Dear Ina,
Although sellers already pay listing fees and store fees with a reasonable expectation that their "items" will be seen, eBay charges for "promoted" listings. And, these promoted listings are shown in the middle of other sellers' listings, before their description, taking the buyer away from your listing. It can become a price war with a race to the bottom with promoted listings.
The big question. Has anyone considered the fact that it costs eBay virtually nothing to provide "advertising" for their sellers on their own web site?
Other than an employee to program (or find the best Wordpress plugin) the html code to enable the promoted listings feature, there is no reoccurring hard cost. The promoted listing fee is pure profit for eBay.
The idea in a recent post that the reduced TRS discount will "help fund the $30 credit for the Promoted Listings campaign to be given Top Rated Sellers" is disgusting.
There is no re-occurring cost to "advertise" on a web site you own! eBay is in control and it is pure, greedy profit. (No outside advertising costs for in-house advertising).
Why then, are sellers expected to give up their TRS discount to fund a "credit" for other sellers for an expense doesn't really exist?
eBay gouges sellers (yes, while begging sellers to support the cause to fight higher USPS shipping costs) and yet they twist and spin the truth of their own greedy grabs for more profit.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting,
A recent x-eBayer who wishes another company would buyout eBay and go back to its roots of promoting unique sellers and products in a fair and reasonable manner.
S.