Priority Campaign Monopoly + 30-Day Attribution: eBay’s 2025 Profit Squeeze

eBay’s Promotion Overhaul: A Double Whammy Disaster for Sellers

Hold onto your listings, eBay sellers. The platform’s June 24, 2025 promotion changes for key markets (UK, FR, IT, ES, AU) aren’t an upgrade – they’re a profit-killing minefield. While eBay spins this as “exciting,” the reality reveals a calculated squeeze on sellers. Here’s why these changes threaten your bottom line.

The Two Deadly Changes

1️⃣ Exclusive Top Spot for Priority Campaigns (The Visibility Tax)

eBay’s Pitch: “Priority” campaigns get exclusive access to the #1 ad slot in search results.

Seller Reality: This forces a pay-to-play nightmare:

• ✅ General campaigns are BANNED from prime real estate
• ✅ eBay downgrades your existing visibility
• ✅ You must pay premium rates just to regain previous exposure
• ✅ Bidding wars will explode Priority campaign costs

Translation: Pay more or become invisible.

2️⃣ The 30-Day Attribution Nightmare (eBay’s New Cash Grab)

eBay’s Claim: For General campaigns, you’ll pay if any buyer purchases within 30 days of any click on your ad.

Seller Reality: This isn’t simplification – it’s profitability massacre:

🔥 eBay’s History of Seller Hostility: A Pattern Emerges

These 2025 promotion changes aren’t isolated – they’re the latest in eBay’s decade-long pattern of profit-driven seller exploitation:

• Managed Payments Forced Migration (2020-2023):
  Sellers absorbed 3-5% new payment processing fees overnight while suffering frozen funds and broken order workflows. eBay’s FAQ admitted: “Some sellers may see increased costs“.
• “Above Standard” Threshold Manipulation (2022):
  Requiring 95%+ tracking uploads deliberately targeted small sellers using untracked mail. Vintage clothing seller @BargainHunterGems tweeted: “eBay just killed £20k/year of my business overnight“.
• Stealth Category Fee Hikes (2021/2023):
  Collectibles FVF jumped 12%→13.5% with 30-day notice during peak inflation. Business sellers reported 15-22% profit erosion.
• Algorithmic Search Sabotage:
  2021 “Cassini” updates buried organic listings below promoted ads and Chinese dropshippers – artificially manufacturing ad dependency.

This promotion overhaul isn’t innovation – it’s eBay weaponizing seller dependence.

Other profit-killing scenarios:

• 🚫 Brand Penalty: Customer recognizes your brand → Searches YOUR shop name later → Buys → You pay fee
• 🚫 Organic Discovery Tax: Buyer finds item naturally → Later clicks ad out of curiosity → Eventually buys organically → You pay fee

Why This Is Highway Robbery

• ❌ You’re charged for sales your ad DIDN’T cause
• ❌ Zero control over who clicks or unrelated buyer actions
• ❌ Most aggressive attribution model in e-commerce
• ❌ Makes performance tracking impossible
• ❌ Direct attack on your organic sales & brand equity

eBay’s Message vs. Seller Survival

While eBay talks “excitement,” sellers face:

1. Visibility stripped from General campaigns
2. Forced fees on organic/converted sales
3. Uncontrollable profit erosion

What Sellers Must Do NOW

1. Audit Fees DAILY post-June 24
2. Calculate true ROI including organic sales
3. Test Priority campaigns (expect 200-300% cost increases)
4. Diversify traffic (Social media, email lists, Google Ads)
5. BOMBARD eBay with feedback → Forums + Support tickets

The Bottom Line

This isn’t an upgrade – it’s a revenue grab disguised as “innovation.” The Priority campaign exclusivity forces sellers into higher tiers, while the 30-day attribution turns organic sales into promoted ones. Unless eBay reverses course, sellers face:

• ➡️ Unjustifiable advertising costs
• ➡️ Destroyed profit margins
• ➡️ Unmeasurable campaign performance

Time to speak up or pay up.