The promoted listings scam

[caddyscane]

I've always suspected this but i thought i'd do a check and seems to be what i'd feared. Decided to put a couple of items up for sale. Both almost identical but with slight differences in images etc. Set them both to dynamic % of listing fees. And what do you suspect I saw?

One is set to 9.7% and one is 19.7%.....absolutely no difference in items bar the images but somehow ebay has decided to charge 20% on one item over the other. Can only assume it adapts depending on whether an item sells or not. But there is no reason for there to be a 10% difference in rates. I got my mrs to try the same and her rate is the same as the low one.

Very dodgy.

[yepitswood · Accepted solution]

Its sad we even have to promote items in the first place. I have been on ebay a long time and I never remember having item sit for months with 0 views in the past. 

[caddyscane]

I know. Thing is this can't be legal in the UK surely. Forcing us to promote, forcing us to use their shipping system (well private sellers being forced). They basically still have the monopoly beside amazon. The new PPC scam is too far. Imagine being forced to pay per click to sell items on their own site...

Madness.

[wakeson]

Mine went up to 23.3 % suggested rate and i decided i had enough, so i reduced them to 10% - Next day they suggested 12% !! its a scam alright, just do a small percentage and see what happens.

PPC in priority - add keywords and use a small bid, find the keyword that work (you have to spend money i know) then just keep an eye on them.

I just did a VAT check on my listing and sales, i spent more on VAT in the fees than i did for my return, mental..

i wasted a lot of money of fees last year and up to march this year, totally ruins a business in the name of greed.