Who's Using Promoted Listings? How's It Going?

[betsybabe]

I never used this promotional technique but it was suggested to me by a eBay representative recently.  My sales are lagging and I was trying to figure out how to get more views.  It used to be that being a Top Rated Seller put your merchandise in a better position in the stack, but now the sellers who potentially pay more for the service get the better internet coverage.  So, I thought I would give it a try for a number of items that had

hits and watchers.  My clicks are up 33% and more, but not a single sale from it after 2 weeks. 

The other thing I thought about is this coupon business.  EBay expects us to spread coupons around and use our own money doing it.  Do you remember when eBay used to give buyers 1 to 5% of their purchases back quarterly as an incentive for buying?  Now they want us to give coupons  and give the money back up front.  They sure are calculating little critters.  Do these things work?  I'd really like to know. 

[asset_liquidators]

Promoted listings is nothing more than a money grab. If everyone promotes their listings then it is the same as no one promoting their listings. The only one that benefits from promoted listings is ebay.

[chapeau-noir]

I've found them useful but I sell in a hypersaturated category and am a very small seller, so need the extra boost.

Collectibles seem pretty saturated, too, and I would probably only use them for brands/types that are also very saturated.

We had promoted listings years ago so this is nothing new, but like anything else, it just depends on what you're selling.

[this*old*attic]

Well in my saturated category 

I rather agree with a comment around #10 or so, that interest in your category is waning

I did notice your titles are very old style:

Some don’t use all the spaces, you don’t need commas, etc. Are pattern names in IS?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I use Promoted Listings Standard. I see mostly lower dollar used, vintage and some antique items. Many or my items will show up on the first page of search results without PLS (assuming the buyer has performed a narrow enough search). However, the key for my stuff is not the Search Results Page placement.  I think most of my PLS sales come from my items showing up on other pages...

Unfortunately, ebay doesn't really provide the sort of traffic details I would need to prove this, but I see it as the difference between what I call "search" (buyer is actively searching for my item) and "discovery"---buyer might be looking at a similar or related item or even quite different item, and there's my item on the same page---buyer might not have been searching for it, but buyer decides to buy it---an impulse buy, if you want to call it that.  

I think this is one reason I sometimes sell an item that is the highest priced of several identical items----someone actively searching would see the others and might buy the lower priced item, but someone who sees mine---and only mine---on a non-search results page, might very well buy it on impulse without trying to comparison shop.

My suggestion is: Play around with PLS, different rates, etc, and see if it works for you. My stuff is "long tail", some of it very long tail, and most of my stuff has good margins, so I'm OK with trading a little more money to ebay for what is likely a faster sale. 

[betsybabe]

Hi Simply,

I was just going though the suggestions on this PL thing to glean the pertinent information.  Your observations were excellent and I picked up on a couple of things.  Yes indeed, the people who buy my porcelain have to have money, the kind they don't know what to do with.  There aren't too many places to go to find  this type of merchandise. Many of them are dealers from Asia.  So they are actually going to make money.  It's a strange situation.  Hopefully, this fear of buying will pass.  Thank you for your compliment on my photos.  The porcelains are very photogenic and they help me a lot. 

Have a good evening.

[inhawaii]

I experimented for a while on different items.

Then I experimented making everything 1%.

I ended up going back to no promoted listings.

My thoughts on promoted listings.

Ebay would not offer this service unless it made them money.

If it's making them money, that money has to come from somewhere.

It's not coming from the buyers, it's coming from the sellers.

[slippinjimmy]

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I use Promoted Listings Standard. I see mostly lower dollar used, vintage and some antique items. Many or my items will show up on the first page of search results without PLS (assuming the buyer has performed a narrow enough search). However, the key for my stuff is not the Search Results Page placement.  I think most of my PLS sales come from my items showing up on other pages...

---

BINGO!!!!!!! We have a winner..........

I use PL some of the time, the important thing I notice is that while my Search impressions only go up a bit my impressions from non-search locations skyrocket.

The "other places" include, showing up on other sellers listing pages, showing in the side bar (other people looked at, similar items etc.), showing up in marketing emails sent to buyers.

[betsybabe]

Hi Mr. L.,

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me.  PL is still kind of confusing to me.  My stats are now up over 40% with just 22 listings.  But I think they just enjoy looking.  I told my husband I am not going to have a desperation sale.  The things I have to sell I can no longer buy.  Every time I make a sale I am closer to going out of business.  I calculated that without the PL my expenses are about 30% and now I am adding PL on top. 

I just went through a week of "Why Do People Watch" before this posting.  So now I know that "they" are looking and "watching".  Up until 2 weeks ago they were buying.  I spoke with an eBay rep this morning and got on the subject of my sales falling off the cliff.  They said they are formulating promotions to try to stimulate buyers.  Can't imagine what that might be. 

I will continue to return to these responses to try recognize the specific points I can take action on.

I appreciate your time and hope we will meet again in the Community Chat. 

B

[betsybabe]

Hi m60drvr,

I appreciate your perspective and knowledge.  I am learning from this experience.  I am glad to hear many different viewpoints. 

It is good to meet you.          

[chapeau-noir]

---

@slippinjimmy wrote:

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I use Promoted Listings Standard. I see mostly lower dollar used, vintage and some antique items. Many or my items will show up on the first page of search results without PLS (assuming the buyer has performed a narrow enough search). However, the key for my stuff is not the Search Results Page placement.  I think most of my PLS sales come from my items showing up on other pages...

---

BINGO!!!!!!! We have a winner..........

I use PL some of the time, the important thing I notice is that while my Search impressions only go up a bit my impressions from non-search locations skyrocket.

The "other places" include, showing up on other sellers listing pages, showing in the side bar (other people looked at, similar items etc.), showing up in marketing emails sent to buyers.

---

I thought that was the basic reason to do it. 

[betsybabe]

Hi Slippin,

So that's what's happening with my merch.  It's showing up with or without PLs.  So, I guess I'll take it where ever I can get it.  There has to be a sale at the end of the rainbow. 

Nice to meet you & thanks for your reply,

B

[betsybabe]

Hi Inhawaii,

Right on!  I think that they are good at jiggling things around with computers, statistics, and algorithms while we sell real merchandise to real people.  What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for everyone.

Thank you for your comments.

B

[rugerskick]

It might work for some.  Some top sellers I listen to who are in competitive, saturated categories pretty much state its mandatory for them to get the topmost exposure.  Given what they say and do, it could be more effective for them, selling what they sell.  The one I am specifically thinking of sells womens clothes.

Ebay puts a realistic assessment of it by saying it may improve your sales somewhere between 3 and 7 percent.  At least thats the range I see when they suggest using promoted listings.  So an extra sale every 33 sales, up to an extra sale every 14 or so sales.

If you see you have a lot of repeat buyers, or want to cultivate repeat buyers, I'd focus coupon promotions directly on them.  You can really tailor them, highly customizable, and can control amounts, durations, and what categories they can apply to.  That may be a better way to go as giving a discount, maybe a progressive discount as they do repeat orders, is a way of business that is more acceptable for you.  Giving discounts to good repeat buyers is a lot more palatable and sensical to most sellers than hoping more insertions bring in orders but not really knowing how that extra money given to ebay is really working for you.

Any highly competitive category you are in, though, the promoted listings most likely are necessary unless you are always the lowest priced top few.

[betsybabe]

Hello My-Cottage,

There is impulse buying at all levels.  I thank you for bringing that into the discussion.  So, getting your stuff in front of buyer's faces is of the utmost importance.  Many of my customers are dealers and seasoned collectors.  One buys for profit and one buys for pleasure.  I think that PLs will help me get in their faces.

I would like to inspire some of that impulse buying, too.

Happy to meet you.

B

[betsybabe]

Hi this "old'attic,

Guess I'm old and I sell old stuff.  I've been reading through all of these messages for insights.  I appreciate yours.  What do you mean by "pattern names in IS"?  I don't understand. 

B