eBay: We’re updating our Promoted Listings program

[Chrominator]

eBay's message:

"Items listed and promoted with a general strategy will use the following attribution definition when reporting sales and charging ad fees:

An attributed sale will be when any buyer purchases the promoted item within 30 days of any click on the ad.
The item must be promoted at the time of click and the time of sale.
The seller will be charged the ad rate at the time of sale."

Not really sure what the parameters were before, but glad to know what's what now.

[prospectorgems]

So what I am getting from it and maybe I am wrong is that when any potential interested person clicks on a promoted listing, whether they buy it or not, it automatically triggers the promo fee for the actual buyer even if they didn't click on a promoted listing.

Granted I do always assume that all my sales that are promoted will have a promo fee but there have been a lot of times where that promo fee does not apply because the ebay buyer actually searches for items and does not click on the promoted auction.

If this is true, FU ebay and your damn greed!

[thenightman]

I wonder if ending the listing, after the promo has ended, and reposting under “sell similar” if that will be a proper work around.

[prospectorgems]

Originally Posted by thenightman

I wonder if ending the listing, after the promo has ended, and reposting under “sell similar” if that will be a proper work around.

Per my understanding how promo's work today, doing the sell similar doesn't work to reset that 30-day promo fee. I think the only way to get around it would be to do a completely new listing but when a store has over 10K promoted listings that's not feasible.

[rwperu34]

Originally Posted by prospectorgems

Per my understanding how promo's work today, doing the sell similar doesn't work to reset that 30-day promo fee. I think the only way to get around it would be to do a completely new listing but when a store has over 10K promoted listings that's not feasible.

I would think sell similar does work because the item gets a new item #. Getting that new item # is the whole point of sell similar.

[prospectorgems]

Originally Posted by rwperu34

I would think sell similar does work because the item gets a new item #. Getting that new item # is the whole point of sell similar.

Yes, you are right. I stand corrected. Thank you

[rubendn]

Originally Posted by prospectorgems

So what I am getting from it and maybe I am wrong is that when any potential interested person clicks on a promoted listing, whether they buy it or not, it automatically triggers the promo fee for the actual buyer even if they didn't click on a promoted listing.

Granted I do always assume that all my sales that are promoted will have a promo fee but there have been a lot of times where that promo fee does not apply because the ebay buyer actually searches for items and does not click on the promoted auction.

If this is true, FU ebay and your damn greed!

From what I saw from a big eBay seller, this is correct.

If anyone clicks on the promoted listing and it sells to someone else who didn't click on the promoted link, you will be charged.

It's so preposterous that you would think that there is no way this could be real but it looks like it is.

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by prospectorgems

So what I am getting from it and maybe I am wrong is that when any potential interested person clicks on a promoted listing, whether they buy it or not, it automatically triggers the promo fee for the actual buyer even if they didn't click on a promoted listing.

I'm not sure this is true from how I read it.

But, in the end, it doesn't even matter be it's all just words until they show us the metrics or whatever

[thenightman]

Per Grok:

What if one buyer clicks on the ad, doesn't buy, and a different buyer buys the item without clicking on the ad? Will I be charged a fee then?

YES — under the new rules starting January 13, 2026, you will be charged the ad fee in that exact scenario.Let’s break it down clearly.Scenario You DescribedBuyer A clicks your General campaign ad for Item X → does NOT buy.
Buyer B (a different person) never clicks the ad but buys Item X within 30 days.
Item X is actively promoted at the time of the click and at the time of sale.

CURRENT Rules (until Jan 12, 2026)→ NO fee. Only the same buyer who clicked can trigger a Direct sale.
Halo requires the buyer to buy a different item in an active campaign.
Buyer B never clicked → no attribution → no fee.

NEW Rules (from Jan 13, 2026) – Attributed Sale→ YES, you ARE charged.
Here’s why:“eBay will report an Attributed sale when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the ad that was clicked on by any buyer in the most recent 30 days.”
Any buyer’s click in the last 30 days “unlocks” attribution for that exact item.
As long as Item X is promoted at click AND at sale, anyone who buys it within 30 days triggers the fee.
Fee = ad rate at time of sale.

Example: Day
Event
Day 1
Buyer A clicks ad for Item X (rate 6%)
Day 10
Buyer B buys Item X (rate now 7%) – never clicked ad
Result
Attributed sale → You pay 7% of sale price

Why This Change?eBay is treating one click = one 30-day “promotion credit” for that specific item.

Even if the buyer didn’t click, eBay says: “This sale happened because someone engaged with your ad — so you pay.”

Bolded: Grok got a sense of humor.

[Chrominator]

Originally Posted by thenightman

Per Grok:

What if one buyer clicks on the ad, doesn't buy, and a different buyer buys the item without clicking on the ad? Will I be charged a fee then?

YES — under the new rules starting January 13, 2026, you will be charged the ad fee in that exact scenario.Let’s break it down clearly.Scenario You DescribedBuyer A clicks your General campaign ad for Item X → does NOT buy.
Buyer B (a different person) never clicks the ad but buys Item X within 30 days.
Item X is actively promoted at the time of the click and at the time of sale.

CURRENT Rules (until Jan 12, 2026)→ NO fee. Only the same buyer who clicked can trigger a Direct sale.
Halo requires the buyer to buy a different item in an active campaign.
Buyer B never clicked → no attribution → no fee.

NEW Rules (from Jan 13, 2026) – Attributed Sale→ YES, you ARE charged.
Here’s why:“eBay will report an Attributed sale when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the ad that was clicked on by any buyer in the most recent 30 days.”
Any buyer’s click in the last 30 days “unlocks” attribution for that exact item.
As long as Item X is promoted at click AND at sale, anyone who buys it within 30 days triggers the fee.
Fee = ad rate at time of sale.

Example: Day
Event
Day 1
Buyer A clicks ad for Item X (rate 6%)
Day 10
Buyer B buys Item X (rate now 7%) – never clicked ad
Result
Attributed sale → You pay 7% of sale price

Why This Change?eBay is treating one click = one 30-day “promotion credit” for that specific item.

Even if the buyer didn’t click, eBay says: “This sale happened because someone engaged with your ad — so you pay.”

Bolded: Grok got a sense of humor.

Who's Grok? Is this real?

[rwperu34]

Originally Posted by rubendn

From what I saw from a big eBay seller, this is correct.

If anyone clicks on the promoted listing and it sells to someone else who didn't click on the promoted link, you will be charged.

It's so preposterous that you would think that there is no way this could be real but it looks like it is.

Pretty soon it's going to be, "If anyone clicks on a promoted listing, any time any other buyer buys any other listed item for the rest of time you will be charged the ad fee".

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by Chrominator

Who's Grok? Is this real?

It's X's AI.

[frenchquarter]

Originally Posted by thenightman

Per Grok:

What if one buyer clicks on the ad, doesn't buy, and a different buyer buys the item without clicking on the ad? Will I be charged a fee then?

YES — under the new rules starting January 13, 2026, you will be charged the ad fee in that exact scenario.Let’s break it down clearly.Scenario You DescribedBuyer A clicks your General campaign ad for Item X → does NOT buy.
Buyer B (a different person) never clicks the ad but buys Item X within 30 days.
Item X is actively promoted at the time of the click and at the time of sale.

CURRENT Rules (until Jan 12, 2026)→ NO fee. Only the same buyer who clicked can trigger a Direct sale.
Halo requires the buyer to buy a different item in an active campaign.
Buyer B never clicked → no attribution → no fee.

NEW Rules (from Jan 13, 2026) – Attributed Sale→ YES, you ARE charged.
Here’s why:“eBay will report an Attributed sale when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the ad that was clicked on by any buyer in the most recent 30 days.”
Any buyer’s click in the last 30 days “unlocks” attribution for that exact item.
As long as Item X is promoted at click AND at sale, anyone who buys it within 30 days triggers the fee.
Fee = ad rate at time of sale.

Example: Day
Event
Day 1
Buyer A clicks ad for Item X (rate 6%)
Day 10
Buyer B buys Item X (rate now 7%) – never clicked ad
Result
Attributed sale → You pay 7% of sale price

Why This Change?eBay is treating one click = one 30-day “promotion credit” for that specific item.

Even if the buyer didn’t click, eBay says: “This sale happened because someone engaged with your ad — so you pay.”

Bolded: Grok got a sense of humor.

This is exactly the meaning that I got from the message. It will cost us sellers more money in the long run with that 30 day rule in place.

[Baraka]

What eBay takes already is enough.

[JeffG1954]

If enough sellers stop promoting maybe they will get the message that this is a bad idea.

[waytoomanycards]

I'll just be more thoughtful in how I use it. It seems to make the most difference with lower end cards of popular players. Up until now, I've used it for everything, even cards/slabs where there weren't many listed. Won't do that going forward.

[paparoke]

So we're getting charged if someone other than the buyer clicks on the promoted listing within the past person, but doesn't have to be the person buying it? Honestly, that just seems illegal to make a policy like that.

[Blazed]

Originally Posted by rubendn

From what I saw from a big eBay seller, this is correct.

If anyone clicks on the promoted listing and it sells to someone else who didn't click on the promoted link, you will be charged.

It's so preposterous that you would think that there is no way this could be real but it looks like it is.

Got to increase the bottom line to appease the shareholders and hit/exceed analysts targets

Scummy way to do it, but people will still use the promoted listing feature so smart move on eBays side

[gmoney328]

Reason 647 to find other platforms to sell on.

[boxbuster7]

"we're going to take more of your money for doing nothing"

[bloodwings19]

Don't click on the Promoted Listings. What a scam, I sold a card around $450 with fees it came to $375 then Promoted Listings it went down to $325. Luckily, it was canceled by the buyer.

[prospectorgems]

Originally Posted by JeffG1954

If enough sellers stop promoting maybe they will get the message that this is a bad idea.

The issue is however is that higher volume sellers have to use promotions because how ebay hides so many listings otherwise. Unless a person is relisting their cards every week to refresh them, promotions unfortunately have to be used. We have tried to reduce promo fees or even taking cards completely off promos and our sales significantly dropped. Unless it is a HOT card/product that many people are seeking out, promos have become a necessity unfortunately.

We have seen our sales grow exponentially since using promos. Obviously promos affect the profit margin, but we keep extensive track of all our items and just assume it will sell at the highest promo rate. Sometimes we will get lucky and cards will sell without a promo and we will rejoice! With this new policy that ebay is enforcing in January have to go back to assuming everything will sell at the highest promo rate. For our inventory it doesn't really affect us, but just knowing that we will probably never have another sale without that extra promo fee anymore is a let down.

I think with sellers that deal with mostly modern or high end cards, they probably don't need to promo any items. For sellers that have a fair mix of cards in sports, non-sports and tcg, especially for older items, promos are a must. Unless a seller hates money or likes to sit on their inventory for an extended period of time, they can avoid promos.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely HATE promos and I HATE how it affects the overall bottom line. Unfortunately the way ebay is structured, a seller just doesn't have a choice unless they have product that sells quickly and unfortunately due to the implementation of the new policy, ebay knows this and can gut us even more.

Is there other avenues to sell for lower fees? Absolutely. Are you going to get the highest sale though, probably not. For those that work full time jobs (me and my business partner do) we don't have the time to mess around with trying to sell our inventory on other platforms.

Sorry for the long read, but for anyone to just say to not use promos, doesn't fully understand the entire scope of how ebay works, again more so depending on the type of product you have for sale.

[prospectorgems]

Originally Posted by bloodwings19

Don't click on the Promoted Listings. What a scam, I sold a card around $450 with fees it came to $375 then Promoted Listings it went down to $325. Luckily, it was canceled by the buyer.

I always wonder if some buyers click on the promoted listings on purpose as they know the seller will get gutted with that extra fee. Unfortunately I don't think a lot of people truly understand how to search ebay and ebay of course I am sure created that structure for those people so they can get more fees from the sellers.

As a buyer myself, I will always stay away from clicking on promoted listings. If I am interested in that card I am confident I can find the non-promoted listing from the seller.

[newcokeandtaco]

In depth article about the coming changes.
https://www.valueaddedresource.net/e...s-canada-2026/
TLDR basic summary from the article:
"These attribution changes are just the latest desperate move eBay has made to increase ad revenue without providing additional value to sellers."

[rwperu34]

Originally Posted by prospectorgems

The issue is however is that higher volume sellers have to use promotions because how ebay hides so many listings otherwise. Unless a person is relisting their cards every week to refresh them, promotions unfortunately have to be used. We have tried to reduce promo fees or even taking cards completely off promos and our sales significantly dropped. Unless it is a HOT card/product that many people are seeking out, promos have become a necessity unfortunately.

We have seen our sales grow exponentially since using promos. Obviously promos affect the profit margin, but we keep extensive track of all our items and just assume it will sell at the highest promo rate. Sometimes we will get lucky and cards will sell without a promo and we will rejoice! With this new policy that ebay is enforcing in January have to go back to assuming everything will sell at the highest promo rate. For our inventory it doesn't really affect us, but just knowing that we will probably never have another sale without that extra promo fee anymore is a let down.

I think with sellers that deal with mostly modern or high end cards, they probably don't need to promo any items. For sellers that have a fair mix of cards in sports, non-sports and tcg, especially for older items, promos are a must. Unless a seller hates money or likes to sit on their inventory for an extended period of time, they can avoid promos.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely HATE promos and I HATE how it affects the overall bottom line. Unfortunately the way ebay is structured, a seller just doesn't have a choice unless they have product that sells quickly and unfortunately due to the implementation of the new policy, ebay knows this and can gut us even more.

Is there other avenues to sell for lower fees? Absolutely. Are you going to get the highest sale though, probably not. For those that work full time jobs (me and my business partner do) we don't have the time to mess around with trying to sell our inventory on other platforms.

Sorry for the long read, but for anyone to just say to not use promos, doesn't fully understand the entire scope of how ebay works, again more so depending on the type of product you have for sale.

Even refreshing weekly with modern, which is what I do, promotions are a neccecity.

I actually think the solution might be to just refresh more often, if you can. Last year at peak I was doing 200 a night, which had me refreshing every 7-10 days. Right now at the slow time I'm doing 100 a night, which is roughly 7-8 days. With 11,000 free listings, I can do 360 a day. Gotta account for newly listed items, but I could increase to 300 a day with ease if I wanted to.

The downside of refreshing more often is SIO. eBay inexplicably went to 4 days for the offer, and for some reason you can't send out a second offer so long as there is an offer out. The offers on Days 5-7 (ie the second offer) are the valuable one's, because they typically have more interested buyers that get the offer. I suppose one solution to this would be to only send offers every other day to allow watchers to build, but that will still result in a slowdown of sales. We're between a rock and and another rock on this one.