eBay

yhlml · ‎10-05-2019

Just got this message,

Hi

You just sent me an offer to buy and I cannot find it. I saw it earlier and went to look for it and it was gone???

Thanks

I did not send an offer, I never do and I was not home all day anyway.

So eBay is sending offers now?

no_zero369 · ‎10-05-2019

Maybe it is a slickster trying a new technique to get you to negotiate on your item?

Do you have any watchers on that item?

lamber9347 · ‎10-05-2019

I've seen some other posters saying that eBay is sending out a notice worded similar to an offer to watchers but it's not really an offer. Seems like an attempt to lure some of your watchers to go back and place a bid. Maybe ask this person to forward it to you so you can see what they actually sent this person?

yhlml · ‎10-05-2019

Hi, Yes, one watcher.

yhlml · ‎10-05-2019

Magically, the message dissapeared from their messages : )

no_zero369 · ‎10-05-2019

@yhlml

This whole idea of "offers to Watchers" is imho a silly idea. As a seller I have no idea who is watching my listing and thus I'm not really interested in sending an offer "blind" to a watcher. Why "bid against myself" to start with? I should just list with the best price and do my homework to know what the market will bear! But hey, that is just me...

So IF you do have one 'watcher' it is POSSIBLE that some eBay "program" sent out that email to your watcher.

My guess is that IF the message "magically disappeared" then probably this was a person trying a "technique" to get you to bid against yourself and negotiate on the item. If you want the sale, you can use the link in an email from them to send them an offer. If someone using a 'technique' makes you nauseous, then don't play along and consider adding the buyer to your blocked buyers list.

Selling is an interesting 'game' at times! Deciding on a sale at a lower profit vs holding inventory and having dollars tied up & not making money is a decision each seller can make.

Good luck!

little.font.lord.leroy · ‎10-06-2019

@lamber9347 wrote:
I've seen some other posters saying that eBay is sending out a notice worded similar to an offer to watchers but it's not really an offer. Seems like an attempt to lure some of your watchers to go back and place a bid....

I think this may be akin to eBay's suggestion when a buyer makes an offer below a certain percent of the asking price "Your offer is more likely to be accepted if you increase your offer to..."

I suspect that if you have a BIN item that takes offers that has a watcher, hasn't had many views and has been relisted for a certain number of months, eBay is suggesting to the watcher that now may be a good time to actually get off the pot, so to speak, and submit an offer. It is likely the result of artificial intelligence.

As a seller, you might do well to consider an offer you would accept and reply to an interested watcher, "thank you for your interest in my ...... If you submit an offer of ..... I will be able to accept it at this time." and include the item number URL.