Last month, eBay improved both listing and searching capabilities. Although these have obvious benefits for buyers — helping consumers find products that better meet their needs — the announcements are equally exciting for sellers, who now have new opportunities to increase their sales.
Search Improvements
The first of the two changes, announced April 11, allows buyers to utilize a greater range of search terms. Shoppers will now be able to use identifiers including GTIN, UPC, EAN, ISBN, and MPN. As a seller, this is good news if any of your merchandise features such codes, as you’ll gain greater visibility in searches. Update al your current listings to reflect these changes for an immediate impact on your sales.
In addition to this amendment, the site is also adapting how eBay item numbers work. Now, results pages will be limited to active items only. If you want to find items that are no longer active, search using their item number and choose an option in the Completed Listings menu on the left-hand side of your screen. You can filter to show returns accepted, completed listings, and sold listings. Alternatively, you can find inactive items through My eBay or using items’ direct URLs.
New Categories
In a more recent change, eBay has added seven new categories to its promoted listings service. Promoted listings present active shoppers with ads for multi-quantity items. These ads appear on the most viewed areas of the site, such as the first page of search results. Buyers select an ad rate of between 1 and 20 percent of the final sales price — but you only pay if someone purchases an item after clicking the ad. You can use promoted listings for up to one third of your inventory and for up to 500 products in a single listing.
The previous categories available for promoted listings were:
- Health & Beauty
- Musical Instruments & Gear
- Toys & Hobbies
- Home & Garden
- Baby
- Sporting Goods
- Jewelry & Watches
- Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
- Cameras & Photo
- Video Games & Consoles
- Computers/Tablets & Networking
- Consumer Electronics
- Cell Phones & Accessories
eBay has now added to the list:
- Antiques
- Collectibles
- Dolls & Bears
- Pottery & Glass
- Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop
- Stamps
- Travel
This is great news for sellers with a large amount of merchandise in these categories.
If you are a seller on eBay, staying up to date with the latest changes will allow you to adapt your product listings and selling practices to optimize sales. Hear about opportunities before other sellers by following eBay announcements.
