Ads in listings

[sell-u-anything]

I went to view my listings as a buyer and noticed that there are items being displayed in my listing that are undercutting my listings, this is ridiculous and eBay needs to be sued for causing sellers to lose business. Is there a way to get these removed???    I cannot believe that they hide this when im logged in as a seller and go to view my listings, I do not see these ads, are they trying to hide it thinkingI wont find out as a seller that they are causing me loss in in sales??? Who else is not happy about this as a seller??

[femmefan1946]

Just as you pay for space on this venue, so do those advertisers. 

I got the newspaper today and there were flyers for four different grocery stores and two pizza places enclosed.

Same difference.

[sell-u-anything]

So do you think this is bad or good for sellers???

[night*shade]

If you provide better service and a reasonable price compared to others, it shouldn't hurt you at all.   All major online retailers have outside advertising on their websites. 

While it may not seem "fair",  this is what eBay chooses to do.  To get away from it you list where you have all the control.  Your own website.   

Best of luck and happy selling!

[xgoblazersx]

Generally bad.  However, you have some buyers that need an item at a certain time, and will pay more for proximity, faster shipping, and better shipping services.  Or they just want those things anyway.  Some of the sellers that have the best prices, have the worst everything else.  Maybe the people that are undercutting you are chinese mega sellers.  Maybe those people are new, and don't know what you do, don't communicate, etc.  Don't get angry, and just do a good job.  That's what buyers who know any better really want.  One thing I've learned working in retail and as a consumer, the cheapest is never the best.

[megadestroyers]

It's free advertising.  How you wanna look at depends on what side of the fence your on.  If you're a buyer, ebay's doing all the search work for you.  If you're a seller, yet another way to get exposure with adjusted listing attitudes.  Then, nature takes its course.  It's all good.

Or is it?

[luckythewinner]

---

@sell-u-anything wrote:

I cannot believe that they hide this when im logged in as a seller and go to view my listings

---

I can.

First, because the idea of tailoring content based on who is viewing is a very old one - searhc engines, news sites, and social media sites have been doing it for years and years. 

Second, when a seller is selling an item eBay probably assumes he is not looking to buy more of them so there is no reason to show similar items. 

As for suing them, go for it. But you'll need to find a lawyer willing to risk a frivilous case that would be easily dismissed by simply reading the user agreement you signed. 

eBay is not just here to serve sellers - they also serve buyers, and one of the ways they serve buyers is by giving them tools to find the best price.

Many sellers on this board complain that although they have the lowest price, eBay does not give them enough visibility so that buyers to find them. You seem to be arguing that eBay should reduce  that visibility and make it harder for buyers to find the best prices. 

[skatesave]

---

@sell-u-anything wrote:

I went to view my listings as a buyer and noticed that there are items being displayed in my listing that are undercutting my listings, this is ridiculous and eBay needs to be sued for causing sellers to lose business. Is there a way to get these removed???    I cannot believe that they hide this when im logged in as a seller and go to view my listings, I do not see these ads, are they trying to hide it thinkingI wont find out as a seller that they are causing me loss in in sales??? Who else is not happy about this as a seller??

---

____________________________________________________________________________

It upsets me because more often than not, about 90% of the time,  my price is cheaper if not equal to an outsourcing seller.

eBay does this because they are paid by other companies for both the ad-space, and for the number of clicks they generate at the advertisining companies website.  eBay is not in the helping their sellers show a listing in the hope it sells.

eBay is in the lucrative moderation, and generation of  Internet Traffic to aid all e-business even if that business is off their own site.

Currently, their is more money in directing internet business traffic than their is in hosting near hostile exchanges between 3rd party buyers and sellers.

When ebay directs traffic away from their own site, it is rewarded handsomely, and with that action it washes it's hands of any potential conflict on it's own site

[skatesave]

It upsets me because more often than not, about 90% of the time, my price is cheaper if not equal to an outsourcing seller.

eBay does this because they are paid by other companies for both the ad-space, and for the number of clicks they generate at the advertisining companies website. eBay is not in the helping their sellers show a listing in the hope it sells.

eBay is in the lucrative moderation, and generation of Internet Traffic to aid all e-business even if that business is off their own site.

Currently, there is more money in directing internet business traffic than their is in hosting near hostile exchanges between 3rd party buyers and sellers.

When ebay directs traffic away from their own site, it is rewarded handsomely, and with that action it washes it's hands of any potential conflict on it's own site

[luckythewinner]

---

@skatesave wrote:

Currently, there is more money in directing internet business traffic than their is in hosting near hostile exchanges between 3rd party buyers and sellers.

---

In Q1 of 2017, here is what eBay recorded to the SEC about where eBay's revenue came from: 

Transaction revenues from eBay marketplace:

$1.525 billion

Transaction revenues from Stubhub:

$204 million

Marketing services (eBay marketplace ads, stubhub ads, and classified listings):

$488 million

eBay's revenue from "hostile exchanges" still accounts for 78% of their net revenue. 

[sell-u-anything]

I guess I shouldnt complain since I do about $2000.00 a month for doing virually nothing... I appreciate the response and I will just keep doing what im doing......

[skatefool]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

Just as you pay for space on this venue, so do those advertisers. 

I got the newspaper today and there were flyers for four different grocery stores and two pizza places enclosed.

Same difference.

---

It would be the same difference if the flyer for one of those pizza places had a sub-advert for another pizza place pasted prominently right in the middle of the ad, or if the want ad you placed to sell an auto had a phone number in addition to yours for a different seller's auto with a cheaper price.