Interesting Observation ; Only Promoted Listings Showing

[desertratmotosports]

So sales slowed down past few weeks right, no big deal.  Some times it consumer confidence fluxuations, weather, events, seasons, etc...  Since I'm full-time business as some of you are or even serious part-time I keep a keen observations on listing performance and competition.  It's common for me to search my own products logged in and not logged in.  I used the promoted listing feature on most products at a low rate, pay to play I guess.  I get a few sales via this system, but not consistent, no big deal. 

This is where it gets interesting.  So a drop in sales(20%) and a uptick in promoted listing sales, that's odd usually it is linearly correlated (Mathematics background, yes I use stats with my business).  I do a search of products that are using the promoted listing system and turns out, only the promoted (Sponsored) listing shows up in the search results.  The native listing are nowhere to be found.  So I conduct a search of items that are not apart of the promoted listing program.  These listings show up as normal and none of which are apart of the rolling blackout.  While it's no secret and apart of the user agreement that eBay can control when listings can be shown.  Kind of irks you at first, but it's their business and service, I'll give them that part.  However, eliminating all my native listings and only showing promoted listings to ensure conversion of the promoted listing program is....a bit sketchy and dabbling a grey area of fleecing your sellers.

Thoughts? Not intended to bash eBay by this post.  I never been done wrong by CSR and I have conducting many sales through eBay.  I mean, from a business perspective, if this is how it's going work, would it behoove of me to cancel promoted listings?

[dhbookds · Accepted solution]

Yeah, was reported by someone else that they weren't showing both, but he canceled it before anyone could check out.........

could you give us an item #?

[cad777864]

Notice how when it is big shopping season time, (Christmas, Tax refunds) Sales always crash around here.  When your part owners of a country's product, who's items do you think you will want to sell.

That and i believe rolling blackouts are actually beta testing blackouts, sellers stuck in these tests that are never ending lose money, codes are left on listings that further make cassini think these listings are jibberish and not letting them show.  Look at all the people there sending notices to that they have active content on there listings, these people think it is from ads on there listings.  There wrong.  These are codes left from beta testing they never removed.

A avalanche of glitches from the constant changes here, buyers and sellers leaving.

Personally i think ebay should just stop tormenting people, tell them the truth, they only want to sell with there china partners, there employees that list here, and there huge sellers.

Since the web designers here have free reign and have convinced the brass that never ending changes are wanted and loved, this is never going to end on the blackouts.  Never.  Honestly once they stick you in your betas, your never going to get free.  And they love top rated sellers in there tests.  There destroying this place, it's not going to stop.

[desertratmotosports]

Search "Goal Zero Sherpa 50 V2" I have a ton of listings on promoted listings program. My listings are easy to spot, company logo on item image, makes surfing easy.
eBay item number:
331671152643

Another

Search "Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Kit"

eBay item number:

231708256501

[d-k_treasures]

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@desertratmotosports wrote:

Another

Search "Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Kit"

eBay item number:

231708256501

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@desertratmotosports

I tried this one and saw no mention of promoted listings at all - ending soonest.

And in BM, you are below someone with a higher price and 89.5% feedback rating. Both 'sponsored listings' (yours and another sellers) come up AFTER the regular ones.

What are you paying for?

[desertratmotosports]

Haha, I guess I am paying to be last.  Tempted to make phone call, but it may be pointless since this is a coding issue and will require more than conventional trouble shooting and perhaps may be beyond most reps resources.  Or....A working as intended issue. 

[d-k_treasures]

And the 'Sponsored Listing' is in light grey. I almost missed it - actually, I did miss it the first time and then I went back to check.

[grasshopperx]

I think your on to something. Because in our experience we were turned off  On the day may 31st 2014, and by June 1st, 2014, one day later, it was over. Never recovered. Almost as if we were put on a black list for some odd reason. (100 percent record).. like a glitch. I have given up and moved out of here because i do agree and realize, it's not going to get any better or make a come back.  Every day I search certain catagories for supplies, and No kidding, each day nothing new is listed in many catagories. No one is bothering anymore.

[desertratmotosports]

Confirmed.  Got off the phone with eBay.  While giving them examples, I also noticed the issue with other sellers.  I was asked to NOT cancel my promoted listings until they look into the item numbers for those on Promoted Listing program.  I will give them 3-4 business days and I'm going to have to turn it off, it's 130 something listings, and it's costing me sales. Majority of my sales recently have been from my non-promoted listings,  because they are not at the bottom like the promoted ones. 

Now the question is what will happen to my original listings when a search is done.  Will they re-appear or while they remain in the eBay seach engine abyss.  Months ago this would have been moot and would be a non-issue with the original native listing.

[l.a.toy.shop]

I'm in the same boat and eBay is very well aware of the situation. Unfortanetly I believe I maybe loosing sales and had to up my pricing on sponsered listings just to have any type of sales.

But it does suck some of my sales are only coming from sponsered listings and nothing from some regular listings.

[dip*into*luxury]

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@desertratmotosports wrote:

So sales slowed down past few weeks right, no big deal.  Some times it consumer confidence fluxuations, weather, events, seasons, etc...  Since I'm full-time business as some of you are or even serious part-time I keep a keen observations on listing performance and competition.  It's common for me to search my own products logged in and not logged in.  I used the promoted listing feature on most products at a low rate, pay to play I guess.  I get a few sales via this system, but not consistent, no big deal. 

This is where it gets interesting.  So a drop in sales(20%) and a uptick in promoted listing sales, that's odd usually it is linearly correlated (Mathematics background, yes I use stats with my business).  I do a search of products that are using the promoted listing system and turns out, only the promoted (Sponsored) listing shows up in the search results.  The native listing are nowhere to be found.  So I conduct a search of items that are not apart of the promoted listing program.  These listings show up as normal and none of which are apart of the rolling blackout.  While it's no secret and apart of the user agreement that eBay can control when listings can be shown.  Kind of irks you at first, but it's their business and service, I'll give them that part.  However, eliminating all my native listings and only showing promoted listings to ensure conversion of the promoted listing program is....a bit sketchy and dabbling a grey area of fleecing your sellers.

Thoughts? Not intended to bash eBay by this post.  I never been done wrong by CSR and I have conducting many sales through eBay.  I mean, from a business perspective, if this is how it's going work, would it behoove of me to cancel promoted listings?

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@desertratmotosports

This is something I ran into with Google and with Bing.  I learned just like you (the hard way) to never pay for Internet advertising, especially when you are paying for indexing services through the very same service that does the actual indexing.  Once you start paying for keywords, the goal behind the company is to persuade you that your business can't survive without paying them.   In order to do that, they will place a lower priority on your main url and in some instances will completely remove your main url from live index thus ensuring you will continue to pay. 

If you are determined to use internet advertising, you are better off using a service not affiliated with the search company who has control of their own indexing.  In all honesty though, internet based advertising is a click bait game and is a waste of money.  Pick and choose local tv/radio/print ad advertisements based on regions where you know your product is desirable.  Anything else, you are just buying clicks which is a waste of money.

[dhbookds]

Glad you got someone to listen and see.........as you say proof will be in the pudding as to what happens........totally amazing what ebay "doesn't" know.........

[coolections]

Nope, Ebay is not hiding your listings and turning you off.

Typed Goal Zero Sherpa 50: Results best match yours is #13 of 46.

Typed Goal Zero Guide 10: Results best match yours is #4 of 52.

[desertratmotosports]

Well that's another thing too.  So I traced back the numbers and noticed the first dump in sales on March 21st using a three day rolling average, not just the first day of **bleep** sales.  The longer the rolling average the more validity is given to a change from previous performance.  I noticed this last week when I searched a few items and thought to myself  "well, I guess it my turn to be in the hot box".  But when the trend lasted longer than normal, I started my inquiry today. 

Well I can't imagine how messy the coding is getting on their engine as new selling tools are incorperated, seller performance, TSP, new listings, rolling blackouts are intertwined with beast that has become what it is today.  Variables on top of variables creating a messy equation that probably requires an entire team to back track where source of error is. 

[desertratmotosports]

Nope, Ebay is not hiding your listings and turning you off.

Typed Goal Zero Sherpa 50: Results best match yours is #13 of 46.

Typed Goal Zero Guide 10: Results best match yours is #4 of 52.

Like I mentioned earlier, it's already been validated as an issue.  I went though several listings with eBay. Some of the product titles are similar and are not on promoted listings.  I just conducted another search, same thing.  Only promoted listings showing, not native.   Easy up on the kool-aid, it's like alcohol , drink in moderation.