New banners for official eBay stores in search

It would appear that new adverts are being displayed on eBay. The adverts are appearing when search terms match the brand names of eBay official Outlet shops.

I can imagine that sellers will be pretty envious of the additional exposure that this gives the Outlets. If you’re selling the same products it’s hard to compete with a big banner at the top of the page directing buyers to the official outlet. On the other hand if you’ve got stock that they don’t, better prices or are fortunate to be at the top of Best Match search in the first place then buyers will probably still find your stock.

I know the first question on people’s minds will be how can they get a banner in search. The answer is probably to become a big brand high street retailer and then open an eBay Outlet. This might seem unfair. It is. The once fairly level playing field that eBay boasted went years ago. It’s also fair to add that if a buyer searches for say “Argos” that they’d want to know that they could purchase directly from Argos on eBay.

On the positive side if buyers purchase from eBay Outlets and have a great experience they could start spending more on the site. That would benefit us rank and file sellers.