Anyone else seeing this? Video Thumbnail instead of Gallery Photo showing in Sponsored Section
I'm guessing this is a test (so maybe not everyone is seeing this), and apologize for the long URL, but that's the URL I'm seeing:
If I scroll down below the description, to the sponsored listing section, the thumbnails include the regular gallery photo thumbnail BUT if the listing has a video, ebay is showing the video instead of the gallery photo. (I've been begging for this since they first gave us videos, although I was primarily thinking about showing this in search results....still, this is on the right track...)
@devon@ebay Can you provide any info on this? Is it a test? Or a change? Will it eventually appear on the search results page as well?
23 comments
deltilogical
·1 year agoLet me guess: bandwidth for the paid ads will get preference -
the search returns will get much much slower and never more accurate or helpful -
indexing will give preference to AI generated text.
Its gonna be terrific in 2025. I was not born a pessimist, but technology has forced it on me. Nothing gets much better in general anymore. They couldn't cash us out at the co-op today, the internet was down. Every transaction fails is the general theme in technocracy USA. But people are much like baby birds and want their food chewed for them.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoI've seen it - the placement was sponsored.
Thumbs up from me they had the forethought to add a pause button!
valueaddedresource
·1 year ago@wastingtime101 agree on the thumbs up for pause button but huge thumbs down for me on autoplay. 😂
On the view item page, there aren't enough to make it too terrible...yet. But if this expands and whole sections are full of moving thumbnails as you scroll down the page, well I can't speak for anyone else but that would be a pretty big disincentive for me to keep scrolling down the page. Pass the Dramamine! 🤢
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Yes, I am seeing that video in the sponsored section.
valueaddedresource
·1 year ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques toward your thoughts on Promoted Listings...
I noticed in @mcdougle4248 's video the search results version has an add to cart button right there on the search page. 👀
And....I'm sure totally coincidentally 🙄 😂 , eBay dropped a Marketing Terms update today (still working through it right now) part of which adds "add to cart, quick view, or other interactive functionality" as actions which will trigger ad fee attribution.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoI am guessing this is only a test and might or might not actually launch. And I fear it might only be applied to sponsored listings (which would NOT be what I had in mind). But....as this is something I've been begging ebay to do since they made videos available, I confess, it feels like a Christmas Miracle to me LOL
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoFrom what I can tell, the videos are only showing up in search if they are sponsored listings. Non-sponsored Listings with videos are NOT displaying the video. Of course, I only checked a few listings, but here's my guess:
1. This is currently only a test, as at least two people have said they are NOT seeing these results.
2. The test is probably being run by the Ads team, rather than a more general search or buyer/seller team.
3. If this actually launches out of test mode, it seems likely that only sponsored listings with video will receive this treatment (which would be a disservice to both buyers and sellers) I am hoping I'm wrong about this point.
@devon@ebay Well, we've done the leg work for you, do you have any info you can share?
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoI should have mentioned: I am seeing this on a PC, I am not seeing it on my Android phone. I am using Chrome. Haven't tried other browsers.
devon@ebay
Hey @my-cottage-books-and-antiques! I was able to confirm that this is a test. At this time I do not have any other insight that I can share on this.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@devon@ebay Thanks for the quick response devon!
mcdougle4248
·1 year ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Yes, I have seen videos on the search results page recently when looking at vintage kaleidoscope. I have not noticed the videos on the listing pages sponsored modules, but I will go and have a look.
I returned to the search page just a few minutes ago and captured this video from the search results page for vintage kaleidoscope:
https://youtu.be/7fyRJ8Z0JFA
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@mcdougle4248 Thanks! I just took a video and was getting ready to upload it to youTube...you just saved me some time. Yes, that's exactly what I'm seeing in search.
mcdougle4248
·1 year ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Here is a video capture from a listing's page in one of the sponsored modules:
https://youtu.be/5SaAVWf9cBs
ETA: After watching the upload, I am not sure the video is from sponsored listing. It appears in a "You may also like" module. Are the listings in this type of module sponsored?
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@mcdougle4248 Thanks again. yes! That is what I'm seeing.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques
Not seeing videos, but I am seeing only 4 sponsored listings, as opposed to the usual 35 or 40.
There is a "see all" link which opens a page with nothing but sponsored listings.
Is this new??
 
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@fbusoni No, that's not new. And I'm talking about below the description box (and the about this seller box). You aren't seeing dozens of sponsored listings down there? Sometimes it takes a little time for them to load...
fbusoni
·1 year agoNo, the only sponsored listings I am seeing are the four above. And there is nothing in the description box other than text.
The ads further down are unrelated to the listing -- they are all items I have looked at on eBay over the last couple of days and have nothing to do with Santa.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoSpoke too soon....apparently at least some are showing up in regular Search?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Vintage+Mr.+%26+Mrs.+Santa+Claus+Plastic+Revolving+Music+Box+Jingle+Bells+HONGKONG&_sacat=0&_sop=12
This item shows up at #1 in Best Match as a normal sponsored listing, but shows up further down as a real standout with video:
Anyone else seeing this?
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoJust to be clear, the one on the left is the video actually playing (the sound is turned off, but the video plays automatcally), the one on the right is the standard gallery photo, and the images are slightly larger than the standard search results thumbnail. This is a sponsored listing, which makes me think this is the Ads Team doing this test, but I could be wrong.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year agoI should add to the post about regular search: for some reason my search is defaulting to newly listed, and the video thing does NOT show in that search order. It DOES show when I switch to Best Match, which had been my default. So the Search Order seems to matter here.
devon@ebay
Hey @my-cottage-books-and-antiques! Do you mind sharing a screenshot of what you are seeing? When I click on the link I am not seeing any videos when I scroll through.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@devon@ebay This is a still screen shot, but as you can see the very first item in the first tow is two parallel lines showing (for "pause") But if this were a video clip, you'd see the video there is auto playing (although without sound)
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
OP1 year ago@devon@ebay Just a guess, but I'm thinking the team you will want to contact is the Ads Team....