Free bump versus paid Boost
The free bump moves a listing to the top of the feed once, and you can do it again every 7 days. A paid Boost holds promoted placement continuously for its whole duration, and labels the listing Promoted while it runs. One is a nudge, the other is a position you keep.
Side by side
| Free bump | Paid Boost | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $1, $3 or $5, or $6 to $50 on the website |
| Effect | Moves the listing to the top once, as if it were newly posted | Holds placement at the front of browse and in Featured near you |
| How long | Until newer listings push past it, which in a busy category is hours | 1, 3 or 7 days, or the days a custom amount buys |
| Promoted label | No | Yes, for the whole run |
| How often | Once every 7 days per listing | Whenever you want; days add to what is already running |
The one catch with the free bump
A bump moves the listing's posted date to now, and the expiry date does not move with it. The 30 days keep counting down from when the listing went live. So a bump costs you nothing in money and nothing in days of life, but it also does not buy you any: if you want more time on the listing, that is Renew, which is a different control.
When a bump is available
The control only appears when it would work. A listing that has never been bumped qualifies at any age, however recently you posted it. After a bump, the next one is available 7 days later, and asking early answers with the number of days left to wait.
Which to use
Bump first, because it is free, and see what a week does. Reach for a Boost when the category moves faster than a weekly bump can keep up with, or when the item is worth enough that a few dollars of placement is not the expensive part of the transaction.