I've been selling on eBay for a while, mostly without paid advertising, but I'm thinking about promoting some of my listings for Black Friday. The problem is that my profit margins vary quite a bit between products, and I don't want to spend more on ads just to end up making less money. eBay suggests different ad rates for different listings, but I'm not sure how much I should trust those numbers. How do other sellers decide which products to promote and what percentage to set during busy shopping periods?
See full discussion
Those suggested percentages always look pretty convincing when eBay puts them right next to a listing. The problem is that eBay knows what other sellers are bidding, not how much profit you actually keep on that item. Pick the products with enough room after fees, shipping and returns, then decide the highest ad cost you can accept before the sale stops being worthwhile. Some listings will probably do fine during Black Friday without any extra push at all.