Ebay Watcher Are Harming Sales Performance. Playing Children Games

[Anonymous]

Buyer: Now on ebay we have buyer that are playing children games. Constantly watching the ad without Interest. Playing penny picking games because they're re-seller. Buy and Re-sell on their listing for more trying to make chump change without doing anything. 

Watcher:  Watcher are playing the devil shady game. I report all watcher, And usually ask ebay to step in and punish the watcher when playing childish games, Until they make changes with the watcher.  ( They will investigate or make them stop or add them to your block list manually )

Watcher: They're not buyer like they used to be, Now they're Re-seller, Keeping tabs what sold for what price. Higher Return risk, Playing penny picking games. This hurt seller, Seller and buyer don't realize it. Only a few employee from ebay are aware of this tactic. Once a watcher watches your item, You can not send out offer or edit your listing within several day's. This effect your sales, Since you can't send out any real offer to real buyers. It happen before when a buyer mention sorry too late, Purchase item

[itscalledapostingid]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Buyer: Now on ebay we have buyer that are playing children games. Constantly watching the ad without Interest. Playing penny picking games because they're re-seller. Buy and Re-sell on their listing for more trying to make chump change without doing anything. 

Watcher:  Watcher are playing the devil shady game. I report all watcher, And usually ask ebay to step in and punish the watcher when playing childish games, Until they make changes with the watcher.  ( They will investigate or make them stop or add them to your block list manually )

Watcher: They're not buyer like they used to be, Now they're Re-seller, Keeping tabs what sold for what price. Higher Return risk, Playing penny picking games. This hurt seller, Seller and buyer don't realize it. Only a few employee from ebay are aware of this tactic. Once a watcher watches your item, You can not send out offer or edit your listing within several day's. This effect your sales, Since you can't send out any real offer to real buyers. It happen before when a buyer mention sorry too late, Purchase item

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You report watchers?

How? Where? Why? What?

[inhawaii]

Yeah I hate when people watch my items.

Personally, I refuse to buy any item that someone else is watching.

One question though...

How do you know WHO is watching?

[mam98031]

Watcher don't hurt you in any way.  Whether you have 0 or 5 or 50.  Watcher play not part in creating any actual problems for you on Ebay.  You have created something in your mind that doesn't actually happen on the site @Anonymous .  Either that or your are defining Watchers as something different than most.

I'm also not aware of any way to "report" a watcher as it is NOT against the rules to be a watcher.

[chapeau-noir]

Watcher are playing the devil shady game

That's basically all I need to read - the rest is just embellishment.

Once a watcher watches your item, You can not send out offer or edit your listing within several day's (sic).

No...no...no.

[atlasesattic]

Wow

[mybigsale]

@Anonymous 

I think I understand:

- Many watchers are actually other sellers.

- When I send offers to these "watchers" they don't buy my items.

- Since offers are out, I cannot edit price, description and other fields until the offers expire.

- These "watchers" are other sellers monitoring my pricing so they can adjust their pricing based on my current prices and sold prices.

"Seller and buyer don't realize it. Only a few employee from ebay are aware of this tactic."

Thanks for your post. I think awareness is FINALLY happening. It will be a joyous day when I can send offers to just the true watcher-buyers and exclude seller-watchers playing the Devil's games! 🙄

[downunder-61]

Not sure why you felt 2 posts were needed - in addition to your post about Facebook

[powell-memorabilia]

You can send offers while other sellers are watching your item.  Who told you that you couldn’t?

[ebooksdiva]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Buyer: Now on ebay we have buyer that are playing children games. Constantly watching the ad without Interest. Playing penny picking games because they're re-seller. Buy and Re-sell on their listing for more trying to make chump change without doing anything. 

If they're watching they may buy later, they maybe another seller watching to see when and if your items sells. And if they do buy to resell, that's good then you've made a sale. And if they buy from you to resell..so what it's called competition. Not sure what you mean by penny picking games. 

Watcher:  Watcher are playing the devil shady game. I report all watcher, And usually ask ebay to step in and punish the watcher when playing childish games, Until they make changes with the watcher.  ( They will investigate or make them stop or add them to your block list manually )

There is no way you can report or block a watcher since sellers can't see whose watching. How is a watcher playing childish games? 

Watcher: They're not buyer like they used to be, Now they're Re-seller, Keeping tabs what sold for what price. Higher Return risk, Playing penny picking games. This hurt seller, Seller and buyer don't realize it. Only a few employee from ebay are aware of this tactic. Once a watcher watches your item, You can not send out offer or edit your listing within several day's. This effect your sales, Since you can't send out any real offer to real buyers. It happen before when a buyer mention sorry too late, Purchase item

Watchers are potential buyers. Yes they maybe resellers. If you make a sale how does it hurt you? Sounds like a win-win to me. If you get a watcher you can send interested buyers offers, but you can only do that one time only. While your offer is active you can't edit the listing for 48 hours. When the 48 hours are over you can edit to your hearts content. But if you are in a hurry to edit you can end the listing, but that will also cancel the offer you sent.

How exactly does it affect your sales? If someone is interested in what you are selling they will buy, if they aren't interested in your items buyers will shop with some other seller.

If you send an offer and the watcher doesn't buy that is not playing a game, they just aren't interested in making a purchase at that time.

Much of this rant makes little sense to me IMO.

[laststopgeneralstore]

Yikes, I feel very very very bad for you. I hope all is well and gets better.

[1tuna]

heres the deal,its one thing to rant about watchers but you take it a step further

you actually call out the watchers in your TOS

that is just detrimental to your sales

in fact ebay used to say you are not supposed to have a listing that will make the ebayer want to back out of the listing

you dont like watchers, we all get that but you want to tell this to the world in your listing

talking about what you will do to other ebayers in your listing is not to bright

@Anonymous 

[soh.maryl]

Your post, frankly, makes no sense.  Watchers do not harm anyone in any way.

Sometimes they are interested potential buyers, sometimes just other sellers checking your prices.

Either of those is allowed on eBay.  Watchers have no effect on your listings whatsoever.  You can send out offers, even when you have watchers.  

Where do you get your information?  

[dbfolks166mt]

      People watch for a lot of reasons none of which I have ever had any issues with. I utilize the auction format almost exclusively so I probably have more watchers than most. I actually like the watchers since I know for some reason they have an interest in the item. They may be watching while they shop around and compare prices both on and off eBay, they may be watching until the auction is closer to ending to decide whether to bid or not, they may be watching to see if I lower the price or if I am going to send them an offer. 

     If they are watching while they shop around I am good with this as it may in fact increase sales if they find my item to be the best value or it may prevent a return from an impulse buy where after the purchase they actually found it cheaper elsewhere. If they are trying to make up their mind I would prefer they watch until they do so rather than impulse buy and change their mind and request to cancel or return the item. 

     Not sure  how you are figuring out who is watching and how you are reporting them but eBay is probably doing nothing about it and they are certainly not "punishing" them. Your concern over the watchers is hurting nobody but yourself and potentially your sales. I really don't care if they are flipping items and what they make from doing it I am only focused on my sales and my investment returns. 

[44012]

I am not sure how often you end and sell similar but if you do this on a regular basis - 30, 60, 90 days etc....your watchers will go away and you start back at zero.  Maybe that will help.

Personally, I am "honored" in a way if my stuff is being watched. Percentage wise that would tell me folks are interested in the item even though they cannot buy it or don't buy it or most likely find it somewhere else or find a slightly different version...whatever.  Whether that interest is on the buyer side or the seller side doesn't matter to me - what does is that the item had interest and is not sitting around with zero views and zero interest.

Be well & take care.