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?

[thelongball]

Magazines that contain ads are not media mail and all media mail is subject to being opened and checked. If they see something that doesn't qualify it can be forwarded on at priority rate thus causing postage due which is a real bad buyer experience. Most magazines do contain ads. 

[b86fiero]

Probably not what you want to hear but you can always start a promoted listings campaign of your own at the lowest 3% eBay allows. Then your listings can become part of the spam on other sellers listings. You might even snag a few sales.

Tis the eBay way.

[hartungcards]

Wait, what?  You're going by the User Agreement from 19 years ago?  You agree to it every single time it's updated, or you don't sell here.

[urban_picker]

100%, just not a good look for the company and for us as sellers.

[gb58]

Ebay doesn't have to check it. They have systems that flag everything else and block listings and posts to go through right now.

All they need to do is program the system, that if the word "magazine" appears in the title or description, and then the seller chooses "media mail", it would trigger a pop up that says "this shipping option is not appropriate for this listing" and block the listing from being posted until the shipping option is corrected.

[byrd69er]

I don't have sponsored links in my listings, nor do I pay for listings.

Why?

Guess.

[byrd69er]

Plain and simple....there should be nobody else's product being promoted in your listing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

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@hartungcards wrote:

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.

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They could make Media Mail unavailable in the magazine category.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

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@debk255 wrote:

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

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No they are NOT. They are classified as Periodicals and don't qualify for Media Mail.

[Anonymous]

Buyer here and about to be former ebay user due to sponsored posts for items I didnt search for showing up before items I did specifically search for.   Why break the search bar if buyers need it to find the item they want to purchase?  Dumbest idea ever.   The first four items on my specific search criteria were not even the item I searched for.  And then they sprinkle in those same wrong items again as I scroll down to try and locate the item I searched for.   To all the sellers out there you are being buried by incorrect items in the SEARCH and making it harder to find you and more frustrating to use ebay.  My one and only post in these forums on my way to close my ebay account.   Completed survey, gave page feedback multiple times and problem is only getting worse.  Went from 2 sponsored items to 4 now, wont be long before Search is useless.   So long ebay and thanks for not listening.

[frodobagginskennedy]

heck, most magazines ARE nothing but ads and maybe 2 stories...

[kensgiftshop]

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@readabouthorses wrote:

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.

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I was looking at a listing last year for a pair of jeans and the listing was full of sponsored ads and not a one had anything to do with clothing.

It was bubble gum, other food and cart parts, none of which I would buy online.

[chariot_badges]

Come and join us deb.

Come on.  The water is fine.

It's worth the price of admission.

Jump in with 2.1% and raise the prices on your store 3%.

Won't cost you a thing.

[chariot_badges]

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@byrd69er wrote:

Plain and simple....there should be nobody else's product being promoted in your listing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. 

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What if it's YOU advertising on someone else's page?

If you sign up at 2% and raise your prices 3% ... will it improve sales for you?   I dunno.  Have you tried it?

It worked pretty well for me ... but, YMMV.

I have always lived by the motto:  If it works leave it alone.  If it doesn't work try something different.  

What 'different' have you tried?

.