eBay kicked off a President's Day "coupon" marketing campaign on Monday, but the 20% off coupon only applies to items
from 165 sellers - the millions of other sellers are out of luck. Here's a look at how the coupon program works.
eBay heavily markets coupon campaigns through banners on its website and through email marketing, as well as through television and social media and through PR.
Here's how eBay described the current President's Day offer to shoppers: "This Coupon is a 20% discount valid from 6:00 AM PST February 12, 2018 until 8:00 AM PST on February 20, 2018. Discount applies to the purchase price (excluding shipping, handling, and taxes) of an eligible item(s) of $25 or more on eBay.com. Eligible items are items(s) purchased from the sellers listed below. The discount will be applied to eligible item(s) only and will be capped at a value of $50."
Many sellers have wondered who funds the 20% discount. The answer is, sellers do, not eBay. Those lucky enough to receive an invitation to participate must be willing to sell items at a 20% discount - for all of their listings and in all categories.
eBay says most participants see a 3x lift in traffic during coupon campaigns - and it notes, "only sellers who have opted in to the coupon receive the traffic through our marketing."
eBay is also marketing its "Deals" through a President's Day promotion - these are special items that select sellers offer through exclusive deals with eBay. For example, eBay was promoting a Nest thermostat for $184 (normally $249.99) with free shipping, sold by the seller "robscamerausa."
Let us know what you think - could you afford to participate in such campaigns? We'll have more on eBay coupon deals, stay tuned.
How eBay Coupon Campaigns Work for Sellers