Watchers and lurkers

[swsouth]

I don't want to seem as if I'm ranting, I'm just trying to understand.  What is it with these lurkers who hang on to an item I'm selling through my watcher list?  I know there are a lot of reasons to watch an item that is for sale, but what is the point of watching it through 4 different 30 day postings?  Ebay should establish a watcher list and a separate lurker list, or have only a limited time one can watch an item before one has to place a bid or make an offer.  Stop getting my hopes up and watching my items if you are not going to make a bid.  Its creepy!

[atlanicpawn]

I have encountered the same thing. Not to be paranoid but I have begun to think it may be rival Sellers doing that. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

Better to just stop looking at/worrying about watchers. I haven't for 20+ yrs. It works. BTW, when a person looks through their 'watch' list, at the bottom are those that 'ended' and it says' seller relisted'; so that tells the watcher to click it/watch it again. As you already know- many watch to see how long it takes to sell, how much it sold for etc. Some watch because 'someday' they want to get one and it acts as a reminder. 

[eburtonlab]

Watchers add items to their lists for their own reasons, so that they can easily find an item again later.

Someone watching your listing does not necessarily mean that they want to buy your particular item right now, or even ever.

If you stop telling yourself that every watcher is about to buy your item, you will save yourself a lot of needless grief. That makes about as much sense as getting mad about someone else's grocery list, or the list of movies on their Netflix queue that they have not seen.

[katzrul15]

Watchers do not = Buyers.

I bookmark items all the time - sometimes as a Seller to see if it ever sells at the high price someone "hopes" it will sell for.  Sometimes over several listings knowing as a potential buyer, a Seller will eventually do offers when this mis-priced item that has been thru the rinse repeat cycle several times does not sell, again.

[m60driver]

I think many people are just too lazy to remove an item from a list, and on Ebay many just don't know how to remove an item from that list.

[luckythewinner]

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What is it with these lurkers who hang on to an item I'm selling through my watcher list?

The watch list as tool for buyers to keep track of items that interest the buyer. Sellers do not need to know why a buyers is watching an item. 

Ebay should establish a watcher list and a separate lurker list

IMHO that makes absolutely no sense. The watch list is a tool for buyers, and buyers do not need two lists.

or have only a limited time one can watch an item before one has to place a bid or make an offer.

IMHO that makes absolutely no sense. eBay should not be guessing why a buyer is not ready to buy an item. eBay is in the business of encouraging buying, not discouraging it.

Stop getting my hopes up

You are the one getting your hopes up. The power to stop that lies with you, not buyers.

Its creepy!

It's no different that a buyer bookmarking your item page in his browser. If you find that creepy, then perhaps the internet is not a good option for you.

[doug_5857]

I watch items cuz I have items of the same and if they sell then I may be able to list mine at same price or a bit higher.

[Anonymous]

I've had items with no watchers sell faster than items with 30 watchers.

Also, followers are a bit creepy, certainly not watchers...why are you even here if that's the case?

[*madison]

I watched an item for 5 months, seller kept relisting it.

I did actually buy the item in the end though.

Not all watchers are time wasters, some watchers just like to take their time...

[friskya]

Guilty!

On the other hand, there are also some sellers who will never bend on their price. I was watching an item over the course of 5 months and it never sold. Finally checked the revision history and saw that the seller had had it up for SEVEN years. Sent him a message through eBay offering to buy it at a more realistic price if he used the "reply with offer" option for that amount. His reply? "Sorry but that price is fixed."

As it turned out, it was better for me that he declined to do so... I found the identical item as an auction item and won it for about 50 percent of what I had asked him to offer it for to me. If he had agreed, I never would have found the other item. The best part is, he still has his item up at the same price.

[releasethekraken_1]

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@atlanicpawn wrote:

I have encountered the same thing. Not to be paranoid but I have begun to think it may be rival Sellers doing that. 

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Of course it is. A seller who has the same item might want to know if yours sells, and for how much.

It can also be a buyer who's waiting to see if the seller lowers the price.

Sellers who are bothered by watchers need to focus on things that are actually important.

[wrong66]

Exactly. I have over 50 watchers on an auction item that I listed Monday. Chances are, maybe 2 out of the 50 will actually bid before the auction closes. Maybe. Watchers often mean nothing.

[2013grotz · Accepted solution]

Like so many of the others said, "Watchers" are a useless function (out of many on the site) to the seller.  Ignore it.

[swsouth]

After reading 13 replies to this posting I'm convinced watchers who lurk over a listing are not the only creepy ones here on Ebay.  Yes, of course, I know the reasons people put an item on a watch list is varied.  I also know that the reason people are on this site are here to buy and sell.  This isn't a social site it is about commerce.  I don't want to be your buddy, I want to buy your product and I want you to buy mine.  My product is for sale now.  Get on with it.  Make a bid, make a fair offer, I'll probably accept it, especially if the item has listed 4 times over.  If you are lurking over it for that long you are not really here to buy or bid.