Who said you have to kick the bay into touch?
I list on free listing days - but I also continue to list as much as I can on ebid -
Ebid, I believe is the future where you have bought your stake! IE the lifetime seller plus account.
Given that ammount of freedom (no listing fees, 5 stores etc etc) for £49.99 , it looks like a bargain.
It's up to the users of ebid and not the owners to advertise and promote the site. It's up to the users to build up the listings, to attract and encourage others to join ebid.
No ammount of advertising by ebay will stop the decline in their fortunes - There are new kids on the block and those kids are growing up fast!