Please stop turning make offers on my listings. Please. Stop. Just stop it.

[krys888]

I realize this is a new thing; yet another new thing ebay does to push push push when we don’t want to be pushed. If I am open to offers on my listings, I will make that option available. Suddenly I’m getting offers on items that I didn’t open to offers; ebay made that decision for me. Is ebay going to pay me the difference between the offers coming in and the price I set them at? I don’t have time to field offers on items I’m not accepting offers on. Please ebay; we know you like to grab and push, but please, rethink this one. Its yet another of your irritating policies that seem to come before the real problems you have here. Please. Stop it.

[krys888]

Your response was so revealing! I promise this is my last comment on this because I have to have some closure. I think what’s bugging or concerning me the most about this? Its encouraging the very bad practice of NO doesn’t mean no. And that is scary. No means no. And we have a very scary culture problem where too many people do NOT get that NO means NO. And we wonder why so many people are not being taken seriously when they say NO because others think NO means maybe or yes. Its way too aggressive behavior for me to ever get comfortable with. This is ebay, not the buyers. The buyers are only taking advantages of the options served to them as they should. That ebay is stepping in to redefine NO and yes for us is... crossing creepy lines. I don’t know. I’m just ... No means no. Yes means yes. Maybe means maybe. I realize I’ve gone way too deep on this, but it matters. A lot. I’m going to go do inventory now. I’m frankly just creeped out. 

[corvettestainless]

It's easy to ignore, preset offers etc. but what I don't understand is

Isn't this helping you to know that your items are being seen?

According to every other poster here, their items are not being seen, search is too complicated, search is broken etc.

[krys888]

No. I sell in one tiny category mostly to repeat customers. I like selling to them because I don’t worry and they don’t worry. We know what to expect from each other and its lovely. They’re why I’m still here or I would’ve left for good a while back. They know they can make offers to me and they do. And I expect it. I list only as many as I have the time to manage at any given time (60-90 active), which seems to match the buying flows of my customers for some reason. I realize that each seller’s situation is different while we’re all essentially under the same system, which naturally creates challenges as one size does not fit all; its impossible to make everyone happy. And that’s why I don’t understand why ebay continues to remove options only to convert them into requirements. They have to know that we’re all different. My tiny little one-category hobby store is different in umpteen bazillion ways from a big store that sells in a lot of categories that needs to move inventory constantly. Pushing offers on a one-of-a-kind item that does not need to sell right away is ... nuts; it actually cheapens the perceived value! Anyway, I’m apparently in wax philosophical mood today, so I apologize for the long winded answer to your question LOL. In short, I’ve never had a sales problem here. My problems are with functionality and policy, which are major time sucks away from listing and packing!

[krys888]

Once I realized search is mostly pay to play I quit focusing on it. I just try to make sure my titles and the listing information are as thorough as possible and hope for the best. Search is one big beast that I had/have no desire to challenge! LOL!

[steelernation2007]

Let me get this straight. You find it aggressive and uncomfortable that you are getting offers on items you are selling? Trust me there could be so many worse things in life. The sky isn't always blue. It isn't always sunny. We can't always have our safe little space where no one messages us.  Unless of course you decided you didn't want to have a business here. Then you will never get bothered or troubled again. Be glad you're getting offers and attention on  your items. It's part of running a business. Everyone these days feels like they are trampled on over the smallest things.

[krys888]

No. I find it intrusive and aggressive that ebay takes our options away. I have make offers open on most of my items. Its the ones I choose not to open to offers, but ebay forces the option on, that I find intrusive. I thought that was clear in more than a few of my responses here. Perhaps I wasn’t. I also acknowledged that this is not my business; rather it is my hobby, which makes it somewhat more personal, maybe.

[krys888]

You know what? You’ve inspired me to write about what its like being a little hobby seller in a sea of giants — and I mean that in a good way. In fact, this entire thread has. The pressure to be something we’re not in order to simply have a presence so that we can find each other is ... filled with laughter, tears, frustration, joy, new friendships ... is, is... I can’t find the word right now, but ... kinda fascinating, in a way. Its so much like life. That you would think I would be bothered by offers tells me that I was not clear in my message. And that’s on me. Because that’s ridiculous. That the point of being forced and intruded upon was missed is again on me. And when I step back and look at the past few years here, I can’t help but smile. I keep popping in here hoping for solutions and answers and I get them sometimes; I’m thankful for that, because I like my hobby and my hobby customers. I want this to work for ebay. Its fun for some of us to have a hobby space for fun in contrast to our rather serious professional lives outside ebay. Not everyone here is here for the same reasons. Anyway, thank you. I’m going to work on my messaging. 

[charlotte.beauregard.inc]

I completely agree with you; if we as sellers wanted to have an item open to offers we would put that feature into our listing.  If we want to send the buyer who is watching an item a lower price offer, that should be our option and personally I think it is a really good feature.

However, I HATE the feature when contacting a seller that shows a reason as "Make an offer."  eBay has been trying to move away from the perception that it is simply a giant garage sale and this feature simply reinforces that notion.  Secondly, it is setting up the buyer for disappointment because a lot of sellers are firm on their prices but when the buyer sees the "make an offer" feature as a reason for contacting them they probably think that the seller may be open to a lower price when in fact the buyer may be firm.  We are in the process of re-locating in the next week or so and have a lot of items marked down aggressively that we are just willing to sell at break even after factoring cost of item, shipping, ebay/paypal fees etc rather then move cross country.  I had a wetsuit that is normally $110 on sale for $55 but a buyer contacted me using that feature and they said they'd pay $30 (which is actually below cost even before my other expenses.)  I was annoyed that I had even received the offer because I hate that feature for the aforementioned reasons but said I'd come down to $50 but that was my rock bottom price and they were upset with me for not offering a bigger discount (when it is usually $110!!!)