I tried to list a doll this morning, and, while researching comparisons, I noticed that the total items shown didn't match the total search results. It showed there were 6 results, but only 1 was shown:
I thought maybe it was a "clear your cache", etc. issue, so I did all that and got the same result. Then I tried searching from a private window, where the same search yielded accurate results. Incidentally, I had several items to list and this happened with every item I searched, so it wasn't a one-off.
Another member posted here about how ad blockers are preventing promoted listings from appearing in search, and the results were accurate after I disabled AdBlock.
However, all my listings are promoted, I've used chrome with AdBlock as an extension for years, I research comps routinely, and sponsored listings have never been "hidden" like this, nor have the number of results been noticeably different from the number of listings shown.
I don't know if this is a change with AdBlock and/or chrome and/or eBay, but I do know that my sales have been down dramatically for about 2 months. I've previously accepted this fate as just part of the business, but if promoted items aren't appearing in searches for people who use ad blockers (literally everyone I know), it's safe to say that's going to affect sales.
This certainly seems like an issue that eBay needs to address immediately, especially with the constant emphasis on promoted listings. Sales for everyone using promoted listings are being lost every single second.
@valueaddedresource wrote:
@wastingtime101 wrote:I searched lol winter vrqt and these are the results:
Safari with Ad Block Plus:
6 results
6 unique displayed, 8 total displayed
2 were shown twice, once organic and once promoted
@wastingtime101 that's interesting - so much for this part of the Promoted Listings FAQ.
Can the same promoted listing appear in more than one placement on the same set of search results?
No. An individual listing will only appear once in the same set of search results. If your listing is promoted, it will either appear as a promoted listing or an organic listing.
I didn't realize that this was in the FAQ, but it's been this way as long as I can remember and it changes based on how you sort results:
*If sorted by best match, sponsored listings will appear at the top as "Sponsored", then again organically within the results.
*If sorted by any other method, sponsored listings appear organically within the results, then again at the bottom of the page as "Sponsored".
Here is my search from earlier, except now my listing is promoted (ad blocker disabled):
I've always found this irritating because if a buyer searches for an item and you have the only one, your item will appear twice. There's a 50/50 chance they'll click on the sponsored link and, of course, you'll pay an ad fee.
