eBay's latest 'Seller Makes an Offer' Option. How's it going?

[padraicpaul91]

I am interested to hear of sellers experiences with eBays latest option for sellers, where they can make offers to watchers of an item.

I had previously tried this once through the previous method via Promotions, and now with it directly linked to the active listings page. Neither attempt has seen much increase in sales, the present one realising 2 sales from offers sent on 75 items.

Also, below are a couple of aspects of the offer option that I find a little pexplexing:

Items for which I can to send offers: It appears somewhat random. They included my longest listed and most recent listing of less than 24 hours. The item may be a good seller or dead. No apparent relationship between number of watchers,when they became watched or most recent sales.  A total of 124 available to offer from 390+ listings, about 30% of items.

It would be great to target watchers with the items I want to most see gone but that doen't seem to be the purpose of this option.

Offers sent to less than all watchers. Again it appears a bit random, with offers going to all watchers of some items, with  fewer going out for most. As I end/relist on a regular basis, most listings are of less than 3 months duration.

Below is a list of the first dozen I checked, excluding solo watchers.

Watchers             # Offers sent

93                         6  (Biggest selling item, 3 year listing)

22                         4  (Just very popular)

6                           4

5                           4

4                           4

4                           3

4                           2

4                           1

3                           3

3                           2

2                           2

2                           1   

[collect247]

As a watcher I'm really a ghost so why would it be possible for me to receive an offer?

This will be breaking some privacy laws wouldn't it?

If I'm just watching an item I really don't want to receive an offer as alot of watchers are competitors lol.

[padraicpaul91]

Yes, I watch many items from competitors.

The watchers are only identified as in the same manner as in auctions, like c....d(234).

[collect247]

Yes but as a watcher I shouldn't be identified at all

[padraicpaul91]

I understand it to be a fake identifier. I cannot identify any watcher.

[fixnwear]

Hi crow, sellers CAN see who's watching their item. Loud and clear - in fact, I very often  get a display saying: Hello fix... hope you enjoy browsing with us.

They don't know your name, but they most certainly know your user id. name, not just a first letter and asterisks

And it's a great mystery to me what's the big deal with sellers knowing you are watching their item or browsing through their store - how invisible do you think you are when waltzing through DJ's or similar.
This over the top obssession with annonimity is  mind boggling - what on Earth is everyone so scared of? Even when browsing through stores!

Getting an offer is a great thing - and if you don't want to buy it you don't have to - just tell them you are browsing for now, or comparing their stuff to your own. How hard could that be?

Any seller can relate to that - as most likely they are doing the same thing. 

[padraicpaul91]

Thanks for letting me know.

Not that I have ever tried to identify watchers.

How do you know?

[collect247]

Fair enough I'll calm down and not stress over this too much haha

[fixnwear]

Hello padraicpaul, 

I just explined to crow in earlier post - I get this greeting from some sellers, by my user name (so they obviously can see who's watching their items - and that's imediate, even before you put anything on the watc list!)

Maybe you can ring Ebay and ask them - they can explain that much better than I can - all I know is what I have seen with my own eyes!

That much I can be totally sure of - definitely NOT halucinating I can assure you.

[lm-entertainment]

that's incredibly strange. unless it's something that's open to people with top-level stores (ie they pay $100s a month in store subscription fees); i don't think it's possible? 

not that i ever want to know who my watchers are, or believe in sending offers to them; i've never been able to identify them, even by username. the only thing i use the number of watchers for is an indication of how popular a particular item i'm selling might be over another. 

i think watchers are just that; and if they want to pull the trigger and buy, they'll do that without me sending them an offer. if anything, it might put them off or make them less likely to purchase from me.