eBay Not Showing Promoted Listings Ads In Time, Price, Or Distance Sorted Searches

[valueaddedresource]

eBay has historically shown Promoted Listings ads in search regardless of which sort option you choose, though there might be a difference in the number of ads/placements depending on which sort option is selected - but today that no longer appears to be the case.

I tested across about a dozen searches in a variety of categories and for all them I am seeing the usual average of 10-14 Promoted Listings Sponsored ads out of 60 on page 1 when sorted by default Best Match.

However, when using any of the other sort options, there may be a Promoted Stores banner ad at the top and/or a horizontal scrolling sponsored ad carousel in the middle or at the bottom, but none of the regular results are tagged as Sponsored.

It's hard to post an example here because the community doesn't do well with large pictures, but it should be easy to test and replicate.

The vast majority of ad impressions come from the hundreds of ads on every listing page, not search, so it's hard to say how much this might be impacting ad impressions, click through rates or sales, but it still might be important for sellers to know something may have changed with how ads are shown in some searches.

devon@ebay  elizabeth@ebay  kyle@ebay can you please check with the ads team and see if this is a test, intentional permanent change, or just one more glitch to add to the list for today?

[12345jamesstamps]

Did you say 'glitch'?...LOL

I currently can't promote a listing.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@valueaddedresource  I can't help but wonder if this is related to the recent screw ups with organic impressions reports...maybe they are trying to fix something related to that? 

Of course, they could tell us what is going on tomorrow at the Seller Check In. Or maybe actually provide a timely announcement today. And I could flap my arms and fly to the moon. One is as likely as the others LOL

[dhbookds]

Interesting.........I was doing some searches with newly listed.........and as you say, no promoted listings showing........

[valueaddedresource]

@12345jamesstamps  yeah I figured today of all days especially it's a real possibility. 😂 

That being said, while it's not disqualifying, the fact that ads still show like normal in Best Match and only disappear when using other sort options has me leaning more toward a test than a glitch.

It wouldn't be the first time they tested something like this - back in 2023 a bunch of sellers had their impressions tanked overnight by a test that removed most ads from the view item page.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Anyone-else-seeing-these-changes-to-Promoted-Listings-on-View/... 

[valueaddedresource]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Interesting.........I was doing some searches with newly listed.........and as you say, no promoted listings showing........

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@dhbookds thanks for confirming you are seeing it too!

[12345jamesstamps]

So funny, eBay pushes for us to promote and I can't...LOL

[valueaddedresource]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@valueaddedresource  I can't help but wonder if this is related to the recent screw ups with organic impressions reports...maybe they are trying to fix something related to that? 

Of course, they could tell us what is going on tomorrow at the Seller Check In. Or maybe actually provide a timely announcement today. And I could flap my arms and fly to the moon. One is as likely as the others LOL

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques I just noticed this today but it's possible it could have happening for a few days now.

Not sure if/how it might be related to the organic impressions reporting issues but after everything else we've seen the last few days, anything is definitely possible.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@valueaddedresource  I agree, it might not be connected at all. Just coincidence. 

It's just another unexplained ebay mystery....in Q4, of course. 

[valueaddedresource]

Forgot to mention I tested it in the app too and am seeing the same results there as well.

[valueaddedresource]

Here's the answer I got from Ask eBay on X:

But I know for a fact that at least as recently as 3-4 weeks ago that was not true and it was still showing Promoted Listings ads in the other "deterministic" sort orders.

devon@ebay  elizabeth@ebay  kyle@ebay  is what Ask eBay said true and if so, when did it change?

[dhbookds]

Ah, a REAL answer.......that's an improvement right there.  

My default search is newly listed and I agree with you, promoted "sponsored" listings were showing there for sometime.

But also have a "vague" memory (arguable that all my memory is vague).......that when sponsored listings FIRST started, they were only shown in Best Match?

[valueaddedresource]

@dhbookds  yeah my memories of the very early days of Promoted Listings are pretty vague too.

I remember it was originally pitched as an optional, mutually beneficial quid pro quo system where sellers who were willing to participate would allow eBay to show other seller's listings on their items and in turn would have the opportunity to have their listings displayed on other seller's items as well - but if you didn't opt in, you wouldn't have other sellers' ads on your page.

But I don't recall how those early ads were shown in search.

However, I do know that ads were shown in the other sort options for years - just as an example, a screenshot I posted in a monthly chat in 2022:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Retired-Monthly-Chat-with-eBay/Monthly-Chat-November-9th-at-1-00-pm-PT...

I do personally think it's a better buyer experience not having ads in those other sort options - as a buyer I always find it annoying when results are inserted that don't actually follow the sort order I selected.

But I'm sure sellers would have at least appreciated a heads up about it, assuming it really is an intentional change.

[luckythewinner]

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@valueaddedresource wrote:

That being said, while it's not disqualifying, the fact that ads still show like normal in Best Match and only disappear when using other sort options has me leaning more toward a test than a glitch.

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I hope it is a test, and I hope eBay makes it permanent. Inserting promoted listings into a sorted search result is confusing, misleading, frustrating, and is essentially lying to buyers. 

I wonder how many buyers sorting by "lowest price" have seen a high priced promoted listing and assumed that everything that followed was priced even higher.

[valueaddedresource]

@luckythewinner  definitely agree it is a much better buyer experience.

If it is a test, I also hope they keep it that way - but also hope they communicate with sellers about it so people won't be caught off guard by an unexplained drop in Promoted Impressions/Clicks that might be the result of this change.

Like I said, I expect it will be nowhere near the impact the previous test of removing ads from the view item page had - but if something has changed about when/where/how Promoted Listings ads are displayed, eBay should inform sellers, imo, if for no other reason than it might impact performance and ROI for some  and they may need/want to make adjustments to their ad strategies accordingly.