Sellers, please do not raise the price of watched items and then offer a discount that isn't real.

[willsgarden62]

When I am mulling a purchase, comparing items, and planning to buy items, sometimes I put them in my watch list. Lately, it's become a weird trend that an item I'm watching has its price raised and then an offer given to me to pretend the listed price is a deal. If I'm watching an item, I'm considering buying that item at that price. But when a seller raises the price just so they can pretend to give me a discount, I no longer want to deal with the seller, and suddenly find myself wishing for a BLOCK SELLER option. When I'm watching an item, I'm not begging for the item to be discounted, but I'm also not expecting the seller an hour later to raise the price of the item so they can send me a special offer at sometimes more than I was watching the item originally. For example, I was watching an item listed at thirty bucks because I thought it might be nice at that price. The seller, no more than a half hour later and before I finished shopping today (it was in my cart) raised the price to $34 so they could send me a special offer to discount it back down to $30. As a buyer, I either figure the seller thinks I'm an idiot, or they're mad at me for only watching their item. Sometimes, the seller messes up their math and will raise the price too high, and the new discount is more than the original price only hours before. I don't know what to really say about the feature, but it's very frustrating. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive, but it feels like the seller is pushing or playing, and neither one makes me feel like spending any money with that seller anymore, even if it's just thirty bucks. Raising the price just makes me stop watching it, jot the seller name down, and no longer want to do any business with them.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@willsgarden62 

Sellers/Stores change their prices for all kinds of reason. Maybe they made a mistake when they first created the listing. Maybe a whole bunch of interest in an item. Strike while the iron is hot mentality. Maybe they bought more at a higher price. Maybe flat rate shipping and figured out they were losing money per transaction. Reasons are endless. As for the seller, they have no idea who is watching. Maybe someone slightly interested. Maybe a competitor. Maybe a lookie loo with no intention of ever buying. Then there are the ones who only buy when the price meets their budget. As a seller you'll never know the trigger. Basically it's their inventory and they can do what they so choose to get a sale and in the long run...Make a buck or two. Hopefully.

-Lotz

[bonjourami]

You are hearing the sense of entitlement that many buyers have.

[simba6]

To avoid "tipping off" the seller or other bidders, don't use the watch. Just bookmark the listing page. 

[mam98031]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

Sounds like a glitch, sellers typically can't raise prices on items that are close to a sale, such as items in watch lists. I cannot raise the  price on watched items, not sure how someone else could either. But could just be a glitch in ebay's system that's allowing sellers to do this.

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That has never been a rule.  And simply having watchers on a listing doesn't put a seller "close to a sale".  It ONLY means a buyer has put the item on their watch list, nothing more.  They may purchase and they may not.

If you can't raise pricing on your listings that are on someone's watch list, then it is your account having the issue and you should notify Ebay.  I've not seen any seller reporting this on the threads, that isn't to say the problem doesn't exist, just this is the first time I've read anything about this.  

tyler@ebay 

brian@ebay 

[campy-sr]

Nothing personal, just business.

[monster-deals]

No.

[sin-n-dex]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

Sounds like a glitch, sellers typically can't raise prices on items that are close to a sale, such as items in watch lists. I cannot raise the  price on watched items, not sure how someone else could either. But could just be a glitch in ebay's system that's allowing sellers to do this.

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It doesn't matter if it's on a watch list or not. A watch list doesn't mean someone is going to buy it.

A seller can change the price or details on the listing as much as they want, as long as there are no pending incoming or outgoing offers.

Anyway, FWIW, when silver skyrockets in price and I can get more to melt it than to sell it, and they all suddenly get watched (which I will not be giving deals on), those listings suddenly get ended. I ended 60 listings to melt 30 ounces of silver rather than see it selling for 70% the current melt price.

C.

[brian@ebay]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

Sounds like a glitch, sellers typically can't raise prices on items that are close to a sale, such as items in watch lists. I cannot raise the  price on watched items, not sure how someone else could either. But could just be a glitch in ebay's system that's allowing sellers to do this.

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That has never been a rule.  And simply having watchers on a listing doesn't put a seller "close to a sale".  It ONLY means a buyer has put the item on their watch list, nothing more.  They may purchase and they may not.

If you can't raise pricing on your listings that are on someone's watch list, then it is your account having the issue and you should notify Ebay.  I've not seen any seller reporting this on the threads, that isn't to say the problem doesn't exist, just this is the first time I've read anything about this.  

tyler@ebay 

brian@ebay 

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@mam98031 a listing having watchers will not effect a sellers ability to increase or decrease the price of the item. @gamersbaystore you'll find a list of what can and cannot be revised under certain circumstances here.

[waterlover123]

"I do NOT accept lowball offers, and I HAPPILY raise my prices when the buyer isn’t smart enough to take the lowest price they could, WHILE they could."

100% true! I don't list a lot to sell, but I have raised prices a few times even when I have had watchers.  

[waterlover123]

100% agree

[Anonymous]

To be honest, for the past few years, there have been a growing number of watchers on items instead of buyers. Awhile back, watchers meant possible buyers but since eBay has been changing so much, things change also. 
I think it all started when eBay was trying out a social media type approach with the Collections feature they had (which is no longer on the site) but of course, there's nothing wrong with watching an item because it increases exposure for the seller but if no sales happen and the seller has a slew of watchers, yes, as a seller, it gets frustrating.  I use to get frustrated but now I treat a watcher as an exposure getter. Frankly, sales haven't been all that good lately, too, but that's another coin.

[cale-324868]

I have the same problem I have Ebay emailing me to lower the price on a item that watchers are interested in what I am selling and when I do i get no responds at all and i find myself raising the price back to what i had it and also lowering the price by five percent so they can email buyers that are interested  just to find out they were never interested  in buying my item there is just to much of everything that you are trying to sell out there on Ebay most people want your item for as little money  as they can get it for which leave you wondering if selling is a waste of time

[aichil4]

I believe in the saying "If it sells fast, your price was too low, if it doesn't sell, raise the price." Believe it or not, it works

[dun-8505]

As long as you do not have offers from buyers or sent offers to potential buyers then you can change it but still is not right to do to

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@ryansmemorabilia wrote:

Sorry buddy.  My items for sale didn’t appear out of thin air.  I pay for packing materials, postage, eBay fees, PayPal fees and then I have to go buy new stock that I think I can make a profit on.  Who do you think you are to tell me what I can do with my prices?

I’d actually turn this around on YOU.  Do you know how many items I’ve had 4-7 watchers on a fairly priced item for sometimes over a year?  I send out “offers” and temporarily reduce the price about 20% and the watchers have 48 hours to respond.  They don’t do it.  Sometimes they try to counteroffer ANOTHER 20% off.  Where in the eBay guidelines does it say I need to give away my items at the price YOU want?  I do not care if I lose watchers, those are the watchers that are going to consistently look for the cheapest option instead of the fairest option.

I do NOT accept lowball offers, and I HAPPILY raise my prices when the buyer isn’t smart enough to take the lowest price they could, WHILE they could.

Id literally leave you negative feedback as a buyer just for posting this, if I could.  Period.

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Why the hostility? Just as sellers have the right to adjust their prices as they see fit, buyers can put items on their watch list but choose not to buy. It is not effrontery to do so.