[Bobby]

A few days ago while browsing eBay on my work PC (WinNT), I noticed a link below the time listed as the end time of the aution which allows you to add the ending date & time as a calendar addition. I clicked the link and a small popup came up with a "Learn More" link, so I clicked on it. On the info page that came up, it displays the following:

**
http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/calendar.html

Calendar Programs Support
You can use this feature on many calendar programs. Some of the more common ones are Microsoft Outlook for Windows, Apple iCal, and Palm Desktop.
**
I then tried to access this feature on my iBook and found the link was not there. I spent a little time trying to get to one of the calendar pages to find out if in fact the feature worked. I eventually created a JavaScript link in Safari that would redirect to the calendar entry, allowing me to save it, and after double-cliking the .vcs file iCal asked me which calendar I wanted to add the date to... Which obvously confirmed this feature does work on Macs...

I emailed support who said initially it could be a couple of things, but that the link *should* be there. After a couple more exchanges, I ended up clearing out my Safari Cache & Cookies, but still no link. I then tried several other browsers (iCab, IE, OmniWeb, Opera, etc...) and found NONE of them had the link, pretty much indicating that this link is in fact disabled if the browser platform is Mac OS...

I emailed support again at which time the person who responded that time indicated the feature is NOT COMPATIBLE WITH MAC! I responded saying not only is this incorrect, but their own directions indicate it IS compatible (along with my successful use of the feature)...

I'm currently once again waiting for a reply... I'm hoping they simply allow the link to be displayed, but I'm worried at this point that they may end up just removing iCal from the description instead of turning the feature on for Mac...

At this point my main goal is to inform people about what's going on & try to convince eBay to enable the feature on Macs...

[Bobby]

For those of you who want the script to access the vcs pages, i'm pasting it below:

Code:
javascript:var%20itemID%20=%20'';var%20nameValues%20=%20document.location.search.substr(1).split('&');var%20nameValuesLen%20=%20nameValues.length;
for(i=0;%20i<nameValuesLen;%20i++){if%20(nameValues[i].indexOf('item')!=%20-1){var%20paramSite%20=%20nameValues[i].split('=');itemID%20=%20paramSite[1];}}
if(%20itemID%20!=%20''%20)%20{location.href%20=%20'http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&calendarReminders=true&item='%20+%20itemID;}else{location.href='http://www.ebay.com/';}

Note: This link code should be one giant line...

If you create a linked based on this, when you visit an item's page, click the link and it will load up some text. Go to file-save & save it with the extention .vcs (it should have this extention by default). When you double click it, iCal should ask you which calendar you want the entry under...

[gorickey]

Originally posted by Bobby:
At this point my main goal is to inform people about what's going on & try to convince eBay to enable the feature on Macs...

I've been trying that for years...on all eBay software as well...

It's like talking to a wall.

GOOD LUCK!

[Bobby]

Originally posted by gorickey:
I've been trying that for years...on all eBay software as well...

It's like talking to a wall.

GOOD LUCK!

I got the run around with their last responce... They told me to remove the disk cache and cookies again. I wrote an email which indicated that all of 7+ browsers I tried did not have the link, and that there is no possible way this is a problem on the system's end...

They have a flag thrown to disable the link after detection of "Mac OS", and I will continue to yell at them until they admit it & indcate they will do something about it...

Being a web application developer, I have a pretty good grasp on this type of stuff, so if they try to keep trying to stick this on my system, it will be rather easy for me to refute anything indicating the problem is on my end...

I'd like to ask anybody else who is using a mac to quickly go look at the page. Tell me if you see the link showed in the picture below... The picture below was taken on a PC...
-------------------------------

• 

-------------------------------
If you visit the page by clicking the link above, and don't see the calendar link like shown in the picture, please post here so I can try to get some kind of a running count...

[SuperHard]

I don't see the link....

Using Safari 1.2.1 (v125.1) on OS 10.3.3, 15" Al book.

Keep up the fight!

[gorickey]

Originally posted by SuperHard:
I don't see the link....

Using Safari 1.2.1 (v125.1) on OS 10.3.3

Keep up the fight!

Ditto.

[Bobby]

They have finally officially acknowledged that this does occur.

Their last email indicated this feature was designed to work with MS Office software. They said that I should try it with MSIE for Mac with MS Office installed...

I have already done this as I've had MS Office X for a very long time, and my IE does NOT show the link...

I emailed them again referencing the fact that their own help page indicates this feature is compatible with Apple's iCal... And that I have sucessfully proved this using my little script above (I have 2 eBay entries in my iCal currently)...

Keep posting here so I can reference it if they try to brush this off...

Got to keep up the fight for Mac user's rights!!!

[zachs]

I managed to get it:



But when I click the "Add to Calendar" link in the resulting popup, I get this:

Code:
BEGIN:VCALENDAR
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY;CHARSET=ISO-8859-1;ENCODING=quoted-printable:eBay Reminder: Classic Mac Mouse-128K, 512K, Plus, Lisa, //e-New!!

DESCRIPTION;CHARSET=ISO-8859-1;ENCODING=quoted-printable:The end time for eBay listing number 4126104477 is scheduled to end soon! Click here to go to the page: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ename=3Dcalrem
DTSTART:20040428T125210Z
DTEND:20040428T145210Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR

[Bobby]

Welp, this is the last reply I got. C'mon everybody & flood their sudgetion server!!

...May I suggest you take a
moment here and submit a request to our suggestion box to make this
feature "cross platform." Many of the changes made on the site are due
to suggestions received from our eBay Members. While we are unable to
implement every suggestion, we do review all of the suggestions we
receive.

You can send your suggestions by following these directions:

1. Click on "site map" located at the very top of every eBay page.
2. Click on the link titled "Suggestion Box" found in the third column
near the bottom.
3. Click on the link titled "Send us your suggestion to improve the eBay
site."

Here's the link, sudgest away!!!
http://pages.ebay.com/help/welcome/suggest.html

[Bobby]

OK, I sent the first sudgetsion. C'mon and flood 'em! Then maybe they'll fix it!!!

I worked with your support department for a few days on this, until the last thing they told me to do was to submit a sudgestion.

I visited an item listing using my work PC & noticed a link that said "Add To Calendar" under the end date of the auction. When click that link a little window opens up that has a link to "Learn More".

After selecting that link I saw a very clear piece of information indicating that:
--
You can use this feature on many calendar programs. Some of the more common ones are...Apple iCal..
--

Clearly the help page indicates this feature is supposed to be avalible on a Mac, however when I tried vising a page from a Mac, the link WAS NOT THERE. After trying 7 different browsers, and several emails back and forth between support, I was finally told the feature is NOT AVALIBLE FOR MAC!

I was able to find my own work around with a Javascript hack that allows me to access the calendar feature, and found it DOES IN FACT WORK 100% WITH APPLE'S ICAL, WHICH COMES STANDARD IN MAC OS X!!!!!

Being that your own help page even states that it's compatible, but the feature is completely inaccessible on a Mac, as I said the final option I was left was to make this sudgestion...

I'm also in the process of giving this information on several mac bulliten boards & news sites.

So with any luck with in the next week or so, your sudgetion boxes should be completely flooded with these messages, and hopefully you will fix this feature so Mac users can access it, as your site already indicates we should be able to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/calendar.html