eBay Marketing Program Terms 15 January 2025 - Time to jump the eBay ship ???

[bittyboy101]

Just received a message from eBay with a link to their new Marketing Program Terms which come into force on 15th January 2025.

Link below:-

https://pages.ebay.co.uk/promote-your-listings/terms/B2C/?mkevt=1&mkpid=2&emsid=e99011.m2.l1&mkcid=2... 

This seems way over to top to me as I'm only a small private seller with not much understanding of how this works and what hidden costs will rack up on my eBay seller account !

It looks to me like eBay are going to force yet another mandatory change on all of us and I honestly don't know if I have the ability to handle it.

This may be the end of me ever being able to sell anything on eBay ever again as this is now very complicated, costly and very frightening for a small simple private seller.

It really does now look that the person behind all these recent dreadful changes to eBay has now left no stone unturned with their mega changes campaign and are now changing everything that was original and unique to eBay with a mean vengeance !  😞 

Do post your thoughts on this - Good and Bad.

Many thanks !  🙂  

[wyntersemporium]

I hope not. Just can’t stand eBay taking more and more - least I’m on other sites. 

[wyntersemporium]

Was thinking the same. Hope there’s a opt out somewhere 

[wyntersemporium]

Already have confused me. 

[wyntersemporium]

I joined way back In 1998 thin on another ID. Life on eBay was so much simpler then 

[wyntersemporium]

Same here. My other Id was born around 1997-1999 as sold on the USA site first. 

[brindsey]

Just wanted to say a big thank you for this simple and logical fix.

.

[555njp]

EBay have recently changed the PL campaign effectiveness claims though.

General campaign used to say get up to 25% more clicks, now says: “100% more visibility”.

Priority campaign used to say get up to 50% more clicks, now says: “200% more visibility”.

The update is very wordy but seems to imply that other sales from that listing will attract PL fees if clicked within 30 days (so hard to understand) even if organic? Not sure as there is no proof that the promotion got you a sale anyway.

[apcdeals4you]

They are rolling this out in the US at the same time.  

If you run any marketing/advertising, and a buyer clicks on your ad but doesn't buy at the time, but later, within 30 days, the buyer decides to buy (even if your marketing/advertising has stopped or changed), eBay still gets to charge you the marketing fee.  eBay now has a 30-day look-back period if a buyer clicks on an advertisement you run.  

It does not impact you if you do not run any marketing or advertising.

The amount of money spent on marketing and ads is astronomical, and to think they want to have a 30-day look-back period.  We may stop.

Good luck.

[bittyboy101]

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@apcdeals4you wrote:

They are rolling this out in the US at the same time.  

If you run any marketing/advertising, and a buyer clicks on your ad but doesn't buy at the time, but later, within 30 days, the buyer decides to buy (even if your marketing/advertising has stopped or changed), eBay still gets to charge you the marketing fee.  eBay now has a 30-day look-back period if a buyer clicks on an advertisement you run.  

It does not impact you if you do not run any marketing or advertising.

The amount of money spent on marketing and ads is astronomical, and to think they want to have a 30-day look-back period.  We may stop.

Good luck.

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They are crazy. Who on earth thinks of all this rubbish ?

Anyone would think they are deliberately trying hard to destroy eBay ???    

[department28]

'I just want to be left alone by eBay to carry on selling like I have for the past 20 years... If they can't leave me to it... then I'm afraid I don't wish to sell on eBay any longer.'    

It is such a pity that eBay has become so complicated & fiddly, that many have already packed it in, & a lot more are on the verge of calling it a day.

When I first started on eBay, I did not have much experience of using the internet, but getting the hang of eBay was relatively straightforward, even for a novice. I think if I was starting now, I'm sure I would find it much, much more difficult.

In the old days, it was like you could just quietly get on with your buying or selling, without much trouble. Most of the time, it was actually fun...!!  Now it feels like eBay is breathing down your neck all the time, interfering & pestering, & nagging on about feedback & promotions, & shoving sponsored stuff in your face etc etc...

And just when things settle down a bit, they roll out yet another new feature, or do away with another of the far superior Classic pages.  eBay does not seem to realise, or care, that all these exasperating changes are pushing people away, especially the long-standing/original members.  Where will it all end?! 🙄

[bittyboy101]

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@department28 wrote:

'I just want to be left alone by eBay to carry on selling like I have for the past 20 years... If they can't leave me to it... then I'm afraid I don't wish to sell on eBay any longer.'    

It is such a pity that eBay has become so complicated & fiddly, that many have already packed it in, & a lot more are on the verge of calling it a day.

When I first started on eBay, I did not have much experience of using the internet, but getting the hang of eBay was relatively straightforward, even for a novice. I think if I was starting now, I'm sure I would find it much, much more difficult.

In the old days, it was like you could just quietly get on with your buying or selling, without much trouble. Most of the time, it was actually fun...!!  Now it feels like eBay is breathing down your neck all the time, interfering & pestering, & nagging on about feedback & promotions, & shoving sponsored stuff in your face etc etc...

And just when things settle down a bit, they roll out yet another new feature, or do away with another of the far superior Classic pages.  eBay does not seem to realise, or care, that all these exasperating changes are pushing people away, especially the long-standing/original members.  Where will it all end?! 🙄

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Agree with you 110% !

[555njp]

---

@apcdeals4you wrote:

They are rolling this out in the US at the same time.  

If you run any marketing/advertising, and a buyer clicks on your ad but doesn't buy at the time, but later, within 30 days, the buyer decides to buy (even if your marketing/advertising has stopped or changed), eBay still gets to charge you the marketing fee.  eBay now has a 30-day look-back period if a buyer clicks on an advertisement you run.  

It does not impact you if you do not run any marketing or advertising.

The amount of money spent on marketing and ads is astronomical, and to think they want to have a 30-day look-back period.  We may stop.

Good luck.

---

Thank you, I thought I’d read that correctly but it was so complicated to digest I wasn’t sure.

It’s obvious eBay need more from PL fees to keep profits up as their turnover has to be falling because of regulation changes and the ‘free to sell for private sellers’ campaign.

So basically, you sell something via a PL, even you stop promoting, future sales for 30 days attract the fee?

Sneaky to say the least!

[the_book_seekers]

At the moment I have the semi permanent banner across my seller hub promoting promoted  listings. I also have one saying I should reduce my dispatch time by 1 day and another telling to send offers on (watched) listings. If I hit the X on either of the last two I get a reproachful little message telling me I've 'just dismissed an opportunity'. No, I have chosen to ignore unasked for interference. 

[555njp]

Same here. Seems to be a huge push to promote everything and meanwhile no doubt my listings are absent from search (never known it this dead).

EBay better stop this rubbish otherwise I’ll be another leaver early next year!

[vintagewatchpart]

I am certain this has been the case for a while. When I turned off promoted listings permanently in January, for 30 days after I had the occasional sale sold via promoted listings despite the fact it was switched off. Think it was about 10 to 15 sales.

So this may not be anything new.

[555njp]

It could be. I shut it off 18 months ago, made zero difference but recently sales have plummeted so I’ve been testing a few promos to see.

As I said earlier I noticed the wording and %age changes (clicks to visibility) though.

[vintique*violet]

https://www.valueaddedresource.net/ebay-marketing-terms-update-december-2024/

Have  a read. 

I will never use their marketing pay to promote etc and never have. 

This is ( to me) underhanded and daylight robbery. 

[555njp]

Thank you, what a con. I’ll be pulling all my listings in a day or two until the New Year.

When I relist all promos will again be removed.
If that means nothing sells then sorry, I’ll be off.

[the_book_seekers]

The article is from a US site so presumably applies to .com t&cs. Is ebay operating promoted listings the same way on .UK?  It does appear that ebay has been a bit naughty in how promoted listing rates were raised to try and meet financial targets. I'm not sure how they can allowed to not tell users that rates are rising.

[555njp]

Yes I believe it is. I guess eBay has some big revenue gaps to fill.
The whole site seems hell-bent on promoted listings and extra paid visibility rather than delivering a fair equal playing field for the base fees charged.