Promoted Listings Standard - Ad Rate Minimum Increasing (1% to 2%)

[wastingtime101]

Got this e-mail from eBay:

We're continuously evaluating the performance and impact quality of Promoted Listings Standard as a tool to drive seller success. As part of this work, effective July 11, we’ll be changing the minimum ad rate for Promoted Listings Standard from 1% to 2%. While we recognize this impacts your business, this change will ensure your campaigns remain competitive in reaching buyers in our growing marketplace, and also allow us to deliver products and services that drive best-in-class returns for eBay sellers.

Just in the past year, we’ve added new Promoted Listings Standard features like an all-in-one campaign dashboard and downloadable reports that provide sellers with a convenient way to review important campaign data. On July 11, we’ll be rolling out a new feature that’ll allow sellers to edit multiple listings at once for both Bulk and Simple campaigns. This’ll make it quicker to adjust ad rates versus having to make manual changes for each campaign.

And there’s more to come.

Next steps

We’d encourage you to adjust your ad rates that are below 2% on or before July 11 to 2% or higher so that your promoted listings can continue to appear in advertising placements across the eBay network. If you decide not to make any changes, those listings will still be active but won’t be promoted.

[collectfest]

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@flyingmvp wrote:

Ebay will never stop to amaze with the creative ways they come with milking more out of the sellers. 

Increasing the min required ad rate to 2% is too conservative, should be 10%.

Ceo inoone needs pay raise, $34,000,000 annually out of our inventory, is poor wages...

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Say NO to MILKING!!!

[onefootflipper]

This is probably simply ebay's reaction to all the smart sellers who recalculated their promoted listings rates to be the same per item when they started including the entire transaction. I imagine the megasellers who rely on promoted listings would have all done that, and they are most of that money.

[nuclearomen]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

So, on June 1st they pushed up their PL revenue by making a HUGE change from item price calculation to total price calculation, generating more revenue for ebay while reducing my net. Now they want even more, so they are telling me I can no longer use less than 2% as my rate.

One does have to wonder: when does ebay start to focus on increasing GMV, rather than increasing ebay's revenue by taking more and more from its remaining sellers?

I do hope someone in the executive suite can explain the concept of "tipping point" to Jamie, because if ebay keeps this up, that tipping point might not be very far off. 

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The increase to PLS is likely based on two things, 1 PLA's flopped, while being used by really big sellers most smaller sellers don't get a benefit to using Advanced unless they are dealing with large quantities and can offer cheaper prices to compete. The other is ebay likely decided that instead of calling the raise to FVF's (which they just did not so long ago), figuring many sellers now use PLS, they get that extra FVF in form of PLS fee instead. Basically FVF anyways, just things don't always sell on PL so their not getting that extra 1% every single sale. But we all know what's coming next - likely Xmas Sellers Update - Increase to FVF's - give it time 🤣

[heckofagame]

Anyone have any experience with any website creation software?

[collectfest]

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@nice_finds503 wrote:

where else would you recommend selling?

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Again, I sell vintage items people want.

1) customer base I already established. Free.

2) antique show, AND NO IT DOEN'T COST ME a lot more, I am going anyway. Cost extra about $200 to set up rather than if I went as a customer. $250-$2000 to set up at a show for me.

Fees about 20% of sales but can buy, establish relationships. Collections are abundant to buy because people know me. Many customers have old interests/collections they want to sell. They're not selling here.

3) local fairs. almost free

4) flea markets. $50-150 fee

5) social media.

eBay's a good tool also, just won't pay to play.

[d-eberly]

Just delightful news - not.  I've always used around 1% or a little more on the base amount of the item.  Then they add in shipping and taxes as the base for the percentage.  Now they up the minimum fee to 2%.  And I've noticed the ebay "suggested ad rate" has gone up substantially, too.  All while sales have practically dropped off a steep cliff. 

[nuclearomen]

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@heckofagame wrote:

Anyone have any experience with any website creation software?

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they are all basically easy to use anymore, and all those sites like Shopify all have built in site creation with available customer help if needed. The issue is, not creating a website - child play - the issue is how are going to drive sales to your website - have to have a customer base for a website to survive, ebay's (and others like Amazon) provide that to the sellers (to extent of course, the rest is on you). Someone like you that has the feedback you have would be easier for you drive your repeat buyers to your site via order get here - or via your social account(s) (if any). 

[libbywebst]

I thought it was bad when I realized that I have to promote listing for visibility, period.  Now, as someone said above, ebay "counts from 2" instead of from zero.  Every time I turn around, there's an additional "fee."  Fees on sales tax?  International fees (for international buyers who use domestic forward shippers, say what?)?  Promoted listing fees (including on sales tax)?   I want to liquidate what I have listed and move to another platform after almost a decade selling here.  Why is ebay nickle-and-diming sellers to death?!

[collectfest]

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@onefootflipper wrote:

I went ahead and fought through the errors that were trying to stop me and have removed promoted listings from all 17,000 of my listings. Somehow I will survive.

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LOL! Hope you could do a bulk change or your hands gotta hurt....!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@onefootflipper 

Just curious, since this doesn't go into effect until July 11th, why remove your PLs now?

[dolcetreasures]

They already suggest I give them an additional 7-18% for promoted listings, never mind they recently increased the promotion fees to be added onto the total transaction amount after they just increased the international fees to most countries to 3.3% after increasing final value fees twice in the last 18 months.

Let’s not forget how many postal increases we have seen in the same period which also helps eBay’s bottom line. Having every expense paid in cash directly to eBay has also completely removed the previous incentive for cash back rewards and points through the credit cards we previously used.

Add insult to injury, they removed the eBay cash back from all purchases. Even chargebacks are poorly handled leaving the sellers to fend for themselves. 

[samanthasb0utique]

Blood suckers.

[lonebuck-books]

So exactly what improvements to our sales, exposure will we be seeing for the increased minimum?  I love how they write an announcement trying to make it look like the increase will result in improved placement/sales when in reality it literally changes nothing except for the amount of money taken from our bottom line to fatten their bank account.  

eBay, how about you call it what it is, a money grab plain and simple.  There is absolutely no benefit to sellers with this change, only a penalty.

[luxgoods]

Another Money Grab! When is this going to stop considering sales are awful?

[marybell214]

Well I'm a smaller Seller got store but My sales at this point are not even covering the cost of all this **bleep**. Bye Bye Promotion for me I not giving no more money away. I will use other ways to Promote my items .