mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Yesterday, eBay sent me a message encouraging me to use new the dynamic rate option when setting up my promoted listings. This dynamic rate option links my promoted listing rate to the eBay suggested rate. As the suggested rate goes up and down so would my promoted rate.
Was this sent by mistake?
I wouldn't think of linking my ad rate to an eBay suggestion. But I thought we've long had this option for quite some time.
In the message, eBay says it values seller comments on promoted listings and provides a link to the community forum as the place to leave such comments.
But the link is to the UK forum business seller's page.
Was this message intended for UK eBay?
Either there is a typo in the message or I've been transported through space and time.
@joseh1445 wrote:Do your homework. That's the best advice that I can give you. Some people have tried it. Who makes the money. NOT the seller. But ebay. I will not use it. That's just me. Best of luck on your selling journey.
But the OP didn't ask if the program was any good. They were asking if they got it by mistake as the help links were for the UK site. So what "homework" could they do other than as if this was sent by mistake?
This is my experience trying ads. I ran dynamic ads for 7 days - and it did increase my impressions nearly ten-fold. For video games - the dynamic ad rate was always between 9% and 13.5% - although I gave eBay a cap of 30%. This week I am running ads using the 2% ad rate model - the results seem more impressive than they should be since I listed a bunch of Pokemon cards in the last 2 days that is skewing the results. I would say the first day of 2% is probably representative for me.
Although I did receive ten times the impressions, I would say that my sales were about the same although most came in promoted. I don't really know how it impacted my sales - but I do know that my click rates and top 20 search results % plummeted after turning on ads.
I would very highly recommend raising your prices by 5% and turning on ads at at least 2% -
just remember that you pay the ad rate % on both the shipping and sales tax - which will disproportionately effect you if you sell a low-cost item. Also - even if you turn off the ad rate you still agree to pay the ad rate for any promoted customer for 30 days - so don't turn it off and lower your prices for 30 days!
Honestly if you raise prices by 5% and pay a 2% ad rate you will probably make more sales and be negligible, this is just my 10 day guess.
@joseh1445 wrote:I have got this message for several months. I will not use it. That's just me. And I am entitle to give my humble opinion. That you feel different. That's your opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.
That is fine. A choice for all of us to make. But at this point we don't even know if it is available to sellers in the US.
@chapeau-noir wrote:Yes, we've had the dynamic option in the US for some time, but eBay is known for really sloppy communication. Usually I get links in German, but apparently you got one for the UK site.
ETA: I wouldn't think twice about it.
Do you happen to have a link to the USA policy? I can't seem to find it.
"I think sellers are finally catching on. Promoted listings simply move your money into ebays pockets with little or no effect on improving the sellers profits!" How so? Are you suggesting that sellers that use PLS are not smart enough to know they need to increase the price of their product to cover the additional PLS FVF? I personally have more faith than that in sellers.
It is the buyer's that pay this additional FVF, not the seller.
