FED UP with sponsored listings SPAMMING my posts before the buyer even sees the description!

[debk255]

I have had a lot of problems with this in two ways. 1) the buyer often never even scrolls down to see or read the accurate description we provide. BECAUSE THE LISTING WE PAID FOR is being spammed by Sponsored items that are similar and these items are shown to the buyer before the description.   This distracts the buyer away from our items.... items they are often drawn to from our facebook or instagram posts that we post daily.  GRRRRR   WE PAY for every listing and ebay seems to think they have the right to  put sponsored similar items ON OUR POSTS inbetween the main photo and description!  I am not ok with that.  NOT IN ANY WAY.   I am also disgusted with the ebay phone app, as it also spams our listings with other people's sponsored posts, and the buyer never even shows the description we so carefully write, unless the seller scrolls down and clicks on the link little for the description.   I never gave ebay to permission to spam our posts like this and feel they have no right to do this just so they can squeeze more money from sellers with sponsored posts.  Our sales have absolutely tanked in the past two years, in spite of us having nearly twice as many items ON ebay.   How do you all feel about the sponsored posts being on YOUR paid listings?

[kensgiftshop]

Not crazy about it, but it's their site and they do what they think is best for them.

[hartungcards]

Oh but they do have the right to  put sponsored similar items anywhere they choose to, and you did give eBay your permission to do this when you accepted the User Agreement.

[luxgoods]

Ebay could care less of what you think. I feel your fustration as I hate seeing other sellers listings in my listing. If you really want buyers to see your items, you have to participate in the promoted listings scheme and pay ebay usually between 9% and 12% on top of the Final value fees

[readabouthorses]

Ebay might not care but I wonder if they know how annoying that can be to buyers as well. I was looking at horse magazines a couple of weeks ago and many many of the listings that showed up in the promoted and sponsored slots were shipping their magazines by Media Mail and some of them were Top Rated sellers. So I guess that would mean that eBay is OK with sellers misuse of Media Mail enough that they are happy putting them in these slots on the page of a seller who knows the rules and doesn't abuse Media Mail?

And many of the listings that showed up in the promoted and sponsored slots had nothing to do with horse magazines or magazines at all. They were listings for products I would never even be interested so they were just annoying clutter while I was looking for the seller's description.

[hartungcards]

Wait, what?  Do you think eBay is going to check every single listing on here to see if the shipping method is appropriate?  It's the seller's job to make sure that's in order.

[gb58]

I hate it also, not only having it all over my listings, but as has been stated previously, when I find something I may want to purchase, I want to see that item and info pertaining to the seller, without having to search though tons of spam all over the page.

Ebay is pushing this, "promote your listings" crap. Excuse me, but isn't that what is supposed to happen by paying store fees, listing fees, FVF's, etc... 

I've always felt, that by buying that "ad space" for each of our listings, that should be our space for our listing and nothing else. I also feel ebay is way too restrictive on what they allow us to put on the space we pay for, but that is a topic for another day. 

This topic has been beat to death many times here, and we know it isn't going to change, because no matter what we do in life now it seems we are spammed. Has anyone gone to fill up your car, and the most annoying spam ads pop up on a screen while you are pumping your gas? That really annoys me to no end, to be spammed at the gas pump.

[tinsoldierunderground]

I agree!  As a buyer, it's annoying as hell.  I literally just finished an 'ebay survey' that showed up in email.  I blasted them every chance I got.

So much nonsense about 'feeling connected to ebay' and 'do you feel ebay has your best interests at heart'.

It was pure garbage, no doubt promulgated by the same idiots that CREATED all the problems on here. 

[redlinear]

 Not sure anybody likes other sellers items showing up on their page.
Then again,  I do like when mine show up on other sellers pages.
  Of course, I don't like paying for that.

I do think they should be at the bottom though, under the Description.

As a buyer, I'll usually shop elsewhere, close out sites, close out pages....due to adds just being a distraction.
Pretty sure I'm not alone here.
The promoted listing thing is an issue.  It's the reason eBay is maintaining profits right now. BUT, it's making buyers and sellers leave in droves.  When enough of them leave, there will be no need to promote. 
Although, everybody will be gone somewhere else anyway. 
eBay keeps it up and there will be another platform spring up to take it's place.

I mean just look at all the recent threads about cross promoting to other sites.  That's something not many of use would have even considered a few years ago.
Now, lots of us are.   All due to promoted listings and item specifics

[debk255]

ebay seems to have forgotten that WE PAY each month to list those items!  OUR information / item description should be first!  The sponsored items used to be way at the bottom.  NOW they are KEEPING BUYERS FROM SEEING OUR DESCRIPTIONS! 

[debk255]

Probably not.  I started on ebay 19 yrs ago and that was NOT in the user agreement.

[debk255]

Magazines are considered media and are ok to ship via media mail.   That is not misuse of USPS.  

[gb58]

I don't believe so. Books, CD's, records. Not magazines though. 

[heckofagame]

You are incorrect. Magazine are not media and are not allowed to be shipped via media mail. 

[gb58]

I just googled it, Magazines do not qualify for media mail. I though so, because I once tried to ship some that way at my local PO and was told they didn't qualify to be shipped that way. Here is what the google search said:

USPS defines educational materials as: Books, videotapes, DVDs, CDs, printed music and other sound recordings. It seems simple enough until you dig a little deeper and discover that items like blank cassettes, comic books and magazines with ads do not qualify for Media Mail shipping.