Auctions soon to be automatically relisted too?

[moldy5]

This morning after 10 weeks of no extra free listing offers (besides the 50 each month) finally got a 100 free auction listings offer. Thrilled! Then read their paragraphs of fine print. This is frightening: "qualifying listings that do not sell during their first listing duration may automatically renew/relist outside the Promotion Period, and will be subject to standard insertion fees."     Not so thrilled anymore. What does "may" mean? Like they might relist & charge me, or they might choose not to relist?  Do we take a chance on this? If true then the baloney in their announcement about how the fixed price items will eternally relist & we will pay 35 cents each unless we cancel ahead of time includes ONLY those BINs & Fixed Price was a lie. Holy cow, really need this clarified before listing any more "free" items.

[magsmg101]

I am just so ticked with this good til canceled up?date, it just appears they might be doing the same thing with auctions.

And I do not understand their thinking beyond my knee jerk money grab reflex/intuition.

A simple clear and concise description of the terms, (LOL lawyers on deck)

in my opinion, should be on page 1... not after you have accepted an offer...and later discover terms have changed.

Since  I accepted this offer,  but now have no intention of using it?  Perhaps the marketers at eBay make note of that.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

ersatz, Not sure why you wouldn't use this? As some have said, it is very doubtful that auctions will auto renew. And you can experiment with them or ask a blue to make sure there's no renewal risk.

[mam98031]

---

@luckythewinner wrote:

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@yankeebob1951 wrote:

-I was kinda thinking the same thing fern*wood... that maybe someone wrote up an edit to cover the new fixed price GTC update & it just got stuck in all promos right away whether it applies or not.

- ha-ha!...Hope springs eternal, eh? 

---

That is a heck of a risk to take without clarification.  For myself.  I wouldn't use the promo without further clarification.

---

Not a huge risk if you simply manage it wisely. 

1) Start one auction one day before all the others - one that you are pretty sure will not sell. 

2) When that auction ends, see if it relists or not. 

3) If it does relist, then simply end any other auctions that they do not have a bid. 

---

I respect that for you it may not be an issue if Ebay plans to auto renew auctions if they don't sell.  I hope you can understand that the same may not hold true for others.

For example, maybe I got them all posted on the same day and they all will end around 7PM next Sunday.  I have every intention of being her next Sunday at 7PM, but what if my dog gets sick, a neighbor needs help, I spend a little extra family time or any other number of things in life get in the way and I'm not available to sit here an babysit my listings to keep them from renewing.

And how long after an auction ends would Ebay plan on renewing them.  One minute after they end, one hour, 24 hours, what is the time frame for the renewal.  

Ending auctions early can really cut down on your sell through rates.  There are lots of buyers out there that like to watch auctions until the last few minutes / seconds of a listing in the hopes of getting the best price they can.

While I respect that you don't see this as an issue, I most certainly do for a variety of reasons.

I actually suspect that the wording on the promo is wrong as renewing auctions would be a really big can of worms for Ebay to open IMHO.

[mam98031]

Keep in mind that Ebay runs a variety of promos at any given time.  They are NOT all the same.  They don't just run ONE promotion and invite a select number of sellers.  

So there could be any number of active promos out there.  

[moldy5]

I finally took a chance & listed one more item last night to see about the relist automatically box. That's right near the end before we click on "list". My box had not been checked. That's good news. But God Blessit-I no longer trust eBay. I plan to let the 1st item I listed of the 100 (if no bids) croak while I watch on hubby's computer. I will see immediately if that stinker will relist on it's own or not. If it does there will be one very ticked off seller here in MI. Followed by every other seller who didn't sign up for this. Please eBay honchoes, tell us what you truly plan to do. No more "may" relist gradoo.

[lacemaker3]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@hollysfinds wrote:

I got a 100 auctions promo & it doesn't have that statement in it.

Must be different versions out there as ebay does sometimes.

---

Here is the entire section so that it may be easier for some to locate.

Additional Restrictions & Exclusions

• This Promotion excludes listings created with a 1-day or 3-day duration.
• The following categories are excluded from the Promotion: eBay Motors Passenger Vehicles; Motorcycles; Boats; Power Sports; Other Vehicles; Motors Local Market; Real Estate; Classified Ad listings; Heavy Equipment; Food Trucks, Trailers & Carts; and Commercial Printing Presses.
• All listings must comply with all applicable eBay policies, including eBay’s Duplicate Listing policy that allows for the removal of duplicate fixed price listings.
• The Promotion applies to new Qualifying Listings that are created during the Promotion Period, as well as relists and renewals of existing Qualifying Listings that occur during the Promotion Period.
• The Promotion excludes listings created prior to activating the offer and listings with a start date prior to, or after the Promotion Period. Qualifying listings that do not sell during their first listing duration may automatically renew/relist outside of the Promotion Period, and will be subject to standard insertion fees.
• This Promotion is only valid for listings on the US site at www.ebay.com.
• Fees for optional features (such as reserve price, subtitle, Gallery Plus, listing in 2 categories, etc.) and any applicable PayPal fees will still apply. Please note: Not all features are available in all listing flows.

---

This is not something new ... eBay has been relisting auction-format listings automatically for some listings, for a long time. I don't think this is a hint about things to come, any more than we usually get.

The disclaimer is there because automatic relisting is available now on all listing formats (auction and fixed price) if the seller wants it, and it is automatically added if the seller uses the Quick Listing tool.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/relisting-items?id=4147#sectio...

Automatic relisting

Auction style listings

• If you're using the quick listing tool, auctions with a duration of 5 days or more will be automatically relisted up to 8 times. When you use the quick listing tool, automatic relists do not count towards your zero insertion fee listings balance. 
• If you're using the advanced listing form to create an auction with a duration of 5 days or more, you can choose to automatically relist the item by checking the Automatically relist this item up to 8 times if it doesn't sell box. When you use the advanced listing form, automatic relists count towards your zero insertion fee listings balance

If your item doesn't sell after 8 relists, it will appear in your unsold items.

Fixed price listings

• If you're using the quick listing tool, fixed price listings are set to Good 'Til Canceled duration by default. This means your item will be listed on eBay until it sells or you end it
• If you're using the advanced listing form, you can choose whether to add automatic relisting by checking the Automatically relist this item up to 8 times if it doesn't sell box

[ersatz_sobriquet]

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
ersatz, Not sure why you wouldn't use this? As some have said, it is very doubtful that auctions will auto renew. And you can experiment with them or ask a blue to make sure there's no renewal risk.

---

"Very doubtful" that auctions will auto renew? 

As Lacemaker pointed out, this feature is NOT new. 

You're sweet @my-cottage-books-and-antiques  but maybe too sweet to believe in ebay's fee grabs which are increasing daily. 

That 100 auctions could easily turn into $35 in fees if ebay auto relists, promo over, relisting by ebay bots. If ebay did that 4 weeks in a row and none of the auctions sold, we're talking $140. Not chump change. 

Ebay has done this before with auctions, auto relisted them. Ebay is forcing auto relist on fixed price. Why wouldn't ebay force auto relist on auctions? What's for ebay not to like in some more listing fees? 

As for what a blue says, blues don't trump ebay bot programs that do things automatically, and for legal reasons, it's right there in the fine print--auto relists which may incur fees, covering ebay's tush no matter what a blue says. 

[moo*cow*corner]

Here's what I got on another ID, in it's entirety. No such language and same reference number. The automatic relisting language must be a targeted thing. Or else the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. And we all know THAT never happens around here! Ha!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

By invitation only and applies to (redacted); offer is not transferable. 

*Source: eBay Q3 2017 Internal Data. 

15% lift reflects conversion when moving from no returns to 30-day free returns. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift. Free returns: seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee. 

Please note: Invited sellers must activate the Promotion by selecting "Activate offer" in the invitation email or on the Promotion landing page. Items listed prior to a seller activating the Promotion will not be eligible for the Promotional Rate. 

What is the Promotion? 
Invited sellers ("Sellers") who activate the offer and then create a listing in the auction-style format or auction-style with Buy it Now format, pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth herein ("Qualifying Listing"), will pay no insertion fee per item ("Promotion") for up to 100 listings during the Promotion Period (as defined below). All existing selling limits on your account (as well as category and item limits) still apply, and may prevent you from creating the maximum number of listings in this Promotion. The Promotion is in addition to the free listings per month as part of the everyday rate plan. 

The Promotion excludes items listed in 1-day or 3-day duration.It does not apply to final value fees or optional advanced listing upgrade and supplemental service fees. Final value fees will be applied to the total amount of the sale, including the cost of the item, shipping, and any other fees a seller may charge—excluding any sales tax. Fees for optional listing upgrades (such as reserve price, Gallery Plus, listing in 2 categories, etc.) still apply. For listing in 2 categories, you will be charged at standard rates for the second category.

Who's eligible?
This Promotion is available to invited sellers who: (i) received an email and/or message in My eBay; (ii) activated the promotion from the invitation email or on the Promotion landing page; and (iii) meet eBay's minimum seller performance standards. Please sign in to My eBay and view your Seller Dashboard to verify whether your account is currently meeting the standards. 

When is it? 
This Promotion will begin on Sunday, March 03, 2019 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00AM plus one second), and will end on Saturday, March 09, 2019 at 23:59:59 PT (11:59PM plus 59 seconds), for listings on www.ebay.com (the "Promotion Period").

How do I activate the promotion? 
Sellers that have been invited to participate will automatically receive the Promotion after they activate the Promotion from the invitation email or the Promotion landing page, and then create Qualifying Listings on the US site at www.ebay.com, or eBay Motors at www.ebay.com/motors (Parts & Accessories and Automotive Tools & Supplies only) through the Sell Your Item form, eBay Seller Tools, eBay Mobile applications, and most third-party tools. Any listings created prior to the time of activation will not be eligible for the Promotion. For sellers listing with any tool other than the latest version of the Sell Your Item form, the Promotional Rate may not be shown during the listing process. Instead, the discount will be reflected in the "Seller Account" section in My eBay, under the Account tab, as well as in your next invoice. 

Restrictions & Exclusions 
• This Promotion excludes 1-day and 3-day durations.

• The following categories are excluded: eBay Motors Passenger Vehicles; Motorcycles; Boats; Power Sports; Other Vehicles; Motors Local Market; Real Estate; Classified Ad listings; Heavy Equipment; Food Trucks, Trailers & Carts; Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment; and Commercial Printing Presses.

• All Qualifying Listings must comply with all applicable eBay policies, including eBay's Duplicate Listing policy that allows for the removal of duplicate fixed price listings.

• The Promotion excludes listings created prior to activating the offer and listings with a start date prior to, or after the Promotion Period. However, Good 'Til Cancelled listings that renew during the Promotion Period are eligible for the Promotion.

Reference code: 5922 

[moo*cow*corner]

See the last bullet point at the very end in my above post...GTC listings eligible for an auction only promo? That's interesting....good grief!

Looks like someone (or several someones) didn't pay very much attention to what template they were using.

[buyselljack2016]

---

@moo*cow*corner wrote:

Here's what I got on another ID, in it's entirety. No such language and same reference number. The automatic relisting language must be a targeted thing. Or else the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. And we all know THAT never happens around here! Ha!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

By invitation only and applies to (redacted); offer is not transferable. 

*Source: eBay Q3 2017 Internal Data. 

15% lift reflects conversion when moving from no returns to 30-day free returns. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift. Free returns: seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee. 

Please note: Invited sellers must activate the Promotion by selecting "Activate offer" in the invitation email or on the Promotion landing page. Items listed prior to a seller activating the Promotion will not be eligible for the Promotional Rate. 

What is the Promotion? 
Invited sellers ("Sellers") who activate the offer and then create a listing in the auction-style format or auction-style with Buy it Now format, pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth herein ("Qualifying Listing"), will pay no insertion fee per item ("Promotion") for up to 100 listings during the Promotion Period (as defined below). All existing selling limits on your account (as well as category and item limits) still apply, and may prevent you from creating the maximum number of listings in this Promotion. The Promotion is in addition to the free listings per month as part of the everyday rate plan. 

The Promotion excludes items listed in 1-day or 3-day duration.It does not apply to final value fees or optional advanced listing upgrade and supplemental service fees. Final value fees will be applied to the total amount of the sale, including the cost of the item, shipping, and any other fees a seller may charge—excluding any sales tax. Fees for optional listing upgrades (such as reserve price, Gallery Plus, listing in 2 categories, etc.) still apply. For listing in 2 categories, you will be charged at standard rates for the second category.

Who's eligible?
This Promotion is available to invited sellers who: (i) received an email and/or message in My eBay; (ii) activated the promotion from the invitation email or on the Promotion landing page; and (iii) meet eBay's minimum seller performance standards. Please sign in to My eBay and view your Seller Dashboard to verify whether your account is currently meeting the standards. 

When is it? 
This Promotion will begin on Sunday, March 03, 2019 at 00:00:01 PT (12:00AM plus one second), and will end on Saturday, March 09, 2019 at 23:59:59 PT (11:59PM plus 59 seconds), for listings on www.ebay.com (the "Promotion Period").

How do I activate the promotion? 
Sellers that have been invited to participate will automatically receive the Promotion after they activate the Promotion from the invitation email or the Promotion landing page, and then create Qualifying Listings on the US site at www.ebay.com, or eBay Motors at www.ebay.com/motors (Parts & Accessories and Automotive Tools & Supplies only) through the Sell Your Item form, eBay Seller Tools, eBay Mobile applications, and most third-party tools. Any listings created prior to the time of activation will not be eligible for the Promotion. For sellers listing with any tool other than the latest version of the Sell Your Item form, the Promotional Rate may not be shown during the listing process. Instead, the discount will be reflected in the "Seller Account" section in My eBay, under the Account tab, as well as in your next invoice. 

Restrictions & Exclusions 
• This Promotion excludes 1-day and 3-day durations.

• The following categories are excluded: eBay Motors Passenger Vehicles; Motorcycles; Boats; Power Sports; Other Vehicles; Motors Local Market; Real Estate; Classified Ad listings; Heavy Equipment; Food Trucks, Trailers & Carts; Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment; and Commercial Printing Presses.

• All Qualifying Listings must comply with all applicable eBay policies, including eBay's Duplicate Listing policy that allows for the removal of duplicate fixed price listings.

• The Promotion excludes listings created prior to activating the offer and listings with a start date prior to, or after the Promotion Period. However, Good 'Til Cancelled listings that renew during the Promotion Period are eligible for the Promotion.

Reference code: 5922 

---

Wife got the same thing when checking the "message".

Thing is, as others have pointed out, after you activate, go to "your promotions", and click on "learn more" the language then changes with the different terms saying that it may relist automatically.

Wife did some 5 day. If they renew it will be within the "promo" time frame, and will not eat up her free listings. She will have to keep an eye on it.

[goodluckselling]

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Just a guess, but ebay tends to use templates/forms for these promos. My guess is, the "may renew" is actually for FP promos....since all FP listings are going to become GTC listings, it makes sense to warn the seller that listings (GTC) that are free on the first go-round (because of the promo) will not be free indefinitely)

I doubt that ebay is going to make auction listings GTC. But you can try to get a blue to clarify this.

---

I agree with this.  We have to really read the statement carefully.

"Qualifying listings that do not sell during their first listing duration may automatically renew/relist outside of the Promotion Period, and will be subject to standard insertion fees."

Auto renew listing are GTC listings and if this promo included FP/GTC listings then this rule would apply to those listing.

eBay has made no mention of auction listings being converted into GTC listings.

Good Luck Selling!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

ersatz and lacemaker, Thanks for the additional info. I use a third party listing tool, so wasn't aware of the "up to 8 auto relists" provision. But doesn't that suggest that the wording actually makes more sense?

With the Simple tool, auto relists are NOT optional, and with Advanced, they ARE optional. But they count against your freebies ONLY if you've chosen to use them in Advanced. They don't count against freebies if you had no choice (using the SImple form). So the word "may" actually makes MORE sense to me now. An auto relist on an auction may or may not count against you----it all depends on whether you used the Simple form or the Advanced form or not, and whether you actually chose auto relist with the Advanced form or not. (If you didn't , there's no auto relist.)

So, if you are using the SImple form, nothing to worry about, as long as the Promo isn't actually altering the existing rules. If you are using the Advanced form, you should already be aware that if YOU have CHOSEN auto relists, they WILL count against your total. But again, nothing about the Promo states or implies that ebay is going to auto relist Advanced listing form auctions if you don't choose it.

Again, just my guess. Personally, if I had received the offer and if I used the Advanced tool, I'd list at least some auctions without the auto relist checked, and see what happens. I'd also be prepared to raise Heck with ebay if they DO auto relist in that case LOL

[abfabvintage]

Hi, Moo. I received the same exact notice that you did. It did not have a paragraph "additional restrictions" that others are seeing. 

[mam98031]

---

@goodluckselling wrote:

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
Just a guess, but ebay tends to use templates/forms for these promos. My guess is, the "may renew" is actually for FP promos....since all FP listings are going to become GTC listings, it makes sense to warn the seller that listings (GTC) that are free on the first go-round (because of the promo) will not be free indefinitely)

I doubt that ebay is going to make auction listings GTC. But you can try to get a blue to clarify this.

---

I agree with this.  We have to really read the statement carefully.

"Qualifying listings that do not sell during their first listing duration may automatically renew/relist outside of the Promotion Period, and will be subject to standard insertion fees."

Auto renew listing are GTC listings and if this promo included FP/GTC listings then this rule would apply to those listing.

eBay has made no mention of auction listings being converted into GTC listings.

Good Luck Selling!

---

The specific promo was for auctions only.