left, no spaces, and on the right, you may have capital letters and you aren't allowed a space after the colon.

And Sheila and a few others have a better way of explaining things when it comes to attributes, but you might be able to figure out if you have any mistakes. Laughing
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The GTIN is actually referring to the UPC or ISBN, the American versions of product identification, as well as all the various versions around the world. This is where you'll find Google Shopping to be a headache as they often reject items with legitimate GTINs. The reason being that others have submitted incorrect GTINs and their listing just happened to be the one Google chose to compare all other entries to. If your UPC doesn't match the UPC they entered, then Google deems it invalid even though it is valid.

So, your best bet is to go to Google Shopping, find a matching product and copy its UPC. I had to do this for a number of my CDs listings. Hope that helps.


Last edited by pickychicky on Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:16 am; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@Moonwishes...JINX...you owe me a coke! Although, I prefer Mountain Dew. LOL

P.S. -- I wasn't even thinking about the products being handmade, but I've been sick and just got up a bit ago, so "the little gray cells" aren't functioning at 100%, yet. LOL
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
HandmadeJewelryByJim



Posts: 23

PostPosted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks ... that was the problem. The post (old, ca 2015) had it as "...exists FALSE" note the space ... Fixing them all now. Then going back and adding the cord length that I meant to get done yesterday but forgot (chemobrain strikes again).
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
MoonwishesStore
moderator


Posts: 17389

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like all our brains have turned to mush!
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
pickychicky



Posts: 1552

PostPosted: Thu Jul 25, 2019 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hahahaha! Laughing
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
HandmadeJewelryByJim



Posts: 23

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, and it gets worse. The feed stuff ran again. I'm going to try and insert the image of the screenshot I took ... see if this works. Nope. I guess I'm typing it all.

Here's what the results show:

Items processed:
24
Items inserted:
0
Errors
# of
errors
Problem
-----------------
24
Invalid GTIN value
examples
Handmade Turquoise Western Bolo Tie
Abbey Slide
Handmade Turquoise Western Bolo Tie
Arrowhead Slide
Handmade Turquoise Western Bolo Tie
Boot Slide


Those are (wrapped) product names---three variations, specifically, which slide the customer wants. But that's nothing to do with the UPC, which was wrong, and I fixed. Is it time to go insane yet? Please, can I do that now? Ok, maybe not. But what is it this time? Did I not enter these at the right phase of the moon or something? And I did check, no commas, / or any other word or character that would stop the bots from looking at the titles..just imagine each of those three titles on one line instead of two.


In the Google Attributes section (editing products), I have the following (the color is obviously for the product I happened to click edit on):

brand Handmade Jewelry By Jim
color tan
upc identifier_exists:false

I see why people say this is frustrating....you think you have it fixed, but have to wait two days to find out (or in this case, over the weekend).... |-(

So ... anyone see what it could be this time because I don't.....

Thanks,
--jim[/img]
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
upc identifier_exists:false
This is the "Invalid GTIN value". A GTIN is a Global Trade Item Number. This is the number a manufacture paid to have assigned to their product. Here's what I copied from Google's help file:
Quote:

UPC (in North America / GTIN-12): 12-digit number (convert 8-digit UPC-E codes to 12-digit codes)
EAN (in Europe / GTIN-13): 13-digit number
JAN (in Japan / GTIN-13): 8 or 13-digit number
ISBN (for books): 13-digit number (convert ISBN-10 to ISBN-13). If you have both, include only the 13-digit number.
ITF-14 (for multipacks / GTIN-14): 14-digit number
Google wants a brand and GTIN for all new products. Since your product is handmade, you do not have a GTIN. In your case you would enter the attribute title of identifier_exists with an attribute value of false. The attribute title MUST be entered in the table in lower case with NO spaces before or after the title. The attribute value can be entered as either false or no with any case that suits your fancy. In other words, Google will accept a value of false, False, FALSE, no, No, or NO as long as it is either false or no.

Now, if you would rather enter your Google Attributes at the end of your description instead of using the Google Attribute Table, there is a standard code that must be used. Open Square Bracket exclamation point attribute title colon attribute value exclamation point Close Square Bracket. In other words [!attribute_title:attribute value!] In the case of the identifier_exists, it would look like this at the end of your description [!identifier_exists:false!] ... After you've entered your attributes, saved your page, exited the item and then return to the item page, you'll see your attribute at the end of your description AND in the Google Attribute Table no matter how you originally entered the data.

Your attributes will ONLY show on the item page in your admin, they are not displayed on the item page as viewed in your store or in the marketplace.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my answer. Laughing
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
SheilaDeesPostcards
moderator


Posts: 4614

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

While we're on the subject of Google Attributes, your jewelry is considered a clothing accessory by Google Shopping and must have certain other attributes which I've listed in bold. You would NOT enter them in bold, I just did it so you could pick them out easier.

age_​​group with a single value of newborn, infant, toddler, kids, adult

color with a value in words with the primary color first. The colors must be separated by a forward slash with no spaces, ie. red/blue/white/green (They will NOT accept multicolor, various, variety, etc.; it must be a color.)

gender with a single value of male, female, unisex (personal note, I would strongly suggest you use unisex.)

You have the option of using:
material with a primary material and up to 2 secondary materials. Again, these would be separated by a forward slash with no spaces

NOTE regarding gender and age_group, if you list your item in a global category that states gender or age_group, you don't need to add these since eCRATER will add them to the feed for you.

Hope this helps and I sent you a PM yesterday regarding a few points I saw that might help.
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
HandmadeJewelryByJim



Posts: 23

PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, see that's another part where I misunderstood. I had seen examples where the attribute name was UPC, and the rest went in the value.

So I leave out the "UPC" completely, and instead, enter the following:

Attribute Name: identifier_exists
Attribute Value: false

Ok, I can do that. Hopefully when it runs again on Monday(?), it'll work. Thanks.
Back to top
View seller's profile Send private message Visit seller's eCRATER store
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    eCRATER.com Forum Index -> Selling on eCRATER.com
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Page 2 of 4

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum