Have you ever come across an eBay listing that didn’t allow you to see the prior bidders? Or feedback that included elements you couldn’t see? Both of these are the result of eBay private listings!
Today, there are many eBay private listings, although they are not the majority. But how does a seller go about selling in this way, and why do they do so? What does this imply for you?
How does an eBay private listing work?
Private listings simply hide associations.
eBay private listings allow buyers to remain anonymous when they bid on or buy an item. Usernames are hidden from other members viewing the listing and can only be seen by the seller.
When a listing is private, it is simply impossible to associate a specific eBay member with a specific listing because their bids are hidden and there is no link in the feedback section to the item. Members’ feedback evaluations of one another, on the other hand, are still available.
How to Create eBay Private Listings as a Seller
It is simple to make a private listing on eBay, and there are no extra expenses.
Here’s how to make an eBay private listing:
- Begin the selling process just as you normally would.
- Scroll down to the heading “Choose how you’d like to sell your item” on the selling form, where you’ll also find the pricing and quantity options.
- Click the link labeled “Add or remove options” that is just to the right of this heading.
- Check the box labeled “Private listing” in the pop-up window that appears, and click “Save” to close it again.
- Complete the rest of your listing just as you normally would.
Here is a YouTube video for more details on how to enable eBay private listings:
That’s all there is to it—the listing you just submitted is hidden. In practice, this simply means:
- Buyers will not be able to see who else has bid or purchased through this listing.
- Links to this listing will no longer be available in anyone’s feedback when positives or negatives are left—though feedback evaluations will still be viewable.
Reasons why you need to use eBay private listings
Despite what people think, there are legitimate reasons why a seller may believe that private listings assist them to serve their consumers and grow up their business.
Below are 5 reasons to enable eBay private listings:
#1 Sensitive goods are involved.
As a seller, you might choose to set up private listings when you’re selling sensitive items or pharmaceutical products. This is because buyers may want to keep health-related information confidential.
Moreover, there are some types of goods that aren’t things buyers want everyone to know about like adult goods.
If you sell sensitive goods, you may discover that making your listings private increases your sales and the amount of feedback you receive from them.
#2 It’s the gift-giving season, or you’re selling “gifty” items.
People who shop on eBay for gifts are unlikely to want their purchases to be publicly visible.
In some circumstances, it can be a competitive advantage to make gift-oriented listings private, then include a note in your item description emphasizing that you’re safeguarding the buyer’s privacy so that their gift is a surprise.
#3 You sell to other eBayers or online sellers.
If you are a lot seller or part of the sourcing chain for other eBay sellers, your customers will be happier and more loyal to you if you do not show other eBay consumers that they could have purchased the same item(s) for much less money.
#4 You don’t want the competitors to watch you.
Though sellers can get valuable research and data about products through products like Terapeak, there’s no reason to make it easy for competitors to simply comb through your feedback for recent sales and outcomes if you’re in a highly competitive selling area.
#5 High-valued items
Sellers typically use this option to protect the identities of bidders or buyers for high-priced big-ticket items (say, that restored World War II fighter). Wealthy eBay users may not want the world to know that they have the resources to buy expensive items.
WWII aircraft listing on eBay
Distinguish Private Listings Versus Private Feedback
Sometimes eBayers are confused by the differences between private feedback and private listings, with the stigma associated with one coming to affect peoples’ impressions of the other.
Private feedback hides a member’s entire feedback profile. When an eBay member’s feedback is private, no one can see what others have said about them at all, positive or negative.
Private feedback usually indicates a troubled eBay account with too many negatives.
For example, a buyer who has purchased a sensitive item from a non-private listing may choose to make their feedback private for a time for similar reasons to those given above.
To know more about how to set up private feedback, you can watch this YouTube video and follow their guidance:
eBay Private listings simply hide associations. As mentioned, it becomes impossible to link a particular eBay member to a particular listing when a listing is private. However, members’ evaluations of one another in feedback are still viewable.
Conclusion
“eBay private listings” is one of the most high-researched keywords on search engines like Google or Bing. For that reason, we can easily find that the buyers care a lot about this service from eBay.
After this article with basic knowledge about eBay private listings, hopefully, you will know how it works and the steps to enable it.