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eBay Snitching
Summary: asaintfort expressed frustration with using eBay's Best Offer feature, claiming it alerts other watchers and decreases their chance of getting a discounted price, while also criticizing eBay's lack of direct customer support. gosimus responded, suggesting that the seller's actions are typical and that negotiating isn't for everyone. mudshark61369 clarified that watchers don’t see offer amounts and explained the role of Sponsored Listings in triggering notifications. asaintfort maintained they receive notifications, but lady_madonna disagreed, noting they don't receive such alerts.
Ever been interested to by something that has a best offer option on it? This is the best way to get the item at a discounted price.
eBay is always one of the worst places to do business. There was a time I decided I’d never buy on eBay again. The moment you send a best offer to a seller, everyone watching the item get notified. By sending your best offer, it reduces your chance to get it. Someone else might decide to get it at full price. eBay only care about making higher interest from the sale. I’ll probably never send best offer again. I’ll communicate with the seller and let him/she knows of my intention to send the offer. EBay even let other potential buyers know you’re are inquiring about the item. I’ve been on eBay for almost 30 years, I’m disappointed on their behavior. Ever since Covid, they completely removed their customer support direct phone line leaving everyone on their own. I don’t trust them anymore and you shouldn’t either.
mudshark61369
Mentor3 weeks ago@asaintfort ,
When a buyer makes a Best Offer, other watchers cannot see the offer amount, nor do they receive an alert that an offer has been submitted.
I think what has happened is, you may have opened Sponsored listings from a listing page you were on and and made an offer.
The fact that you opened a Sponsored Listing may trigger Special offers from a seller to be sent sometimes days later. Sellers who list items in Sponsored listings select a number of views that will automatically send an offer from the seller to everyone that looked at it.
It may just be coincidence that your offer is the same as the percentage off offer you and others receive that way, especially if when you send an offer you use one of ebay's suggested offer prices.
asaintfort
OP3 weeks agoI get notified every time someone makes an offer of an item I'm watching.
lady_madonna
Mentor3 weeks agoI have many items on my watch list, I never am notified when someone makes an offer on an item on my watch list.
gosimus
Mentor3 weeks ago@asaintfort
< By sending your best offer . . . Someone else might decide to get it at full price. >
This just in. Making an offer doesn't guarantee that the seller will accept the offer. I would think it an obvious practice to hold off on the accepting or declining of an offer, to see if somebody makes a better offer or pays full price. Wouldn't you do the same?
< I’ll probably never send best offer again. >
Negotiating and haggling aren't a fit for everybody. I have never made an offer. It's just not my style. Others' may vary, and I wish them good luck when they do it, and my condolences when it doesn't work out to their expectations.