Sponsored listing: should I do it?

[MarinetteJewelry]

Hi all,

I put up this new listing and I think it's good because it's on a hot category of items but with a twist.
The problem is that because the category is so competitive, I can only make it to the bottom 4th page, so I get no exposure. So I'm wondering if it would be worth trying the sponsored listings.

Have heard a few people say that they were disappointed by sponsored listings, has anyone had any success with them?

Thanks

[MarinetteJewelry]

No one has ever tried sponsored listings?

[DragonflyHeartJuls]

Sorry, but what is a sponsored listing? And what is a "hot category of items"?

[Former_Member]

Do you mean the showcase? If so, I haven't heard many good things about them. I tried one and it didn't do me any favors.

[Former_Member]

I have tried the Showcase and the Sponsored Ads with my bath & body shop, and I haven't got anything from them. I feel it's a waste of money, I get more sales, favorites, and views promoting on my own.

[Former_Member]

Personally, I ignore the sponsored listings. It's weird, but as a buyer, my reasoning is "Well, if someone has to pay to advertise it to me, then maybe there's a reason that no one is buying that product?" The kicker is that as a seller, I completely see their value and want to do it! Yet every time I click the link to start a sponsored ad, my buyer-half holds me back.

Plus, like Julia said, I haven't heard of it doing anyone any real good in terms of sales.

[Former_Member]

I tried one last month when I first opened. It got views, some hearts, and some shop favorites, but absolutely no sales. I don't think I would do it again.

[HullStreetStudio]

from what I've seen of other people talking about them, it seems the more money you spend and more time you spend getting them right (like right keywords and stuff) the more they do for you. It seems if you spend less than $20 you get diddly squat but if you spend more than that you get a lot from it. Doesn't mean that's perfect or right but just what I've seen. I've never done (nor intend to) them.

[MarinetteJewelry]

Thanks for the feedback.
Yes I meant sponsored ads.
@Julie Singh from julschristine By "hot category of item" I meant sideways crosses. They're in trend right now and tons of people make them, so it's really hard to get some visibility. That's why I thought Sponsored ads might be useful.
But I must say that reading what the others are saying... doesn't make me want to try.

[Former_Member]

I've gotten the same results. Lots of views and favorites but no sales. Its cheaper to just relist your items frequently so they move to the top. That is only $.20 each time as opposed to $7.

[MarinetteJewelry]

Thanks Jessica
Can someone explain to me why relisting an item moves it to the top?
What has that got to do with relevancy?

[Former_Member]

When you browse in a category, it automatically defaults to sort by most recent. Now when you perform a seach, it will go by relevancy, so you want to make sure that the first 3 words in the title of your item are popular search terms.

[HullStreetStudio]

Wanted to add to what Jessica said, when you use search it goes by relevancy and then recency. So if you have two items that are equally relevant the one that has been most recently renewed or posted comes first.

[Former_Member]

I've tried the sponsored ads a few times and really got nothing out of it. Actually if your item is on page 4 that is really not so bad, particularly in a competitive category. Everyone panics when they don't turn up on page one, but most people search at least 5 pages deep (personally I go a far as about 10, sometimes more) when they are really looking for an item. And I've had items found in search that were way buried deep deep down!

Make sure you are using your titles and tags in such a way as to come up in a number of searches - you may not be on the first page in a general search, but in a more specific one (where you have a better chance of connecting with people who are looking for exactly what you have) you may get closer to the top, with less competition.

[MarinetteJewelry]

Thanks for clarifying things about relevancy and recency. That's really important stuff.

[Former_Member]

I have been doing search ads for 5 weeks, I set my limit at $5, most weeks I pay around $4.

I was encouraged the first week as I got a sale from the ads. Which has paid for all the ads to date. But I have receive no sales since. usually 6-8 views a day and some favs. But no other sales.

I may begin renewing instead. Thanks for the info on renewing, I never really got it before.

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

I've tried the Sponsored Ads as a seller and I was disappointed by them. I had only a few views from them and no hearts or sales.

As a buyer I frequently ignore them because they are usually random and mis-categorized (i.e, if I'm searching for a blue vase a sweater may come up). I automatically skip over them at this point.