u/savasgok2

wanted to share some numbers i put together because i think a lot of us feel the squeeze but dont realize how much its actually changed.

2024: promoted listings attribution was around 35-40% of your sales. you ran ads, some sales came from ads, most were still organic.

january 2026: ebay changed the attribution model. now if ANY buyer clicks your ad, every sale of that item for the next 30 days gets charged the ad fee — even if the buyer who purchased never saw your ad.

result? sellers in UK and germany saw attribution jump from 35% to 80-90% overnight. US sellers are seeing the same thing since january 13.

on top of that:

• dynamic ad rate minimum went from 2% to 5% with zero notice (november 2024)
• priority ads minimum bid went from $0.02 to $0.20 per click — a 10x increase
• top search spot is now exclusive to priority (paid) campaigns
• promoted listings removed from time, price and distance sort

so lets do the math on a $100 sale:

• final value fee 12.9% = $12.90
• payment processing = $0.30
• promoted listings at 5% = $5.00
• thats $18.20 gone before shipping, returns, or cost of goods

and if you dont promote? your listing doesnt show up in the top spot anymore. period.

at what point did optional advertising become a mandatory visibility tax?

whats your opinion?

Sources:

• ebay official attribution policy change (jan 2026): https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fees-managed-payments-sellers?id=5295
• seller impact analysis and UK/germany attribution data: https://www.valueaddedresource.net/ebay-promoted-listings-ad-attribution-update-fallout/
• 2026 promoted listings changes breakdown: https://www.frooition.com/2026/01/2026-ebay-promoted-listings-changes-why-organic-seo-is-your-best-bet/
• ad fee calculation changes (june 2022): https://export.ebay.com/en/resources/important-updates/ebay-news-archive/changes-promoted-listings-standard/`

organic reach feels dead. without running facebook or google ads my store gets maybe 5 visits a day. feels like shopify gives you a store but not a single customer. what are you guys doing to get traffic without spending on ads?

`been lurking here for a while and i see the same problem over and over — you find a decent product, set up a store, then spend more on ads than you make in profit. the whole model is basically paying to be seen by people who are already looking for what you sell. makes no sense.

so i spent 2 years building something different. on baqqla buyers post what they want — "i need a 65 inch TV" or "looking for a laptop under $800" — and sellers compete with offers. price + a physical perk in the box. buyer picks the best deal. no ads, no listing fees, no promoted placements.

launching may 16, electronics first, nationwide sellers. right now were onboarding founding sellers — 0% commission until september and lifetime free subscription for the first 25.

if you sell electronics, appliances, or any physical product this might be worth a look. baqqla.com

happy to answer any questions. not trying to sell a dream just showing what ive been building.`

fba fees, referral fees, ppc, storage, return processing. and if you dont run ppc you basically dont exist. im doing the math and on some products im keeping less than 20% of the sale price after ads. feels like im paying amazon to let me work for them. is everyone just accepting this or are people actually finding better options?

between final value fees, promoted listings, payment processing and now basically having to pay for visibility just to show up in search im looking at almost 30-35% gone before shipping and returns. it feels like every year they quietly take a little more and if you dont promote your listing it just sits there invisible. how is everyone handling this? raising prices? eating it? moving somewhere else?

Tired of opening 20 tabs to compare prices, so I built the opposite — you post what you need, sellers send offers with price + a free perk.

24 months, full stack (React Native + Next.js + LoopBack), Stripe escrow, EasyPost shipping. Launching May 16.

baqqla.com

Instead of sellers listing products and paying for ads, buyers post what they want and sellers compete with price + a physical perk (case, cable, etc). Buyer picks the best offer.

Built the full stack: iOS, Android, web, admin panel, Stripe escrow, shipping integration. Solo founder, bootstrapped, $0 marketing budget.

Launching May 16 with ~40 founding sellers. Electronics first, expanding from there.

Would love feedback — especially on the model. Does "buyers post, sellers compete" make sense to you as a shopper?

baqqla.com

been building this for about a year. the idea is simple — buyer posts what they want (like "iphone 15 pro unlocked"), and sellers compete with open proposals. not sealed bids, every seller sees every other sellers price and can adjust

launching may 16 in chicago, electronics first. 25 founding sellers, zero commission until september

the bet: if sellers can see each others offers theyll undercut + add perks (free case, charger, warranty in the same box) to win. buyer picks best overall value

what am i missing? whats gonna break first?

every marketplace right now works the same way. sellers list products, pay for ads, pray for visibility. what if it was flipped? buyer says "i want a 65 inch TV" and sellers send offers with price and perks. no ad spend, no listing fees, just compete on value. would you sell on something like that or is the model broken for some reason im not seeing? genuinely curious what sellers and buyers think