Ebay is cooked
How to destroy your platform in one fiscal quarter:
- Implement "Any-Click" Tax
- Hide the Data
- Prioritize Payer Over Performer
- Ignore User Feedback
How many sellers will leave in 2026?
14 comments
How to destroy your platform in one fiscal quarter:
How many sellers will leave in 2026?
tobaccocardyahoo
·8 months agoFor many items, there are far more offers than there is demand for the items. Ebay can afford to lose some sellers without seeing any difference in the number of items sold.
If they lose some of these sellers, the remaining sellers will be happier and richer and the revenue from promotion might decrease. It could lead to a fee increase but due to competitive pressures might not.
@jnsvintageradioandtubes would probably be a loss given his specialized niche, but many other sellers would not be any loss to Ebay.
I see Ebay to be the best online marketplace for me to sell my items, and am quite prepare to move to another were one to exist. I left Ebay in 2008 because Amazon was a much better venue for what I was selling, and it no longer is a desirable venue for them, as shown by the return of many sellers to Ebay.
If you can do better elsewhere, you would have to be a fool to continue to sell here.
jnsvintageradioandtubes
·8 months agoHello,
After 14 years, I'm leaving. The following letter is addressed to Xiaodi Zhang, VP of Seller Experience. Everyone who is affected by the Jan 13th update should send a letter to the VP of Seller Experience. eBay has prioritized ad spending over all else.
Xiaodi Zhang, VP of Seller Experience
eBay Inc.
2025 Hamilton Ave
San Jose, CA 95125
January 26, 2026
Subject: Formal Notice of Intent to Close Store / 14-Year Top-Rated Seller Account Review
Dear Ms. Zhang,
After 14 years of operating as a Top-Rated seller with 100% positive feedback, I am formally announcing the closure of JNS Vintage Radio and Tubes. The eBay marketplace in 2026 has become a hostile environment for technical specialists who prioritize accuracy and quality over volume.
My January 2026 performance metrics remain exemplary: a 0.00% late shipment rate and a 0.33% "Item Not as Described" rate across 861 transactions in 2025. Despite this, the following factors have made continued operations impossible:
The Subsidization of Unverified Inventory: In the vacuum tube niche, there is a vast difference between a "thrift-store find" and a professionally tested component. My margins must cover the significant costs of acquiring inventory, and the rebuilding, and calibrating of high-end testing equipment. eBay’s 2026 model forces me to lower my prices to compete with unvetted "yard sale/thrift store" sellers, while simultaneously demanding an escalating "ad tax" for visibility. I cannot maintain professional calibration standards while my fees subsidize the search placement of sellers who offer no such technical assurance.
Institutionalized Search Invisibility: The January 13th "any-click" mandate has institutionalized a "pay-to-play" system that renders 14 years of integrity irrelevant. By making search visibility contingent on ad spend rather than technical veracity, you have abandoned the expert seller. You are now prioritizing those who can afford the highest "ad tax" because they have zero investment in testing or quality control.
The Removal of Seller Agency: It is a professional insult that eBay Cassini now overrides manual campaign settings, reverting them to "automated" to ensure the platform extracts maximum fees. This removal of agency is a direct breach of the partnership I have built since 2012. I refuse to operate a business where my strategic choices are bypassed to favor platform revenue over seller sustainability.
Competitor Bombardment: My listings—curated with documented performance data—are now cluttered with competitor advertisements. By redirecting buyers from a high-integrity listing toward a lower-quality "promoted" alternative, eBay is prioritizing short-term ad clicks over the technical safety of the buyer.
I will be closing my store in the near future. I refuse to compromise my testing or quality standards to fit a broken, ad-heavy model that treats 14 years of excellence as an afterthought.
Sincerely,
JNS Vintage Radio and Tubes
mr_lincoln
·8 months agoHi @desertscooters
I abandoned PLS (Promoted Listing Standard) at the end of 2023. It may not be the fee cash cow it once was since they implemented the new halo coverage of more purchased listings on an account that uses it based on the Buyer getting to the account via a Promoted item.
I agree with @evry1nositswindy that participating in PL in general is optional.
evry1nositswindy
·8 months agoSolution: don't use promoted listings. It is optional. I have never and will never use it.
corner-attic-emporia
·8 months agoIf 80% of sellers quit then all of the bottom sellers will have more views and sales without promoting.
natoman777
·8 months agohaha... 🤣... haha😂
kibble-net
·8 months agoHopefully everyone else in my niche quits, cause I'm staying 😎
krazzykats
·8 months agoI don't get it. Please explain with just a little more detail. 🤔
á“šá˜á—¢
kibble-net
·8 months agoOP thinks ebay is going to disappear because of the new promoted listing attribution rules. When instead of complaining, they could just add another 50 cent handling fee and move on with their life.
lakefor94
·8 months agoEbay will never run out of sellers. A million less would not even be noticed.
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months agoIf 80% of ALL Sellers left this site; there would be Millions of VERY happy, rich sellers...
and a website that will not be hurt one iota.
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoWhat is Any Click tax?
lakefor94
·8 months agoOP refers to the new General Promoted Listing scheme
annadryl
·8 months agoPrediction: not you.