Promoted Listings - how are you handling it?

[rsot]

Originally Posted by agent006140

Those who are deeply in debt do not go around and talk about it/

Hopefully you're doing ok but if you're in debt, better speak to a financial professional.

[kirkland]

I know ebay has updated their advertising to comprise multiple different styles of ads, but I just stick with the OG fixed promoted listings. To me it's all about category, if the item is hot enough and the listing is sexy enough I usually just stay in my sweet spot of 2-5%. 10% if I really need to unload it. Anything above that I just take it as a sign that the category is not hot enough and I need to move on. This is for my lower ticket items (up to 50/60 or so). On my high ticket items (4-500+ or higher) I dont put ads on at all, I just price it competitively and wait for buyers to come to me.

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I've spent months now trying to tune "promoted listings" into something that gets me enough traffic without destroying my profit margin.

Recently I've started disabling "promoted listings general" because the recommended ad rate was creeping up towards 20%. They have no problem advising you to incrementally bump up the ad rate until you're taking a loss on every sale. A lot of sellers are being forced to eat the losses just to move inventory.

For a while I was using promoted general and advanced but with the recent changes to the pay per click model, it seems like eBay is charging for clicks even if the buyer doesn't purchase. It quickly became unfeasible for me to use both ad types. On a $30 order I would have $15 in promoted listings costs.. then I would still have to buy postage.

Promoted advanced gets the best search ranking. I've started using Promoted advanced (PPC) for faster moving items and promoted general for slower sellers. I have the per click rate capped around 25-30 cents because again with that.. eBay will allow you to compete against yourself.. advising you to raise your per click rate to a dollar or more (as high as you're willing to go, really). The marketing team at eBay seems to have gone with the same strategy as the rest of wall street - extract maximum profits at all costs.

Just curious how other are navigating this changing landscape, if there are any eBay sellers left here.

From my experience, the best "promotion" you could have on eBay is being/maintaining "Top-Rated Seller" status, on both global and domestic marketplaces as this pushes your listings at the top, you get the badge that gives people sense of security when purchasing etc., and it doesn't cost % off your listings, you get a FVF discount being top rated (it's a small discount, the main benefit is the boosted/free promotion).

Promoted listings benefits are marginal in my experience. I didn't make any more sales using it and it eats into your profit, whether I tuned it from single digit % exposure to double, maybe more views on the listing but didn't actually generate more sales to make it worthwhile. Also, keep in mind, if you want to remove currently listed items from the program, you must delete the listing and make a new listing as I once removed the promotion from an active listing but eBay charged me the promotion % regardless due to their amazing system.

The only other free ways I can think of promoting your listings without eBay putting their hands in your pocket is by improving your product display picture, price competitiveness, free shipping (put the shipping charge into the total value of the item instead of charging for shipping that way you get the free shipping banner) and that's it really..

[phaz0rz]

You sound like AI. If that's been true for you then it must be nice. It's probably different in the UK due to VAT (or whatever) but in the US.. listing visibility is a bloodbath.


My accounts have always been top rated plus (at a huge cost thanks to free returns) but I get no visibility without promoted listings. The baseline for visibility with the things I sell is like 8% promoted general or $.25 per click promoted advanced. With all the tweaking I've done since MP, the only way to keep a cash flow of $1k/day or more is giving eBay 30% of the sale (between normal transaction/listing fees and promotional costs).

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

You sound like AI. If that's been true for you then it must be nice. It's probably different in the UK due to VAT (or whatever) but in the US.. listing visibility is a bloodbath.


My accounts have always been top rated plus (at a huge cost thanks to free returns) but I get no visibility without promoted listings. The baseline for visibility with the things I sell is like 8% promoted general or $.25 per click promoted advanced. With all the tweaking I've done since MP, the only way to keep a cash flow of $1k/day or more is giving eBay 30% of the sale (between normal transaction/listing fees and promotional costs).

It's how I've learnt to communicate with them and online generally lmao..

Well yeah, in the UK, returns are mandatory regardless of explanation and you as a seller have to pay for the return label as well, it's such a disgusting policy against sellers really.

And yeah that makes sense - I also feel like we give so much to eBay through FVFs that it tilts me to give them a further % of a sale.

Greedy buggers

[phaz0rz]

It is what it is. Control of the market has been consolidated so that a few platforms control almost all online sales. Now those platforms are able to dictate the pay to play rate.

It follows the same pattern as almost every other profitable American company recently. Private equity groups takeover and try to maximize profits. The goal becomes short term stock growth at absolutely any cost.

I'm just curious how far it can go. Back in 2013 when I was starting out I would factor in a 12% fee when creating listings.. now I assume a 35% ad rate before even factoring in the cost of shipping. :(

[phaz0rz]

Are you an active seller on eBay, hello?

[solefoodbk]

Originally Posted by james_112233

My main business sells niche, I don't promote listings. My sales took a big hit after Brexit, I lost the EU market. Otherwise it's been the same for me for years. eBay have called me insisting I work with them to scale up but I have no plans to do so as it just won't be feasible for me with my personal circumstances.

Niches not needed. Unless you're trying to get people not searching your product to see it. Which reduces even more probability of conversion. Personally to me the best reason to use ads on eBay is when many sell the same or similar thing that you do, and you want to be the first or one of the first listings the customers sees.

People buy off emotions. They don't want to click through 20 pages to find yours if thats where its located. Thats why higher search is obviously so powerful which helps with ads but dependent on what you're selling.

Paying for ads to reach new buyers not searching your exact niche is best for a website IMO. People on marketplaces I presume have an idea in mind of what they want most of time. At least on eBay.

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

It is what it is. Control of the market has been consolidated so that a few platforms control almost all online sales. Now those platforms are able to dictate the pay to play rate.

It follows the same pattern as almost every other profitable American company recently. Private equity groups takeover and try to maximize profits. The goal becomes short term stock growth at absolutely any cost.

I'm just curious how far it can go. Back in 2013 when I was starting out I would factor in a 12% fee when creating listings.. now I assume a 35% ad rate before even factoring in the cost of shipping. :(

I mean I understand it to a degree, but the way they treat their best sellers, I'm talking metrics with 100% positive feedback, top rated, years of seller activity without any issues or eBay having to step in, one time I had a scammer with barely any eBay history return fraud a high valued item, swapping my item out for cheap rubbish and eBay sided with them, its unjustifiable really... but then I learnt they make profit either way with this scheme

I finished with the acc, didn't pay it back, in their response email they said something along the lines of "we couldn't verify how this has happened so we've decided to refund the buyer in full and take it out of your balance", luckily I don't keep my money in the MP, disgusting how they treat their sellers, but it comes back to what you mentioned

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Are you an active seller on eBay, hello?

yep so far running 3 accounts, have been running them for a few years now as early as 2021

[murdered_by_ebay]

I am pretty sure that the new Hello guy is jamesnorth under new user name , I am wondering if the moderators allowed him to come back or if it is his own initiative?

I guess we are getting a new account seller here in a few months time and a new moderator in the near future

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by murdered_by_ebay

I am pretty sure that the new Hello guy is jamesnorth under new user name , I am wondering if the moderators allowed him to come back or if it is his own initiative?

I guess we are getting a new account seller here in a few months time and a new moderator in the near future

According to whom?

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by murdered_by_ebay

I am pretty sure that the new Hello guy is jamesnorth under new user name , I am wondering if the moderators allowed him to come back or if it is his own initiative?

I guess we are getting a new account seller here in a few months time and a new moderator in the near future

From what I can tell there has only ever been a handful of account sellers. They always dispose/rinse/repeat whenever customer service becomes too much to handle. It's the only way to keep an account selling business going since most buyers have no idea how to run the accounts they're buying. Everyone knows elmo became beautiful.. for example.

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

From what I can tell there has only ever been a handful of account sellers. They always dispose/rinse/repeat whenever customer service becomes too much to handle. It's the only way to keep an account selling business going since most buyers have no idea how to run the accounts they're buying. Everyone knows elmo became beautiful.. for example.

Yeah well I've met some invaluable members here on this platform, literally wouldn't be able to take stealthing as far as I have without Aspkin forums that's why I've got the urge to try helping out with any recent knowledge I have troubleshooting against eBay's ass system

To answer your question @murdered_by_ebay - I'm not James although I've spoke to him in the past was quite helpful and didn't have any issues with him, that being said our last convo was many moons ago

[phaz0rz]

More power to you man.

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

More power to you man.

Cheers!

[rsot]

Originally Posted by murdered_by_ebay

I am pretty sure that the new Hello guy is jamesnorth under new user name , I am wondering if the moderators allowed him to come back or if it is his own initiative?

I guess we are getting a new account seller here in a few months time and a new moderator in the near future

That's a prettu rough assumption hmm

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by rsot

That's a prettu rough assumption hmm

Idk how he came up with that one lol.. How did James North get banned anyways?

He was like one of the biggest vendors at the time right

[rsot]

Originally Posted by hello1212

Idk how he came up with that one lol.. How did James North get banned anyways?

He was like one of the biggest vendors at the time right

He was a mod here and one of the biggest - for the reason why...I don't recall specifics but complaints, etc

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by rsot

He was a mod here and one of the biggest - for the reason why...I don't recall specifics but complaints, etc

Fair enough man

[metatrade]

Originally Posted by murdered_by_ebay

I am pretty sure that the new Hello guy is jamesnorth under new user name , I am wondering if the moderators allowed him to come back or if it is his own initiative?

Whatever happened to Jamesnorth? Is he no longer on the forum?

[hello1212]

Originally Posted by metatrade

Whatever happened to Jamesnorth? Is he no longer on the forum?

It appears so.

I don't know the ins and outs but apparently due to high customer complaints he's been banished from the forum..