eBay is running two very similar promotions to encourage sellers to list items offering free shipping. Both promotions are by invitation only and provide the opportunity to list up to 3,000 free listings. One requires the listings offer free shipping in order to qualify, the other does not, causing some confusion among sellers.
eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore confirmed there were in fact two promotions after a reader pointed out his invitation did not require him to offer free shipping in order to participate. “We’re running two separate promotions at the same time, in which some customers will receive a promotion offer which requires free shipping and others will not,” Moore told EcommerceBytes.
As we noted on the accompanying EcommerceBytes Blog post, the biggest challenge is the requirement that sellers offer free shipping in order to participate. In the words of one reader, “So let’s give some of the sellers a .20 free listing and then to participate they have to give a lot say $5-$15 in free shipping,” and, he added, “2 lbs Priority Mail from east coast to west is $9!”
Another challenge is the requirement that sellers list items from scratch. Not only are sellers excluded from relisting, they can’t use the “sell similar” shortcut either.
The promotions run from Monday, March 2 through Friday, March 6th. All other fees apply, see this eBay promo description or this one for details and restrictions, and be sure to read the fine print on any invitations you receive.
And be sure to leave a comment on the EcommerceBytes Blog.
