The general strategy can increase the visibility and awareness of your listings with general access to ad placements, so you can reach more buyers.
When you promote your listings using a general strategy, you only pay when your item sells. The amount you pay is determined by an ad rate, or the percentage of an item's total sale amount (including item price shipping, taxes, and any other applicable fees) that is charged when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad.
Above Standard or Top Rated sellers with enough account activity can promote fixed price listings for most categories.
Using the general campaign strategy
You can promote your listings with the general strategy from the Advertising dashboard, your listing tool, My eBay Active or Seller Hub Active listings. Here's how to get started:
- Navigate to the Seller Hub, click on the Advertising tab.
- Select Create new campaign.
- Choose Promote your listings from the available ad type options.
- Select a General campaign strategy.
- Add listings to your campaign.
- Manually select listings, create a rule for automatic selection, enter item IDs, or upload a CSV
- Determine your ad rate strategy.
- Choose between Dynamic ad rate, which automatically updates your ad rate to our daily suggestion, or Fixed ad rate, which will not change once it’s set
- If you select Fixed ad rate, you’ll set ad rates for the listings in your campaign.
- Enter a Campaign name and set your Start date and End date.
- Launch your campaign.
- At the bottom of the Listing details page in the Promoted Listings section, enable the toggle next to the general campaign strategy.
- Edit your listing’s ad rate and choose to add this listing to an existing campaign or a new campaign.
- Select List item.
To promote your listings with the general strategy using the quick listing tool:
After you create your listing in the quick listing tool, you'll be asked if you want to promote your listing using a dynamic ad rate.
Note: You won't be able to set your own ad rate in the quick listing tool. If you want to set your own rate, you should use the Advertising dashboard.
- Open the dropdown menu beside the listing you want to promote.
- Select Promote.
- Use our dynamic ad rate or, under "Ad rate (%)", set your own rate.
- Select a campaign.
- Select Promote listing.
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.
To promote individual listings with the general strategy from Seller Hub Active Listings:
- Select Edit to open the actions dropdown beside an eligible listing.
- Select Promote.
- Enable the toggle next to the general campaign strategy.
- Select your ad rate strategy: Dynamic ad rate or Fixed ad rate.
- Select an existing campaign or create a new one.
- If you chose Fixed ad rate, set your listing’s ad rate.
- Select Apply.
To stop promoting a listing at any time from Seller Hub Active Listings:
- Select the Actions dropdown menu beside the listing.
- Select Edit promoted listing.
- Disable the toggle next to the campaign strategy you’d like to turn off.
- Select Apply to save your changes.
To promote listings using the general campaign strategy in bulk from Seller Hub Active Listings:
- Check the boxes next to the listings you want to promote, or check the box at the top of your listings to select up to 200 listings at once.
- Select the Sell it faster dropdown above your listings.
- Select Promote your listing and then enable the general campaign strategy.
- Select your ad rate strategy: Dynamic ad rate or Fixed ad rate.
- Select an existing campaign or create a new one.
- If you chose Fixed ad rate, set your listing’s ad rate.
- Select Apply.
Tip
You can monitor the performance of your promoted listings in the Advertising dashboard - opens in new window or tab
Ad rate strategy
An ad rate strategy is the option you can select to determine how your ad rates are managed throughout the duration of your campaign. There are two ad rate strategies you can choose from: fixed or dynamic.
A dynamic bidding strategy will automatically update your ad rates daily to the suggested ad rate. With this strategy, you do not need to make daily, manual updates to keep your ad rates competitive in the marketplace.
Suggested ad rates are calculated based on a variety of factors that may include item attributes, seasonality, past performance, and current competition in order to find an optimal balance between performance and cost.
A fixed ad rate is consistent and will not change once it’s set. You can edit your ad rates any time during your campaign.
General campaign ad fees
You are only charged for items promoted with the general campaign strategy when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad. A click includes any interaction with your ad, for example: add to watchlist, add to cart, quick view, or other interactive functionality. This means you only pay when you sell.
The fee you are charged is based on the ad rate you set for each listing. An ad rate is a percentage of an item's total sale amount (including shipping and any other applicable fees or taxes).
Here's how the fees work:
- You choose an ad rate between 2% - 100% of the item's total sale amount. The higher the ad rate, the higher the possibility of ad placement, leading to increased visibility
- Dynamic ad rates are aligned with the daily suggested ad rate, which is calculated based on a variety of factors such as item attributes, seasonality, past performance and current competition for each of your listings
- You will only be charged when the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad
- The ad fee is based on the ad rate you chose and the total sale amount (including item price, shipping, taxes and any other applicable fees)
- Ad fees are shown in your Payments tab - opens in new window or tab in Seller Hub, or the transactions page in My eBay
Tip
Visit the Seller Center - opens in new window or tab to learn more about promoting your listings with the general strategy.
Monitoring your campaigns
Advertising and Campaign dashboards
Once you have activated a campaign, you can view the performance of all of your Promoted Listings campaigns from the Advertising dashboard - opens in new window or tab.
Your Campaign dashboard let you see listing-level reporting for each individual campaign. While on the Campaign dashboard you can make edits quickly within the context of your performance. To find the Campaign dashboard:
- Go to your Advertising dashboard - opens in new window or tab.
- Click on the campaign name in the Campaign overview section of the page.
On the Campaign dashboard and Advertising dashboard you can monitor:
- Impressions – The number of times your ads have appeared on any eBay site
- Clicks – The number of interactions with your ads, including add to watchlist, add to cart, quick view, or other interactive functionality
- Quantity sold – The number of items purchased within 30 days of a click on your ads
- Sales – Sales revenue generated within 30 days of a click on your ads. Includes item price, shipping, taxes, any other applicable fees, and returned or canceled transactions
- Ad fees – Ad fees incurred by your promoted listings. When using a general strategy, ad fees are incurred by your items sold within 30 days of a click on your ads. When using a priority strategy, ad fees are incurred by clicks on your ads. Visit the Payments tab for final fees, including any applicable taxes or credits
- Sales conversion rate - Quantity sold divided by clicks, multiplied by 100
- Return on ad spend (ROAS) – Your sales, divided by ad fees
- Average cost-per-click (CPC) – Total cost of clicks divided by total clicks
Campaign name, Status, Start and End date, and listings are updated in real time, as those events are happening. Performance metrics are reported in near-real time though they may take up to 72 hours to reconcile.
Downloading and scheduling reports
Downloading reports from the Reports tab
You can also save time by scheduling and downloading reports from the Seller Hub Reports tab by downloading reports at the account level and for multiple campaigns at once.
- Go to Seller Hub Reports - opens in new window or tab.
- Select Download.
- Select Download report.
- Select the following report parameters:
- Source → Advertising
- Campaign strategy → Promoted Listings - General
- Type → Listing
Scheduling reports from the Reports tab
- Go to Seller Hub Reports - opens in new window or tab.
- Select Schedule.
- Select Schedule report.
- Create a download schedule by selecting the following report parameters:
- Source → Advertising
- Campaign strategy → Promoted Listings - General
- Type → Listing
- Frequency → Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
Downloading the sales report
The sales report provides insights into each transaction, including clicks, item specifics, sale type, sale amount, and ad fees. It also helps you see how sales are attributed to each of your campaigns.
Here’s how to get started with the sales report:
- Go to the Advertising dashboard and navigate to the Campaign performance section
- Click the Sales report link to open the download modal
- Select the time period and ad types to include in the report
- Click Generate report, and after processing, click the link to Download the report
Using the sales report
The sales report can help you identify which ad types and strategies contributed to your sales. Attribution varies across different ad solutions. For example, items listed on ebay.de that sell after a click on your general campaign ads will appear as an “Attributed” sale in the “Sales type” column. Items listed on all other eBay sites will be attributed as a “Direct” sale or “Halo” sale in the “Sales type” column. Learn more
General campaign strategy FAQs
What if someone looks at my promoted listing but doesn't buy the item right away?
When the promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on your ad, you will be charged an ad fee.
Am I charged multiple fees if a buyer clicks on my promoted listing multiple times?
No. You are charged the fee that applied when the buyer last clicked on your promoted listing within the 30-day window.
Am I charged multiple fees if a buyer clicks on my promoted listing and purchases the item multiple times (multi-quantity listing) through separate transactions?
Yes. You are charged the fee that applied when the buyer last clicked on your promoted listing within the 30-day window for each purchase.
What fee am I charged if I revise my listing and change the ad rate?
It depends. We define the sale of a promoted item that is different from the item originally featured in the ad that the buyer clicked on as a Halo Item sale. A Direct Sale is when a buyer purchases the same item that was featured in the general ad they originally clicked on within 30 days.
For Halo Item sales, you will only be charged an ad fee if the purchased item is actively promoted with the general strategy in any campaign at the time of the sale, and you will be charged the ad rate of the sold item. For Direct Sales, we measure the 30-day sales attribution window from the click closest to the sale and charge based on the ad rate in effect at the time of that last click.
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.
Learn more about how ebay Advertising attribution works.
What happens if I accept a Best Offer for a promoted item?
If you accept a Best Offer from a buyer who clicked on one of your listings promoted with the general strategy within the last 30 days, you'll be charged an ad fee based on the final total sale amount (including item price, shipping, taxes and any other applicable fees).
If the ad rate displayed for the Best Offer is not your current ad rate, the buyer may have clicked on your ad within the last 30 days prior to you making ad rate edits.
Example: Within the last 30 days, a buyer clicked on an ad that you created with a 15% ad rate. After this click, you updated the ad rate to 8%. When you receive a Best Offer from that buyer, you see a 15% ad rate displayed instead of your current ad rate of 8%. This is due to your ad rate being 15% at the time the buyer clicked on your ad.
The ad rate you're charged may be different than the ad rate displayed for a Best Offer if:
- The buyer clicked on your ad again before purchasing or placed a different offer for the same item. In this case, the ad rate selected closest to the time of sale will be applied
- Your ad was clicked before any ad rate changes were made
- The item being purchased is a Halo Item where the ad rate is based on the settings at the time of the sale
- The buyer purchases a different promoted item of yours
Learn more about how ebay Advertising attribution works.
Where do Promoted Listings ads appear?
Promoted Listings may appear in prominent placements across the eBay network, including the search results page and product pages.
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 off eBay, including search engines, to help drive traffic to your listings when buyers are actively searching and shopping across the internet.
By default, all listings in general campaigns are eligible to appear in external sponsored placements. Those ads may preempt other eBay-funded marketing efforts we may take on your behalf.
If you would like your general ads to appear on eBay only, you can submit a request to opt out of off eBay placements - opens in new window or tab. You can expect to be opted out 7 days after submitting a request. If you would like to opt back in, you can submit a request through the same form above.
You may still see "Promoted Listings sales (via external placements)" in your downloadable reports after you've opted out due to our 30-day attribution window. For example, if a buyer clicked on your promoted listing before you opted out, then returned to purchase your listing after you opted out and within 30 days of that click, you would still be charged the ad rate in effect at the time of the click.
Learn more about how ebay Advertising attribution works.
Can listings be promoted on multiple eBay sites?
To promote listings on another eBay site (e.g. ebay.co.uk), log in to that eBay site and create campaigns using that site's local Promoted Listings tools.
How do I find out how specific listings are performing?
You can view listing-level sales data from your Campaign dashboard to understand how specific items are performing.
Campaign dashboards are currently available for all general campaigns created using simple or bulk listing selection. From your campaign dashboard, you can see detailed listing-level reporting and make edits quickly.
You'll find your campaign dashboard by going to your Advertising dashboard and selecting the campaign name from your campaign grid.
Why is my campaign performance increasing/decreasing even though I haven't made any changes?"
The eBay Marketplace is a dynamic environment. A number of factors can cause an increase or decrease in your Promoted Listings, 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 CPC bids)
- Third parties, such as a brand manufacturer, choosing to start or stop promoting certain items
- General platform improvements, quality thresholds, and routine testing
What are the available selections in the condition filter?
There are eight selections from the Condition filter when adding listings to your campaigns. See the below groupings to see the item conditions that are included within these consolidated selections.
- “New" including:
- New
- New with tags
- New with box
- Brand new
- Digital good
- "New other" including
- New other (see details) / open box
- New without tags
- New without box
- New other (see details)
- New - open box
- New with defects
- Certified refurbished
- Excellent - refurbished
- Very good - refurbished
- Good - refurbished
- "Seller Refurbished" including:
- Seller refurbished
- Remanufactured
- Retread
- Certified pre-owned
- "Used" including:
- Used
- Pre-owned
- Like new
- Graded
- Very good
- Good
- Acceptable
- For parts or not working
- Damaged
- Ungraded
How does using a rule to select listings work with listings that have variations in pricing?
When using rules to select listings, we consider the prices of all variations. If any of these prices fall outside the selected price range, the listing will be excluded, even if there are variations that meet the set criteria available.
For example, if you have a listing with three different prices for three different colors ($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 happens to my Promoted Listings when I relist an item?
When you relist an item, whether manually or automatically, the Promoted Listings status is carried over to the new listing. This means your item will continue to be promoted without any additional action required from you.
What should I do if I want to manually relist an item with Promoted Listings?
When you manually relist an item, the relist experience will retain the Promoted Listings setup. You can adjust or turn off the Promoted Listings during the relist flow if you wish to make changes.
Can I adjust the Promoted Listings settings for a relisted item?
Yes, you have the flexibility to adjust or turn off Promoted Listings through the relist flow. This applies to both automatic and manual relisting processes.
What if I don't want my auction listing to be promoted after it is automatically relisted?
If you do not wish for your auction listing to continue being promoted after an automatic relist, you will need to manually adjust the Promoted Listings settings and turn it off during the relist flow.