Topic: Selling Topics

Guide to Using Item Traits Profiles

An Item Trait Profile (henceforth "ITP") is a way for you to specify a collection of item traits in a group, so that group of traits can quickly be applied to other items in the same category. ITPs have much in common with "Shipping Profiles," not only in that they both end in the word "Profile," but that they both provide a quick way for you to create ad hoc groups of properties that you apply to an item, so you don't have to specify the same item traits (or shipping characteristics) repeatedly when you list new items.

The Questions

How do I create an ITP?
How do I apply an ITP to an item?
What happens when I apply an ITP to an item?
I created an ITP, but I don't see it on the new item form. What gives?
How do I update an ITP?
How do I delete an ITP?

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How do I create an ITP?

From the new item form, pick a category for your item, and then click on the link in the lower-left corner of the new item form (under "Advanced Options") where the link says "Edit Item Traits." After you have selected the item traits for your item, you should notice a link below your item traits that says "I have more items to list that will use these same traits." Click on that link, and you'll be given a field to name your ITP. After you click the "Save and Go Back" button at the bottom of the new item form, your ITP will be saved for future items.

How do I apply an ITP to an item?

Through the new item form, or through the batch editor:

• Through the new item form. Whenever you choose a category for an item you're creating (or editing), we check to see if there have been any ITPs created for the category of your item. If so, a list of all ITPs within the category will appear in the "Item Traits" area of the new item form (under "Advanced Options"). After you select your ITP from the list, it will be applied to the item.
  
  

  Remember: Any ITP you create is only valid for one category -- the category that it was created in. If you create an ITP for the traits under the category "Antiques >> Books >> American," you will only be able to apply that ITP to other items that are posted in the exact same category. This is necessary because all categories have different traits, which in many cases vary in only subtle (but significant) ways.

• Through the batch editor. There is a tab for "Item Traits" in the batch editor. Click this tab, then choose a particular category, using the category filter on the right side of the batch edit page (then click the "Filter" button, so your filter is applied). If there are any ITPs created in the category you've filtered, they will be listed, and you'll be able to select items and apply the ITP to said items.

What happens when I apply an ITP to an item?

All of the traits that you specified for a given ITP become traits of the item they are applied to. For example, if you an ITP for "Books & Manuscripts" that specified "Binding" was "Leather" and "Print Year" was "1920", then after you applied the ITP to an item, that item will have its "Binding" set to "Leather" and it's "Print Year" set to "1920." The new item will also have it's Google Attributes updated with [[year:1920]] so Google Product searchers can better find your item.

If your ITP only covers a subset of all possible traits (say, in the example above, the ITP specifies a value for "Print Year" but not for "Binding"), then only the traits specified in the ITP will be applied. So if your item had a "Binding" type of "Glue," it would still have a binding type of "Glue" after applying an ITP that specified only "Print Year."

I created an ITP, but I don't see it on the new item form. What gives?

Chances are, the category for the item you're creating/editing on the new item form is not the same as the category under which you created your ITP. Remember, since every category has different traits associated with it, an ITP can only be applied to items that are listed in the exact same category as the ITP was created in.

How do I update an ITP?

If you return to the traits page on the new item form (where ITPs are created), and you create an ITP that has the same name as an existing ITP, the existing ITP will be updated.

How do I delete an ITP?

You don't. Yet. It's on our list.

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