Promotion fees

[hambright64]

I have been a seller periodically on eBay for twenty years. After a recent period of inactivity selling, I returned to eBay to sell items similar to those in the past. I noticed a new feature suggesting that I pay to promote my item. What? I have NEVER had to do this in the past, and have always had ample views, watchers, and bidders. Curiously, and somewhat suspiciously, I list my current items refusing to pay the promotion fee, and lo and behold my listings get zero views. MY OLD CUSTOMERS CANT EVEN FIND MY LISTINGS. I smell a rat. Is eBay hiding or preventing listing exposure in an attempt to force me to pay in order to sell? My listings ran the duration, got 0-3 views and did not sell... This has NEVER HAPPENED in twenty years selling. What gives? My only conclusion is this is an attempt to extort by holding my listings hostage. In addition, the fee they are requesting is NOT CHEAP. It amounts to 25% of my asking price. You have got to be kidding me... there's no money left after paying the fees already required by ebay and now they want 25%more to "promote" my listing. I will never pay that fee this is a blatant attempt to force payment of something I have never needed in the past. If that is what I have to do to sell here, my eBay days are over, that is ridiculous, and I can find no other explanation but that it is deliberate money grab by eBay. Am I the only one upset by this? Does anyone else share my sentiments? 

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

You have hit the nail on the head. Everything you stated is 100% correct. That is how they can still say they have only raised fees from 12.5 to 12.9 in over a decade. But the truth is they have doubled the fees. I remember how they promised fees would slightly reduce when they switched to managed payments. That lasted about a minute. I'm afraid I won't be able to afford selling with another USPS price increase. It's getting a bit too much......everywhere. It's like the digital signs at the gas station where they can change prices daily. Well now everyone raises their prices daily.

[wrong66]

Depends on what items you're selling but, to me, this is nothing less than the worst money grab I've ever seen eBay do. Eventually, now that eBay's foot is in the door, it will become standard for everybody. It will just be another 2%+ raise in fvf's, but it will just be called something else (promoted listings) in order to sound better. This is my personal opinion and I don't really care if anyone else agrees with me, so I'm not going to be involved in a debate.

[the-hook-and-the-loop]

I get the feeling we're not wanted here anymore. Maybe they just want the Chinese sellers with their wonderful, innovative, plastic products and their thousands of negative reviews. Everyday, I see good sellers getting dinged somehow and being pushed further away.

[femmefan1946]

I have NEVER had to do this in the past,

You don't have to do it now. It's a choice.

and lo and behold my listings get zero views.

EBay recently changed how they show Views. They don't show bot views (who are not buyers) and only go back 30 days.

So your listings have had no views by humans in the past 30 days.

My listings ran the duration, got 0-3 views and did not sell...//After a recent period of inactivity selling,

New and returning sellers are in the same boat.

You get fewer viewers because you have not had any sales in the previous 30 days and you have not had any sales because you have fewer viewers.

That's the same algorithm that has been in place for years.

the fee they are requesting is NOT CHEAP. It amounts to 25% of my asking price.

Your fees are not based only on the asking price.

They are based on purchase price+ shipping cost+ Internet (state) Sales Tax+ 30c non-refundable service charge+ any options you have purchased.

With PP out of the picture, Managed Payments is much more transparent about our fees since they are not split between eBay and PP and between immediate and monthly.

now they want 25%more to "promote" my listing.

The lowest fee is 2% and you can choose that over eBay's suggestion.

And it only applies if your item sells.

[completepuzzle]

Ebay is a benevolent philanthropist organization.

[robxznyc]

Do you agree all search placements are not equal or showing listing in a banner gives it advantage? Well, many do and are willing to pay a fee to gain the advantage. EBay also considers listing quality in addition to fee when selecting listings to promote. Of course you don't have to feel pressured to promote your listings. If your listing is desirable, priced competitively and optimized for search, it will be viewed and bought. 

[richard1rst]

I have never used sponsored. And here is an example why not:

I routinely buy a specific ink cartridge for my printer.

I just did a search specifying Beat Match, BIN and NEW as the parameters

Of the first 100 listings the following numbers were sponsored.

1 .2. 3. 12. 14. 27. 37. 38

So only 8 out of 100 were sponsored and they were spread widely within the list. I am sure 1, 2 &,3 were happy but what about those others? Was that a waste of money? ’Cause it didn’t boost them to the top where, according to legend, you will always end up.

Ah - another urban myth destroyed.

(Obviously your mileage may vary)

[dhbookds]

Was that a waste of money?

If those were PL listings..........no one pays anything unless the item sells............

[richard1rst]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Was that a waste of money?

If those were PL listings..........no one pays anything unless the item sells............

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Fair enough - then a waste of effort since the buyer did not get a prominently high spot which, I was led to believe, was the effect of a sponsored listing.

[luckythewinner]

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@hambright64 wrote:

Curiously, and somewhat suspiciously, I list my current items refusing to pay the promotion fee, and lo and behold my listings get zero views. MY OLD CUSTOMERS CANT EVEN FIND MY LISTINGS. I smell a rat. 

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Can you give us the search criteria your old customers are using to try to find your items, and the item numbers of the listings they expect to find with those search criteria? 

That side ...

I see 10 completed listings with 3 sold, and 2 active listings 2 of which have bids. So people seem to finding your listings.

[femmefan1946]

@completepuzzle 

giggle giggle guffaw😚

So only 8 out of 100 were sponsored and they were spread widely within the list.

I wonder what other criteria were in play there.

For example, distance, shipping price, Item Specifics, returns policy.

I have noticed that when I do multiple Searches for the same item, that different items can show in each Search. Possibly the algorithm thinks I didn't like anything I saw the first time round and got something else out of the back room to show me.  Maybe. I'm spit-balling here.

[coolections]

No one is hiding your drill bits. There are thousands upon thousands of drill bits listed on Ebay. Promotions just allows the novice buyer who does not know to change the default and leaves it on best match. The other option is skip the promotion and have lowest price first. Everyone cannot possibly be on top of best match so ebay decided to give you an option but pay for it.

[12345jamesstamps]

So if one uses promoted listings I do not get charged upfront like all the other listings fees before posting?

Stuff like posting at a certain time, auction or buy it now which I see have a fee before posting an item.

[coolections]

Auctions, YES. BIN, NO, only when the item sells.