Ebay's Promote an item scam

[it*supplyguy]

I've been an Ebay user, both buying and selling for years. I have noticed over the course of the last year or so that whenever I list an item, the number of views it gets are minimal. Mostly, the view are either between 1 or 2 views. However, this magic trick that Ebay has put out there called Promote Listing seems to have helped me get 30-50 views on my items. Magic! And it costs an extra $10.00 every time I need to promote an item. To me, this is a scam and Ebay needs to be investigated for this. If I don't promote my item, I can take key words from my title and search and nothing comes up. If I promote it, the same keywords seems to allow me to see my listing with all the other items. What gives Ebay? I seriously am considering dropping my account now that you have figured how to con your long time users.

[lamber9347]

There is no scam, this is simply another tactic for eBay to make more of a profit. Just as any business will do. I have never used promoted listings and my sales are perfectly fine. No one is being forced into PL, it remains a choice. If you are willing to pay more, than the payoff for you is you get your listings higher on the page and in more people's faces. If you don't want to pay to promote your listings, you are not obligated to do so. You won't get as many views, but you can still sell your items. Best of luck to you....

[fashunu4eeuh]

I don’t sweat the view count. We only need one—one to pull the trigger and buy the item. So i only promote a very few select items and everything else is non-promoted. 

Last April, eBay announced it is changing how views are counted. No longer will bots be considered part of the total, only organic views from actual shoppers will be included. This gives sellers a more realistic idea of how their items are faring. See link below for more info.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/listing-tips/page-views?id=4165

[hartungcards]

eBay needs to be investigated for selling a marketing promotion program?  This one goes in the Hall of Fame.

[doug_5857]

just like dropping the "relisting Auction items 8 times for 1 insertion fee". Now we have to relist every Auction and if you want to relist 1 item 8 times. it will cost you 8 relists verses 1. talk about rise in their profits. I hope Sellers with lots of Auctions catch this or could cost them a good spot of $$$

[s.scharmu0]

When did they start doing this?

[jodysvintagebaseball]

it is a scam because you already pay for store subscriptions and insertions fees to show and sell my items. I had over 130,000 items listed yet sold more items daily when I had 30,000 listings. Today I have 4 orders total I refuse to give them an additional 11-15%. With my anchor store subscription I am supposed to get a boost 

[inhawaii]

Ebay is not very smart.

They make their scams voluntary.

[suprant]

The way in which they present the promotion option is a red flag in itself. After EVERY single listing I make I get the pop up for it, with the box for my consent of the terms already checked, making it just 1 accidental click away from charging me for this garbage. It's a sneaky money making scheme, and I have lost another piece of what little respect I have for eBay for doing it.

[btjfitter]

How can they get away with charging the promotional precentage on the taxes also?  Its written in their terms. I dont charge or fiqure the tax , Ebay does all that.  I also now see my self taken pictures of my product  are  now advertised in someone elses "sponsered" adds. Thought maybe they bought it from me and needed to flip so i went back to try and see if they bought it from me  but now evidently  your sales start from 0 (even though that add states 340 sold ) when the ad relist every month. This place is getting shady.

[inhawaii]

This is just an optional scam, right?

I don't have to participate?