Here We Go Again Ebay Telling Sellers No Views Unless You Pay More Money

I've been looking all over the Internet for information like this!

I've been making consistent daily sales for the past 6 months, I've been doing pretty well actually.

All of a sudden, yesterday all sales stopped, which isn't normal at all. I've still had no sales all night or today which confirms to me that ebay has altered something on my account.

It's the same with views, the listings that I usually get a lot of views, now aren't getting any!

What the hell are you meant to do about this, just allow them to stop you making money?? If the algorithm is wanting me to promote my listings and charge me an extra 10%, then that's around 17-20% commission they want, which is a lot more than the other sales sites.

Knowing this now, I don't feel like I want to be apart of selling on ebay. I will continue transitioning over to amazon!

leek7788

·2 years ago

412 View listings

Yes, for all these people claiming they have no problems, possibly they are grandfathered in with massive inventory and treated like gold but I will tell you that although I only started 10 years ago I had hundreds of views each item and sales non stop on the stupidest items yet now ever since we have to promote I can barely get views even on a brand new up to date iphone in which is so bad that many items I sold worth hundreds went for only first low bid price of 99 cents or 9.99 because other people didn't see my item to over bid the first bidder. I lost out so much on ebay it makes me sick. It's actually criminal, limit views unless you pay even more on top what they already charge and the massive loss we get being shipping is so high we have to practically give our stuff away for free. Please don't tell me the algorithm isn't set to make you lose unless you give up your dignity and profits and pay the extra cost because I specifically was told this by an actual ebay representative. Some people on here while laid off or handicapped need this income and I'm sorry but it's absolutely disgusting what they are doing.

mam98031

·2 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@leek7788 wrote:
Yes, for all these people claiming they have no problems, possibly they are grandfathered in with massive inventory and treated like gold but I will tell you that although I only started 10 years ago I had hundreds of views each item and sales non stop on the stupidest items yet now ever since we have to promote I can barely get views even on a brand new up to date iphone in which is so bad that many items I sold worth hundreds went for only first low bid price of 99 cents or 9.99 because other people didn't see my item to over bid the first bidder. I lost out so much on ebay it makes me sick. It's actually criminal, limit views unless you pay even more on top what they already charge and the massive loss we get being shipping is so high we have to practically give our stuff away for free. Please don't tell me the algorithm isn't set to make you lose unless you give up your dignity and profits and pay the extra cost because I specifically was told this by an actual ebay representative. Some people on here while laid off or handicapped need this income and I'm sorry but it's absolutely disgusting what they are doing.

We are NOT "grandfathered" into anything as there isn't anything to be "grandfathered" into.

We have a problem with views being down across the entire site. And it has been that way for awhile. Likely due to losing buyers. A lot of them over the past few years.

With that said Promoted Listings is a TOOL in which a seller may CHOOSE to use or choose not to use. It seems to work OK in categories that are really saturated with listings and not so well in others. Each seller needs to test this for themselves and find the right path for them.

While I know some seem to want one answer that is for everyone, there simply isn't one. We as sellers are a diverse group of people. A one size fits all approach just doesn't work for things like this, which is why Ebay made it a TOOL in which sellers can CHOOSE to use or not to use.

kh-leslie

·3 years ago

Hi everyone,

This discussion has gotten a bit heated. Please remember that, while it is fine to disagree with others, discussion should always remain friendly and respectful as required by the Community Guidelines.

Thank you for your cooperation.

wilsonharborsales

·3 years ago

6540 View listings

I have promoted at 5%, at 20% and at 50% in various campaigns. There was no discernible difference in gross sales.

mn467462

·3 years ago

They always find a way to screw us over. I'm just so defeated. It's gotten so bad that I'm having those thoughts. The I can understand why x causes y to do z. You fill in xyz.

tchk75

·3 years ago

@mn467462 wrote:
They always find a way to screw us over. I'm just so defeated.

What do you mean "us"?

I love eBay! They provide me a platform from which to sell desirable things to others; they enable the transfer of funds in a secure and protected manner; and they give me access to my funds almost immediately. In exchange, I pay them a relatively small fee (technically my buyers pay that fee but that's another story).

What more could a fully functioning, self-sufficient and sentient adult want?

I was active on Amazon for about 9 years and read the same whiny, self-pitying comments there from sellers who could not manage to fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

Amazon does not care about you, and neither does eBay. You are not an eBay "partner." To eBay you are nothing but a piece of code.

And most certainly unworthy of any special attention. Unless you mess up because you have made a mistake.

memorymarielane

·3 years ago

You're certainly going to get the "ebay cheerleaders" against you on this one. I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what has happened to the seller; it is pretty disgusting acutally.

To get to your point of this thread I agree with you 100% of what you've said. I REFUSE to pay for promoted listings. I REFUSE to share my listings on social media. WHY... because number one promoted a listing to be seen is not organic and number two if I wanted to sell my items on social media I would simply do so.

Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually. It's downfall is evident and the "smart sellers" are slowly moving on or have completely left already. Time to wake up and see the writing on the wall. OR you can be like many and go down with the ship and drown. It's every person's choice but I've already made mine and am content with it!

I know you've done the same!

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@memorymarielane

It is absolutely amazing that some can't come here and have a civil conversation without name calling and the such. We are after all adults here or are suppose to be. Because some may not share your point of view doesn't mean theirs is less important than yours. There is room for everyone here. If we do more listening, we may do more learning.

" I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what ...", then I'd say you did not read all the posts because this is NOT an accurate statement, nor is the title of this thread a true statement.

I too understand the point the OP is trying to make. I only take issue with how they are trying to deliver that message and the word choices at times. As you, I do not use PLS. That is the choice I made. To use PLS is a CHOICE for each seller to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer. I works fine is some categories and not so much in others. CHOICE, remember it is a choice. You have made yours, other have a right to make their own too.

Yep, every so often when someone gets upset with Ebay for one reason or another they say things like "Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually." I mean all the time for a couple of decades. So it must be a very slow burn while they continue to be a profitable corporation.

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.

redlinear

·3 years ago

42544 View listings

@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.

2.4 if you know where to look ðŸ˜‚

inhawaii

·3 years ago

Ebay's most handsome seller.4976 View listings

@redlinear wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.
2.4 if you know where to look ðŸ˜‚

That one made me LOL.

memorymarielane

·3 years ago

@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane

It is absolutely amazing that some can't come here and have a civil conversation without name calling and the such. We are after all adults here or are suppose to be. Because some may not share your point of view doesn't mean theirs is less important than yours. There is room for everyone here. If we do more listening, we may do more learning.

" I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what ...", then I'd say you did not read all the posts because this is NOT an accurate statement, nor is the title of this thread a true statement.

I too understand the point the OP is trying to make. I only take issue with how they are trying to deliver that message and the word choices at times. As you, I do not use PLS. That is the choice I made. To use PLS is a CHOICE for each seller to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer. I works fine is some categories and not so much in others. CHOICE, remember it is a choice. You have made yours, other have a right to make their own too.

Yep, every so often when someone gets upset with Ebay for one reason or another they say things like "Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually." I mean all the time for a couple of decades. So it must be a very slow burn while they continue to be a profitable corporation.

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.

Thanks for the laugh and proving my point even further. Happy selling to you on Ebay. I stand firm behind every single word I typed.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago

@memorymarielane wrote:

â€œThanks for the laugh and proving my point even further. Happy selling to you on Ebay. I stand firm behind every single word I typed.â€

You must be aware that calling fellow posters who have a different point of view â€œcheerleadersâ€ is insulting. It is an effort aimed at minimizing and invalidating their participation.

You are a Top Rated seller and have sold here consistently, at least since 2018. You denigrate the platform you currently have multiple listings up on, but state how the â€œsmart sellersâ€ are leaving/have left, yet you yourself remain. That speaks to the credibility of everything you just posted, and your final words especiallyâ€”

â€œI stand firm behind every single word I typed.â€

memorymarielane

·3 years ago

You clearly do not understand my original post and the fact that those who continually support Ebay NO MATTER WHAT SOMEONE IS CLEARLY GOING THROUGH is in fact disgusting. You also assume that I am staying on this platform because I have listings. That is a bit ignorant on your part as well because YOU do not know what my goals and intentions for using this website currently are. And yes, I firmly standing behind every word I said... why else would I say it.. to please you; I don't think so.

You go on and on about how we are to be tolerant of differing opinions but yet here you and another poster are critiquing me for having a different opinion... hypocritcal to say the least.

Funny how it is ALWAYS those who rally behind Ebay the most that attack those with opposing views the most. My comment WAS NOT to you or any other comment; only the original poster. If it offends you then move on. You are not that important and neither are my comments honestly if they don't benefit you in someway. WHY do you feel the need to argue with someone who disagrees with you?

my-cottage-books-and-antiques

·3 years ago

3657 View listings

"WHY do you feel the need to argue with someone who disagrees with you?"

Just my opinion, but it really wouldn't make much sense to argue with someone who agrees with you, would it? I mean, that would seem to miss the point of an argument, wouldn't it?

I feel compelled to post this:

theteamsetguy

·3 years ago

20836 View listings

@memorymarielane ,

My guess is the posters continually support eBay are doing just fine selling on eBay. Just like on any platform there some sellers that are doing great, good, mediocre, bad, or terrible. For the most part your not going to see the sellers doing great come here and post how great they are doing. They don't want to look like they are bragging. There many successful sellers on here that have been on these boards for a long time and are probably tired of seeing the same sellers complaining or sellers complaining about the same things over and over.

I've been in sales since I got out of college and ebay is a successful side gig for me. In sales usually 20% of the people do 80% of the business. Whether they widgets, houses, cars, mortgages, boxes, insurance, and etc. I'd be willing to bet ebay sellers are no different. The top 20% of sellers do 80% of the sales.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that is what makes this country the best in the world. We can agree to disagree. There are many sellers on these boards that are very passionate for eBay or against ebay and that is ok.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago

@memorymarielane wrote:
You clearly do not understand my original post and the fact that those who continually support Ebay NO MATTER WHAT SOMEONE IS CLEARLY GOING THROUGH is in fact disgusting. You also assume that I am staying on this platform because I have listings. That is a bit ignorant on your part as well because YOU do not know what my goals and intentions for using this website currently are. And yes, I firmly standing behind every word I said... why else would I say it.. to please you; I don't think so.

You go on and on about how we are to be tolerant of differing opinions but yet here you and another poster are critiquing me for having a different opinion... hypocritcal to say the least.

Funny how it is ALWAYS those who rally behind Ebay the most that attack those with opposing views the most. My comment WAS NOT to you or any other comment; only the original poster. If it offends you then move on. You are not that important and neither are my comments honestly if they don't benefit you in someway. WHY do you feel the need to argue with someone who disagrees with you?

@memorymarielane I guess i am not being clear. I am not â€œattackingâ€ you, but i will try to remain vigilant since you clearly feel i am. For that i am sorry.

Nor am i criticizing you for having a different opinion about eBay. (I believe i have said enough times that everyoneâ€™s voice has a place here.) What I am saying is that the name-calling is offensive and devolves the entire discussion. Such words as â€œCheerleaderâ€ â€œignorantâ€ â€œhypocriteâ€ â€œdisgustingâ€ etc. It does not move the discourse forward but brings it to an abrupt halt.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@memorymarielane wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane

It is absolutely amazing that some can't come here and have a civil conversation without name calling and the such. We are after all adults here or are suppose to be. Because some may not share your point of view doesn't mean theirs is less important than yours. There is room for everyone here. If we do more listening, we may do more learning.

" I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what ...", then I'd say you did not read all the posts because this is NOT an accurate statement, nor is the title of this thread a true statement.

I too understand the point the OP is trying to make. I only take issue with how they are trying to deliver that message and the word choices at times. As you, I do not use PLS. That is the choice I made. To use PLS is a CHOICE for each seller to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer. I works fine is some categories and not so much in others. CHOICE, remember it is a choice. You have made yours, other have a right to make their own too.

Yep, every so often when someone gets upset with Ebay for one reason or another they say things like "Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually." I mean all the time for a couple of decades. So it must be a very slow burn while they continue to be a profitable corporation.

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.
Thanks for the laugh and proving my point even further. Happy selling to you on Ebay. I stand firm behind every single word I typed.

That is simply SAD!

memorymarielane

·3 years ago

@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@memorymarielane

It is absolutely amazing that some can't come here and have a civil conversation without name calling and the such. We are after all adults here or are suppose to be. Because some may not share your point of view doesn't mean theirs is less important than yours. There is room for everyone here. If we do more listening, we may do more learning.

" I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what ...", then I'd say you did not read all the posts because this is NOT an accurate statement, nor is the title of this thread a true statement.

I too understand the point the OP is trying to make. I only take issue with how they are trying to deliver that message and the word choices at times. As you, I do not use PLS. That is the choice I made. To use PLS is a CHOICE for each seller to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer. I works fine is some categories and not so much in others. CHOICE, remember it is a choice. You have made yours, other have a right to make their own too.

Yep, every so often when someone gets upset with Ebay for one reason or another they say things like "Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually." I mean all the time for a couple of decades. So it must be a very slow burn while they continue to be a profitable corporation.

You do realize that Ebay has somewhere around 1.7 BILLION active listings.
Thanks for the laugh and proving my point even further. Happy selling to you on Ebay. I stand firm behind every single word I typed.
That is simply SAD!

Not at all, it just proves the point that you come on here and critique me for having an opposing opinion and then try to tell me how supportive Ebay commenters are of others who have opposing views. You are a hypocrite and honestly if you disagree with me then why bother to even response? Geeze you people need to get a life off of this chat board. Hate me if you want but I seriously do not care.

tchk75

·3 years ago

@memorymarielane wrote:
You're certainly going to get the "ebay cheerleaders" against you on this one. I see the same people come here on almost every post supporting ebay no matter what has happened to the seller; it is pretty disgusting acutally.

Ebay has no foundation and thus will collapse eventually. It's downfall is evident and the "smart sellers" are slowly moving on or have completely left already. Time to wake up and see the writing on the wall. OR you can be like many and go down with the ship and drown. It's every person's choice but I've already made mine and am content with it!

I know you've done the same!

Believe it or not, there are many who sell on eBay who know how to manage their financial affairs and make selling work for them. We are the same people who understand that we are merely renting space on eBay and that eBay sets the rules. We are not entitled and do not expect eBay to hold our hand. The only time you are going to run into trouble on a platform like this is if you stop paying attention.

As for eBays' collapse... well, eventually the earth will get too close to the sun and it too will disappear. In the meantime, enjoy the ride, play by the rules that eBay has set, and never, ever use your own money in online endeavors such as this.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@easm05

It should also be noted that Ebay NEVER said "Ebay Telling Sellers No Views Unless You Pay More Money".

PL is a TOOL. It is an OPTION. You want it to seem something it isn't.

craft-stash

·3 years ago

964 View listings

PLS...

PLA...

Start your auction @ .99cents...

Wave a Chicken over your head in a bag...

You won't get a sale here!

theteamsetguy

·3 years ago

20836 View listings

@craft-stash ,

I beg to differ with your opinion. If you have items that are in demand and priced competitively you will get plenty of sales. When I mean competitively I don't mean the lowest priced.

This is not my main gig and do very well on here. Because I have handled my finances responsibly and not lived beyond my means, over the years I could quite my job and sell on here fulltime and live comfortably.

My house is almost paid off and I have no car payment. I can put another 100,000 miles on it before I need to even consider buying a new one.

tchk75

·3 years ago

@easm05 wrote:
Ebay is intentionally, throttling sellers views, no matter how much a sellers use promoted listings, or how many items a seller list in his/her store every day. I have been speaking to ebay support for months, and most agents admits ebay is throttling sellers view count each month.

Please provide proof that eBay is throttling. Such claims are usually the manifestation of frustration -- such as that which you evince -- and have no basis in reality.

Nor do I believe for a nanosecond that eBay agents "admits" that seller's view counts are being throttled.

Your comments remind me of what I used to read on the Amazon seller boards, where sellers who had not made a sale in a few weeks concocted all manner of nonsensical conspiracy theories to explain what was obvious to the rest of us -- that no one was interested in their offerings.

cardxcraft

·3 years ago

Hi Jaime I.

Thanks for the sage words.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@cardxcraft wrote:
Hi Jaime I.
Thanks for the sage words.

He doesn't read these threads.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@tchk75 wrote:
@easm05 wrote:
Ebay is intentionally, throttling sellers views, no matter how much a sellers use promoted listings, or how many items a seller list in his/her store every day. I have been speaking to ebay support for months, and most agents admits ebay is throttling sellers view count each month.
Please provide proof that eBay is throttling. Such claims are usually the manifestation of frustration -- such as that which you evince -- and have no basis in reality.

Nor do I believe for a nanosecond that eBay agents "admits" that seller's view counts are being throttled.

Your comments remind me of what I used to read on the Amazon seller boards, where sellers who had not made a sale in a few weeks concocted all manner of nonsensical conspiracy theories to explain what was obvious to the rest of us -- that no one was interested in their offerings.

A couple of things that are important here. Most of us know this but apparently some do not.

Views do NOT = sales. I can't tell you how many things I've sold over the years that don't show a single View.

As to throttling. That is a no win situation for BOTH Ebay and the seller. The seller doesn't sell anything and Ebay doesn't make anything. Unlikely that a company that is in business for profit would participate in this practice. It simply doesn't make sense.

Sellers get mad when they are getting the sales they feel they should. So out comes all these reasons why it is Ebay's fault.

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

2496 View listings

@tchk75

where sellers who had not made a sale in a few weeks concocted all manner of nonsensical conspiracy theories to explain what was obvious to the rest of us -- that no one was interested in their offerings.

If I make a sale on one of my selling accounts, I am more likely to make another sale on that account.

And that new sale is more likely to be from the same area. (I've had a bit of a run in Denmark this week).

That feels like the algorithm rewards sellers who make a sale with higher placement and higher placement leads to more sales.

tchk75

·3 years ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:

That feels like the algorithm rewards sellers who make a sale with higher placement and higher placement leads to more sales.

"Feels like"??

an-57470

·3 years ago

yes, this is correct. pay or little or no views. I'm getting discouraged. eBay is always in my pocket.

monroe67

·3 years ago

199 View listings

"yes, this is correct. pay or little or no views. I'm getting discouraged. eBay is always in my pocket."

and OP's title: ". . . Telling Sellers No Views Unless You Pay More Money"

Both statements are: Incorrect. Mistaken. False.
"I'm getting discouraged" is a feeling.
"eBay is always in my pocket" is an opinion.

Today my selling ID took a Sunday-After-Lunch nap. She woke up feeling refreshed, looked at her phone, and saw what is nowadays a rare e-mail message: "You got paid for [item]!"

I do not use promoted listings in any way, shape, or form. I tried it with a few listings about a year ago and got no sales.
I have learned to value Sales more than Views.
I consider my slow eBay sales to be a result of economic circumstances over which neither eBay nor I have any control.
I have made it part of my eBay selling activities to learn and know the fee structure here and I fully accept it. So I do not feel that eBay is "in my pocket."

But that's just me. I choose not to look at myself as a victim of eBay . . . . . . .

reallynicestamps

·3 years ago

2496 View listings

@monroe67

I do not use promoted listings in any way, shape, or form. I tried it with a few listings about a year ago and got no sales.

I use PL on about 25-30% of my listings.

And those listing do get more Views.

But.

My sales of PLs is lower than 25% of transactions.

I suspect that PL does bring customers to eBay and to PL listings, but those customers then browse my other stuff and buy this not that.

Anecdote is not data.

Also-- why is this post suddenly in maroon?

monroe67

·3 years ago

199 View listings

"Also-- why is this post suddenly in maroon?"

It must have -- somehow -- picked up the "maroon" coding in my post.
You can change it by highlighting the words in maroon (or whatever other color you do NOT want),
then clicking the little arrow to the right of the letter "A" in the editing icons at the top of the box where you type your message: B, I, etc.
When you click the down-pointed arrow to the right of the letter A, you will see a block of colors you can use for your post. Click on the black square in the upper left corner. Black print, of course, is the preferred default.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques

·3 years ago

3657 View listings

@easm05 Could you provide more detail about how you use Bing to drive traffic to your ebay business? It sounds interesting.

I think the following advice is sound:

"Stay within ebay rules, keep doing whats right, go sell on other websites, as well as on ebay. Most important, build your own website using paypal payment system, and paypal shipping (Or other shipping services) ."

But I'd add as to the last two. Do them only if it makes financial sense for YOUR particular business. At this point, I personally don't see a strong ROI from building my own website. As to multi channel selling, I am currently ebay exclusive but that might change, not because ebay is so terrible (every site has its pros and cons, just like ebay), but because the multitude of sites today means buyers of my kind of stuff are shopping a lot of different places, unlike the old days, when ebay was very nearly the only place to look for my kind of stuff. As Meg Whitman always said: "Sellers go where the buyers are", and these days, the buyers are in more than one place. Still, the ROI for going multi channel has to be sufficient to justify the extra effort, so I suggest treading carefully, testing one's way into other sites.

frugalmarketplace

·3 years ago

40080 View listings

Try writing in paragraphs. Maybe people would read do the end.

cardxcraft

·3 years ago

I read all the way to end; I have what's called an attention span. Not every thing and everyone is boxed up perfectly.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@cardxcraft wrote:
I read all the way to end; I have what's called an attention span. Not every thing and everyone is boxed up perfectly.

@cardxcraft

That is really unfair. For some, like me, reading a WALL of text is difficult. It is hard on our eyes and has not a darn thing to do with "attention span". Your assumption is wrong and offensive.

stuff4divas

·3 years ago

7583 View listings

@frugalmarketplace wrote:
Try writing in paragraphs. Maybe people would read do the end.

Exactly @frugalmarketplace who wants to read books without paragraphs? LOL

craft-stash

·3 years ago

964 View listings

Try being nice!

You don't have to read if you don't want to!

meme6253

·3 years ago

3989 View listings

I Actually do the same thing, I never use paragraphs, I just keep going & going, My Bad!

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@meme6253 wrote:
I Actually do the same thing, I never use paragraphs, I just keep going & going, My Bad!

For some of us this is a real issue for our eyes. It in some cases is a sure bet to a headache as well. Literally.

Hitting the return key twice is really so easy and it makes things so much easier to read and follow. It also helps us not to miss something important in what you are trying to share with us. @meme6253

meme6253

·3 years ago

3989 View listings

I will try & keep it in mind

iguana69art

·2 years ago

1733 View listings

lol, I did to the end . by the way you have a type o ...

mam98031

·2 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@iguana69art wrote:
lol, I did to the end . by the way you have a type o ...

OLD thread. What is the point?

iguana69art

·2 years ago

1733 View listings

I did to the end . by the way you have a type o ...

dhbookds

·3 years ago

1700 View listings

No, ebay doesn't state that non promoted listings are not shown. Plenty of sellers (as they state here) don't use PL........and sell non promoted items. All you have to do is a search to note that not all of the listings shown are not labeled "promoted"...........

Newspapers have classified ads/display ads......... Tv has 15 second/1 minute ads/varying costs between programs/times shown. The ebay ad program concepts are no different from those, except that in some ebay programs, a seller does not pay unless the item is sold.

Do I like some of the things ebay does with these........no.......but I do think they "work" for some items because they expose buyers to listings they may never have seen in an "ordinary" search.......they provide a browsing experience.

cardxcraft

·3 years ago

I do 100% agree with his point regarding cross posting. It looks like this is the direction many sellers are headed...and he's definitely correct regarding the forums and monitors deleting posts; some being both a monitor and faux Ebay seller/Khoros poster. But, its the nature of this beast, so I don't get caught up in it.

Regarding PL: he's only stating what other Ebay sellers feel, and I never have a problem with that.

inhawaii

·3 years ago

Ebay's most handsome seller.4976 View listings

Didn't read your entire rant, just commenting on your title

No, they don't tell sellers that.

stuff4divas

·3 years ago

7583 View listings

@inhawaii wrote:
Didn't read your entire rant, just commenting on your title

No, they don't tell sellers that.

I'm with u on that @inhawaii I don't read books without paragraphs LOL

vintagecraze50

·3 years ago

2326 View listings

I hate to say this but your analysis is not correct. There is no reason for ebay to throttle a listing that could sell for them and you.

richard1rst

·3 years ago

53683 View listings

I just did a search for â€œMLS coffee mugsâ€ (of which I have many)

The FIRST sponsored listing was the 14th item on the page.

NINE of the listings above the first sponsored listing were mine.

And I have NEVER spent any money or promoted listings.

So much for your claim

No Views Unless You Pay More Money

(By the way, I get the same relative results with other search terms).

richard1rst

·3 years ago

53683 View listings

Oh and one more thought. Whomever paid a fee for that listing that came in 14th didn't really get their money's worth, did they? After having paid a sponsoring fee shouldn't they have been first?

vintagecraze50

·3 years ago

2326 View listings

The price will win in most cases on a sale.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@richard1rst wrote:
Oh and one more thought. Whomever paid a fee for that listing that came in 14th didn't really get their money's worth, did they? After having paid a sponsoring fee shouldn't they have been first?

Everyone can't be first.

vintagecraze50

·3 years ago

2326 View listings

Yep, My stuff is all over on Google search and we do not promote either, also my stuff appears fairly regularly in the top slots.

meme6253

·3 years ago

3989 View listings

I Can't even see any listings for you??

cardxcraft

·3 years ago

You've been selling for a long time and have nearly 1000 followers. Your repeat business is allowing you to not promote. More to the point, the repeat business helps push your listings further up in search rankings, thereby giving you increased non-repeat business.

This is a good thing.

shar_27

·3 years ago

It is even more disingenuous to kick someone out of a platform or region simply because they express different or dissenting opinions. This is not the American way.
To argue, It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.

The question is "Do you have those" ?

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@shar_27 wrote:
It is even more disingenuous to kick someone out of a platform or region simply because they express different or dissenting opinions. This is not the American way.
To argue, It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.

The question is "Do you have those" ?

Good thing that Ebay doesn't do that. The evidence is threads like this one. Ebay allows sellers to vent here and many do.

Tell us what happened to you.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago

@shar_27 wrote:
It is even more disingenuous to kick someone out of a platform or region simply because they express different or dissenting opinions. This is not the American way.
To argue, It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.

The question is "Do you have those" ?

@shar_27 Who is being kicked out? This thread is still here.

To answer your questionâ€”if i understand what you are asking:

As an example, referencing the title, you want to know if i can i prove that eBay has not told sellers, once again, that unless they pay more money, they will not get views? No, that would not be possible to prove a double negative, as eBay has never communicated such a message as â€œSellers do not need to pay more money to get views.â€

The allegation the OP makes that eBay demands money for views ignores the fact that eBay does not sell views. They have no control over what a shopper might do once here. eBay cannot force a buyer to click on one listing over another. They might adjust placement of a listing, as all e-commerce platforms do, to encourage buyers to click, but ultimately it is only the buyer who wields that power.

It is the OP that needs to provide evidence of the criminal acts that she/he asserts eBay engages in, not my challenge to prove the opposite.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

Just to add to what you said to @easm05 and @shar_27

What some sellers are seeing seem true to them in their corner of the world / on Ebay. But for Ebay as a whole does not hold true at all. With the wider view comes more understanding and more information that will actually help sellers that feel this way.

In some categories it feels like Promoted listings are taking over the world. They are everywhere. I feel their pain.

But what you need to do is consider the categories in which you are trying to sell in. Categories that are saturated with listings tend to have more sellers using Promoted Listings. For other categories it is much less.

Ebay in the firsts quarter of 2023, income from Promoted Listings was about 1.1% of their total revenue. Talk around the threads make it seem like the percentage is astronomically higher than that, but it isn't proven by the numbers.

Now that doesn't make all the PL listings any less annoying but it should tell you that they do NOT represent but a small fraction of the total listings on Ebay.

Also reading about what PL actually is will likely tell you a lot more too. PL is NOT a pay for view tool. Views don't always equal sales. Over the years I have had far to many sales to count that never had a view.

At the end of 2022 Ebay had somewhere around 1.7 Billion Listings active on the site.

This and more is needed to understand the whole subject, not just the portion that appears to be affecting you. PL seems bigger than it is. Ebay is pushing it hard to make it bigger and I'm sure it is growing.

They started PL in 2015. So it has taken awhile to get some sellers to accept using the tool.

shar_27

·3 years ago

Yes, as I stated, It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.
We should not be all close-minded and disingenuous, trying to boot someone out or silence 'em just 'cause they got different opinions.

I personally see PLS as a way to deviate from price war when you're selling in a saturated category.
It gives you more visibility to make your items stand out against pricing war.
But use it with caution, calculate well. If eBay would charge you 30% fees, your net profit needs to be more than 30%.
Don't work for eBay, make eBay work for you.
And eBay only charges you additional PLS fee when items sold.

The thing that really bothers me about eBay is not PLS or PLA, it's the instability.
But that's another topic.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago

@shar_27

â€We should not be all close-minded and disingenuous, trying to boot someone out or silence 'em just 'cause they got different opinions...â€

This is the second time you have stated the above.

On this thread, which is pretty long now, i see no attempts to censure dissenting opinions. Or boot anyone out. Or silence them. I see open fairly temperate open discourse, and arguments pro and con, regarding the OPs post. Can you please point out anything that makes you believe otherwise? What close-mindedness? What disingenuousness?

Differing opinions are not an absolute indication of close-mindedness. I for one am asking the OP to back up their claims. Their allegations and observations are serious, so that should not be a stretch to expect some evidence from them of what they perceive as eBayâ€™s wrong-doing.

If i were close-minded, i would not entertain their shared thoughts, or deign to ask for examples of how eBay is cheating or mistreating them. I cannot just blindly accept that eBay is engaging in extreme criminal acts without some kind of proof. That would be unreasonable to expect someone to believe on blind faith.

Altho my experience here doesnâ€™t align with the OPs theories, that doesnâ€™t mean i am saying they are automatically wrong, or that their beliefs are invalid. Like i wrote upthread, in response to one of your posts, the OP has a right to their voice and their point of view, same as any poster.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@fashunu4eeuh

It appears to me that @shar_27 is simply slinging mud to see what sticks.

As you very nicely said, there are all kinds of opinions and observations on this thread.

shar_27

·3 years ago

https://community.ebay.com/t5/About-the-Community/Community-Guidelines/td-p/26164369

Haha .. I threw no mud on this topic.

And yes, I think PLS is a pretty good idea, I use it a lot.
Hope it stays that way .... cross my fingers.

mam98031

·3 years ago

Owner / Operator19752 View listings

@shar_27 wrote:
Yes, as I stated, It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.
We should not be all close-minded and disingenuous, trying to boot someone out or silence 'em just 'cause they got different opinions.

I personally see PLS as a way to deviate from price war when you're selling in a saturated category.
It gives you more visibility to make your items stand out against pricing war.
But use it with caution, calculate well. If eBay would charge you 30% fees, your net profit needs to be more than 30%.
Don't work for eBay, make eBay work for you.
And eBay only charges you additional PLS fee when items sold.

The thing that really bothers me about eBay is not PLS or PLA, it's the instability.
But that's another topic.

"It wouldn't be challenging to provide examples that prove eBay does not engage in such practices.
We should not be all close-minded and disingenuous, trying to boot someone out or silence 'em just 'cause they got different opinions." Then prove it. Since it won't be a challenge for you, give us examples. Now keep in mind that there are published rules for posting to Ebay forums. There are things that can get posting removed. But those that post within the rules typically remain. Even those that call Ebay every name in the book.

So those that breach a rule doesn't count.

I don't need a lecture on how PLS works, nor did I say or suggest I didn't understand the program.

This is so simple. I don't know why PLA bothers you. It is a tool you can CHOOSE to use or not use. Simply don't use it and you don't have to be bothered by anything to do with it.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago

If you believe all these nefarious things about eBay, then i am shocked to find you have over 400 listings still up. Apparently the platform remains good enough for you to continue your association with it. That seems a bit disingenuous.

PSâ€”can you point out a credible source for the claim that â€œHere We Go Again Ebay Telling Sellers No Views Unless You Pay More Moneyâ€?

cardxcraft

·3 years ago

I interpret him as being as open and candid as one can be. But, to your point, business is business. You may not like all the things about a corporation or person, but, if money is being exchanged, the relationship can and will continue.

fashunu4eeuh

·3 years ago