eBay showing other Sponsored Listings inside your Listing before your description!?

[mandicrafts]

When did this start? Click on your listing and now, BEFORE your item specifics or description is a gallery of other seller's similar Sponsored listings!!?? This is in addition to even more below your description. A sea of other people's listings within your own listing!!???
It is so crowded it is tough to distinguish what stuff belongs to your own listing you are trying to view and what is not. It isn't clear to the buyer. It causes confusion to the buyer. They may click off your listing because they think what they are seeing it is part of it or are other listings you have (but are not)?
I am NOT happy with this.
eBay please stop pushing other peoples stuff within MY listing, especially up front and in your face before you can even get to my listing details.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@valueaddedresource  ebay has said that the majority (over 90%?) of PLS sales come from "other pages" rather than the search results page. In other words, the main reason to use PLS in the first place is exactly what I said when it first came out: It isn't about getting to the top of the Search Results page, it's about being seen elsewhere.

Now, since ebay can track exactly where the sales come from, I think it is safe to assume that no matter what ebay has said previously about the new View Item Page design, IF ebay testing is showing that the majority of the sales from the View Item Page are coming from the 2 modules ("rows")  between Item Specifics and Description, it is unlikely that ebay will remove them....UNLESS ebay can find a way to ensure similar sale numbers from elsewhere on the page. If this is true, ebay should provide transparency and tell us. 

It's also worth noting that at least one module they are testing is for ORGANIC listings, not PLS....And I would also add that ebay has said just which modules show up on a View Item Page varies, and I'm guessing that also means you and I could look at the same view item page at the same time but see a different assortment of modules. 

All in all, we know PLS on the View Item page isn't going to go away. I think they are still experimenting with how it will be displayed going forward. We can expect the View item page will also soon have a Display module to advertise stores, and possibly a module for PLA listings.

[stoney45]

I fully agree...time consuming to look for the item descriptions.   I find it insulting to the sellers who work hard to make their listing as good as possible.  Not to mention the cost of each one.  

[valueaddedresource]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

Now, since ebay can track exactly where the sales come from, I think it is safe to assume that no matter what ebay has said previously about the new View Item Page design, IF ebay testing is showing that the majority of the sales from the View Item Page are coming from the 2 modules ("rows")  between Item Specifics and Description, it is unlikely that ebay will remove them....UNLESS ebay can find a way to ensure similar sale numbers from elsewhere on the page. If this is true, ebay should provide transparency and tell us. 

---

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques  sorry but I'm not inclined to let them off that easy and please understand everything I'm about to say (and the frustration it contains) is directed at eBay not at you. 😂

As you correctly pointed out early on in this thread - eBay has had those lines of ads above the description for years.

The time to do their research to determine if that placement is a major driver of Promoted sales and thus a non-negotiable, make or break thing for their precious ad revenue would have been before making a public announcement explicitly stating the new design will move the IS and description above any ad modules.

The way the announcement was worded is very clear - they didn't say they were going to test a variety of ad placements and make a determination based on performance and feedback, nor did they say it was merely a possibility they might consider moving the description or any other wiggle words they might desire to use to get out of it...that point was presented as an already made, done deal decision saying this is what you can (and I believe therefore should) expect to happen.

"Here are some of the key highlights of what you can expect...Bring critical information like Item specifics and seller description higher up on the page before any modules that show other items & ads."

That is a very clear and definitive statement setting an explicit expectation. If that clear and definitive statement was made in error and wasn't what eBay actually meant or if they have since changed their minds and do not intend to abide by it, then the very bare minimum they owe sellers is an equally clear and definitive statement to that effect.

As you saw in the other thread, any attempts to get even that have so far failed - instead we get this:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/NEW-Listing-page-layout-Thumbs-UP/m-p/33794288/highlight/true#... 

At this time we do not have anymore specific details to share on the testing of the page layout. If we get more information that we can share we will be sure to let you know.

If they can't even do the community the courtesy of simply confirming whether what was stated in the announcement is still the intended plan or not, I must assume in the face of current available evidence they do not intend to proceed in good faith on that point....until they prove otherwise.

And if that is the case, they absolutely deserve very pointed and public criticism for the bad faith dealings, in my opinion.

[valueaddedresource]

Ran out of time to edit but just one more thing to add here - it's unconscionable for eBay to have dangled this particular carrot in front of sellers if they don't intend to follow through on it.

If that statement was made in error or was a rush decision eBay now regrets after thinking it through...perhaps this would be a good time to truly show how much they want to be the "seller partner of choice" and do the right thing by sticking to their commitment and sucking it up as a "cost of doing business."

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@valueaddedresource  Oh, I agree 100%---they deserve the criticism, absolutely. My point is not to absolve them, or to say they should not be criticized.

[buyer_team@ebay]

Hi All - this thread was recently bought to my attention. Sorry, it took a while for us to respond. 

Please allow me to share an update. 

Our plans have not changed - we are still working on improving the overall experience for View Item on Desktop. These changes are under development and we are testing with small percentage of audiences. You will observe that we don't necessarily test all the changes at once - these are usually done in steps and take some time. As we do these tests, we have start and end the test at times as we understand the results. 

Our overall goal remains the same as follows:

1. Larger images
2. Increased prominence of the seller information.
3. Bring critical information like Item specifics and seller description higher up on the page before any modules that show other items & ads.
4. Improve the hierarchy of the page, so we show the most important information in the right order.

 Please expect more tests over the next couple of months. 

Hope this helps and thanks for your patience.

[stainlessenginecovers]

Just as a sample (or reality) and to put this thread to bed; 

I clicked my 'google chrome' which does NOT know me; and opened 'ebay.com'.

Then, I input my 'search words' and guess what?

My items were SHOWING in 'other peoples' listings as well as

80% of MY ITEMS were also showing in the 'similar 'sponsored' listings.

So; the analogy is this:

Those that do 'sponsored' listings will ALSO show on most 'other competitors' listings (as well as our own)

[new_spin_boutique]

What you just said is contradictory to the language in the new 'promoted display ads' description which states "ads will appear on the listing pages". The new behavior coincided with the rollout of this, yet another, paid promotion program. 

With all of this testing you're doing, and I do notice features and bugs coming and going on a near daily basis, us sellers are having the lights switched off in our stores. 11am EST, lights go out. No activity. No sales, no messages, no offers.. very abnormal. In fact, impossibly abnormal. Then, when the lights come on, there is a new feature such as being able to scroll through photos using arrows along the thumbnail image. Then, the lights go off in the store at 11am EST, and when the come back on that feature is gone but now we have a bug that is forcing people to do a captcha to load my listings or store. Next day, that bug is gone at 11am when the lights go off, again.... on and on and on for months. 

So, what we can deduce is that eBay is caching searches for categories and the subsequent sorting options. Mirroring the cache, onlining the mirror with backend updates, then offlining, modifying and caching, then onlining again. Over and over. That's the only logical explanation as the alternative explanation is that eBay is intentionally wrecking sales to encourage promoted listings. 

I'm not sure if eBay realizes the mass exodus that's taking place as people transition off of  eBay and onto other platforms, partially due to this erratic traffic behavior and unscrupulous milking of sellers. None of this promoted stuff improves the experience for the buyer or the seller. In fact, it worsens everyone's experience. How many customers and sellers is eBay going to drive away in the name of squeezing a little bit more revenue out of the community before eBay realizes this is a backwards policy? 

A lack of patience is not the problem we have, here. While we do appreciate being able to upload 24 photos, a MASSIVE upgrade, we'd much prefer to have 12 photos while having the store we pay for not be cluttered with adverts to other stores, have customers be able to see our listings and find what they're looking for in the search, customers able to send offers & buy items, and have the site function enough to where we can continue to rely on eBay, which is a waning sentiment amongst the community at this point. 

[theteamsetguy]

Most buyers prefer to pay the lowest price for what they are buying. As a buyer the faster the prices get to the bottom the better.

As a seller you have to be able to source your inventory to be able to swim with the bottom dwellers. Like they say you make money when you buy not when you sell.

[valueaddedresource]

---

buyer_team@ebay wrote:

Hi All - this thread was recently bought to my attention. Sorry, it took a while for us to respond. 

Please allow me to share an update. 

Our plans have not changed - we are still working on improving the overall experience for View Item on Desktop. These changes are under development and we are testing with small percentage of audiences. You will observe that we don't necessarily test all the changes at once - these are usually done in steps and take some time. As we do these tests, we have start and end the test at times as we understand the results. 

Our overall goal remains the same as follows:

1. Larger images
2. Increased prominence of the seller information.
3. Bring critical information like Item specifics and seller description higher up on the page before any modules that show other items & ads.
4. Improve the hierarchy of the page, so we show the most important information in the right order.

 Please expect more tests over the next couple of months. 

Hope this helps and thanks for your patience.

---

Thanks for the update buyer_team@ebay !

Can you confirm when you say "bring critical information like Item specifics and seller description higher up on the page before any modules that show other items & ads" do you mean just the rows of Promoted Listings Standard ads that currently appear above the IS and description or does that also include the Promoted Display ads that are currently in beta testing that also appear above the IS and description?

Just to be clear what I'm talking about -

Promoted Listings Standard ads above description in red, Promoted Display beta ad in green.

[jeepsells2]

ITS TERRIBLE! Can confirm.

Now Pls1 We are losing sales to no end!

[shopperking1]

I called eBay and also entered into a chat discussion about this when I discovered this a few nights ago (9-14-23). IT IS INSANE!!!!!   Before a prospective buyer can even look at your description, they are offered other people's goods, row after row of pictures. I thought it was a computer error, but no, eBay says they make more money on promoted listings so they are inserting them in YOUR listing, even if YOUR listing IS ALSO PROMOTED!!!   Before you have a chance to sell, they see OTHER PEOPLE'S GOODS!!  That is like an employee of Home Depot standing just inside the doorway, saying "Why don't you go down the block to Loews before you come in and check out what they have?"!!!  What can we do about this???

[dj56]

 I can block on my end of viewing but will the Sponsored listings be viewed on someone else end. Im using an ad blocker but leaves a big white space makes the page look funny with blank spaces.

Is there a better way to get rid of this crazy crap?

Ebay is nickle and dime sellers and many are saying by.

If someone had a brain is to startup a newer type ebay without all this crap.

Everytime ebay makes a move or change it cost the sellers more money.

Now i just adjust my price up to stay ahead of ebays fees, taxes and shipping.

[ckimodog]

@dj56 

This thread is close to being a year old and the OP chose the best answer, so I doubt they'll be replying.

Always a good idea to start your own thread, that way you can get the help and advice you need for your specific questions or issues.

@sasm241531 

stop spamming this forum with you malicious links.  You've been reported.

[kh-stanley1]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.