Watchers are not serious buyers
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03-02-2025 02:10 PM
I sent 35% off offers to watchers. No one bought a thing & 1 watcher removed themselves. lol How dare I send an offer! 😛
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03-02-2025 04:31 PM - edited 03-02-2025 04:37 PM
Please don't tell me you are one of those sellers that send out offers with 5 or 10 percent off and expect buyers to take your offer.
Try 30 to 50 percent off. Kohl's, Macy's, JC Penney's and other retailers do it all of the time have sales with 30 to 50% off. You can lower your prices by 30 to 50 percent to be like Target, Walmart, Home Depot and have the every day low prices model.
I don't send offers, accept offers, or have sales. I think it cheapens your product and encourages your regular customers wait for a discount. The only discount shipping when they spend $30.00 or more of my slowest moving items and highest margin items. They have to both high margin and slow moving.
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03-02-2025 04:34 PM
@theteamsetguy wrote:
Please don't tell me you are one of those sellers that send out offers with 5 or 10 percent off and expect buyers to take your offer.
Try 30 to 50 percent off
The OP already stated they sent offers for 35%
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03-02-2025 04:36 PM
@soh.maryl wrote:In my experience, not all watchers are potential buyers. Some of us may watch an item, for instance, because we have something similar we might like to list if it looks like it will sell for a good return. Personally, I've watched listings where the item seems so odd that I am just curious whether it sells at all. "How dare I send an offer.!" No one has actually said that to you, have they? No one is offended by receiving an offer to the best of my knowledge. And no one is obligated to accept an offer from a seller either.
You'd be surprised, I sent 10% off offers out to watchers I received a message from an irate buyer who said he was insulted that I would send such an offer. "If it was an offer for 20% off I might consider it" he went on to say.
I apologized, informed the buyer I didn't know who the recipients are for the offers I send. And introduced him to my best buddies list. Talk about entitlement.
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03-02-2025 04:50 PM
Ummm......I said right at the beginning it was 35%. lol
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03-02-2025 05:04 PM
@sakic92710 wrote:No. Pre offer, my prices were already excellent.
Those NHL programs are pretty cool. I would be tempted on those if I did not need/want other music gear.
Just an observation.
The Lions hat is out of focus, and you should stuff it with something to look like when worn. (shape) You can use a t-shirt if you don't have a manikin head. Could be how far away (close) you are to the subject and/or the settings on your camera/phone.
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03-02-2025 05:13 PM
Re: Watchers are not serious buyers
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03-02-2025 05:14 PM
Re: Watchers are not serious buyers
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03-02-2025 05:23 PM - edited 03-02-2025 05:24 PM
Ever since SIO's started, it has trained buyer's to "watch and wait" for a better price. Sellers are having to cry-out to buyers like tenders of a carnival game. Not only has this affected values, it has forced many sellers to abandon the "Allow Offers" option.
Things have certainly changed ... all by design ofcourse.
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03-02-2025 06:18 PM
I call the stalkers and I have to admit I indulge in the practice.
I primarily use watching or cart stuffing as a placeholder until I am ready to make a purchasing decision (or not.)
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03-02-2025 07:21 PM
@theteamsetguy I AM one of those 10% SIO people & I get a ton of conversion! Many people just like to feel like they're getting 'a deal', $2 will often do the trick.
OP, Another reason people watch items is specifically to get a discount offer! I've started doing this recently & it works great 🙂 People watch for different reasons. But you know this, you've been around long enough to know.
eBay Seller since 1996
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03-02-2025 07:32 PM - edited 03-02-2025 07:33 PM
I haven’t done SIO’s because I don’t want my regular customers to watch and wait for an offer. I noticed two of my biggest competitors have started to send SIO’s because I have received them.
I don’t know if it is coincidence or not but my sales are down about 10% in February compared to January. I’m still up about 15% compared to 2024 during same time period.
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03-02-2025 07:59 PM - edited 03-02-2025 08:00 PM
Watchers with no money in their pockets, or their bank accounts tend not to take advantage of offers.
I sold some items today which had probably been watched for many months, and multiples on each order of only watched items. I assume two of my watchers got some money.
In February, my sales were off but number of watchers increase. I am hopeful for March
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03-02-2025 08:37 PM
I can only speak for myself.
I watch an item when I want it but I'm not sure I want to spend the money.
If i was wealthy, I wouldn't watch anything, I would just buy it.
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03-02-2025 09:11 PM
In my experience most "watchers" are just people, some buyers and some sellers, who put the item on their watchlist for whatever reason, and then forget to clear their watchlist. I confess I too have not cleaned up my watchlist for long periods of time. That being said I still make enough sales sending a 20% off offer that I continue to send the offers to people watching my items without hesitation.
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03-02-2025 09:35 PM
Keep your prices 10-20% over what you'd normally list for, then send offers.
This isn't difficult and requires no thought.
“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger
"Do not obey in advance." Timothy Snyder "On Tyranny"
