cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

In past years, sending "offers" to interested buyers was generating a significant number of sales.  For most of this year... they seem to generate next to nothing.  

 

The number of potential buyers seems to actually have gone up... but the response has gone down.  I have had multiple occasions where 50-100 offers are sent... to potential buyers who have indicated interest very recently... for 10% discount... and no takers.   

 

It just seems unusual to me, as buyers have become conditioned to seek discounts this way... and when none take the offer, I get confused and frustrated.

 

Just wondering if this is a personal experience... or others have noticed the same trend?

Message 1 of 27
latest reply
26 REPLIES 26

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

I would guess part of the reason is because we are no longer sending only to people who have put the item in their cart or on their watch list... Offers are being sent to people who simply looked at the item a few times. Many of these people are sellers like me doing research, but I have no interest in purchasing the item, whether discounted substantially or not. Yet I am sent the offers, which I generally ignore.

Message 2 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

because send offers become spam..

 

I hate getting spam by my 2nd selling account all the time.(cause i used this account to search prices)

Message 3 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

 


@the_backyard_bear wrote:

In past years, sending "offers" to interested buyers was generating a significant number of sales.  

... and when none take the offer, I get confused and frustrated.

 


×××××××××××××××××××××××××× 


Not confusing:   There is fierce competition for a buyer's money
Message 4 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

I only send offers to people who are actual watchers, not to those who have "touched", "fondled" or otherwise simply viewed a listing, as I consider that spam. I do  pretty well with them, usually sending them out on the second go-round of the item.


Hell is empty. And all the devils are here.
Message 5 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

I would guess part of the reason is because we are no longer sending only to people who have put the item in their cart or on their watch list... Offers are being sent to people who simply looked at the item a few times. Many of these people are sellers like me doing research, but I have no interest in purchasing the item, whether discounted substantially or not. Yet I am sent the offers, which I generally ignore.


I only send offers to those that are watching my items, about once a month or so.  

 

I don't like those that are getting sent to me just because I viewed something.  That I find very annoying.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

Message 6 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

@chapeau-noir 

"I only send offers to people who are actual watchers, not to those who have "touched", "fondled" or otherwise simply viewed a listing, as I consider that spam. I do  pretty well with them, usually sending them out on the second go-round of the item."

 

I've never noticed a way to know for certain that my seller initiated offers are ONLY going to watchers. Can you explain how you do this?

Message 7 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

Because buyers who get sent offers no longer have the option to "Accept Offer" and put the item in their cart.  Now they can only "Go to Checkout" and have to pay for every offer separately.  Buyers don't want to deal with this nuisance, and it's costing sellers who offer combined shipping on multiple offers big time.

Message 8 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

Whatever the reason is,   I've also seen a drop 

in actual sales from me sending a potential buyer an offer.

 

The results in sales have dropped to almost zero.  

Message 9 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@chapeau-noir 

"I only send offers to people who are actual watchers, not to those who have "touched", "fondled" or otherwise simply viewed a listing, as I consider that spam. I do  pretty well with them, usually sending them out on the second go-round of the item."

 

I've never noticed a way to know for certain that my seller initiated offers are ONLY going to watchers. Can you explain how you do this?


I would like to know this too.  I thought "watchers" were only people who actually put the item on their watch list?  

Message 10 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@chapeau-noir 

"I only send offers to people who are actual watchers, not to those who have "touched", "fondled" or otherwise simply viewed a listing, as I consider that spam. I do  pretty well with them, usually sending them out on the second go-round of the item."

 

I've never noticed a way to know for certain that my seller initiated offers are ONLY going to watchers. Can you explain how you do this?


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques  The only way I know how to do it is to not send offers on my offer eligible listings that have "0" watchers.


Hell is empty. And all the devils are here.
Message 11 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

@chapeau-noir Ah, thanks! That probably does eliminate some, but of course if you have 2 watchers and when you go to send the offer, it says it will be sent to 3 or 4 people, I'm guessing 1 or 2 are either people with the item in their cart or people who just looked at the item a few times. So, I agree, what you are doing probably reduces such offers, but I'm guessing some slip through the cracks. it would be nice if ebay gave us a choice, a way to set up a preference to exclude non watchers, but I doubt that will happen.

Message 12 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@chapeau-noir Ah, thanks! That probably does eliminate some, but of course if you have 2 watchers and when you go to send the offer, it says it will be sent to 3 or 4 people, I'm guessing 1 or 2 are either people with the item in their cart or people who just looked at the item a few times. So, I agree, what you are doing probably reduces such offers, but I'm guessing some slip through the cracks. it would be nice if ebay gave us a choice, a way to set up a preference to exclude non watchers, but I doubt that will happen.


I hadn't thought it through that far, but I suspect you're right - I'll pay attention to how many offers are sent next time I do it and see how strong the correlation is, at least in my case.


Hell is empty. And all the devils are here.
Message 13 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

@the_backyard_bear ,

 

I think your problem is offering just a 10% discount. If someone just offered  me a 10% discount I would just hit the delete button  ASAP. Buyers are conditioned on much higher discounts.  Most stores these days advertise 40 to 50 percent off.

 

Have you tried 50% off and I'm not joking? I'll bet your acceptance rate will increase assuming you don't jack the prices up before the sale.  No better way to increase sales than a good half off sale. Unfortunately it works too good for my girlfriend.

Message 14 of 27
latest reply

Sending "Offers" no longer generates sales... is it just me?

Not sure I understand. IF you send an offer why wouldn't they have the option to "Accept Offer"? Isn't that the point? I must be missing something.

 

I get a lot of combining. I'm  not sure if sending offers hurts that. 

 

But to answer the question, I am seeing a drop-off in sales from sending offers, and fewer offers to me.  Right now I am dialing back adding Best Offer on auctions, experimenting with dropping the price somewhat instead. Some of that results in sales, I bet because my prices are well below the competition or sold prices.

Message 15 of 27
latest reply