eBay

vintagewatchpart · ‎15-11-2023

Anyone else had the email about this?

So we now have to pay separate fees to have our items shown on Google promoted search results.

My promoted, normal promoted listings that is, items have always been shown on Google shopping sponsored positions (not redbrain etc) as part and parcel of those fees. But now that seems to be no longer the case and we have to pay for this separately.

A third type of sponsored ads, rather than trying to create new means of generating revenue, can Ebay focus on the bread and butter of its business please?!

carinya.designs · ‎15-11-2023

Yes ive had the same message, says for £5 per day they believe i will receive an extra 166 clicks LOL that is never happening

british-ceramics-and-paintings · ‎15-11-2023

It's getting more and more ridiculous, where does it end ?

simplyc-accessories · ‎15-11-2023

Yes,I had it as well read it, and ignoring it I am getting better sales since using social media and AI descriptions.

Having to price your items to cover all this money grab from eBay is pricing yourself out of the market. I am almost done with this site now not buying any new stock.

Maureen

SimplyC Accessories

british-ceramics-and-paintings · ‎15-11-2023

I may be wrong however I imagine the vast majority of business sellers will only ever use Promoted Listings Standard however this doesn't seem to be enough for Ebay.

The relentless push to promoted listings and ads galore is clearly killing the platform, unfortunately those making the decisions don't see it that way, it's staggering.

ojewellery · ‎15-11-2023

New stuff tends to help give things a boost. It's effectiveness needs ongoing monitoring.

I started using off-site ads in August, my spend has just hit £100. My Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) over that period is 14.01. that's £14.01 of sales for every £1 spent on advertising. As promotions go that to me is pretty good, for my business it currently stacks up. I will continue to monitor both spend and return.

I decided to try it for 30 days initially to give it a try. My spend the first month was very low and return good so my current campaign runs to end December.

sheba-knows-best · ‎16-11-2023

Makes me laugh...

... everyone who ignored the email and has no experience of it, hates it.

The one person who has tried it, has found it a positive experience.

Doesn't that just ring true.

Thanks OJ - I was considering the idea. I got the invite but haven't signed-up, because I was hoping someone - like you - would be able to shed some light. Please can you clarify... it is pay per click not pay per sale right? Is there a daily limit you can specify then? Truthfully, pay per click never works for me as I'm not cheap, and people use all of my careful information (sizing, materials details etc) and then try and get cheaper elsewhere...

Any insights/thoughts gratefully received...

exponential_developments · ‎16-11-2023

When you have zero knowledge of other peoples personal circumstances and what other irons they may have in their fires, why is your first port of call to be condescending?

wyntersemporium · ‎16-11-2023

Received this last night in a email.

more money grab from eBay.
Never done promotions either .
They always want your money. I don't earn much as it is.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

wyntersemporium · ‎16-11-2023

Same here. I let a few of mine have the AI runnnng on them . Never sold some of these items and yet with ai they've sold.

yes the Ai does have a odd way of describing them but least they're selling and I tweak it a bit.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

wyntersemporium · ‎16-11-2023

I can't afford promoted listings. Also getting chased by the twerp at local job centre as they've took over WTC (now universal credit).
And him wanting me to spend my business account money (unbelievable) or put this account and a personal account as one.
need that money for me to spend on supplies .

so when a promotion like this or the usual improve your listings or do you need funding every day messages.
All they seem to want is for them to take a bit more and more each day so they eventually leave with you with nothing.

even postage is high for me as only sell small items.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

exponential_developments · ‎16-11-2023

Having read these forums for the last few months it seems quite a few business sellers are closing down on ebay....sad times.

vintagewatchpart · ‎16-11-2023

My point is, items appeared in Google shopping results sponsered through Ebay.co.uk while using promoted listings standard, as was the case for most of us I believe if your % was high enough.

Now Ebay has stopped showing items in Google promoted shopping results (results still appear via third party aps such as Redbrain marketing etc) and has created this new method of getting your listings shown on Google, if you pay.

Why are we now having to pay separately for a "new" service that was part and parcel of the original promoted listings standard?

Perhaps this is why we have seen a downturn in sales? Ebay have turned off the promotions through Google unless you give them more money.

If its new, and you have to pay for it, only one person really benefits... Ebay.

goingfishinguk · ‎16-11-2023

@vintagewatchpart wrote:
A third type of sponsored ads

Promoted Listings Standard

Promoted Listings Dynamic

Promoted Listings Advanced Manual

Promoted Listings Advanced Smart

Promoted Listings Advanced Manual

Promoted Display

...six and five of them have been in the last 10 months or so.

Offsite Ads

goingfishinguk · ‎16-11-2023

@sheba-knows-best wrote:
Makes me laugh...

... everyone who ignored the email and has no experience of it, hates it.
The one person who has tried it, has found it a positive experience.
Doesn't that just ring true.

Thanks OJ - I was considering the idea. I got the invite but haven't signed-up, because I was hoping someone - like you - would be able to shed some light.

Well I tried them when they first come out and they were woeful, worse than advanced with a ROA of 0.47. So you point of one person who tried it found it positive is not accurate.

'because I was hoping someone - like you'

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm 🙄

goingfishinguk · ‎16-11-2023

@goingfishinguk wrote:
@vintagewatchpart wrote:
A third type of sponsored ads
Promoted Listings Standard
Promoted Listings Dynamic
Promoted Listings Advanced Manual
Promoted Listings Advanced Smart
Offsite ads
Promoted Display

...six and five of them have been in the last 10 months or so.

Damn missed the edit time frame... 😁

sheba-knows-best · ‎16-11-2023

@goingfishinguk wrote:
@sheba-knows-best wrote:
Makes me laugh...

... everyone who ignored the email and has no experience of it, hates it.
The one person who has tried it, has found it a positive experience.
Doesn't that just ring true.

Thanks OJ - I was considering the idea. I got the invite but haven't signed-up, because I was hoping someone - like you - would be able to shed some light.
Well I tried them when they first come out and they were woeful, worse than advanced with a ROA of 0.47. So you point of one person who tried it found it positive is not accurate.

'because I was hoping someone - like you'

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm 🙄

Thanks for further numbers - negative or positive - are all food for thought while I decide what to do.

I merely said 'like you' to OJ as she does have a habit of gving very detailed stats and getting my brain firing on how to turn something 'not great' into something 'useable'.

In answer to @vintagewatchpart and @exponential_developments I hate ever-increasing fees. All of this year, I have been posting figures that show me attempting to keep sales without suffering a decline in profitability. So if I seem to condescend, it is simply my reaction to struggling - coming here to see what people reckon about an ebay 'offer' - and feeling disempowered by the lack of balance. The thing is - we are all correct - this is a hideously tough time on ebay (I suspect on many online selling platforms). So I think a lot of sellers will be struggling and coming to the boards for the first time - for advice, mentoring, tips as well as to let off steam. If they are faced with a barrage of 'its not us its ebay' they may throw in the towel, when actually, there may be solutions or coping mechanisms.

All I want is for the 'coping mechanisms' to get a hearing too which is tough when those who are 'coping' are so outnumbered on the boards at the moment (partly because they are busy selling, partly because there is rarely anything new here to see so they stop dropping by, and partly because they risk getting shouted at on a personal basis).

british-ceramics-and-paintings · ‎16-11-2023

Pay per click as is clearly stated.

sheba-knows-best · ‎16-11-2023

@british-ceramics-and-paintings wrote:
Pay per click as is clearly stated.

Thank you. It was kind of meant as a leading question regarding my concerns. Anymore feedback on ROAS would be greatly appreciated. Especially from clothing sellers.

ojewellery · ‎16-11-2023

Goodness this thread has taken a few twists and turns.

@goingfishinguk I'm sure that you're expressing some sort of frustration in your comments but I don't understand quite what. I'm slightly uncomfortable by it. Posting my findings/ adding my personal experience on the forums is never intended to offend. It is intended to challenge, because its business. I find constructive challenge has helped my business grow and evolve. I get in ruts (I'm in an eBay rut at present) but I am rather Pollyannaish. No point dwelling, dust off, move on. The forums help with letting off steam and finding new glimmers of hope to try.

I like to try new things - a bit of mental stimulation amoungst the mundane. The new widgets/ offerings eBay come up with fall into this. There is a lot of thought behind them, not always what we'd see as seller logic. Change is certain, not all positive. I'd never push doing things on others and as others have raised everyones circumstances are different. I think your business model is closer to mine than Shebas. Pay Per Click (PPC) type offerings in my opinion tend to work best for items where there is replenishable stock and where there is low/ no competition for similar items. It does mean that there needs to be sufficient profit in the items to be able to factor it in which not all business models/ items have in them. On an Amazon webinar when I first started to try to get to grips with PPC they talked about a direct Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS) of 3-4 being typical - that wouldn't stack up for me.

@sheba-knows-best I don't think that pay per click can work as well for second hand/ one off listings. There is no halo effect on subsequent sales from the listing getting an impression and sales boost. In an ideal world with a new listing going in hard with promotions for a shortish window means they quickly get to the top of organic search and the promotions can be turned down/ off. With a one off item, the relevance of obtaining and maintaining that position are not the same as there is no subsequent halo effect on sales for that item, although there is a slight overall account boost from having stock turnover so its not all one way. Thats why promoted standard is so great for one off items that can have a higher fixed marketing percentage in the price.

As I think its sort of onthread, I have also tried promoted display looking at driving shop traffic. This doesn't work for me, partially because I only promote from one tiny category as currently its eBay categories not shop categories for grouping. I've invested £10 in the trial I'm now reminded to turn it off, as not for me. All new widgets are an investment, some pay off, some don't. The eBay categories don't allow me to sufficiently narrow down the stock groups I'd like to promote together.