Promoted Listings - eBay's Managed Decline

[frugality_inc]

I've been vocal on the forums, to the eBay product development team and numerous leadership members within eBay over the past two years. eBay still continues to milk promoted listings at the cost of sacrificing quality control on the platform. This does not align with eBay’s recent approach to higher value buyers that continue to come back to the platform from Jamie Iannone’s comments during eBay’s Q2 2021 earnings call.

I raised the same issues described below to @jordan_sweetnam in 2019 under the ‘Ask me Anything’ forum post https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-Me-Anything-Jordan-Sweetnam/Promoted-Listings-are-Ruining-Quality-...

We were told that new changes would be announced. The only thing that was announced was restrictions for ‘Below Standard Sellers’ during the Fall 2020 update. This only applies to a very small portion of overall sellers on eBay and completely avoided the issues I brought up.

Since raising concerns with the eligibility of promoted listings in 2019, it has progressively gotten worse to the point where it’s a pay to win system with quality cast aside. I still see numerous sellers utilizing promoted listings that have below 97% positive feedback, ship with no tracking, ship with an extended handling time, are not top rated, higher than average prices and even some shipping from China.

I am sick and tired of eBay funneling the majority of traffic to sellers that do not meet the standards customers expect. Sellers that have busted their behind to build quality and value into their selling practices should be rewarded for that with increased visibility, even with promoted listings if they’d choose to.

The most common practice I see is where sellers do not ship with tracking via USPS flats. The majority of the sellers I see utilizing this strategy have below 97% feedback and just about all feedback mentioning slow shipping, no tracking, and even arrived with postage due. These sellers pump the promoted listing rates to a ridiculous ad rate where it’s unprofitable to compete without changing to the same shipping practices they have. Why should I have to compete with these sellers abusing promoted listings and providing a subpar shipping experience? Once again, pay to win system at the cost of quality to the customer.

The top of search results is littered with promoted listings slots. You cannot see your listing without scrolling down on both desktop and the mobile app. Why do sellers have to pay just to be seen by all buyers searching for a given term?

I made this forum post to yet again bring up these issues and hold eBay accountable. I challenge eBay to make meaningful changes that sustain long term growth and produce more high value buyers that continue to return to the platform.

From a seller that started on this platform in 2017 with $800 and will have their third 7-figure year, it is clear the platform in its current state is not sustainable for future growth. The current state of eBay is not the eBay I used to know and enjoy. It has got to the point where it’s not worth investing into this platform knowing I’m at a complete disadvantage in the way eBay has designed their traffic flow to listings in a pay to win system.

[nuclearomen]

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@this*old*attic wrote:

@popblox 

Do you mind my asking where you got that analytic graphic?

Is it Ebay or a subscription?

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it's from the listings quality report

[popblox]

@this*old*attic 

Oh, sure, that's from the Listings Quality Report - you can find it under the Performance tab. It's not perfect by any means, but I've found it to be quite useful. That specific graphic can be found on each of your category sheets in the workbook.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Introducing-the-Listing-Quality-Report/td-p/31829954

[nuclearomen]

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@popblox wrote:

@this*old*attic 

Oh, sure, that's from the Listings Quality Report - you can find it under the Performance tab. It's not perfect by any means, but I've found it to be quite useful. That specific graphic can be found on each of your category sheets in the workbook.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Introducing-the-Listing-Quality-Report/td-p/31829954

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it's only usefulness (IMO) is to see if and how many of your listings were rejected by google (if any), since many people just use google for search on ebay instead of ebays wonky search engine.

[this*old*attic]

Thanks!

[popblox]

True, plus it doesn't include variation listings. I mostly use it for quick reference on competition, rankings - I'm stupid competitive like that.

[frugality_inc]

I agree that in the current environment that sales for the majority of categories should be down compared to this time last year, but not a staggering 50%+. At the time of this reply, I'm down 58.7% compared to this time last year. >$500,000 down.

I agree as more sellers are inputted into a market, of course the slices of the pie will get smaller to an extent. I see this as more of the case on AMZN, but many of these sellers will not be around long term as they do not have the business sense to continue operating for a variety of reasons both data backed and non-data elements.

Before adding the promoted listing variable, the slice size also depends on numerous variables such as price, promotions on the listing, better photos, better description, better item specifics, better shipping speed, top rated, free returns, top rated plus ... just to name a few of the important ones that help maintain a listing. These variables also help rank a listing, but now do not weigh as much as they used to from what I've observed.

If you achieved all of the pre-listing variables, typically how a listing ranking would work in the past is you'd list a item and price it at fire sale pricing. Sales would come in over time and you'd rise in search results, from there it's about balancing the sale velocity and pricing until you reach your desired search spot. This process would repeat if a worthy competitor came in that was attempting to take your search spot.

Promoted listings has thrown the benefits from all of that work out of the window. Now you can skip that whole entire phase and pay your way to the #1 slot with no meaningful requirements. For the benefit of the promoted listing seller, they now get to hold the #1 slot in search results (promoted listing slot) that rank higher than the #1 organic slot. It's frustrating.

[flyingmvp]

Just a bump, before this important issue  will be buried by another vague question from another seller from Sri-Lanka.

[frugality_inc]

https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/ebays-plan-is-more-ads

Last sentence sums it up well.

"Thus eBay has found a short-term plan to grow revenue but still has no answers for declining market share."

All at the cost of hurting sellers and customers. Brilliant.

[carolann2016]

Hello!  I am so mad I could spit nails.  

I have been away from Ebay for about a year.  I wanted ....note I said wanted.......to come back to begin selling again.  I listed a couple of items...one sold right off with an offer....!!!  I was excited once again about selling.  Until.....I looked on Paypal because the buyer said she had paid.  I looked and saw no payment. I rebooted my computer and looked again, no payment.  Well you all know why....I didn't.  So I talked to an Ebay rep and decided to get another checking account strictly for Ebay.  I did, changed all the information and then I found out they were going to treat me like a new seller.

What?????

I have been with Ebay for over 20 years.  I have 100% good feedback. I earned it.  I am very good to my buyers....sending little thank you notes and thank you gifts with their order.  Sometimes I will put in a bonus that is related to whatever they purchased.  I earned my good rep.

Now, they are going to hold my payments?  But I am supposed to ship anyway????  I don't think so.  Not sure what I am going to do.

[valueaddedresource]

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@popblox wrote:

True, plus it doesn't include variation listings. I mostly use it for quick reference on competition, rankings - I'm stupid competitive like that.

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@popblox  I don't use variations listings, so I'm not exactly sure when they added them in, but I know it was mentioned in one of the eBay Open sessions that variations are in the LQR now and there has been at least one thread here about it too.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Less-than-6-photos-affect-search-impressions-per-Listing-Quali...

I don't want to drag this thread off topic, just wanted to let you know that hopefully those should be included now. 😊

[popblox]

Oh, I had no idea - I've just been ignoring the categories with variations on the worksheet! Very good to know, thank you so much @valueaddedresource!