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Promoted Listings — FAQs

General FAQs

What is Promoted Listings Standard?

Promoted Listings Standard puts your merchandise in front of more buyers when they’re actively searching and shopping on the eBay network, increasing item visibility and helping to improve the likelihood of a sale. There are over 60 different placements across the eBay network where your promoted listings could surface. Prominent examples include the search results page and sponsored modules on view item pages.

Which sellers are eligible for Promoted Listings Standard?

Promoted Listings Standard is available to Above Standard and Top Rated sellers with enough account activity.

What listings are eligible for Promoted Listings Standard?

Sellers can promote fixed price listings for most categories except Wholesale & Job Lots, Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles, Events Tickets, Property, E-Cigarettes, Vapes & Accs and Everything Else categories. Auction and Auction Buy It Now listings are not eligible at this time. When you create a Promoted Listings Standard campaign, only listings that are eligible for the service will appear in your selection view.

Your listing can be promoted on every eBay site where you offer postage. For example, if on your listing you offer postage to the US, your listing is eligible to be promoted on the US site.

How much does Promoted Listings Standard cost?

A Promoted Listings Standard fee is charged based on the ad rate selected by the seller.

Ad rate is the percentage of an item’s total sale amount (including item price, postage and any other applicable fees) that you’re willing to spend when a buyer clicks on one of your Standard ads and then purchases any of your Promoted Listings Standard items within 30 days of the click. The ad fee will be calculated based on whether the item is a Direct sale or a Halo item sale.

For a Direct sale, the ad fee will be charged when a buyer purchases the item from a Standard ad that they clicked on within 30 days, even if the item is no longer participating in Standard ads at the time of the sale. The ad fee will be based on the ad rate in effect at the time of the click.

For a Halo item sale, the ad fee will be charged when a buyer purchases a promoted item other than the Standard ad item they clicked on within 30 days, as long as the purchased item is in an active Standard campaign at the time of sale. The ad fee will be based on the ad rate for the item sold at the time of sale.

The Promoted Listings Standard fee is additional to other eBay listing and selling fees. Your local VAT rate may also be added to your ad fee. All fees appear in your Payments tab or on your monthly eBay invoice.

Please note that we usually recognise the buyer when they are logged in across devices. However, in some cases, buyers may not be logged in when they click on your ad. In those cases, we utilise internal models and signals across accounts and devices to link clicks to purchases of your promoted items.

Why should I use Promoted Listings Standard when my items are already well positioned in Search?

If your items are well positioned in Search, Promoted Listings Standard can boost your listings to higher slots. Your promoted listing will show in Search only when the boost from your ad rate is enough to achieve a higher placement than your organic listing would have.

Promoted Listings Standard also boosts your items' visibility across the eBay network, not just in Search. Promoted listings can appear in 60+ placements, including on view item pages, the checkout page and more.

Am I eligible for Promoted Listings Standard credit? How do I redeem it?

Each month, Featured Shop subscribers receive a £10 credit and Anchor Shop subscribers receive a £20 credit.

To be eligible for the credits, you must:

  • Be a Featured or Anchor Shop subscriber
  • Have a valid eBay registration address in the UK. Sellers using My eBay can verify their registration address at My eBay > My Account > Addresses > Registration address.
  • Launch a Promoted Listings Standard campaign and sell item(s) through Promoted Listings Standard.
  • Pay your monthly invoice after eBay bills you for items sold.
    • Note: When eBay is managing payments for your account, final value fees are automatically deducted from your earnings before you get paid out to your bank account. We have also started deducting other selling fees, including Promoted Listings Standard fees, from earnings before payout for some sellers. We’ll be implementing this new process gradually in phases. You’ll receive a notice before we make this change to your account.
  • After that, eBay will issue your monthly credit up to the amount used toward your total account funds or on your next monthly invoice and note any remaining Promoted Listings Standard credit balance. Credits will appear in the expenses section of your Payments tab or in the "Miscellaneous Credits" section of your invoice. The description will tell you which month and quarter the credit is for. Example: If you're a Featured Shop subscriber and spend £10 on Promoted Listings Standard in April, you'll be charged £10 in April and receive up to a £10 credit in May (example based on a £10 monthly Promoted Listings Standard credit for Featured Shop subscribers).
  • The credit does not roll over each month. Example: If you spend £5 in April, this doesn't mean you have £15 to spend in May. You'll only have £10 to spend in May.
  • Note: Promotions and credits are subject to change.

Is Promoted Listings Standard available via third-party listing tools?

Promoted Listings Standard is available through some third-party listing tools. Please contact your third-party tool provider to learn more and get started.

Can I use Promoted Listings Standard via the eBay Merchant Integration platform?

Yes, you can use Promoted Listings Standard via the eBay Merchant Integration Platform under the Marketing Management section. The first step is to upload your listings feed in the “Promoted Listings eligibility” section to determine which listings are eligible for Promoted Listings Standard. Once you have your eligible listings, upload the feed in the “Promoted Listings” section and include the ad rate you want to set, the campaign name and the Promoted Listings action. You can also return the suggested ad rate for your listings within this section.

For more information visit the Merchant Integration Platform User Guide.

What does a promoted listing look like?

Promoted Listings include relevant information from your listing, including your primary photo, price, format etc. Any changes you make to your listing are automatically reflected. Sample ad:

Promoted listing look

Where do Promoted Listings Standard ads appear?

Promoted Listings Standard ads may appear throughout the eBay network, including desktop and mobile search results, and product pages. Placement and ranking are influenced by a variety of factors, including ad rate, quality, relevancy, and competing listings.

How does eBay decide which Promoted Listings are showing in which placements?

Placement and ranking are influenced by a variety of factors, including ad rate, quality, relevancy and competing listings. Just having a high ad rate doesn't necessarily guarantee you a prominent placement, as eBay has strong quality and relevancy measures in place to ensure a good buyer experience. 

It's important that you also optimise your listings for Best Match to give them the best chance of performing in Promoted Listings Standard.

Can the same promoted listing appear in more than one placement on the same set of search results?

No. An individual listing will only appear once in the same set of search results. If your listing is promoted, it will either appear as a promoted listing or an organic listing.

Can the same promoted listing appear in more than one placement on the same view item page?

Your item may appear in more than one sponsored placement on the same view item page.

Do my promoted listings appear internationally?

Your promoted listings may appear anywhere your listing is eligible for sale.

Can I use Promoted Listings Standard in combination with Promotions Manager and/or Best Offer?

Yes. You can promote any eligible listing that has a Promotions Manager offer or a Best Offer on it.

If you use Promotions Manager to offer a markdown sale event, the markdown sale event price change will appear in your promoted listing. If you offer Best Offer, your promoted listing will show the Best Offer label (see example listing below).

Note: Ad fees are based on the final sale price. This includes the final price accepted as a Best Offer.

Combination promoted listings with promotion manager

Can a third party promote a listing that I'm also promoting?

Yes. A third party can promote your listing at the same time you are promoting it. This can help increase the likelihood that it will appear prominently. For example, a major shoe brand may choose to promote eBay listings featuring its shoe products.

Note: Your ad rate will be based on your own campaign settings, and third-party promoters will be charged separately.

Will ad blockers block my promoted listings?

Ad blockers generally are intended to block intrusive ads (like pop-ups) that disrupt the user experience. We have designed our Promoted Listings Standard ads to align natively with our site experience, and most ad blockers do not block that sort of non-intrusive content. However, there are a host of ad blockers on the market, and each maintains its own user settings and policies distinguishing between intrusive ads and acceptable native content. Currently, our data suggests that promoted listings are being blocked for less than 2% of traffic. Like other marketplaces and social networks, we are constantly evaluating our user experience and our advertising programs, including the impact of ad blocker software on the content we make available.

What is the eBay network?

The eBay network is a group of sites where your promoted listings could be featured, including eBay and partner sites across the internet.

Your promoted listings may appear in sponsored placements externally, including search engines, to help drive traffic to your listings when buyers are actively searching and shopping across the internet.

Campaign management

How do I promote my listings?

There are multiple ways you can promote your items:

  1. Using the "Sell it Faster" option when creating a new listing in Seller Hub:

    Image of campaign manager sell it faster

  2. Active Listings page in Seller Hub

    1. Filter your listings by Promoted Listings eligibility.

    2. Check suggested ad rates from a customisable Promoted Listings column.

    3. Select all listings or a group of listings to promote in bulk. You can also select single listings to promote individually.

    Image of campaign manager active listings page

  3. Promoted Listings Campaign Manager, under "Marketing" in Seller Hub

    1. Simple listing selection

      1. Set your ad rate.

      2. Select the listings you'd like to promote.

      3. Review and launch your campaign.

      Image of campaign manager promoted listings

    2. Bulk listing selection

      1. Download a .csv file with your eligible listings and suggested ad rates. You can also upload your own .csv file, just be sure to note the format required for a successful upload.

      2. Modify and upload the file.

      3. Review and launch your campaign.

      Image of campaign manager uploading in bulk

    3. Creating rules (automated campaigns)

      1. Use filters to create your rules.
      2. Choose your ad rate strategy.
      3. Review the rules you’ve set and launch your campaign.
  4. Through using our Merchant Integration Platform:

    1. Upload your listings feed in the "Promoted Listings eligibility" section to determine which listings are eligible for Promoted Listings.

    2. Upload the feed in the "Promoted Listings" section and include the ad rate you want to set, the campaign name and the Promoted Listings action.

    For more information visit the Merchant Integration Platform User Guide.

  5. Using third-party listing tools:

    1. Check with your third-party tool provider.

  6. By setting up your own API access:

    1. Register for the eBay Developers Programme.

    2. Create an eBay Developer Programme account and read best practices.

    3. Read the Marketing API Overview and Marketing API Technical Reference.

    4. Build integration and Terms & Conditions acceptance flow.

    5. Test and launch.

  7. Promoted Listings in My eBay - Active:

    1. Open the dropdown menu beside the listing you want to promote.

    2. Select Promote listing.

    3. Use our suggested ad rate or, under "Ad rate (%)", set your own rate.

    4. Select a campaign.

    5. Select Promote listing now.

    6. You can also edit or stop promoting a promoted listing in My eBay Active. From the dropdown menu beside the promoted listing, select Edit promoted listing. You'll then have the option to Update promoted listing or Stop promoting.

    Screenshot of My eBay: Active listing

    Screenshot of adding rate to promote listing

My listing has sold or ended. Will the associated promoted listing automatically stop displaying?

Promoted Listings Standard does not show listings that are not active—whether sold, expired, or ended. If an item was previously promoted and has sold, expired or ended and you ‘Sell Similar’ or relist that item, it will be automatically promoted and inherit its previous Promoted Listings Standard settings.

Note: Multi-quantity Good ‘Til Cancelled listings remain promoted until removed from their campaigns.

How do I edit or delete my Promoted Listings Standard campaigns?

Editing a campaign

You can edit the end date on the dashboard by moving your cursor over the field and typing in the revised date.

To edit name, listings, or ad rate:

  1. If you used the "Simple listing selection" option to create your Promoted Listings Standard campaign:
    1. Click the campaign name from your campaign grid to go to your campaign dashboard.
    2. From there, you can update your campaign's name, listings, and ad rate strategy.
  2. If you used the “Bulk listing selection" option to create your Promoted Listings Standard campaign:
    1. Click the campaign name from your campaign grid to go to your campaign dashboard.
    2. From there, you can update your campaign's name, listings, and ad rate strategy.

    Note: Editing listings will still be via .csv upload. Large files may take up to an hour for the changes to be reflected.

  3. If you used the “Automated” option to create an automated campaign:
    1. Click the “Edit” link next to the campaign you wish to edit.
    2. From here, you can edit your ad rate strategy only.
    3. If you want to edit your listing rules, please end your campaign and create a new one with your desired rule.

To edit listings and/or ad rate in Active Listings:

  1. For an individual listing:
    1. Click on "Edit promoted listing" either in the actions or Promoted Listings column.
    2. Adjust the ad rate in the pop up screen or click "stop promoting" to stop promoting the selected listing

      Image of promoted listings

      Image of promoted listings

  2. For multiple selected listings:
    1. Click the check box for the listings you want to edit
    2. Click "Edit selected" in the "Edit" dropdown
    3. Select all listings and click "Edit promoted listings"
    4. Adjust the ad rate for all selected listings or click "Do not promote listings" to stop promoting the selected listings

      Image of promoted listings

      Image of promoted listings

      Image of promoted listings

Deleting a campaign

Only a campaign that has ended can be deleted. If your campaign is active or paused you may not be able to delete the campaign.

In order to end a campaign, click “Actions” next to the campaign you wish to end and choose “End” from the dropdown.

Note: It may take a couple of minutes for the campaign to end. Once the status of the campaign(s) changes to “Ending,” check the box next to the campaign(s) you wish to delete and click “Delete.”

Edits to active campaigns generally take effect the same day. Edits to non-active campaigns take effect when you resume the campaign.

What are "Recommended Listings"?

Recommended listings are those with the highest potential to benefit from being promoted, due to the marketplace trends like buyer demand and the competition in the item’s category. eBay recommends that you promote those listings first, although you can still promote any of your eligible listings for greater visibility.

How do I know what listings to promote?

There are no right or wrong answers regarding which listings you should promote, but as a good first step we suggest promoting our recommended listings which can be found in the Promoted Listings Campaign Manager.

Quick filter

Other suggestions include:

  • Increasing sales velocity for your best selling items. These listings are most likely to appear in prominent Promoted Listings placements.
  • Promoting items that are discounted through Promotions Manager to further drive velocity.
  • Increasing visibility for new / hard to sell items. It's important to ensure that these listings are optimised for Best Match before you promote to have the best chance of increasing sales.

My Promoted Listings campaign's performance has been increasing (or decreasing) recently even though I didn't make any changes to my campaign. Why is this happening?

The eBay Marketplace is a dynamic environment. A number of factors can cause an increase or decrease in your Promoted Listings Standard visibility, clicks, or sales. They include:

  • Buyer traffic or demand for a certain item
  • Seasonality
  • Changes to the competitive landscape (e.g., other sellers start or stop promoting items in the same category and/or make significant changes to their ad rates)
  • Third parties, such as a brand manufacturer, choosing to start or stop promoting certain items
  • General platform improvements and quality thresholds

If you observe any unusual activity, please contact eBay customer service through “Help & Contact” or via the “Give us feedback” option in the campaign manager.

How do automated campaigns work?

Create a rule for your inventory using filters, choose your ad rate strategy, and launch your campaign. 

After launch, we'll regularly assess your new, revised, or newly eligible listings to see if any should be added or removed from your campaign according to the rules you set. If there are, we will add or remove them automatically on a daily basis. 

If you choose to automate your ad rates, we'll automatically adjust each listing at their daily suggested ad rate.

Note: Listings that are already promoted are not considered eligible.

How do I create a rule for my inventory in an automated campaign?

Use the filters provided to choose which eligible listings you want to promote. Review which listings your rule currently applies to by clicking the "View details" button in the summary box.

What are automated suggested ad rates?

If you choose to automate your ad rates, we'll automatically adjust each listing to their daily suggested ad rate after you launch your campaign. 

Suggested ad rates may change as your performance, competition, and the marketplace changes. We check for updates daily.

Note: Automated suggested ad rates are currently only available within automated campaigns.

Will active promoted listings that meet my automated campaign rules be pulled into my automated campaign?

No. Automated campaigns will only promote eligible listings that meet the criteria you set. Listings that are already promoted are not considered eligible.

When I’m using automated campaigns, how do the variations of item conditions map to the available selections in the condition filter?

There are four selections from the Condition filter in automated campaigns: New, Certified Refurbished, Seller Refurbished, and Used. See the below groupings to see the item conditions that are included within these four consolidated selections. 

“New" grouping:

  • New
  • New other (see details)
  • New - open box
  • New with defects
  • New with tags
  • New without tags
  • New with box
  • New without box
  • Brand new

"Certified Refurbished" grouping:

  • Manufacturer refurbished

"Seller Refurbished" grouping:

  • Seller refurbished
  • Remanufactured

"Used" grouping:

  • Used
  • Used - like new
  • Used - very good
  • Used - good
  • Used - acceptable
  • Used - fair
  • Pre-owned
  • For parts or not working

How do automated campaigns work with listings that have variations in pricing?

If you use the price filter to select your listings, we will use the lowest price of your variations to determine if it should be included.

Example: You have a listing with three different prices for three different colours (£8, £10, £12). You set your price range filter as £10 - £100. This listing would not be included because the lowest price for the listing (£8) does not meet your price range criteria (£10 - £100).

What is a campaign dashboard and how do I get there?

Your campaign dashboard lets you see detailed listing-level reporting and make edits quickly within context of your performance.

Campaign dashboards are currently available for all Standard campaigns created using simple or bulk listing selection. Automated campaigns don't have a campaign dashboard at this time.

To get there, go to your advertising dashboard and click on the campaign name from your campaign grid.

Performance & billing

How can I see whether my Promoted Listings Standard campaign is working? Where can I see performance data for my Promoted Listings Standard campaigns?

Review your advertising dashboard frequently to keep track of your sales and campaign performance. The Dashboard includes metrics such as:

  • Impressions. The number of times your promoted listings are served on any eBay site.
  • Clicks. The number of interactions with your ad.
  • Sold. The number of Promoted Listings Standard items purchased within 30 days of a click on your Standard ads.
  • Ad fees. The total amount of advertising fees incurred by items sold within 30 days of a click on your promoted listings.
  • Sales. The amount of total sales generated by promoted items sold within 30 days of a click on your promoted listings.
  • CTR. Click-through rate. Clicks divided by Impressions. The CTR is the percentage of times buyers were served your ad and clicked on it.
  • Sales conversion rate. Quantity sold divided by clicks. The sales conversion rate is the percentage of promoted listings that are purchased after the buyer has clicked on them.
  • Average sold ad rate. Ad fees divided by Sales. This number represents the average ad rate for items sold within 30 days of a click on your promoted listings.

Image of promoted listings performance 1

Use the advanced insights on your advertising dashboard to gain a deeper understanding of your performance. Advanced insights include features such as:

  • Comparative data. Compare last month’s performance to your current performance using the comparative data underneath each Summary metric. When changing the time period, the comparative data will change accordingly.
  • Organic data. Compare your promoted listings with your organic performance for items in Promoted Listings campaigns. Here, you'll be able to see organic data for impressions, clicks, and sales.

Your Advertising dashboard also provides detailed item-level data for your daily sales tracking needs. Click on Sales Reports to see information such as:

  • Items sold. The number of items sold within 30 days of a click on your promoted listing.
  • Date sold. The date when the item was sold through Promoted Listings Standard.
  • Quantity sold. The number of promoted items purchased within 30 days of a click on your promoted listings.
  • Sold amount. The sales amount from the items sold.
  • Ad fees. The fee based on the ad rate set for your items.
  • Sale type. The transaction category name can be a Direct or Halo item sale. A Direct sale is when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the Standard ad they originally clicked on. A Halo item sale is when a buyer clicks on a Standard ad for one item, but ultimately purchases a different promoted item.

Review performance metrics, such as impressions, clicks, ad fees, etc., in near real time. Or track listing-level sales data from your campaign dashboard. You can also download the data to an Excel file for further analysis.

Your campaign dashboard also provides detailed item level data for your optimization needs. Click on the campaign name from your campaign grid to monitor listing-level performance including these new metrics:

  • Trending values. See how your listing's performance is doing over time.

You also have the ability to download data onto a .csv file to further analyse your campaigns. Additional performance metrics that we provide include:

  • Return on ad spend. Sales divided by Fees. This number represents the ratio of advertising revenue to costs. For every £1 spent on Promoted Listings fees, the ROAS represents the amount that you're getting back in sales via Promoted Listings.
    • For example, if your ROAS is 3.45, you're earning £3.45 per £1 spent.
  • Click-through rate.
    • Clicks divided by Impressions. This number represents the ratio of clicks to impressions. The CTR is the percentage of buyers who clicked on your promoted listings after being served them for the time period you’ve selected.
    • Advertisers generally aim to keep CTR constant or set a goal of raising it. Use this figure to measure how well your listings are convincing potential buyers to click on them.
  • Sales conversion rate.
    • Quantity sold divided by clicks. The sales conversion rate is the percentage of promoted listings that are purchased after the buyer has clicked on them.
    • Advertisers generally aim to keep SCR constant or set a goal of raising it. Use this figure to measure how well your listing pages are converting potential buyers.
  • Cost of sales.
    • Fees divided by sales. This number represents the ratio of advertising costs to sales revenue. For every £1 generated in sales via Promoted Listings, the Cost of Sales figure represents the percentage you’re spending on advertising fees.
    • Use this figure to measure how your ad fees factor into your overall margins.
  • Promoted Listings Standard Contribution.
    • Promoted Listings Standard - This number represents the items sold via Promoted Listings Standard as a percentage of the total items sold.
    • Use this figure to determine the percentage of total sales you’re driving via Promoted Listings Standard.

How do I get the most out of my Promoted Listings Standard campaign?

Firstly we recommend following eBay's listing best practices to help ensure your listings are high quality and attractive to buyers:

  • Categorise your listings properly.
  • Include relevant keywords in titles.
  • Price items competitively.
  • Use high quality photos with clear backgrounds.

Once you've followed eBay's listing best practices, to get the most out of your Promoted Listings Standard campaign ensure that you:

  • Use the "Recommended items" option when selecting listings to promote when possible.
  • Promote best-selling items to further increase visibility in placements across eBay.
  • Consider bidding at or slightly above the suggested ad rate to stay competitive.
  • Utilise your Promoted Listings Standard campaign dashboard to monitor and optimise performance.
  • Set up enticing offers such as Markdowns or Best Offer, and consider promoting them to help maximise visibility and sales.
  • Promote relevant listings during seasonal events.
  • Re-promote listings as you relist items on eBay.

I don't see my ads when I search on eBay – is there anything wrong with my campaign?

Your listings will appear across a number of related search queries and there is varying competition for each query. This competition is continually changing and thus it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly where your promoted listing is being shown in search.

Search is not the only place you'll get visibility, as your promoted listing can appear elsewhere, including sponsored modules on relevant view item pages, checkout pages; and throughout the eBay network. The best way to determine the performance of your campaign is to check your Promoted Listings Standard reporting and see whether you're generating impressions, clicks and sales.

Do I pay the Promoted Listings Standard ad fee if a buyer finds my listing via non-sponsored search results?

In some cases. The Promoted Listings Standard ad fee is charged only when a buyer clicks on one of your Standard ads and then purchases any of your Promoted Listings Standard items within 30 days of that click.

Can Promoted Listings Standard affect the performance and ranking of my organic (non-promoted) listings in Search?

They could. When sorting listings, our Best Match algorithm considers a variety of factors, including:

  • How closely the listing matches the buyer's search terms
  • How popular the item is
  • The price of the item
  • The quality of the listing – description, photos and so on
  • How complete the listing is
  • The listing terms of service, such as your return policy and dispatch time
  • Your track record as a seller

Many of the factors listed above are based on historical performance metrics, which can be impacted by your Promoted Listings Standard campaign performance over time.

How can I see the ad fees I am being charged for Promoted Listings Standard and the ad fee credits for returned or cancelled items?

Both your ad fees and ad fee credits for returns or cancelled transactions appear in your Payments tab or on your eBay invoice.

Promoted Listings Standard fees appear in the transactions section of your Payments tab, netted directly from your total funds, or in the Account Summary section of your invoice. The itemised details (such as Item title, sold to, sale price, ad rate, and ad fee) will appear in the transactions section of your Payments tab or further below on your invoice.

Promoted Listings Standard credits for returned items and cancelled transactions are reflected in the transactions section of your Payments tab or on your invoice as well, along with the itemised details (such as date, title, itemID, fee type, and amount).

Please note that if you issue a partial refund for an item that sold via Promoted Listings Standard, your Standard ad fee will be credited at the same rate as your partial refund. For example, if you refund a buyer 50% of the item price, you’ll also get a 50% credit on the associated Standard ad fee.

What ad rate am I charged if a buyer clicks multiple times on my Promoted Listings, and I've changed the ad rate during that period?

You are in control of setting the ad rates for your Promoted Listings Standard campaigns. For items in an active Standard campaign, you will only pay the ad rate you selected for the listings at the time that they sell.

There are two ways an ad rate will be charged on listings that are active in the Promoted Listings Standard programme: as a Direct sale or a Halo item sale. A Direct sale is when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the Standard ad they originally clicked on within 30 days. A Halo item sale is when a promoted item, different from the item originally featured in the ad the buyer clicked on, is purchased within 30 days of the original click.

For Direct sales, we measure the 30-day sales attribution window from the click closest to the sale, and charge the ad rate in effect at the time of that last click.

For Halo item sales, you will only be charged an ad fee if the purchased item is in an active Promoted Listings Standard campaign at the time of the sale, and you will be charged the ad rate of the sold item.

The ad fee for Halo item sales will be calculated based on the ad rate in effect for the sold item at the time of the sale.

Direct sale example 1: A buyer clicks your item before you revise the ad rate and purchases it after your revision.

When a buyer clicks on your promoted listing before you revise the ad rate but purchases the item after it has been revised, you will be charged the original ad rate before you revised it.

Direct sale example 2: A buyer clicks and purchases your item after you revise the ad rate.

When a buyer clicks on your promoted listing after you revise your ad rate and purchases the item, you will be charged the updated ad rate that is active at the time of the sale.

Note: Both examples assume the purchase occurred during the 30-day attribution window. The ad rate doesn’t apply after expiration of that window.

My campaign's performance has been increasing (or decreasing) recently even though I did not make any changes to my campaign. Why is this happening?

The eBay Marketplace is a dynamic environment. A number of factors can cause a fluctuation in your Promoted Listings impressions, clicks or sales. They include:

  • Recent changes to ad rate
  • Recent additions or removals of listings in a campaign
  • Changes in organic search rank for promoted listings (e.g. boost from Promoted Listings Standard sales increases overall organic sales)
  • Changes to the competitive landscape (e.g. other sellers start or stop promoting items in the same category and/or make significant changes to their ad rates)
  • Your ad rate is below the 2% minimum
  • Buyer traffic or demand for a certain item
  • Seasonality
  • Third parties, such as a brand manufacturer, choosing to start or stop promoting certain items
  • Issues with your account (e.g., high claim rates, breaches of eBay's third party fulfilment policy, VeRO violations)
  • General platform improvements, quality thresholds, or eligibility changes

How can I better understand my Promoted Listings Standard campaign performance?

The best way to understand your Promoted Listings Standard campaign performance is twofold. First, create benchmarks from current performance data to understand where you're starting from. Second, use your benchmarks to set goals for your Promoted Listings Standard campaigns that make sense for you and your business.

Some of the metrics to keep an eye on are your click-through rate (CTR), sales conversion rate, and average sold ad rate. Those will give you insight into the overall health of your Promoted Listings Standard campaigns – namely, they can tell you where you can work to improve your performance.

You can also track listing-level sales data from your campaign dashboard to better understand how specific items are performing. This is helpful if you are looking to optimise your campaigns on a listing-level.

For example, if your CTR unexpectedly drops, it can be a signal that you're receiving the same volume of impressions, but something has stopped buyers from clicking through to your listing pages. That would indicate that key buyer signals like price, postage and seller rating may have recently changed and is having a negative impact on your CTR.

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