Promoted Listings $500 free offer- not sure it’s working

[cjtreasuresandfinds]

I got this offer from Ebay Get up to $500 off Promoted Listings Standard ad fees 

I haven’t tried promoted listings but I thought I would give it a whirl. I activated the offer. It brought me to a screen that said I accepted the offer but there was a link that said an offer was waiting for me, I clicked that and it brought me back to the original offer again.

I thought maybe I just needed to promote a listing and something might pop up about the offer.  I promoted 8 of them but there was nothing mentioning the offer. So, I am not sure where to see if it is active.

[valueaddedresource]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Sorry, just got home.  I tried yesterday to post a link, but for some reason couldn't get it to show up properly.  I see you have it now.  Glad others are looking at it, because I just couldn't find the answer to my question, but hopefully it's in there somewhere.

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@fern*wood from looking at it, it does look to me like it's full ad fees up to $500, not a percentage.

However, I did notice this part which makes me question if it has to be a new PL campaign or if it will apply to existing PL campaigns once the seller accepts the offer.

2. Who’s eligible?

This Promotion is available to Members who: (i) received an email and/or message in My eBay and/or were offered the promotion via banners; (ii) activated the promotion before or during the Promotion Period; (iii) launch (and/or maintain) one or more Promoted Listings Standard campaign(s) during the Promotion Period; (iv) sell their items through the Promoted Listings Standard service during the Promotion Period; and (v) meet eBay’s minimum seller performance standards (together “Qualifying Members”). Please sign in to My eBay and view your Seller Dashboard to verify whether your account is currently meeting the standards.

3. When is it?
This promotion will begin on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 00:00:01 PT (12:00 AM plus one second), and will end on Thursday, September 8, 2022, at 23:59:59 PT (11:59 PM plus 59 seconds), for listings that are promoted on www.ebay.com (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How do I receive the Promotion?
Qualifying Members that have been invited to participate will automatically receive the Promotion after they (i) activate the Promotion; (ii) launch one or more Promoted Listings Standard campaigns for listings on the US site at www.ebay.com (“Site”); and (iii) sell these items through the Promoted Listings Standard service during the Promotion Period (and after activation), resulting in ad fees based on the ad percentage rate selected (“Promoted Listings Standard Ad fee”).

One section says "launch and/or maintain a campaign", which to me "maintain" could mean to keep an existing campaign running through the promo period.

Then another section just says "launch", making it sound like it would have to be a new campaign specifically launched during the promo period.

adsteam@ebay can you please confirm if this promo applies only to newly created campaigns or also to existing campaigns that are maintained and kept live through the promo period?

[fern*wood]

Okay, thanks.  That's what dhbooks said too, so I defer to you guys.  It just didn't seem clear to me when I read the details.

@valueaddedresource 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@valueaddedresource  I have that same question, and a couple others for the adsteam@ebay :

The PLS fee is automatically charged and deducted. Will this charge and the deduction, credit, whatever it is called, be shown in the Seller's Payments area? (The PLS fee is currently shown as a separate line item)

In my Advertising Dashboard, my PLS campaign keeps a running tab of the dollar volume of sales attributed to PLS, and also the dollar amount of PLS fees I've been charged on those sales. Will this still be the case, but with the PLS fees represented perhaps with a minus sign to indicate they were credited towards the $500.00?

[valueaddedresource]

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@fern*wood wrote:

Okay, thanks.  That's what dhbooks said too, so I defer to you guys.  It just didn't seem clear to me when I read the details.

@valueaddedresource 

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@fern*wood I can definitely understand where you're coming from because it's a little vague.

But just for comparison, here's the kind of language they've typically used in the past when running a PL promo that *is* for a percentage off the ad fee.

https://export.ebay.com/en/promoted-listings/

The credit amount will be calculated as 60% of the total Promoted Listings Standard fees applied to Sellers’ account during the Promotion period, but not more than 1000 USD. In order to qualify for the credits an item must have been sold using the Promoted Listings Standard service, and as such, would have an associated Promoted Listings Standard fee based on the advertising percentage rate selected. Other fees still apply. Promoted Listings Standard service must be used on ebay.com, ebay.co.uk or ebay.de. Promoted Listings Standard advertising fees will be charged as customary, but will be credited within 60 days after the Promotion period.

If it was being done as a percentage, I believe they would have to disclose that explicitly for legal and regulatory reasons, so all of that is what informed my opinion that it's on the full ad fees up to $500 - but just as a caveat, that is just my interpretation of it, not something official.

If adsteam@ebay  checks in here to answer my other question, hopefully they can give us a definitive answer on this one too.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

adsteam@ebay 

Just to be clear, if an eligible seller activates this promo (to keep it simple, let's say he has no PLS campaigns running at that moment, and then creates a new PLS campaign, any sale attributed to that campaign made DURING the period (activation through September 8th) will have the PLS fee credited, up to a total of $500.00  So, if the PLS fees credited total $500 by, say, Sept 1st, any PLS fees after that date will NOT be credited, because the credit has maxed out.  In other words, IF you've reached the $500 max, even a sale made before Sept 8th will be charged the PLS fee. Correct?

Further, because the period ends on Sept 8th, any PLS fees charged to listings from sales made after Sept 8th will also be charged and not credited (whether you reached the $500 max or not.) Correct?

[dhbookds]

@valueaddedresource   thanks for pursuing this and for your "resources", lol..........

[dbfolks166mt]

Nothing in life is free. EBay on a fishing expedition and trolling sellers with a baited hook to get them on the line and in the boat of promoted sellers. 

[velvet@ebay]

Here's what I've been able to find out so far:

*The promo is for up to $500. No percentages are involved.

*It is for new campaigns launched during that time period and after the promo was activated.

*If you use up the $500 credit prior to the promo ending, then you will be charged PLS fees like normal.

*If you don't use the credit and something sells after the promo ends, then you will be charged the PLS fee like normal. 

I'm waiting to hear back on how the credits will work and where they can be seen. Sometimes they're applied as items sell, and other times they're applied after a promo ends. Stay tuned!

[mr_lincoln]

@dhbookds   It is by invitation only, and only lasts to September 8, 2022.  Friends got it and emailed a screen shot of the promotion ... sorry its so small.  Participants will get $ 500 Ad fee credit for sales that occur during the promotion (Aug 10 thru Sept 8.).  I assume the 30 day attribute will apply for items clicked on during the promotion period if they wind up selling after the promotion period ends.

I suspect many sellers who participate will experience excellent sales results ... it will be interesting to see what happens.  My three PLS this year under performed ...

I think the agenda is to get as many Sellers using PLS and PLS Advanced Campaigns for the extra ad fees as possible ... that's why I suspect this $ 500 promo might be very successful for those who were invited ... that's just my opinion of course.

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

So 50 experienced sellers and 2 eBay employees can barely figure this promotion out. How is a seller that never promoted before to understand? Or not understand? YES, those PL's stay for 30 days. 

eBay's lifeline is the promoted listings now. They are offering it like drugs to little kids.

[suediaforever]

I got about 50x the views and 5x the sales but it would have cost me 6% more.