The True Cost of eBay Promoted Listings

by: FeelingFroggy

FACT-- EBAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME OR RETURN TO THE SAME COMPANY OF YEARS AGO.....Neither will Penney's, Sears or Kmart.

I guess my real question is,

"What makes anyone think that they are entitled to any discount"

Just because one decides to be a hoop - carrot jumper doesn't make one any better than the person who for whatever reason can't jump or choses not to jump through said hoops.

There are thousands of ebays sellers who are great sellers, raising families and paying bills who have decided that babysitting a computer for a discount isn't part of their routines.. These sellers should recieve the same treatment as the so called elite carrot jumpers.

Fact is they don't. There is less crying from them than the carrot jumpers. In fact most are probably quietly smiling.

As far as the cost of Ebay promoted listings. Does one think that the government really spends thousands of dollars for each toilet lid they buy.

by: DingDong

This is so true, that you have these computer geeks and all knowing of the internet that they can't do a simple thing of ''blogging'', having a promotional site that gathers their sites sellers items for sale, and whatever else the internet has to offer.

I questioned Bonanza about why their site isn't so known. They have these computer geeks that can blog and such. BUT NO. they prefer to sell you on their promotion packages so that they can get a cut. (Who else will pay for their ''Freedom February'' for their employees and family to have a work vacation on some island.
Bonanza throttles the feeds, making you think you need their store or other ''Pay to Play'' expense and yet no sales.

by: Rexford

If eBay sellers do not pay for promoted listings then eBay's "promoted listings" scheme dies.

The power is in sellers' hands.

by: eXtinctBay

@Rexford

I have the same sentiment- if no one falls for this scheme, then all listings (should) have the same exposure.

NO WAY am I going to give eBay up to an additional 20 percent of my already high fees for any so-called upgrade.

This reminds me of when I bought my first computer. America Online was advertising heavily (remember the discs that arrived constantly in the mail?), so I thought, ''OK, why not!''.

Found out very soon with the constant connectivity failures that I was not one bit happy with them as my ISP. So I made a phone call to AOL Customer Support to see if the situation could be improved.

My answer? ''Well, we are sorry your connection keeps dropping, but if you pay us another $10 a month, we MAY be able to ensure uninterrupted service''.

I said ''WHAT? I am paying you for the internet to always be available and connected. Why should I pay extra for a service that should be provided in the first place!!!''.

There was no comment from the support agent, and I found another internet provider very soon.

Same parallels here- eBay is trying to extract more money from unsuspecting folks. For something which should be already a basic function of the site we pay a great deal of fees to.

by: toolguy

I was a carrot jumper and worked hard for that 20% discount and it was well deserved.

As far as being a better seller? You betcha!

I shipped with'in 24 hours, offered 30 day returns and free shipping.

That has all changed, now my listings are shipped with'in 2 days, 14 day returns and now my customers pay for shipping.

I'm just an average seller now so I don't get that carrot jumping discount.

eBay made the choice for me. . .

by: eXtinctBay

@Froggy

Why do you label every TRS+ seller as a ''carrot jumper''?

Basic Facts:

(1) Most of us are proud to offer high quality customer service to our buyers. First and foremost.

(2) With this comes a reward. And eBay has just cut this in half. You may call it ''crying'', but this will cost sellers a lot of money.

(3) If you as a seller takes care of their business, and earns high scores for satisfaction, everything takes care of itself. No need to jump through hoops or after a dangling long orange vegetable.

Perhaps you are bitter that you personally do not have the time to provide this type of service, or have already lost your discount.

Understandable, but do you have to put down those of us who earn the discount by achieving goals for our businesses?

Every one of us who sells on eBay has a choice. What may work for one seller may not work for another.

Just like one's religion. We all have freedom to do what is best for us individually. And whether we decide to follow rules or guidelines should not be met with ridicule.

by: FeelingFroggy

@extinctbay

Not putting you down BUT

You have the right to do as you please BUT most of us sellers are busy leading a life of family and kids and don't have the time nor the energy to jump for the ebay carrots. We go about our businesses with just as much passion as you do. BUT the difference is you don't hear from us much as we don't have the time to argue with you all the while you carrot jumpers are complaining.

And your wrong. Out of five stores 2 of them are TRS discounts. The other three are stores who ship without tracking.

by: Marie

@toolguy

You keep saying you are not going to have Free Shipping on your listings any longer because of the TRS discount reduction.  I say this just so you are fulling informed of the facts.  Free shipping is NOT a requirement of TRS or TRS Plus.  

So if you decide not to offer free shipping, make sure you are doing that because you feel it will increase your sales.  Many buyers actually like the shipping to be included / free shipping.  So I'm just suggesting you review your plans from this viewpoint not having anything to do with TRS discounts.

@extinctbay

Excellent post.

@feelingfroggy

''...the difference is you don't hear from us much as we don't have the time to argue with you all the while you carrot jumpers are complaining.''  Simply not true as is evidenced from many posts from you and many other non TRS members.  We ALL, no matter the selling level, have complained as things arrise.  No one group appears to be louder than another.  No one group is more important than the other.  It is the lack of equality that we all often complain of regarding Ebay.

by: The Not So New Guy

The real issue here that seems lost on everyone is simply this- Are we to believe that the $30 promoted listing has an equal value to the TRS discount we are losing?? I'm quite sure the TRS 10% loss = $100's if not more for many sellers, so replacing my $100 loss with a $30 credit is really a slap in the face. Trying to tell me $30 = $100+ is a second slap in the face. I never much cared whether or not they gave the discount but don't piss on me and tell me it's raining.

by: kazaly

Well as far as I can tell, on the Au site, promoted listings are conspicuous by their absence.
Sellers already seem to be voting with their wallets.

by: val2525

The increased FVF is not to cover the "cost" of running eBay seller promoted ads. It's to replace the income that eBay will be losing by canceling the affliate and click ads. Those things paid money TO eBay, probably as much as eBay made in FVF on sold items.

by: handmedownheaven
Web Site

By promoting our own site on out of area Facebook yard sales, Craigslist and other free venues, our items average over 200 views a day.  Why is it again I pay eBay for views?  my current site cost me nothing to maintain.

by: ySirTinLee

What's wrong with webstore.com? Why don't the x-ebayers like it.  Webstore.com has basically the same set up as ebay with out the fees: Buy it now, auctions, private listings, etc.  

by: spooky

19 years selling on eBay - ship 99% within 1 day. Have TRS status for almost my entire time it was violable. I get no discount as I can not and will not promise 24 hours shipping. Too much stress. Typical event like yesterdays snowstorm delayed shipping 1 day and can not count on eBay ever giving a grace period. So I am happy to not get any discount.

by: RKTOYS

@ySirTinLee
I've wondered that too.  The technical presentation looks far more professional than anywhere else that I've seen.  More than likely the issue is that it's a ghost town.  I had listings that weren't looked at once in years.  Same goes for Bonanza and iOffer, both of which looks slapped together in comparison.

by: cillianred

@FeelingFroggy

You seem to think that non-TRS sellers live busier lives than TRS sellers and if we who are TRS sellers lived busier lives, we wouldn't be able to be TRS.

That's quite a presumption to make, particularly without any basis in fact. Do you have personal knowledge of every TRS seller's life and daily schedule? No? Then please don't assume that TRS sellers don't also live incredibly busy lives because many of us do. We just choose to squeeze the TRS commitment into an already hectic schedule.

by: Marie

@ysirtinlee

I am very happy you found a place where things sell well for you.  For me, I tried Webstore for over a year and I never had one single sale there.  But I'm happy it is working for you.

by: uppercutknives

Feeling Froggy quoted -
Just because one decides to be a hoop - carrot jumper doesn't make one any better than the person who for whatever reason can't jump or choses not to jump through said hoops.

There are thousands of ebays sellers who are great sellers, raising families and paying bills who have decided that babysitting a computer for a discount isn't part of their routines.. These sellers should recieve the same treatment as the so called elite carrot jumpers.

Froggy, so let me understand if I come to your place of employment and perform my dutys halfazzed I should still get the same full pay that you do for going above and beyond to get your items packed extra well out in less than 24 hours with tracking, etc.
If so let me know where I can sit on my azz and watch you work while I collect the same pay you do.

I get those discounts and I work over and above the norm to retain them.

Your statement is invalid. Its called incentive. In sales its called "bennies" or additional "commissions".  

by: The Not So New Guy

Why is everyone so focused one Froggy? Everything he said is pretty much ridiculous and easily disproved, and then ignored, so why do we care?

Here check it out-

by: FeelingFroggy
     
EBAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME OR RETURN TO THE SAME COMPANY OF YEARS AGO.....Neither will Penney's, Sears or Kmart.

---- This statement earns you sleuth of the year award from local detective agencies. What a firm grasp on the obvious.


I guess my real question is,

''What makes anyone think that they are entitled to any discount''

--------- Ummm unless you've been hiding under a rock the answer is eBay does. They stated if people did X, Y, and Z they'd give them a 20% discount. Easy question easy answer.


Just because one decides to be a hoop - carrot jumper doesn't make one any better than the person who for whatever reason can't jump or choses not to jump through said hoops.

---------- Yes! Absolutely! That's what eBay says, and since they offered the carrots, and the hoops they get to decide, and they say YES!


There are thousands of ebays sellers who are great sellers, raising families and paying bills who have decided that babysitting a computer for a discount isn't part of their routines.. These sellers should recieve the same treatment as the so called elite carrot jumpers.

------------ NO! eBay made the rules, eBay offered the carrots and eBay says NO! they do not.

Fact is they don't. There is less crying from them than the carrot jumpers. In fact most are probably quietly smiling.

----------- When one has nothing to lose, one has nothing to cry about. So possibly they are crying less. Quietly smiling? Likely they are because since they can't get the discount anyway they are now happy that those that could are getting less. Because when others are unhappy those types of people feel better. So yes, likely you are right, but that changes nothing.


As far as the cost of Ebay promoted listings. Does one think that the government really spends thousands of dollars for each toilet lid they buy.

--------- Who cares? What does this analogy of pickles have to do with eggs?? Nothing, pretty much like everything else you stated.

In closing, your post only serves to annoy people who are annoyed and get a rise out of them.

For me, I am no carrot jumper, and no hoop jumper. I do happen to get discounts because of how our business is run. My discount has nothing to do with willingness to do anything special. It just so happens that the way we do things gets us a discount. And losing 10% of that discount for no good reason is annoying. It's not going to hurt me one way or the other in any dramatic way. But if eBay wanted people to strive to do better and offer better service than taking away the discount is counterproductive.

For the people who can't get the discounts because of whatever reasons they claim. They're too busy, they're too lazy, they can't see a computer, blah blah blah. They can't ship in less than a week or 5 days or 3 or whatever yada yada yada baloney. Of course they'd be happy as it would possibly mean that eBay search would be equal even for these people, so of course they might be happy and or smile or whatever. But hey get this, it's not gonna happen, they'll still be below in search, and they'll still be penalized in some way and they still won't get even the 10% discount so I hope they smile about that too and laugh quietly.

by: EvilCorpBay

Long time reader..First time commenter! Its a Joke...but true!

Anyhow I can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch...or shall I say read all of you "regulars" bicker back and forth...who is a carrot jumper and who is not...who is pro eBay and who is not...Bla bla bla...on and on week after week!

As an outsider it just dumbfounds me how and why you conduct yourselfs in such a manner.

Rarely do any of you stick to the point or topic and often attack the OP or authors view.

And most of the people who who had anything valuable to add to the conversation are sick and tired of the bickering and seldom post or don't post at all.

You are a community of like minded individuals who have a certain topic in common. In a "true" community different opinions and views are valued and actually make the community better...But like the rest of the world we live in, us humans have lost sight of whats important and focus on whats not! Divided we stand!