Promotion

[joesgoldcompany]

Is anyone noticing the value in eBay promotions? 

[mam98031]

You need to be more specific.  What kind of promotion?  And why do you ask?  Some tools Ebay offers work very well for some sellers and not for others.  A site this size will likely never have a tool that is beneficial for all.

[anjofak]

I actually do, it's pretty much the same numbers every time I check it..

 

[downunder-61]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/New-to-selling-on-eBay/bd-p/Starting_an_eBay_Business

[dbfolks166mt]

     While I have never used PL and never will the only value I see in it is that the revenues eBay is generating from those that do use PL has probably held them off from doing an across the board fee increase. There is no way to prove that the use of PL actually improves sales other than some speculation by those that do use it. You cannot validate/verify that the item would not have sold without the use of PL. Anything else like views, impressions........ mean little. Sales are what matters. 

[chariot_badges]

I really think it's an individual thing.

It depends on your store.

Can't compare a store that sells baby items and toys to a store that sells scientific instruments and medical equipment.

Do a test.  Promote for a month, and compare month-end results to other non-promoted months.

That'd be a good start.

[terrific_buys]

Yeah the value to eBay.  I just unprompted all my listings. It works but I’m losing way too much money. I feel like I have to over price my stuff to use it. I just looked and they’re charging me $2 on $10 items for just the ad. And it’s based on the total which I didn’t realize they were getting away with. Ugh. Why are you getting paid off our shipping fees !!!!????? I don’t promote my stuff anywhere else. Like Etsy. And get more sales.  I always loved eBay but this is a deal breaker for me. Otherwise they want me working for nothing now while they get 15 percent twice on my sales. They are too greedy now for my liking. Sad. I’ve sold here almost 21 years. 

[mam98031]

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@terrific_buys wrote:

Yeah the value to eBay.  I just unprompted all my listings. It works but I’m losing way too much money. I feel like I have to over price my stuff to use it. I just looked and they’re charging me $2 on $10 items for just the ad. And it’s based on the total which I didn’t realize they were getting away with. Ugh. Why are you getting paid off our shipping fees !!!!????? I don’t promote my stuff anywhere else. Like Etsy. And get more sales.  I always loved eBay but this is a deal breaker for me. Otherwise they want me working for nothing now while they get 15 percent twice on my sales. They are too greedy now for my liking. Sad. I’ve sold here almost 21 years. 

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@terrific_buys 

In Promoted Listings Standard, YOU set the amount of additional FVF you are willing to pay.  Were you participating in one of the hybrid PL programs?  If so, which one.

This page will give you the options within the Promoted Listing tools Ebay has available.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/promoted-listings-overview?id=5295

[luckythewinner]

Is anyone noticing the value in eBay promotions?

There are sellers here who have reported seeing great success with promoted listings.

There are sellers here who have reported seeing some success with promoted listings.

There are sellers here who have reported seeing no success with promoted listings.

[jrkirk]

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@joesgoldcompany wrote:

Is anyone noticing the value in eBay promotions? 

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I tried it when they first came out a year or so ago, but they did not help me sell, and they cost too much. JMHO

[isaiah53-57]

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@chariot_badges wrote:

I really think it's an individual thing.

It depends on your store.

Can't compare a store that sells baby items and toys to a store that sells scientific instruments and medical equipment.

Do a test.  Promote for a month, and compare month-end results to other non-promoted months.

That'd be a good start.

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I would be careful with this advise - I see posts here from people saying after trying promotions and then removing them, their sales were worse than they were beforehand - Having seen many of this company's strategies for money grabs over the years, I would have no doubt that algorithms are designed to punish you for toying with their coveted Promoted Listings program. I would be worried that once you try them, you would be pushed to keep going with them through various tricky strategies - This is their golden egg - In my opinion, without promoted listings keeping revenue above the waterline, their stock would be hurting.

Just as @terrific_buys  notes above, the site is on a quest to rip 30% to 50% or even more of your item's selling price right out of your back pocket - In the clothing category, the FVFs are 15% of the entire transaction and many people are seeing "recommended" promotion rates of another 15% on top of those already high fees. If you sell a $20 shirt with $7 shipping and $2 in sales tax, thats a $29 Transaction - 30% of $29 is close to $10, which is right at 50% of your selling price! - If you own that shirt for $5, you just made a measly $5 without accounting for ANY OTHER costs of doing business besides what you paid for the item - which likely leaves you with about $3 after ALLLLL that work in sourcing, picture taking, listing, storing, retrieving, packing, shipping, traveling, answering questions, dealing with site problems, printer problems, dealing with returns, modifying listings, banking, accounting, doing/paying taxes, etc, etc, etc... Wake up people...

And again, in my opinion, if you think they are choosing 15% "recommended" rates for the fun of it?... Think again folks... My guess is thats right where they want you and they wont be satisfied until they get you there...