Are You Promoting Other Sellers on Your eBay Listing?
Filed Under How-To's, Sellers' Insights | 3 Comments
A letter to AuctionBytes a few weeks ago warning sellers that eBay was displaying links to my competitors’ auctions on my listings had me concerned. I immediately tubed up my listings and was relieved when I found that this issue was apparently not impacting me.
It wasn’t until I wanted to make a quick check on my listing description from my work that I discovered that eBay conveniently does not display competitors listings to me (on my auctions) when I’m logged in. Here’s what the bottom of the listing I PAID FOR looks like after I’ve logged out:
Pretty sneaky if you ask me. I’m always logged in when I look at my listings.
How to Stop Promoting Your Competitors
To opt-out of this click on My eBay and log in if prompted.
Click on the on the “Account” tab and select “Marketing Tools” from the menu that appears.
Next, click “Promote Similar Items” from the menu on the left and opt out.
In subdued text, eBay tries to subliminally inform the seller the gravity of their decision:
By declining this option:
- You’ll be missing out on reaching thousands of eBay buyers who are interested in items like yours
- Your items will only be displayed on pages and emails directly related to your listings
- Items from other sellers will not be displayed on your listings and emails related to your items
Of course eBay wants you to think you are missing out on cross-promoting your items on other seller’s listings, but read the fine print:
Items are chosen based on popularity–the items in the same category most watched by buyers.
So, unless your listings is one of the five most watched items in your category, you’re really not getting any additional exposure are you?
Of course, if your listing does garner a lot of watchers, it would be prudent to opt back in to this program. Until then, count me out.
Review: The Best Match Formula
Filed Under Best Match, Reviews | Leave a Comment
The Best Match Formula
By: “J.M.”
Published: 2009
57 Pages
It’s difficult to keep up with the pace of the internet’s changes in traditional media. That’s one of the reasons why I have a minor addiction to eBooks. It’s one of my main strategies for staying, not only current, but a step ahead of those sellers who compete with me on eBay. I’ve bought scores of them, sifting through the stuff I know (some of it actually originating from my published work) looking for that one idea that I haven’t thought or heard of in order to help me keep my edge. The Best Match Formula is one of those eBooks.