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About Us 2007 is when I began creating niche stores. Many kind and giving people shared their knowledge with me, making it easier to improve my sites. I have gathered much of what I've learned and put it here, on this site, as a way of giving back. It is my hope that this site will help you improve your niche stores and sites, too. ~ Rochelle
eBay has Slapped Me One Too Many Times
Posted by
Rochelle in 
Up until now, I have put up with all the crap that eBay has dealt its affiliates. But, no more. I am officially done with eBay.
Why? Because my earnings for the past week have been a big fat goose egg. Even though I am sending highly targeted traffic their way, eBay is feeling the need to pay me $0.00 per click across the board.
This topic has been discussed ad nauseam on many other sites, so I won’t do so now. The bottom line is, if eBay doesn’t think my traffic is worth even a stinking little penny per click, then I don’t think they are worth my sending them any. This week I will be working on removing all eBay links from all my sites, which includes two BANS sites that I will now shut down or convert to something else. The only thing that will make me reconsider is if eBay woos me with wine and roses. Somehow, I don’t see that happening.
What a shame that the powers that be in eBay think so little of us affiliates.
How about you? Have you checked your eBay earnings lately? If so, are you actually earning anything for your efforts? Are you sticking with them or sending traffic elsewhere?
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17 Responses to “eBay has Slapped Me One Too Many Times”
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I’m just about there with you in leaving Ebay for something that actually pays. I’m frustrated with the fact that the same kind of traffic that I sent them last month, for which they paid nicely for, they decide this month it’s ZERO. Of course they don’t provide any good reason for doing so…except to say that you need to send highly engaged traffic. IMO I think its more of a BS way of saying, “We’ll pay you when we decide to”
Hey Rochelle,
Sorry to hear things are not going so great for you.
Like you, we have been tweaking and testing for the past 4 months trying to get our heads around QCP. I believe you should stick at it. I’d try changing things up a bit. We’ve found that by simply reformatting how we display listings, our EPC jumped significantly ie: Something as simple as showing items ending soonest.
Another thing I’ve noticed is the smoothing effect. If you can drive significant traffic to your listings and KEEP driving the same volume each day slowly increasing, this has a wonderful effect on the “historical” part of the algo.
It can be incredibly annoying seeing $0.00 EPC especially when EPN can give us NOTHING on what’s causing it.
As I said, try switching things up and see how you get on. If you need some help, let me know, I’ll be delighted to help. If you plan on selling your sites, give me a shout too.
.-= Dave Davis´s last blog ..Geo Target Your Way To A Higher CTR & Quality Score =-.
Dave,
Your advice is good. Unfortunately, I am already doing those things, and my earnings are tanking instead of growing.
I’ve never sold a site before, so I have no idea how to go about that, but I will consider the possibility of selling my two BANS sites.
Rochelle
Rochelle –
I guess its just a matter of time before eBay realizes just HOW BADLY they have hurt their program and ultimately, their image!
I DO still have a few sites feeding them almost-free traffic but they are few and far between now.
On the bright side – MANY places LOVE the traffic we send them!
.-= Mark – Niche Store Builder´s last blog ..Collecta Live Search Widget for Your Website! =-.
Mark,
So true. I am HAPPY to send traffic to Amazon, CJ.com, etc.. As the old saying goes (modified slightly), eBay isn’t the only date in town.
Rochelle
I’ve been getting “0.00″ a few days in a row every once in a while myself. Very frustrating! One of my new year’s resolutions is to dive into these sites and make changes to profitable destinations.
I no longer use Bans and switched to PHPBay Pro about a year ago. eBay actual sales have been awful on average, and then they started to pay for clicks. I haven’t had time to read all of the stuff regarding this “new” gimmick, but they have been paying me every day at the rate of .14 per click. I don’t know whether this is good or bad??? Does this new pay per click mean that if someone goes on my site and clicks through and doesn’t bid or purchase what I’m promoting, but instead drifts off some where else and buys, I don’t get a commission, only the per click fee?? Quite frankly I have no idea what kind of traffic I’m sending, too busy to look. I can tell you though, if I see any clicks not paid for, I’m gone as well.
.-= Gust´s last blog ..It’s About Time You Checked Out This Magnificent WAL7120 Tarantino Pendulum Seth Thomas Wall Clock! =-.
Hi Rochelle,
I only have 1 site that is still performing on Ebay. Earnings seem to be going up slightly every day, but I have no idea why! I haven’t touched this site for ages, the only thing I can see that has changed is that it now has a higher PR in Google. Surely PR doesn’t play a part in their algorythm.
I am building all new sites to push mostly Amazon, but I don’t realy like the 24 hour cookie they drop.
dave…
.-= Dave Pickett´s last blog ..Bond Electric Antique Bronze Tabletop Patio Heater =-.
Hi Rochelle,
I don’t blame you, why bother with an affiliate program which doesn’t bother with you. I have never understood how eBay feel justified in paying affiliates nothing for traffic they send. I don’t know where they get off.
The blog posts they publish are garbage and it’s very clear they only approve comments which appear positive. After all how many comments did you see approved on their last publisher spotlight example. They never publish negative comments, never deal with peoples concerns and continue to boast about their multiple awards. They used to call it….. propaganda!
Ben
.-= Ben´s last blog ..A Couple Of Useful Plugins To Assist Your WordPress Site Build =-.
LOL – Ben, you are SO RIGHT about selective comment approval!
I wrote a LONG and DETAILED comment to them after the post about the cars…grand site post. Never did they publish it.
I did however get 2 phone calls and 3 emails from three separate eBay company employees, asking if they could help me clear up any questions about why they posted it.
LOL
.-= Mark – Niche Store Builder´s last blog ..Collecta Live Search Widget for Your Website! =-.
Your not the only one Mark, I also wrote a long and detailed “reply” or rant, I can’t remember which
, needless to say that didn’t get published either.
Well at least if you got phone calls they are at least taking notice of the fact some people aren’t happy with what they are doing.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..A Couple Of Useful Plugins To Assist Your WordPress Site Build =-.
Have you seen the latest changes… coming in April? Fee increases for “Auction” type listings… will result in almost DOUBLING of fees, and will ONLY affect people who dont sell in bulk and focus on the auction listings.
Its BAD man… people are leaving in droves, again!
I don’t want to spam Rochelle’s comments with a link – but if you head to my twitter page @markhansen, its the latest rant.
.-= Mark – Niche Store Builder´s last blog ..Collecta Live Search Widget for Your Website! =-.
Just taken a look at it, what with that and their introduction of click forensics in ePN they are really starting to take the biscuit.
Not 100% sure what they are trying to achieve, but then I’m sure they don’t know any more either.
This comes from putting people in control over processes and systems which they don’t understand or fully appreciate, I’ve been there and worked under many people like that in the past, hence I don’t work for them any longer.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..A Couple Of Useful Plugins To Assist Your WordPress Site Build =-.
@ Dave – Amazon has proved to be a really great affiliate program. Although their inventory isn’t as broad as eBay (at least not for used items), they have a wonderful selection of new stuff. They have a great reputation as a place for purchasing from. I have not found the cookie to be a problem. If you build your site in such a way that people are ready to buy once they get to your site, you will find that your conversion is pretty good.
@ Ben – You just nailed it!
@ Mark – Don’t worry about placing your links on my blog!! Go right ahead (now or in the future).
Rochelle
Hi Rochelle,
Just caught this post you made way back. I applied for an ebay account 4 days ago. They couldnt even be bothered to respond..Im glad I’m finding out firsthand here but a bunch of morons they are. Their pomposity seems to be shining thru ( and certainly not from you know where!!
great post and thanks for the heads up!
Thanks Sean
Rochelle,
I’m through with them as well. Like everyone’s been saying…they just don’t give a crap about who built their business any more.
On top of all the other stuff mentioned, the thing that just takes the cake is when a bot attacks, they can’t filter the clicks and then spend the next WEEK trying to recoup their “loss” and destroying the EPC of every other site I have with them.
Jeff
.-= Jeff´s last blog ..I’m Dumping The EPN Network =-.
Last two months have earn’t $0.00-have also started to shut down all my Bans sites and change links on many of my blogs-Guess Amazon will be happy-Ebay is typical to a company that has lost site to who put them on top in the first place-little old affiliates like us all-Bye Bye Ebay!
.-= John Treby´s last blog ..Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector’s Edition =-.