eBay will stop running ads in its mobile apps next year, says ‘it’s not worth it’

eBay is planning to banish mobile ads from its apps sometime next year, according to a report from All Things D. In an interview, eBay’s president of global marketplaces Devin Wenig indicated that the ads the company rolled out in its iPhone app this year were distracting, cluttered up the iPhone’s small screen, and failed to deliver significant revenue. “It’s not worth it,” Wenig said. “We aren’t happy with the user experience, and we don’t need the money.”

While eBay may be turning its back on a revenue stream, the company’s primary business of selling goods online is healthy enough that it seems it can make this choice to improve the user experience instead. Mobile ads aren’t a focus for the company anymore, but mobile is definitely a major part of eBay’s business — the company says its iPhone app has been downloaded more than 100 million times, and it launched a new eBay Now app for same-day delivery at an event back in October.