eBay Promoted Listings puts your items higher in search results. You pay only when someone buys (Standard) or when they click (Advanced). The question isn't whether ads work—they do—but whether they're worth it for your specific products.
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This guide breaks down both ad types, shows you exactly what you'll pay, and helps you decide which listings deserve your ad budget.
Quick answer: What are Promoted Listings?
Promoted Listings is eBay's advertising system. When you promote a listing, it appears in sponsored placements—above or alongside organic search results, on product pages, and in eBay's daily deals sections.
Two options:
| Feature | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Payment model | % of sale price | Cost per click |
| When you pay | Only if item sells | Every click |
| Keyword control | None | Full control |
| Minimum spend | None | $1/day budget |
| Best for | General visibility | Targeted campaigns |
Most sellers start with Standard because there's no upfront cost—you only pay when you make a sale.
How Promoted Listings Standard works
Standard is eBay's "set and forget" advertising option. You choose an ad rate percentage, and eBay shows your listing to more buyers. If someone clicks your promoted listing and purchases within 30 days, you pay that percentage on top of your regular fees.
Setting your ad rate
Ad rates typically range from 2% to 20% depending on category competition. eBay suggests a rate based on what other sellers in your category are bidding.
When you create a campaign, you'll see:
- Suggested rate: What eBay recommends based on category data
- Trending rate: What's currently competitive in your specific category
- Your rate: What you choose to pay (can be higher or lower)
Higher rates generally mean more impressions, but they also cut into your profit margin.
Typical ad rates by category
| Category | Suggested Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | 2-5% | Lower margins, lower rates |
| Clothing & Accessories | 4-10% | Highly competitive |
| Home & Garden | 3-7% | Varies by subcategory |
| Collectibles | 5-12% | Competition for rare items |
| Jewelry & Watches | 4-8% | Higher-value items |
| Sporting Goods | 3-6% | Seasonal variation |
| Toys & Hobbies | 4-8% | Spikes during holidays |
These are starting points. Your optimal rate depends on your margins and how competitive your specific products are.
The 30-day attribution window
Here's where costs can add up. eBay's attribution model credits the ad if:
- A buyer clicks your promoted listing
- That buyer—OR any buyer—purchases the item within 30 days
- You pay the ad rate on that sale
The "any buyer" part is crucial. If 10 people click your ad and a different buyer purchases organically, you still pay the ad fee. eBay attributes the sale to the last click, regardless of who actually bought.
Example:
- Your vintage jacket is promoted at 8%
- 15 buyers click the ad over 2 weeks
- A buyer who never clicked the ad purchases for $100
- You pay $8 in ad fees (plus regular eBay fees)
This is by design. eBay argues that ad visibility creates awareness that leads to sales, even if the purchaser didn't click directly.
How Promoted Listings Advanced works
Advanced gives you more control but requires more management. You bid on keywords, set daily budgets, and pay per click—whether or not the buyer purchases.
Key differences from Standard
| Aspect | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | % of sale | Per click |
| Risk | None (only pay on sale) | Clicks cost money |
| Control | Ad rate only | Keywords, budgets, bids |
| Placement | Across eBay | Top search positions |
| Management | Set and forget | Active optimization |
Setting up Advanced campaigns
- Create a campaign in Seller Hub > Marketing > Promoted Listings
- Select listings to include
- Choose keywords you want to bid on
- Set your bids per keyword (minimum varies by category)
- Set daily budget (minimum $1/day)
Advanced campaigns require keyword research. Think about what buyers search when looking for your product. Use eBay's keyword suggestions as a starting point.
Understanding CPC bidding
Cost-per-click (CPC) means you pay every time someone clicks your ad. Typical CPCs range from $0.10 to $2.00+ depending on keyword competition.
Example costs:
- "Nike Air Max" might cost $0.50-$1.00 per click
- "vintage running shoes size 10" might cost $0.15-$0.30
- Long-tail keywords generally cost less but have lower volume
Your actual CPC depends on:
- How many sellers bid on that keyword
- The relevance of your listing to the keyword
- Your bid amount relative to competitors
Exclusive top placement (2026)
Starting January 2026, Advanced campaigns get exclusive access to the top ad slot in search results. Standard campaigns can no longer appear in this premium position.
This makes Advanced more valuable for competitive categories where being in the top slot significantly impacts clicks.
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When to use Standard vs. Advanced
Use Standard when:
- Testing the waters — No risk if items don't sell
- Broad visibility — You want exposure across eBay, not just search
- Passive selling — You don't have time for active campaign management
- High-margin items — The ad rate won't eat your profit
- Proven sellers — Items that already convert well organically
Use Advanced when:
- Competitive keywords — You need top placement to compete
- Specific targeting — You know exactly what buyers search
- Active management — You can monitor and adjust campaigns
- Testing keywords — You want data on what search terms perform
- Seasonal pushes — You need aggressive visibility for a limited time
Many sellers use both: Standard for general catalog visibility, Advanced for top performers or seasonal pushes.
Calculating your ROI
Not every promoted listing makes sense. Before promoting, calculate whether the ad cost leaves you with acceptable profit.
ROI formula for Standard
ROI = (Sale Price - Product Cost - eBay Fees - Ad Fee - Shipping) / Ad Fee × 100
Example:
- Sale price: $50
- Product cost: $15
- eBay fees (~14%): $7
- Ad rate (5%): $2.50
- Shipping cost: $8
- Profit: $17.50
- ROI on ad spend: $17.50 / $2.50 × 100 = 700%
A 700% ROI means you made $7 for every $1 spent on advertising. That's excellent.
ROI formula for Advanced
Advanced is trickier because you pay for clicks, not sales.
ROI = (Total Revenue - Total Costs) / Ad Spend × 100
Where Total Costs = Product Cost + eBay Fees + Shipping + Click Costs
Example (10 clicks at $0.30 = $3 ad spend, 1 sale):
- Sale price: $50
- Product cost: $15
- eBay fees: $7
- Shipping: $8
- Ad spend: $3
- Profit: $17
- ROI: $17 / $3 × 100 = 567%
What's a good ROI?
| ROI | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 300%+ | Excellent — scale this campaign |
| 100-300% | Good — maintain current rates |
| 50-100% | Marginal — consider lowering ad rate |
| Below 50% | Poor — pause and evaluate |
Anything above 100% means you're making more than you're spending on ads. Below 100% means ads cost more than the profit they generate.
Which listings to promote
Not every listing deserves ad spend. Promote strategically.
Best candidates for promotion
High-margin items — You have room to absorb ad costs
- Items with 40%+ gross margin
- Products where your cost is low relative to selling price
- Handmade or unique items with pricing power
Proven sellers — Items that already convert well
- Best sellers from your past 90 days
- Items with strong view-to-sale ratios
- Products with good reviews or sales history
Competitive categories — Organic visibility is limited
- Categories with many similar listings
- Commodity products where standing out is hard
- Seasonal items during peak buying periods
New listings — Need initial visibility
- Just-listed items without sales history
- New product lines you're testing
- Restocked popular items
Listings to skip
Low-margin items — Ad costs eat your profit
- Items already priced thin due to competition
- Clearance inventory you're trying to move
- Products with high shipping costs relative to price
One-of-a-kind items — Organic search may be sufficient
- Rare collectibles with few competitors
- Vintage items that are truly unique
- Art or antiques where buyers search specifically
Poor-performing listings — Ads won't fix fundamental problems
- Items with low click-through rates organically
- Listings with incomplete photos or item specifics
- Overpriced items that don't convert
Example decision matrix:
| Item | Margin | Competition | Organic Sales | Promote? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vintage Nike shoes | 60% | High | Low | Yes (Standard 5-8%) |
| iPhone charger | 15% | Very high | Medium | No (margin too thin) |
| Handmade jewelry | 70% | Medium | Medium | Yes (Standard 4-6%) |
| Rare vinyl record | 50% | Low | High | No (sells organically) |
| Generic phone case | 20% | Very high | Low | No (ads won't help) |
Optimal ad rate strategy
Starting point: eBay's suggested rate
eBay's suggested rate is based on what's competitive in your category. Start here, then adjust based on data.
Week 1-2: Set at suggested rate to gather baseline data Week 3-4: Analyze impressions, clicks, and sales Week 5+: Adjust based on performance
When to increase your rate
- Impressions are low despite good listing quality
- Competitors are outbidding you for visibility
- You have margin to spare and want more volume
- Seasonal demand is peaking
When to decrease your rate
- You're getting impressions and sales at current rate
- ROI is dropping below your target
- Competition has decreased
- You want to maintain visibility while improving margins
Category-specific recommendations
Electronics (2-4%): Low margins mean lower rates. Focus on volume.
Clothing (5-10%): Highly competitive. Start at suggested, increase for branded items.
Collectibles (6-12%): Buyers search specifically. Higher rates for rare items worth it.
Home & Garden (3-6%): Broad category. Test rates by subcategory.
Jewelry (4-8%): Higher-value items can support higher rates. Watch ROI closely.
Monitoring and optimization
Key metrics to track
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Impressions | How often your ad is shown |
| Clicks | How many buyers clicked |
| CTR (Click-through rate) | Clicks / Impressions — is your listing appealing? |
| Sales | How many ad-attributed sales |
| Conversion rate | Sales / Clicks — are clickers buying? |
| Ad spend | Total cost of promotion |
| ROAS (Return on ad spend) | Revenue / Ad Spend |
Weekly optimization routine
- Check ROAS — Is each campaign profitable?
- Review by listing — Pause low performers, increase rates on winners
- Check ad rates — Are suggested rates changing in your category?
- Seasonal adjustments — Increase before holidays, decrease after
When to pause campaigns
- ROAS drops below 100% for 2+ weeks
- Inventory is running low
- Listing has quality issues (returns, negative feedback)
- Better opportunities exist for ad budget
Promoted Listings and the Cassini algorithm
Promoted Listings operate separately from eBay's organic search algorithm (Cassini). Your ad placement is based on your bid/rate, while organic placement depends on relevance, seller metrics, and listing quality.
Key point: Promoting a listing doesn't improve its organic ranking. If you stop promoting, your organic position returns to where it was.
However, sales from promoted listings do count toward your item's sales velocity. More sales—regardless of source—can indirectly help organic visibility by demonstrating demand.
For organic ranking optimization, see our Cassini algorithm guide.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Promoting unoptimized listings
Ads bring traffic, but bad listings don't convert. Before promoting:
- Complete all item specifics
- Use high-quality photos (1600px+, white background)
- Write keyword-rich titles (see our title optimization guide)
- Price competitively
2. Setting and forgetting
Even Standard campaigns need periodic review. Ad rates that worked last month may be too high or too low this month.
3. Ignoring attribution costs
The 30-day attribution window means you pay for sales even when the buyer didn't click your ad. Factor this into your rate calculations.
4. Promoting low-margin items
A 5% ad rate on a 10% margin product leaves you with almost nothing. Know your numbers before promoting.
5. Expecting ads to fix broken listings
If a listing doesn't sell organically, ads won't magically fix it. Address quality issues first.
Promoted Listings vs. Offsite Ads
eBay also offers Offsite Ads, which promote your listings on external sites like Google and Facebook. Key differences:
| Feature | Promoted Listings | Offsite Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Where ads appear | On eBay | Google, Facebook, etc. |
| Fee | 2-20% (you set) | 12% of sale |
| Control | You choose listings | eBay chooses |
| Opt-out | Yes | Yes (unless $10k+ seller) |
Offsite Ads are a separate program. You can use both, one, or neither.
FAQ
How much do Promoted Listings cost?
Standard costs 2-20% of the sale price—you set the rate. Advanced costs $0.10-$2.00+ per click depending on keyword competition, plus a minimum $1/day budget.
Are Promoted Listings worth it?
For high-margin items in competitive categories, yes. For low-margin items or unique products with little competition, often no. Calculate your ROI before committing.
Can I promote auction listings?
Yes, but Standard only. Advanced campaigns are for fixed-price listings only.
How long until I see results?
Promoted listings appear almost immediately after campaign activation. However, meaningful data requires 7-14 days to accumulate enough impressions and clicks.
Does promoting improve my organic ranking?
No. Promoted and organic rankings are separate. However, sales from promotions do count toward sales velocity, which can indirectly help organic visibility.
What happens if I lower my ad rate?
Lower rates may result in fewer impressions. eBay prioritizes sellers willing to pay more. Test gradually—drop by 1-2% and monitor impact.
Can I promote all my listings at once?
Yes. You can create campaigns that include your entire inventory. However, this isn't always smart—some listings don't benefit from promotion.
Next steps
- Audit your listings — Identify high-margin, high-competition items worth promoting
- Calculate your margins — Know your eBay fees before setting ad rates
- Start with Standard — Test at suggested rates for 2 weeks
- Track ROI weekly — Pause underperformers, scale winners
- Optimize listings first — Use our title optimization guide and Cassini guide to improve quality before spending on ads
For AI-powered listing optimization, try our eBay Listing Generator to create conversion-ready titles and descriptions.
Generate optimized eBay titles
Create keyword-packed 80-character titles that rank in Cassini search.
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