Competitor adverts on my listings

[lr-new-used-kent]

Whats the point? Click on one of my listings and there is a sponsored (paid for?) insert at the top suggesting the potential buyer look at one of my competitors listings for what they want. To make matters worse, scroll down immediately below my picture of the item and sponsored listings of the same item from other sellers are highlighted along with price.  Immediately below that are then more sponsored scrollable items the same.  As if that werent bad enough, continue scrolling down to my description of the said item and whats found immediately below that?  You guessed it, every other listing that ebay has for the same item. So, on the listing I pay for, every other item the same as mine for sale on ebay, is on my page. I know it has been like that for quite a while now but I do wonder about the percentage of customers that land on my page and then click through to another seller?

[pillarboxred]

In this case, you made the sale as this is a screenshot with a redacted buyer ID so far so good. My take on this discussion is that, with Internet advances, wherever we start our Search we will be shown the same items in the same order as algorithms pick out the best items at the lowest prices with the best consumer reviews, lowest postage, best photographs and descriptions, etc.

[vintagewatchpart]

Knowing everything I know about basic E-Commerce, this is a great way of lowering conversion, causing more people to bounce and lowering sales. Ebay clearly prioritising receiving the money from paid for advertising than from fees from having sold an actual product.

Product pages should be simple, involve as little scrolling as possible and de-cluttered. This is like wading through mud to get to what you want.

I do not pay for sponsored listings at all on Ebay but it raises questions for those who are using off-site ads - imagine you had a snapshot of the users journey, they click on your off-site ad, go to your product page but instead go onto someone elses shop and look at any number of other similar items thrust in front of their faces before the actual product they clicked on in the first place.

This is lunacy.

[ed_58611]

I must say that as a buyer I am irritated at the constant intrusion of "sponsored items" to my search results, also to be found in my Watchlist.

Why is this happening when I can select area, price, size, colour, condition, etc, and then make my choice?

Of course, this does not always work - I've played about with the checkboxes and parameters and had hugely different results every change, even seeing listings completely disappear when they shouldn't be affected.

"Streamlining" of search results is meant to sound as though eBay is doing you a favour but is only promoting the listings they want you to see while identical and usually cheaper items have been removed.

[darth_baggins]

Not so far so good at all. That was just a random listing that I chose, the sale wasn't recent. The banner was all listings in certain categories for one seller. Other categories had other sellers' banners.

It makes a mockery of all the advice to have good photos, good titles, item specifics, good descriptions etc. All eBay want you to do to get sales is to pay them more money.

[cb-home-textiles]

Ebay and Amazon are no longer just selling platforms as online slows they are increasing revenue by selling  advertising . I sell low value good quality products with a margin of around 20-25% with increased fees and postage costs this is now nearing 10-15% I can not afford to pay for more adverts . To pay for a search "cushion cover" its £1.50 per click (not sale per click ) using the new advertise shop feature . 

As also mentioned why would you pay for off site adds if you get the click and the buyer sees the banner at the top of your listing taking you to someone else shop you pay another seller benefits . 

With revenues at an all time low and this advertising madness GSPR etc we are caonsidering our online future as its a lot of hard work with little reward

Gavin 

CB 

[john8150_0]

Fortunately (not for the caller) I had a phonecall from an ebay customer service advisor today.

He was calling to tell me about the 4000 listings I have that are over 90 days old and how they can help me to end them all and relist to get better coverage. Q"How does that sound?" A"It sounds like 4000 x £0.06 to me David"....

I then started on my pet hate of unfair competition re business sellers, or genuine private sellers, selling on private accounts at a fraction of my costs. Currently I pay approx £350/month just for the privilige of running an ebay shop and having nearly 5000 items listed (4000 of which are pointless in ebays eyes...).

My final rant was about this very topic that the OP posted. If I am paying £350/month in ebay fees to host my items why should my hard work in finding, buying, phiotographing, researching and finally listing an item have another sellers shop promoted across my listing on a full banner? The answer, "you can pay to promote your own items and shop you know".

I used to run a website on EKM and wonder if it's worthwhile ressurecting that as at least the only items visible to viewers will be my own.

I must add that the agent was very professional and said that he will run my complaints up the chain, not that I expect any results that favour legitimate sellers who aren't prepared to join the race to the bottom.

[vintagewatchpart]

Thats interesting that they phoned you to do that, it's just made me realise what the heck is wrong with Ebays systems and algorithm that sellers have to end and relist items to get better visibility? 

Is it not in Ebays and the sellers best interests to just fix the search algorithm to stop us having to do this?

There is no need to end and relist things on any other platform at all, it messes up the google algorithm too. 

[john8150_0]

Apparently (I checked with a couple of todays new listings and confirmed it) all new listings get a boost to the top of the page, so in my case Netherlands 1827 10 Cents. The algorithim then monitors visitor interaction with the listing and will keep it near the top if it gets lots and push it down if it gets little. For things like a 1965 Churchill Crown there were 65million minted and 64million of them are on ebay, for rarer coins there are very few extant so they SHOULD appear at the top of the search anyway. 

It all just stinks of increased ebay fees for relisting and double bubble for them if you happen to sell a couple of the over 90 day listings that are stagnant.

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Yes it's a little bizarre.

Generally the longer we have an item for sale on our website the higher up Google search it moves, Ebay goes in the opposite direction.

There is too much faffing on here now, too much ending and relisting, items go stale after 3 - 4 weeks, it's just a hassle really, time that is better spent on other things. 

[theelench]

The other site I sell on up-loads my ads. to google shopping and I check regularly to see if I'm shown on P.1 of their results.

I've noticed that GS, 99% of the time, shows my ads. that have been listed for years, only once or twice has an ad. that's been recently listed in the last few months been shown.

I've never seen any of my ebay listings.  When it's obvious that GS likes older ads., ebay's preference for new listings and the regular re-lists required to maintain visibility on ebay is surely working against visibility on GS??

Unless google and GS work in completely different ways to each other?

[magpiecorner1]

I'm not sure this IS eBay's worst outcome, as search through the other listings showing on my listing sent me to identical items on Etsy, as well as other platforms.

Would seem eBays income stream, as well as promotions, is advertising from other sales platforms.  And that really does make one think!

[wyntersemporium]

Same here three lots from just under my id, just below my description and underneath where it says business. Why should buyers be took to another person selling items identical to mine and noticed some where from China so I'm not happy 

[the_book_seekers]

When this first started I found that ebay had a male sex magazine prominently displayed in the similar items on one of my listings for a children's book. I was not impressed and said so here. The magazine disappeared shortly after. Looking at the supposedly similar items I am always struck by how many have absolutely nothing to do with the book I've listed. 

[santlache_sales]

This has annoyed me for some while, it is my listing why should I have adverts for other listings all over it ?

Not that I get many, but I also believe this is responsible for 99% of my cancelled purchases.

People buy from you, then eBay send people adverts for other items, "You may like this" sort of thing, which more often than not show your competitors items, or one slightly cheaper than the one you have just sold.

So they cancel and buy another.

[padanpcparts]

I had 6! YES! 6 cancellations the first weekend this came in to effect. Thats insane. My cancellations over the last few weeks have seemingly shot up. I wondered what incredible change E-bay had made that was casuing this. In fact cancellations and returns are killing us recently. For years our rate was very very very steady, but the last 6 months or so cancellations and returns are almost double the rate they had been for something like 8 years. 

[neil-simulant]

Ive seen a recent uptick in cancellations as well , so totally feel your pain. Why I am so baffled by this latest change is the fact that ebay are pushing cheaper items in these adverts. Surely its in ebays interest to actually push the more expensive items as they would get a higher amount in final evaulation fees. 

So ebay has spent time and money  implementing other peoples cheaper items on our pages , which will result in less income for themselves. I've never got why ebay is so intent on people lowering prices or at the very least preassuring to do so. 

A race to the bottom helps no one, not us or ebay. 

[padanpcparts]

Yeah, their 'Race to the bottom', tactic has confused us for a while now. Going to be a 'Race to the Jobcentre', soon. 

[vinylscot]

If this is a "pay per click" promotion, is all our "research" following links etc., gaining more money for eBay?

Conversely, are we costing these sellers, every time we click?

I'm sure there aren't enough of us doing this to make much difference, but it is amusing to think we are causing our competitors to incur charges for sales which will never happen.

[ett1954]

Just one reason why I would never use pay per click promotions on eBay.

[pg_kicks]

Got to strongly disagree with this, we have very different buying habits as when I want something I search for it and then think yes or no, if I'm then asked to scroll through 16 adverts for similar items just to get to the description to check its exactly as I want theres a good chance I'm giving up and moving to another site where I just search scroll below the pictures and purchase.

If I went to Sainsburys to pick up some beans and under the Heinz was hey look at the other similar beans I'd be thinking why the hell are they doing this and I'd be pretty sure Heinz wouldnt be happy.

Theres 2 very different types of shoppers, ones who are happy to walk around and spend a full day to get 2 items or those of us who want to be in and out as quickly as possible. I dont care if I pay 10% more but I've saved time, if you go after the wanderers you annoy the in and out, if you go after the in and out you still have the wanderers who will look through the full 457 pages to find the very best deal for the exact item they want. We all know why eBay have done it but long term I dont see it as a good move. By the way neither shopper is wrong but surely you target the one that doesnt annoy the other.