250 free listings per month... how is it actually tracked by eBay

[treadstone68]

So, I think I am about 5 or 10 listings away from the limit of free 250 listings, but the ebay dashboard tells me that I supposedly have 90 free listing left.  I don't understand where they get this number from.     I know I once went over 250 listings and got dinged a listing fee for something like 20 or 30 listings, but does anyone know when this is triggered?  Do they simply tally the number of active listing you have at the 1st of the month?   If I am close to 250 listings now, but they tell me I have 90 free listings left, could I in theory use up all 90 and as long as  I removed (or sold) 90 listings before the end of the month would I avoid listing fees?  

[pjcdn2005]

If you don't have a store you receive 250 listings per calendar month.  Every time a listing renews that counts as 1 listing. Every time you start a new listing that counts as a new listing.  Removing or selling an item doesn't make your count go up.

So on June 1 you have 250 free listings.  Your current gtc listings renew each month on the same calendar day that they started so if you started 10 listings on May 2, they would renew on June 2 and your count would be 240 listings.  Each time a listing renews in June your count would go down.  Each new listing you post lowers the count.   If an item sells or it ended befire it renews that month, then it wouldn't be counted as one of your free listings.

There are also listing limits which work differently and aren't associated with how many free listings you get per month.  

Does that help?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

If you don't have a store you receive 250 listings per calendar month.  Every time a listing renews that counts as 1 listing. Every time you start a new listing that counts as a new listing.  Removing or selling an item doesn't make your count go up.

So on June 1 you have 250 free listings.  Your current gtc listings renew each month on the same calendar day that they started so if you started 10 listings on May 2, they would renew on June 2 and your count would be 240 listings.  Each time a listing renews in June your count would go down.  Each new listing you post lowers the count.   If an item sells or it ended befire it renews that month, then it wouldn't be counted as one of your free listings.

There are also listing limits which work differently and aren't associated with how many free listings you get per month.  

Does that help?

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@treadstone68 

@pjcdn2005 

Unfortunately (from tons of testing) listing totals shown can be all over the map. Has been for ages. They can also be affected by listings as they roll over. Important to remember that is happening constantly. Note: With basic store + 10000 promotional listings in specific categories + 250 auction listings.

Currently:

My seller hub page shows 1834 (1832 BIN / 2 Auction)

Search store shows 1829

Duplicate Listing tool ca shows 1897

Duplicate Listing tool com shows 1878

• Active listings1,834

• 

Numbers can fluctuate as listings roll over. Count can also be mess up if you list an item in 2 categories. Unsure how numbers work if you are missing specific. eBay has had a known glitch where it was hiding listings for some sellers.

Aware of 1 Canadian seller. Hub page shows 523. Store view shows 505. Their discrepancy has been ongoing for 3 months. Speaking to CS just got them the runaround. And their name isn't even Sue.

For anyone who frequents this board regularly their is a seller that has had an ongoing issue with listings either being magically ended or being hidden. Getting a clear explanation of exact cause has been difficult to confirm

All 1 can do is monitor Sellers Hub and do what works best for them. As a side as far as I know Variation listings count as 1 but unsure if that is officially factual.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/multiquantity-listings-listings...

[pjcdn2005]

Most of what you are referring to has nothing to do with the op's  question as we are not referring to the number of active listings   They just want to know how the free 250 listings are figured out each month.  I have not heard of any legitimate complaints that a seller is getting less listings than they are supposed to so saying that it is 'all over the map'  isn't relevant to the topic.

As far as the 250 free listings are concerned, an item in 2 categories counts as 2 listings.  Variation listings count as 1 listing. That is 'officially factual.'

[kawartha-ephemera]

Pjcdn's explanation of how listing numbers are calculated each month is accurate. I don't use variation type listings so I'll not comment on those, but use caution when listing an item(s) with multiple quantities. For example, let's say a seller wishes to sell 10 identical widgets, the easiest way to accomplish the task is to simply use an appropriate image, title, price and description with a quantity of 10 available. Be aware listing in this way would be counted as 10 listings, not 1. Additionally, when they rollover and renew each month they would consume 10 free listings.

@lotzofuniquegoodies
Multiple quantity listings are causing Hub to display a greater number of active listings than shown in your store. This is perfectly logical. The public facing store calculates the total number of listing titles, not quantities.

[byto253]

Dang, I thought listing a quantity of 10 only used up 1 listing.   Good to know.  If you are running up against the cap, better to list with a lower quantity and top up through a revision as needed - particularly if you don't expect to sell very many in a month. 

[reallynicestamps]

I have a Store, so this may make a difference.

But I list on dotCOM and dotCA, and the number of listings available do not match.

With the number of Promtional Free Listings I have been getting (and don't count on having) the whole question for me is moot.

@treadstone68 
If you are spending more than $25 a month on listing fees, because you don't have a Store subcription, open a Basic Store and the question disappears.

You also get some slightly lower selling fees, and a discount coupon for branded shipping supplies.

If you are spending less than $25 a month, stick with your current plan and put the occasional listing fee into your "business expenses that  are tax deductible" file.

[pjcdn2005]

@kawartha-ephemera 

Be aware listing in this way would be counted as 10 listings, not 1. Additionally, when they rollover and renew each month they would consume 10 free listings.

When referring to the amount of free listings each month, variation  and multiple quantity listings count as 1 listing.

You might be thinking of listing limits which are counted differently.   If you have a listing limit of 100 items per month and do a listing with a quantity of 20, you would have a listing limit of 80 left for the month.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@byto253 wrote:

Dang, I thought listing a quantity of 10 only used up 1 listing.   Good to know.  If you are running up against the cap, better to list with a lower quantity and top up through a revision as needed - particularly if you don't expect to sell very many in a month. 

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@byto253 

@treadstone68 

@reallynicestamps 

@kawartha-ephemera 

I just created a listing with 5 available. Under Promo listings total jumped from 881 to 882. Not 886. According to my monthly limits I have 3027 total items available. My limit is 6000. (The duplicate listing tool (ISDNTEK) may count entirely differently.)

My concern is with my hub page number of listings not matching store view from buyer/seller perspective. See post 4 number display. This was reported as a known issue on dot com back in January. As per Devon it was supposedly resolved (CA monthly forum)??? According to dot com board it shows still open. (Actually this issue states more in the store showing).

Discrepancy in the count of active listings in the store where the number of items in store are more (January 5, 2024)

Reference ID: ALERT15129

SR number:

Seller ID: 

Active listings count:

Store count:

Screenshot of active listings: 

Screenshot of store:

-Lotz

[mrdutch1001]

It is my understanding that when using multiple quantity items listings, the deduction in listing totals takes effect WHEN one of those items sells. I don't use multiple quantity listings but that is my understanding on how that process works. There must be someone out there who uses the multiple qty process and knows how the process works, that could chime in here and clarify.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

It is my understanding that when using multiple quantity items listings, the deduction in listing totals takes effect WHEN one of those items sells. I don't use multiple quantity listings but that is my understanding on how that process works. There must be someone out there who uses the multiple qty process and knows how the process works, that could chime in here and clarify.

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@mrdutch1001 

As far as I know (because I just confirmed), when multiple units sell as long as they are in 1 transaction the seller gets dinged the 30 cent fee. For listing counts it counts as 1 listing. Even as they renew.  Just like listing in variations only count as 1 listing. 

According to eBay

"Fixed price listings are Good 'Til Canceled, which means your listing remains active until you sell the number of items specified or until you end the listing."

How it works

You won't be charged an insertion fee if you still have an allotment of zero insertion fee listings available in a given month. However, you will still need to pay a final value fee when your item sells. You'll also be charged fees for optional listing upgrades and supplemental services if you choose to use them, including:

• Adding a subtitle
• Listing your item in two categories

"How to set preferences for multi-quantity listings

You'll always see exactly how many items are left on your listing, but it's up to you whether to let buyers see the exact number."

• You can have up to 250 variations in a single listing for no additional fee

-Lotz

[byto253]

Thanks Lotz, I had not looked it up but that is how I thought it worked from reading eBay info.

[kawartha-ephemera]

As noted, my assumption regarding multi quantity items and active liisting counts was not correct. I've included the relevant ebay insertion fee policy below.

After you've used your zero insertion fee allowance, insertion fees are:

Non-refundable if your item doesn't sell
Charged per listing and per category. So, if you list your item in two categories, you'll pay an insertion fee for the second category too
Charged for the original listing and each time you choose to relist your item
Charged per listing if you create duplicate auction-style listings for identical items. Read more about our Duplicate listings policy
Charged only once per listing for listings with multiple items. Read more about listings with multiple items and listings with variations

[kawartha-ephemera]

@mrdutch1001
I have had a single multi quantity listing running continuously for 4 or 5 years. That listing had a quantity of 2 before one copy finally sold last month.

Sometime later after creating that first multi quantity listing I noticed that the default search filters in Hub / Listings were double counting that single listing with a quantity of 2. For years, the listing count displayed below the search filters always exceeded the actual number of active titles by 1. For example, if  Hub / Overview stated there were 1500 active listings, Hub / Listings would display 1501. 

Seeing that variance was enough to put me off creating more multi type listings. I've been sticking with quantity of 1 listings ever since, I find it about as easy to simply use sell similar from the sold list whenever there are more copies in inventory. The extras are stored together with the active item and marked as not listed, simple to keep track of that way.

In the midst of this discussion I revised upwards the available quantity of an active listing to 2, wanted to check if Hub / Listings was still double counting. It seems either ebay has recently stopped doing that or I reverted the listing back to it's original state before the system recognized the revision.

I've no idea what reason ebay would have to double count quantities in List view, one would have to think there is one.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@kawartha-ephemera wrote:

@mrdutch1001
I have had a single multi quantity listing running continuously for 4 or 5 years. That listing had a quantity of 2 before one copy finally sold last month.

Sometime later after creating that first multi quantity listing I noticed that the default search filters in Hub / Listings were double counting that single listing with a quantity of 2. For years, the listing count displayed below the search filters always exceeded the actual number of active titles by 1. For example, if  Hub / Overview stated there were 1500 active listings, Hub / Listings would display 1501. 

Seeing that variance was enough to put me off creating more multi type listings. I've been sticking with quantity of 1 listings ever since, I find it about as easy to simply use sell similar from the sold list whenever there are more copies in inventory. The extras are stored together with the active item and marked as not listed, simple to keep track of that way.

In the midst of this discussion I revised upwards the available quantity of an active listing to 2, wanted to check if Hub / Listings was still double counting. It seems either ebay has recently stopped doing that or I reverted the listing back to it's original state before the system recognized the revision.

I've no idea what reason ebay would have to double count quantities in List view, one would have to think there is one.

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@kawartha-ephemera 

Only as an FYI but just for anyone that is not aware, if you end and relist (or use sell similar) system relists using the original quantity. When they auto renew they are supposed to bring along the current available quanities. This feature has been glitichy from time to time so almost anything is possible.

This setting can be in play as well.

According to the help page if your listing shows 0 inventory for a certain number of days it will just be ended by eBay.

When you set up the out-of-stock option, the following will happen: 

• All of your existing and future bulk listings use the out-of-stock option until you disable it
• When the quantity of the listing becomes 0 (either because all the items were sold, or you adjusted the quantity), your listing stays active but hidden from search results
• The listing will reappear in search results when you increase the quantity of items available
• You can still end your Good 'Til Canceled listing yourself at any time
• If your listing has a quantity of 0 for 180 consecutive days, we will end it.

-Lotz