what to look for if you think you're being "throttled"

[password9019]

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....you get the picture.

[cassieplusbabyleni]

What do you mean by "Throttled"? I thought the page views/watcher count issue was tied to the recent "technical difficulty" that eBay posted about on the 3rd. I've been seeing my page views turn from #'s into -'s for weeks now, but JUST recently saw a slight dip in sales. I can still find all of my listings, and in many cases they are at the top of the page. Again; what is "throttled"? Or are we all just crying over the same spilled milk?

[password9019]

throttled is a term here that means no one is able to see your listings - even if the search terms reflect what is in your title. It is something eBay does to sellers at one time or another, particularly the smallbies who collectively take up too much server room with their widgets and wares, for Big China/Counterfeit Central/Shipping Container Lane to be appropriately accommodated.

"Throttled" - 'you wasted your time making those listings.'

"Throttled" - 'wrong time of year for you, SORRY, servers are dark now.'

"Throttled" -' 'Tis the season to be a seller of foreign made _ (fill in the blank).'

"Throttled" - 'No don't you go throwing up those hundred free right at this time, you'll be wasting YOUR TIME.'

Get it?

Heads they win, tails you lose.

[password9019]

or this:


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views/watchers.

[paudoh-16]

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@password9019 wrote:
throttled is a term here that means no one is able to see your listings - even if the search terms reflect what is in your title. It is something eBay does to sellers at one time or another, particularly the smallbies who collectively take up too much server room with their widgets and wares, for Big China/Counterfeit Central/Shipping Container Lane to be appropriately accommodated.

"Throttled" - 'you wasted your time making those listings.'

"Throttled" - 'wrong time of year for you, SORRY, servers are dark now.'

"Throttled" -' 'Tis the season to be a seller of foreign made _ (fill in the blank).'

"Throttled" - 'No don't you go throwing up those hundred free right at this time, you'll be wasting YOUR TIME.'

Get it?

Heads they win, tails you lose.

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You don't lose.....you leave and rebuild your successful business elsewhere. Hard? Heck yes but so invigorating and enlightening when you can prove Wenig wrong. They lose.

[cassieplusbabyleni]

Hmmm. Then... I guess... I'm being... "throttled"? All of my page views and watchers have zeroed out over the last few days, with my older listing still getting watchers, but no additional page views. I thought it was a technical glitch, especially because I'm still making a few sales.... but a very small amount compared to what I was doing last month and nothing has really changed.

So it's not a glitch and my listings literally have 0 views?

[dougsue123b]

It is a well known glitch. I have zero views myself even though I looked at my stuff from a friends computer.

[ittybitnot]

The view counter being broken is not an indication of throttling.  Typically, this refers to SEARCH MANIPULATION where items are shown or not shown at the discretion of eBay.  All sellers agree, according the the present eBay user agreement, that their items may not be presented to buyers at all. 

Such manipulation has been denied by ebay for a very long time despite every indication that it does happen.  More recently, eBay admitted such manipulation in an Israeli court (google ebay/salefreaks) with regard to arbitrage sellers. 

Best Match search in of iteself is an example of same.  Not all buyers are shown the same results.  They are dependent upon many things including past buying history, web searches, ebay searches, just to name a few.  

There is only anecdotal information most of the time to indicate throttling is likely going on.  

• Sales only happening when your fees are due
• Sales to the farthest destination from your location so shipping Fvf's would be more. 
• People in the same household, using different devices shown different results for the same search. 
• Unusual amount of sales from one location only.
• Relatives who do a search for your item exact title from another state getting zero resuts. 
• Getting different results when signed in/out or using another device. 

Again, these are only anecdotal observations by users who have been here a long time, and those that simply "smell" somehing fishy.  

[ag47silver-us]

If you're being throttled why do you have watchers? My view counts all messed up too, and a bunch of my items have less interest than they did a few months ago. I think it's the opposite, certain sellers are "featured" and I used to be... my sales had exploded 300% but i didn't relist anything so someone else got my featured spot.

[southern*sweet*tea]

If the odometer on you car breaks, does that stop the car from moving? No, the car still moves, even if  the mileage is not being recorded.

My Ebay odometer has been broken since I've been here (2003), but my Ebay car is still moving.

[paudoh-16]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

The view counter being broken is not an indication of throttling.  Typically, this refers to SEARCH MANIPULATION where items are shown or not shown at the discretion of eBay.  All sellers agree, according the the present eBay user agreement, that their items may not be presented to buyers at all. 

Such manipulation has been denied by ebay for a very long time despite every indication that it does happen.  More recently, eBay admitted such manipulation in an Israeli court (google ebay/salefreaks) with regard to arbitrage sellers. 

Best Match search in of iteself is an example of same.  Not all buyers are shown the same results.  They are dependent upon many things including past buying history, web searches, ebay searches, just to name a few.  

There is only anecdotal information most of the time to indicate throttling is likely going on.  

• Sales only happening when your fees are due
• Sales to the farthest destination from your location so shipping Fvf's would be more. 
• People in the same household, using different devices shown different results for the same search. 
• Unusual amount of sales from one location only.
• Relatives who do a search for your item exact title from another state getting zero resuts. 
• Getting different results when signed in/out or using another device. 

Again, these are only anecdotal observations by users who have been here a long time, and those that simply "smell" somehing fishy.  

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The simple fact of what they can do is stated clearly in the UA

"we may, in our sole discretion and without limiting other remedies, limit, suspend, or terminate your user account(s) and access to our Services, delay or remove hosted content, remove any special status associated with your account(s), remove, not display, and/or demote listings, reduce or eliminate any discounts, and take technical and/or legal steps to prevent you from using our Services."

Just in those three highlighted sections, they clearly state they can mess with your account and your listings. So why is there all this rebuttal and denial when someone says their listings are not being seen? If eBay states they will do it, then they will. You can't debate this away. It is a fact. 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Although it says they can, it doesn't make sense that they would hide specific sellers. I think that line is in there because Ebay admits that there may be too many results and they will only show the best. Most of the time that throttle theorists post here we can easily find their listings.

I DO agree that the search is completely terrible but that's not the same thing as Ebay systematically hiding specific sellers. It doesn't say in the user agreement that Ebay will "intentionally hide listings from specific sellers for no good reason".

[ittybitnot]

I have to add as well when contemplating the word or behavior considered "throttling".  There have been many complaints by sellers over the years that state that no matter what the number of items they have listed, be it 100 or 1000, their sales never increase.  Basically, the same dollar amount per month is never surpassed.   Though there are many variables for this, the repeated message can really not be ignored.  eBay's response has been to lay fault at the seller's feet.  

[rixstuff]

Nobody is "throttling" you (though I understand the inclination).  There has been a glitch with the counter for MONTHS now.  I have items with no views and no watchers that just SOLD.  Buyers buy, watchers watch.  Search for one of your items and see if it comes up.  (Also note that it only counts when your item comes up in a search and someone CLICKS it to open it. That doesnt mean it isnt coming up in a search, just that it doesnt stand out enough for someone to click it.

[ag47silver-us]

Personally my sales correlated with the number of listings to a tee.  It seemed to be throttled because it was so standardized; 150 listings sell 1 ever 2 days, 250 listings sell 1 a day, 350 listings sell 2 - 3 a day.  Never failed for 3 years, just too perfect for chance.