OFFSITE ADS

[jooki22]

So...been reading a lot of different opinions about this option. First of all..for Ebay to want to charge a minimum of $6 a day to use the service is ridiculous. However, how many of you think we're being punished for not using it? I used to see my items floating around in Google images and now I never do. Entering a search turns up nothing. I have a feeling the only listings that are being pushed to Google are ones spending money on the offsite ads. I hated Bonanza...but at least on there listings were picked up in Google search for no extra fee.

Shutting out the bots may have cut down on random "views" but it also now prevents your items from being picked up by various random sites that sometimes were beneficial.

[meme6253]

I don't think that it's an intended punishment, It just boils down to if you want to pay to play.

[ebooksdiva]

If buyers are looking for what you are selling you will get views, views don't always equal a guaranteed sale there are no guarantees with using offsite adds or any other promoted listings either. 

[shire123]

Not sure what criteria ebay uses to get those off site ads but just last week I was on MSN.com and saw an ebay ad for a model that looked very familiar to me.   Turns out it was my listing.   I am not paying for that nor am I part of any type of promotion of my listings.   So maybe it can be totally random if you don't specifically pay for the service???

[ten_o_nine]

Focus on optimizing your eBay listings so that eBay's own feed to Google is more likely to include them:

Complete All Item Specifics: This is the single most important action. Google relies heavily on structured data. Filling in every relevant item specific (brand, size, type, color, MPN, GTIN, etc.) provides Google with the necessary information to categorize and display your product in search results.

Use High-Quality, Compliant Images: Google Shopping has strict image requirements, including no watermarks, logos, or extra text. Ensure your photos are high-resolution and on a plain background to be eligible for Google's platforms.

Include Unique Product Identifiers (GTIN/UPC/ISBN): Always include the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), Universal Product Code (UPC), or International Standard Book Number (ISBN) if your item has one. Google uses these identifiers to match user searches with specific products.

How to Get Your eBay Listings to Show up on Google Shopping

[luckythewinner]

I have a feeling the only listings that are being pushed to Google are ones spending money on the offsite ads

When I Google "Vintage 1960s TOWNCRAFT Men Size 9.5 Dress Shoe Brown Derby LaceUp Hipster Style" your listing is #1 in the results. So unless you are paying for offsite ads, your feeling is probably wrong.  

If I search your most recently listed item, however, it does not appear in Google yet so all I find are the previous listings with the same that are ended. So there may be a delay in getting the listings into Google. 

[mr_lincoln]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

I have a feeling the only listings that are being pushed to Google are ones spending money on the offsite ads

When I Google "Vintage 1960s TOWNCRAFT Men Size 9.5 Dress Shoe Brown Derby LaceUp Hipster Style" your listing is #1 in the results. So unless you are paying for offsite ads, your feeling is probably wrong.  

If I search your most recently listed item, however, it does not appear in Google yet so all I find are the previous listings with the same that are ended. So there may be a delay in getting the listings into Google. 

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@luckythewinner   it can take 3 days at times for listings to completely index up to Google ... 

[mr_lincoln]

Hi @jooki22 

The short answer is that most purchases are made from the top 4 spots returned in Search, this was actually data provided by Google during Senate hearings in Washington a number of years ago. 

eBay rolled out Promoted Listings ADVANCED in early 2022 which allowed Sellers to pre-pay advertising to try and get their items in the top 4 spots of a returned search.

I think that depending on the category Sellers who do not promote are competing against Sellers who do promote.  So while some items may appear to have visibility they may wind up not having the best position in a returned search.

I also think the promotions are more affective in saturated categories or commodities that lots of Sellers sell opposed to say collectible categories where there are fewer items available for sale and fewer Sellers selling them.  

I think the term "punishment" may apply but not in the way you are thinking.  Lower visibility is just the result of venues trying to increase their income through charging more fees for advertising and promoting.  

[jooki22]

Since you used that listing as an example....I did put the "exact" wording in search and yes the listing popped up....but as a clickable link...no photo. When I go to google images, which is where I was talking about seeing the listings....the listing does not appear in images. 

[jooki22]

I was reading that it's also probably if you aren't paying.............google has squashed your listing wayyyyy down  at the bottom of the hundreds of others.

[jonathanbrightlight]

@jooki22 

It looks like you have a mix of some items with free shipping, and some with calculated shipping, correct?

 Google will not show items with calculated shipping for offsite ads, so those listings are never going to show that way. You can use free shipping or flat rate shipping, but calculated shipping does not work. I don’t know if that will change at some point in the future, but for now I’ve been told that’s the way it is currently set up.

[jooki22]

Thanks......yeah I thought I'd read that somewhere. It's really sad to see how difficult these sites are making it for the average seller to make a few coins. So different from even just a few years ago. Meanwhile....all the TRASH from overseas still shows up, regardless of "tariffs".......