EBay Advertising Webinar Now Streaming on YouTube, Sparking Seller Debate on Ad Effectiveness and Costs

eBay sellers now have access to a comprehensive webinar, "2026 Advertising Strategies," originally held on February 19th and now available for viewing on YouTube. Hosted by Kye Mou, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Ads, and Rishi Vora, Senior Product Manager, the session delved into eBay’s advertising solutions, aiming to equip sellers with knowledge to enhance their online store’s visibility and sales. The webinar covered three primary ad solutions: eBay Promoted Listings, Promoted Offsite, and Promoted Stores.

Beyond the official presentation, a review of seller comments from the live webinar’s chat feature reveals a diverse range of opinions and concerns regarding eBay’s advertising strategies. While some sellers have found success, many expressed skepticism about the cost-effectiveness and necessity of paid promotions, with others highlighting specific issues and seeking clearer guidance.

One seller candidly admitted to having no success with advertising, including promoted listings, and hoped the webinar would shed light on the reasons behind their lack of results. This sentiment echoes a broader debate among sellers about the perceived value of eBay’s advertising tools.

Experiences shared by sellers highlight a mixed bag of results. One seller noted, "We have had success with promoted listings but cannot justify the cost without raising prices." To navigate this, another seller adopted a strategy of increasing their item prices by a percentage, allowing them to run sales and accept offers while still achieving their desired profit margins. This approach suggests a creative workaround to the perceived high cost of promotions.

In contrast, some sellers reported significant success. One individual stated, "I actually tried all of the promoted and tried stopping them all – tested all of them and promoted general is best for my one of a kind store – I promote all of my items – definitely worth it for me." This indicates that for certain types of stores, particularly those with unique inventory, broad promotion can be highly beneficial.

The eBay Motors category also saw varied outcomes. A seller shared their findings: "My results in eBay Motors for all the promoted strategy choices are these as of just today: Promoted general – good. Promoted Offsite – VERY good. Promoted priority (pay per click) was a fail. I blew through the $100 credit with hundreds of clicks but not a single sale. Hope this helps you guys!" This specific feedback points to the potential for different ad types to perform exceptionally well or poorly depending on the category and product. Another seller reported substantial growth, stating, "I use the promoted ads and in less than 90 days have seen sales over 11K and listing impressions over 1.3m with a 12% ROA (return)." This demonstrates the significant impact that effective use of promoted ads can have on sales volume and return on advertising spend.

However, a significant portion of sellers expressed dissatisfaction with the requirement to pay for increased visibility. Many feel that their listings should naturally appear in search results when they match a buyer’s query, without the need for additional promotional spending. Comments like, "We never used to have to use ‘tricks’ to get sales. Sure has changed over the many years. So complex now," reflect a feeling of nostalgia for a simpler time and frustration with the current advertising-centric environment.

Several sellers view these paid promotions as an unnecessary expense or a way for eBay to increase its revenue. One expressed, "Just a way to increase the referral fee with window dressing." Another stated, "Buyers should be able to find listings without the promoting money grab by eBay. It did help my sales but, I don’t believe the value equals the cost. It’s ridiculous!" This sentiment is echoed by a seller who believes, "IMO, eBay should promote our inventory organically for free. Not grab money. I have faith in my product & serviceability. No promotions or additional costs needed. 9K items on line."

Concerns about the impact of new promotional policies on sales were also raised. A seller observed, "We all make money when stuff sells. seems odd for the need to add extra promotions to be seen. I have seen a drastic drop in sales since the new promotions took affect. Not sure what the cause is yet, but seems suspicious." The fundamental fairness of search result visibility is questioned by sellers who feel their unique items are being overlooked. "If I have the ONLY one of something, and you won’t show it because I’m not using promotions, how is that fair?" one seller asked. Another elaborated on this point, stating, "The problem is that eBay does not display your listing even though it matches every words a buyer lists – just because your listing is not promoted and that I think is very unfair!!"

A recent change in how eBay attributes sales for Promoted Listings, particularly for general campaigns, has also generated considerable discussion and criticism. eBay updated its policy to attribute a sale if a buyer purchases a promoted item within 30 days of any click on the ad, regardless of whether the buyer clicked the ad themselves. The seller is charged the ad rate at the time of sale. eBay stated this change aims to "simplify campaign reporting" and provide "greater ease-of-use and clarity."

However, many sellers perceive this as a "money grab." One seller voiced their frustration: "My promotion sales went for 15 to 20 percent to almost 85 to 90 percent. The change seems more like a money grab. I have no more sales than before, just less money because of your change. Please explain how this was not a money grab by eBay." Another seller reported, "The new ad change has hurt my store over helping and have increased the clicks on the listings with less sales then before the change." This sentiment suggests that the new attribution model may be leading to higher advertising costs without a corresponding increase in profitable sales. A seller succinctly summarized their disappointment: "Total fail on justifying the new ‘pay for promoted’ if anyone clicked before." Some sellers are actively monitoring traffic reports, noting shifts in promoted click percentages versus promoted sales percentages.

Another point of contention for some sellers is the appearance of other sellers’ listings within their own eBay Stores. "Sellers who are promoting higher are showing up on my store landing page or being told to look at other items while in my store from the moment they come to my page. Someone else’s items are there," one seller complained. This suggests a concern about losing potential customers within their own store due to the visibility of competitor promotions.

On a more positive note, some sellers expressed intrigue regarding eBay’s Rule Based Tool for automated promoted listings, introduced in 2021. One seller commented, "I use general Promoted Listings but have never tried the Rule Based Tool – this is interesting." Another noted, "Rule based tool – I didn’t even know that existed. Thank you for sharing that." This indicates that while some advertising tools may be underutilized or unknown, there is interest in exploring them.

Numerous specific questions were posed by sellers during the webinar, highlighting areas where clarity is still needed. These questions range from the impact of higher promotion rates on search result ranking for less specific matches, to the best strategy for listing items under both general and priority promotions. Sellers also sought concrete information on the cost of selling priority promoted items, asking, "Where can we see the advertising cost per item on Priority promoted?" and "With priority strategy, cpc, how do you know how much you’ll spend on it so it doesn’t wipe out your entire margin on the item?"

The effectiveness of promotions for niche or obscure items was also a concern: "I have obscure items in collectibles and books and have tried to see if items that haven’t had views get some after general promotion. I can’t really be sure it works. But it seems like it should. It’s hard for me to keep track of." Visibility on external search engines like Google was also a priority, with one seller asking, "What is the best way to get listings more visible in Google Search?"

The challenges associated with managing CPC (cost per click) priority ads were also evident. One seller questioned, "Why is that when you set a daily budget for CPC priority ads, it disregards the budget and will sometimes spend 3-4x your budget. I have been charged over $100/day when I set the budget to $25 for a day before. I never tried it again for real of having my money stolen." This points to potential issues with budget control and perceived overspending. The choice between smart targeting and manual targeting for priority campaigns was also a subject of inquiry.

A significant piece of advice from a seller highlighted the importance of listing quality: one seller urged the eBay moderator to share information about the Listing Quality Report, stating, "no one knows this exists," and advising colleagues, "Don’t keep throwing money at your listings, fix them first." A moderator provided a link to the report, which explains how it "provides specific actions you can take to optimize your listings and categories, with the aim of boosting your views, impressions, and sales." This suggests that optimizing listing quality may be a more fundamental step than solely relying on paid promotions.

Toward the end of the webinar, moderators addressed some submitted questions. For instance, a seller asked, "If 5 sellers promote the same item at 12% who will get the top slot?" At minute 51:45, Rishi Vora provided an explanation of eBay’s process and the signals used to determine which promoted listing appears in the top position.

The full webinar presentation, including slides and discussions, is accessible on YouTube, offering eBay sellers a valuable resource for understanding and potentially leveraging the platform’s advertising tools, while also providing a platform for sharing experiences and concerns that shape the ongoing dialogue around online advertising for e-commerce businesses.