BEING CHARGED AD FEES ON 100% ORGANIC SALES - NEW CASH GRAB

[reallynicestamps]

The item was promoted on the same campaign....When they purchased it 3 weeks ago, it did not have the ad fee standard on the sale.

Yeah.

It is sneaky.

But any sale on an item that was PL less than a month before is charged as being part of the PL promotion.

Even if you took off the PL when you sold the first item from the listing.

I suppose that if your buyer had not seen the PL listing, received and liked what she bought, she would not have purchased another so quickly, or even at all.

But it's sneaky.

[mam98031]

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@zamo-zuan wrote:

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@lepke1979 wrote:

If it was originally bought as a promoted listing. It must be if they buy it again within 30 days it will be no different if they clicked on the promoted listing and bought it a few weeks later.

Didn't realize that, but good to know.

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The OP had mentioned the original was NOT bought as a PL. And then using their own product history to purchase again, it was declared a PL.

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It was just the opposite.  The OP said "The item was promoted on the same campaign. The buyer went into her purchase history and bought the item again and now I get "sold via promoted listings". I am 110% certain this was an organic sale. eBay credits me and tells me they will look for errors."

So the buyer originally purchased from a promoted listing.  Then about 3 weeks later when to their purchase history, clicked on the listing again and bought another.  Both sales are legitimately charged the Promotional fee that the OP agreed to and set up themselves when they set up the promtion.

Their title is to get attention, not a statement of fact.

[mam98031]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

I have repeat customers who come back to my store to buy the same item and I am now seeing "sold via promoted listings".  When they purchased it 3 weeks ago, it did not have the ad fee standard on the sale.

The item was promoted on the same campaign. The buyer went into her purchase history and bought the item again and now I get "sold via promoted listings". I am 110% certain this was an organic sale. eBay credits me and tells me they will look for errors.

If I don't promote-no sales. If I do promote- eBay makes every sale a promoted sale. So it now costs 25% in fees.

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Since your buyer originally purchased from a PL of yours, then went back to the same listing a few weeks later from their Purchase History, that is why you got charged the fees again.  Your title is an eye catcher, but not a statement of fact.

Here's how the fees work:

• You choose an ad rate between 2% - 100% of the item's total sale amount. The higher the ad rate, the higher the possibility of ad placement, leading to increased visibility
• Suggested ad rates are calculated based on a variety of factors such as item attributes, seasonality, past performance, and current competition for each of your listings
• You will only be charged when a buyer clicks on one of your ads and then buys that item within 30 days
• The ad fee is based on the ad rate you chose, and is applied to the total sale amount of your item (including shipping, taxes, and any other applicable fees)
• Ad fees are shown in your Payments tab in Seller Hub, or the transactions page in My eBay

Promoted Listings Policy

[valueaddedresource]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@zamo-zuan wrote:

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@lepke1979 wrote:

If it was originally bought as a promoted listing. It must be if they buy it again within 30 days it will be no different if they clicked on the promoted listing and bought it a few weeks later.

Didn't realize that, but good to know.

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The OP had mentioned the original was NOT bought as a PL. And then using their own product history to purchase again, it was declared a PL.

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It was just the opposite.  The OP said "The item was promoted on the same campaign. The buyer went into her purchase history and bought the item again and now I get "sold via promoted listings". I am 110% certain this was an organic sale. eBay credits me and tells me they will look for errors."

So the buyer originally purchased from a promoted listing.  Then about 3 weeks later when to their purchase history, clicked on the listing again and bought another.  Both sales are legitimately charged the Promotional fee that the OP agreed to and set up themselves when they set up the promtion.

Their title is to get attention, not a statement of fact.

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@mam98031  you conveniently left out the sentence just before that. 🙄 

"When they purchased it 3 weeks ago, it did not have the ad fee standard on the sale."

I have no idea where you are getting that the original purchase was from a click on the promoted version of the listing and both sales were legitimately charged the ad fees when @the-hook-and-the-loop very clearly and specifically said the first order did not have an ad fee on the sale.

[lonebuck-books]

A promoted listing view sticks with the buyer and seller for the next 30 days.  So if a buyer clicks the promoted listing, decides to wait a week or so to think about it and then comes back to buy it, it doesn't matter if they go through the promoted listing or the organic listing, it is considered a sale through the promoted listing and you are charged for it.

As for "every sale ends up being a promoted listing sale", that isn't true in my case.  I use PL on most of my listings and approx. 1/2 of my sales go through as organic with no PL fee.  I have always wondered how eBay could prove to us that a sale was actually through a promoted listing or not.  They literally could just say every sale was through a PL click and never have to prove it to you.  We have no way of knowing if they are telling the truth or not.  

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I guess people just read and understand things the way that suits them. 

LET ME JUST SAY THAT PROMOTED LISTINGS USED TO BE A SMALL INVESTMENT TO GET MORE TRAFFIC AND SALES.

NOW, IT'S A WAY FOR EBAY TO GET MOST OF THE PROFIT MARGIN. IF I TURN OFF PROMOTED LISTINGS, NO SALES.

[dolcetreasures]

I have no sold one item organically this month, not one single item to long time customers. I’m so over this entire website. It’s really depressing. 

[farmalljr · Accepted solution]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

I guess people just read and understand things the way that suits them. 

LET ME JUST SAY THAT PROMOTED LISTINGS USED TO BE A SMALL INVESTMENT TO GET MORE TRAFFIC AND SALES.

NOW, IT'S A WAY FOR EBAY TO GET MOST OF THE PROFIT MARGIN. IF I TURN OFF PROMOTED LISTINGS, NO SALES.

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Let me make this clear for you.... If you use promoted listings, you have NO way to actually see IF an item sells promoted or not. You are depending on eBay to TELL you if it was or not. You are depending on eBay being honest, if it was or not. I've advertised with Google AdWords, I know this shell game. You can't argue it with them, because they are the ones that hold all the proof. They are the ones with all the evidence and you have NO access to that information.

If you are willing to pay to promote, you have to accept this is going to happen. Period. If you are not willing to pay the fee on EVERY sale, then don't promote. Let me say it again, IF you promote, EXPECT to pay the fee on EVERY sale. Like it or not, this is how it works. You should be pricing your items to include all the fees. Customers are the ones that pay the fees, it's your job to price accordingly not to lose money or lose margins. 

[mam98031]

@valueaddedresource 

I posted this before, but I'm happy to do so again so that you can better understand.

The OP Wrote:  "The item was promoted on the same campaign. The buyer went into her purchase history and bought the item again and now I get "sold via promoted listings"."

You may read that differently than I do, but as I said before, per the PL policy if a buyer purchases another item within 30 days of their first purchase from a promoted listing, the PL fees are charged again.

This is something you need to address with the OP, not me.  I just went by what they posted.  They do have some conflicting info posted.  

[mam98031]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

I guess people just read and understand things the way that suits them. 

LET ME JUST SAY THAT PROMOTED LISTINGS USED TO BE A SMALL INVESTMENT TO GET MORE TRAFFIC AND SALES.

NOW, IT'S A WAY FOR EBAY TO GET MOST OF THE PROFIT MARGIN. IF I TURN OFF PROMOTED LISTINGS, NO SALES.

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I don't think the policy has changed by much since they started this program.  As I remember it, there has always been this 30 day rule.

[valueaddedresource]

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@mam98031 wrote:

@valueaddedresource 

I posted this before, but I'm happy to do so again so that you can better understand.

The OP Wrote:  "The item was promoted on the same campaign. The buyer went into her purchase history and bought the item again and now I get "sold via promoted listings"."

You may read that differently than I do, but as I said before, per the PL policy if a buyer purchases another item within 30 days of their first purchase from a promoted listing, the PL fees are charged again.

This is something you need to address with the OP, not me.  I just went by what they posted.  They do have some conflicting info posted.  

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@mam98031  yup understood it perfectly the first time, thanks.  You're still missing the part where @the-hook-and-the-loop explicitly said the first order did not have an ad fee on it.

"When they purchased it 3 weeks ago, it did not have the ad fee standard on the sale."

If only one order, not both, was charged ad fees, it's not accurate to say "Both sales are legitimately charged the Promotional fee that the OP agreed to and set up themselves when they set up the promtion"...again, the first order was not charged the fee, according to the OP.

Just because a listing is in a promoted listings campaign doesn't (or at least shouldn't) mean it automatically counts - per the terms you yourself quoted, the buyer has to click on the promoted version of the listing at some point in the last 30 days.

If the seller was not assessed an ad fee on the first sale, obviously the buyer did not click on the promoted version of the listing at any point in the 30 days before that sale.

The ad fee was only assessed on the second sale, which would have to mean that either the buyer is mistaken and did click on the promoted version at some point between first and second order (possible) or the buyer is correct in stating the only times they clicked were the first sale (not promoted - no fee) and then clicked on the listing in their order history (should not have incurred a fee in that scenario).

While I agree there's no way for us know 100% for sure the buyer never clicked the promoted version at any point, if the first sale did not have an ad fee assessed we can say 100% for sure they didn't click on the promoted version before that first sale.

If @the-hook-and-the-loop clarifies otherwise, I'll be happy to change my answer on this, but until then I'll take what they said at face value as the first sale was not assessed ad fees, in which case it is not accurate to say "Both sales are legitimately charged the Promotional fee that the OP agreed to and set up themselves when they set up the promtion".

[mam98031]

Thank you for the information.  It is fine, I have no need for you to change your answer.  What I explained also explains why and how they were charged the PL fee on both sales.  I'm fine, no need to get concerned about what I believe possibly happened.  

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I never would have created this thread if the first sale was charged a promoted listing fee. IT'S THE WHOLE POINT.  I'm also seeing now that when a customer buys something on a sponsored listing and keeps buying it for months, it's considered promoted, FOR LIFE. Whatever eBay.

[valueaddedresource]

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@the-hook-and-the-loop wrote:

I never would have created this thread if the first sale was charged a promoted listing fee. IT'S THE WHOLE POINT.  I'm also seeing now that when a customer buys something on a sponsored listing and keeps buying it for months, it's considered promoted, FOR LIFE. Whatever eBay.

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@the-hook-and-the-loop I figured that was the case but thinks for make it even more clear. 😉

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I've lost a few I.Q. points reading here. I can't afford many more.