Promoted Listings are a Joke

[wmsakalaucks]

When listing model train items, I always check what's similar that's currently listed and what similar items have sold for. The promoted items have made searching for items for sale a bad joke. For instance, Fine Art Models are a high end model railroad manufacturer. Searching Fine Art Models gets thousands of nude female model pictures and NO trains. No category listing either. But tap the header that adds the train word to the search and they show up. Similar results for numerous other searches.  Search for sold items and the trains show up immediately.

Promoted listings are hurting sales because buyers can't find the specific items they are looking for. In addition, promoted listings are what's called a zero sum game.  Only EBay benefits.  If all listings are promoted, then none benefit.

[bandrhome]

I use Google Lens and rarely directly search.

[onefootflipper1]

The fine art models trains stuff sells 8 items per month, the nudie photos sell 2100 items per month. And you wonder why it would default the the photos?

Most customers are smart enough to search with more than a brand name. Particularly if they run into a situation like that.

[ittybitnot]

Only EBay benefits. 

@wmsakalaucks 

You got it!    Good for you for seeing what is up!   Many do not.   

[12345jamesstamps]

I try no to be 'too specific' in the title and such in my category.

If you get too specific buyers might not ever see it.

And treat is getting 'repeat buyers'.

I would do "Train first word in the title' and 'Fine Art Models' in the descriptions.

Most of our buyers know what it is and such.

[slippinjimmy]

Search is GIGO, if you know how to use the proper search terms you get the results you want, if you use generic terms that have dozens of meanings you don't.

Unfortunately search skills of many/most buyers are so woefully inadequate that eBay has to "dumb down" the results.

Your Fine Art search is an example, why would you not include "train" or just use the filters on the left to only see listings from the appropriate category.

I don't see what Promoted Listings have to do with this, in search results only 1 or 2 sponsored listing appear and usually they are down the page.

[colfaxstation]

You miss the point. A buyer searching by a specific product name is NOT getting the product they are searching for. Promoted listings are not helping, they are hurting sales. The For Sale search engine absolutely needs to be revised.

[colfaxstation]

It's not one or two listings. The search engine is taking matches with any words and lumping them together and losing the matches in the mess. A good search engine brings up the better matches first. In my example, it didn't even list the category for model trains as a category that had matches.

[colfaxstation]

The problem is the search engine is dumbed down, not the searchers. Searches return listings that have NO connection with the search and bury valid results in a bunch of promoted listings.

[dhbookds]

I'm not sure how we "know" buyers can't find stuff or that PL is hurting sales in general........  Certainly alot sold......also, certainly buyers who don't know how to search.........  and sellers who don't use keywords, or IS properly.....  We've rarely had a post of a specific item that can't be found.....

[inhawaii]

If promoted listings are a joke, may I suggest not using it?

[onefootflipper1]

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@colfaxstation wrote:

You miss the point. A buyer searching by a specific product name is NOT getting the product they are searching for. Promoted listings are not helping, they are hurting sales. The For Sale search engine absolutely needs to be revised.

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I got every single train thing on the website from that company by adding the word train to the search. 

When there is a second meaning that outsells your meaning 300 to 1 then your meaning will never rank on the broad term. It is like getting mad that someone who searched for "McDonalds" gets nothing but items related to the restaurant instead of items related to "McDonalds Irish Pub".

[cardxcraft]

You've all brought up good points.  I searched "Fine Art Model Trains", and although some trains did show up, the majority of the search results were of a magazine titled, "FineScale Modeler".  I checked, and the seller of these magazines is promoting; and if you look at their item specifics for the magazines, the seller is using keywords, "trains", "art" and "models". 

I've performed tests using nonsense keywords inserted in item specifics, and they will show up in searches, to a greater degree when promoted.  The op has valid point: promoted listings will cause a specific item search to return results that cast a wide net.  But, using a filter, in this case, "Model Railroads & Trains" weeds out the unintended.  Do most buyers use filters?  I don't know the answer, but I hope they do.

[magicjohnsonsvariety]

Be honest. How many guys searched Fine Art models after reading this??

I never knew...lol

[cardxcraft]

The seller has a nice little gig going on: 85 sales today at $10 a pop, minus print costs, shipping and fvf.