Promoted listing costs - what a con.

[berkshire-bazaar]

As a 20 year veteron of selling on ebay at various levels (£1m+ business to a hobby business), ive seen lots of changes.  What I am quite alarmed about is the costs of promoting your listing on effectively a closed site (ebay!).  Ive experimented and it makes little difference as to whether I put 15-20% promoted listing levy on an item, or just rely on organic search.  Ebay have effectively doubled their fees in a sneaky way with promoted listings, yet they release videos of how much they care about business.  Ive never seen such a hike in costs of sale on ebay as in 2023, and yet one of the most difficult years for business.  Instead of spending thousands running roadshows and giving out awards, just reduce  your fees and cap it at 10%.  I fear that the decline of ebay as a viable place to sell with just intensify.

[wezmoto]

If I was selling custom Jewellery I think I would also list on a handmade marketplace myself.
There tends to be a larger community of gift hunters there IMHO.
eBay you need to get things in the right category and work well with the title and item specifics.
Try using chat GPT AI to write you a title and suggest the best category.
Put into it exactly what you sell and why, who it is aimed at and ask "write me a keyword rich title for ebay" and then "write me a great description for ebay" and "suggest the best category on ebay for my item based on the description"
This would be a good way to start.
Regards

[39eeb0a1-3be6-4b91-9582-8ea348d34c28]

[dress-dolly]

Hiya, thanks for your nice comments. I am glad that you found my post helpful. You would really think that round about now EBay would actually have the foresight to realise that promotional selling in the way they do it is a no go idea. But no, they keep coming up with these stupid ideas they don’t listen. I have eve emailed the hierarchy to complain and as a veteran of over 23+ years selling thousands of pounds worth of stuff, that they would listen to their members who have that type of experience. No, instead they now involve AI in the verification/authentication process and l can honestly say AI can’t tell a fake from a banana, and I’ve made that abundantly clear to them as well. For 3 years AI has supposed to be learning, it is a dunce and incapable of the job. 
The reason promotions continue is in my opinion if a seller  wishes to sell fakes, they are happy to pay promotion fees, to bump their items to the top of the list and sadly there are plenty of them on the site. Hence with the promotion system working on the way it does, and the number of suspects items, l have all but stopped selling on here, which is very sad. I have moved to another site that still has issues but you know exactly what you are paying for to promote, max being £4.40 ($5+) for 7 days, or maybe a site where handmade goods are very popular.

I too am a grandmother, and it wasn’t that easy, but I have learned to adapt and get sales back without huge payments to promote my listings! 
Good luck! 

[dress-dolly]

Hiya, sorry, only just seen this, I hope you are recovered, thanks for your nice comments, I have just posted further down these comments my exact current feelings and will not repeat myself, but I feel your pain!

I sell a few bits on here now, nothing like I did, but I have primarily moved and been very upfront about it, but it means nothing as there are plenty who pay the promotions and that is often because there are ulterior motives I do mention that in my later post. 
Anyway consider your options and think outside the box, EBay was always my go to, but unfortunately that is now not the case, very sad after 23+ years.

Good luck with your listings 

[jonatjonatjonat]

I would say it’s worth noting that all your titles are just ‘Handmade uk jewellery’ you should be describing the product more than that in the title.

in addition, given you are making the items, you should be on a business seller account.

[johnbennett1961]

Hi thank you very much for your reply much appreciated.



Thanks for the advice, after re looking at things and looking on another selling channel, I may
do my selling there.

Looked on another site and that gave me a lot of ideas some very good idea's for
showing and listing.

I will get my older grandkids to take a look as well and help.


Had a few strokes some years ago and need things like this to keep the grey
cells going lol

As well you know these grandkids are not cheap lol I wish you all the best
and again thank you.





Yours John 

[dress-dolly]

Hi John, so glad my comments were helpful, I think for home crafted items like yours that’s the place to be.
Yes we all need to keep those grey cells going, I think collecting buying and selling is in my bloody, I enjoy doing it and cannot stand to see people lose money unnecessarily. I feel sad that my relationship now with EBay is tenuous I know they need sellers like us, but they just don’t appreciate the people who still are and have been the backbone of the site, that has been lost in their quest to keep up with other sites, with free selling, but it comes at a cost and often detriment to their sellers by other means.

Good luck with your future selling, yes get the grandkids to help, they always have good ideas! Stay well and keep on keeping on!  
kindest regards, L

[oceanwavex]

Very true....myself I've basically stopped selling on ebay...with what they did to us with PayPal and this fir the past few years..then postage....they control it all its all about shareholders and not the customer. Better to get your own site and advertise yourself.

I'll list the odd thing at a price I will accept that's it for me. If ebay sank to the bottom if the pacific I'll raise a glass.....its a greedy greedy company.

[dress-dolly]

Sent from my iPad

[johnbennett1961]

Hi sorry it's taken a while to reply.

Although true to some degree this is all changing as to new laws introduced in 2025 this is the reason I

put the fake goods to the respective governments and authorities in order to get these removed from sale.

The onus was on the suppliers but now sellers like these 3rd party sellers are just as guilty of selling fake and dangerous goods.

While the individual third-party seller is always directly responsible for selling counterfeit goods, online marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart) are not always considered "just as responsible" legally, though this is shifting.

Legally, the landscape distinguishes between the seller (the person/entity selling the item) and the marketplace (the platform facilitating the sale).

Here is a breakdown of the responsibilities:

1. The Third-Party Seller (The Source)

The third-party seller is legally, criminally, and civilly liable for selling fakes.

• Criminal Offense: Selling counterfeit goods is a criminal offense under the Trade Marks Act 1994 in the UK and similar laws elsewhere, which can lead to hefty fines, asset confiscation, and imprisonment.
• Absolute Liability: Sellers can be prosecuted even if they were unaware the items were counterfeit.
• Account Termination: Marketplaces strictly prohibit fakes, and sellers face loss of privileges and destroyed inventory if caught.
• 2. The Online Marketplace (The Platform)

Marketplaces have historically argued they are passive facilitators, not the actual sellers, allowing them to evade liability. However, this is changing:

Increased Liability Risk: Courts, particularly in the EU, have ruled that if a marketplace acts more like a retailer—using its own logos, handling storage and shipping (e.g., Fulfilled by Amazon)—it can be held liable for trademark infringement.

• "Actual Knowledge" Rule: Marketplaces can be liable if they have "actual knowledge" of specific counterfeit goods on their platform and fail to take action to remove them.
• Voluntary Policies: Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have their own policies for removing counterfeiters and providing refunds, such as the Amazon A-to-z Guarantee.
• Key Factors Determining Responsibility

• Fulfilled vs. Seller-Shipped: If a platform stores and ships the item, it is more likely to be held liable than if the third party does it themselves.
• Brand Enforcement: Brand owners often have to take action against both the seller and the marketplace to stop the sales, as shown in cases like Louboutin v. Amazon.
• Regulation Changes: The UK and EU are strengthening rules, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to verify traders and take stronger action against illegal products.
• Summary: The seller is primarily, directly liable. The platform is increasingly liable if it plays a central role in the transaction (storing/shipping) or fails to act on known counterfeiters

[johnbennett1961]

Sorry for any late responses Debbie

I agree the more you do push forward the complaint(s) the better the odds are of it being in your favour.

These people are all to clever and will fob you off with legal garbage but at the end of the day thy are normaly

wrong lol

Just keep on at them, Glad you won your case Debbie.

[johnbennett1961]

Sorry I have not replied to any of these comments, to be truthful I had forgotten I put the blog on and have never seen any of these posts.

Thanks for the reply , it's only when people start to talk that things get noticed , the more people talk the better it gets for the "little ones" , these big market groups like Amazon , E Bay , Temu are increasingly selling fakes and dangerous goods but now new laws are making them just as responsible as the sellers.

I keep reporting fake and dangerous goods in a hope that the "Little ones.. us" are heard, when any ones life are in danger. 

While the individual third-party seller is always directly responsible for selling counterfeit goods, online marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart) are not always considered "just as responsible" legally, though this is shifting.

Legally, the landscape distinguishes between the seller (the person/entity selling the item) and the marketplace (the platform facilitating the sale).

Here is a breakdown of the responsibilities:

1. The Third-Party Seller (The Source)

The third-party seller is legally, criminally, and civilly liable for selling fakes.

• Criminal Offense: Selling counterfeit goods is a criminal offense under the Trade Marks Act 1994 in the UK and similar laws elsewhere, which can lead to hefty fines, asset confiscation, and imprisonment.
• Absolute Liability: Sellers can be prosecuted even if they were unaware the items were counterfeit.
• Account Termination: Marketplaces strictly prohibit fakes, and sellers face loss of privileges and destroyed inventory if caught.
• 2. The Online Marketplace (The Platform)

Marketplaces have historically argued they are passive facilitators, not the actual sellers, allowing them to evade liability. However, this is changing:

Increased Liability Risk: Courts, particularly in the EU, have ruled that if a marketplace acts more like a retailer—using its own logos, handling storage and shipping (e.g., Fulfilled by Amazon)—it can be held liable for trademark infringement.

• "Actual Knowledge" Rule: Marketplaces can be liable if they have "actual knowledge" of specific counterfeit goods on their platform and fail to take action to remove them.
• Voluntary Policies: Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have their own policies for removing counterfeiters and providing refunds, such as the Amazon A-to-z Guarantee.
• Key Factors Determining Responsibility

• Fulfilled vs. Seller-Shipped: If a platform stores and ships the item, it is more likely to be held liable than if the third party does it themselves.
• Brand Enforcement: Brand owners often have to take action against both the seller and the marketplace to stop the sales, as shown in cases like Louboutin v. Amazon.
• Regulation Changes: The UK and EU are strengthening rules, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to verify traders and take stronger action against illegal products.
• Summary: The seller is primarily, directly liable. The platform is increasingly liable if it plays a central role in the transaction (storing/shipping) or fails to act on known counterfeiters

[johnbennett1961]

IF the big boys are in the wrong YOU have the law on your side.

YES look after yourself and your business , but YOU have the right to argue back and prove your point.

I have been exposing fake and dangerous goods for a few years now on many platforms , and have had many goods removed from sale on platforms like Amazon , E bay , Temu and Shien.

As for daily views you do realise you can report this unusual activity to ombudsmen ,who will look at this and get the information altered if this is proved to have been altered via any platform because of speaking out about them, thy are NOT above the law.

Take a look at this report from people like myself reporting fake and dangerous goods.

New laws have been enforced in 2025 and are now protecting the buyer.

This will take time, but we are winning.

While the individual third-party seller is always directly responsible for selling counterfeit goods, online marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart) are not always considered "just as responsible" legally, though this is shifting.

Legally, the landscape distinguishes between the seller (the person/entity selling the item) and the marketplace (the platform facilitating the sale).

Here is a breakdown of the responsibilities:

1. The Third-Party Seller (The Source)

The third-party seller is legally, criminally, and civilly liable for selling fakes.

• Criminal Offense: Selling counterfeit goods is a criminal offense under the Trade Marks Act 1994 in the UK and similar laws elsewhere, which can lead to hefty fines, asset confiscation, and imprisonment.
• Absolute Liability: Sellers can be prosecuted even if they were unaware the items were counterfeit.
• Account Termination: Marketplaces strictly prohibit fakes, and sellers face loss of privileges and destroyed inventory if caught.
• 2. The Online Marketplace (The Platform)

Marketplaces have historically argued they are passive facilitators, not the actual sellers, allowing them to evade liability. However, this is changing:

Increased Liability Risk: Courts, particularly in the EU, have ruled that if a marketplace acts more like a retailer—using its own logos, handling storage and shipping (e.g., Fulfilled by Amazon)—it can be held liable for trademark infringement.

• "Actual Knowledge" Rule: Marketplaces can be liable if they have "actual knowledge" of specific counterfeit goods on their platform and fail to take action to remove them.
• Voluntary Policies: Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have their own policies for removing counterfeiters and providing refunds, such as the Amazon A-to-z Guarantee.
• Key Factors Determining Responsibility

• Fulfilled vs. Seller-Shipped: If a platform stores and ships the item, it is more likely to be held liable than if the third party does it themselves.
• Brand Enforcement: Brand owners often have to take action against both the seller and the marketplace to stop the sales, as shown in cases like Louboutin v. Amazon.
• Regulation Changes: The UK and EU are strengthening rules, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires platforms to verify traders and take stronger action against illegal products.
• Summary: The seller is primarily, directly liable. The platform is increasingly liable if it plays a central role in the transaction (storing/shipping) or fails to act on known counterfeiters