Ebay rant

[pontifex]

I listed an item on ebay and it had like 50 views and 7 watchers when it was done, but only 1 bidder.


I had another item up and it had 6 watchers but no bids.

What is the point in watching an item but not bidding on it?

I only watch something I am interested in buying. Usually there are already bids on it or I want to wait until closer to end of auction before I decide to bid. If its too high I don't bid, but if it's at the right price or no one else bids ten I will bid on it.

In my 2nd auction, there must have been 6 people who wanted the item and liked the price, but no one bid. why? it doesn't make sense to me. its not like the price is going to go down...

 

[Ham n' Eggs]

People watchlist auctions for more than one reason.

I thought of 3 additional reasons to yours in about 30 seconds

 

[nakedfrog]

I've got a bunch of stuff I'm watching that I've been watching for months, because it seems interesting, and maybe I'll want to buy it at some point, but don't feel like searching for that exact item again.

 

[Raizinman]

When I acquire an interesting item, I'll search ebay first to decide if there are too many of this item before I post mine. If there are, I will watch the similar items to see what they sold for.

 

[pontifex]

I've got a bunch of stuff I'm watching that I've been watching for months, because it seems interesting, and maybe I'll want to buy it at some point, but don't feel like searching for that exact item again.

that doesn't make sense. auctions don't last for months.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

that doesn't make sense. auctions don't last for months.

auctions don't last for months but there could be auctions going on all the time for the item.

People might be price watching. Hoping for a price drop. There's a ton of sellers on ebay that race for the bottom. Might as well wait and see what's available before you purchase if you're not in a hurry.

If you're subscribed to ebay emails you could wait for a 5x ebay bucks deal.
Use ebates/tcb to get 1.5% cashback.
Pick up a gamestop gc.
Go to gamestop and cashout by buying an ebay gift card.
Go back to your auction and buy the item after going through ebates/tcb to get 1.5% cashback.
Pay with your gc and you get some ebay bucks.

So watching a bunch of auctions with the same items gives you options also. Timing is everything.

 

[Childs]

I watch a bunch of different auctions of the same item, and if the currentBid is around what I want right before the auction ends I'll bid, otherwise wait for the next one in my watchlist.

If you have no bidders with so few watchers, either your opening bid is too high or you're selling something that has no market at the moment. Or a similar auction went up with a lower starting bid. Or they are using the watchlist like a bookmark when determining what specifically they want.

 

[DrPizza]

Maybe they're watching 4 auctions with the same type of item, and bid in one of the other auctions for roughly the same price. Toward the end of the auction, they see they still have the winning bid - why would they want to buy 3 of an item if they only want one - they might be thinking, "well, if someone outbids me on this one, I can quickly go to that other one that I'm watching and bid on that one."

 

[nakedfrog]

that doesn't make sense. auctions don't last for months.

It makes perfect sense. It stays on your list after it ends, for a while at least. Some of them are just "Buy It Nows" that get relisted when they "expire".

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I have nothing but love for them lately. Gave me a $110 just for selling, and free listings. Now they are offering a max $5 selling fee through the 24th.

As to another reason to watch the listing, so I can see what something I want to sell or a very similar item, is going for. Biggest rules to follow are no reserves and set it at .01 starting bid. Experimenting has shown me I get the best end results that way. Seems like reserves and high minimum bids chase many away. Myself, I filter by buy it now, and find the best deal. I do not bid because of all the fake bidding and competition that drives prices up. I used to, but not a single highest I would pay ever came through.

 

[Jerem]

Just this morning an item I was watching went over the amount I was going to bid. I left it on to see what it finally sold for. Happens all the time. As far as eBay rants go this one is pretty weak.

 

[Imp]

Probably used as a bookmark/favorite.

Have you checked out YouTube subscribers? People can have 2 million subscribers but only 200k views when a new video comes out.

 

[Rakehellion]

What is the point in watching an item but not bidding on it?

You poor baby. Just start your auction at a dollar and let the market decide.

 

[Schfifty Five]

I listed an item on ebay and it had like 50 views and 7 watchers when it was done, but only 1 bidder.


I had another item up and it had 6 watchers but no bids.

What is the point in watching an item but not bidding on it?

I only watch something I am interested in buying. Usually there are already bids on it or I want to wait until closer to end of auction before I decide to bid. If its too high I don't bid, but if it's at the right price or no one else bids ten I will bid on it.

In my 2nd auction, there must have been 6 people who wanted the item and liked the price, but no one bid. why? it doesn't make sense to me. its not like the price is going to go down...

haha, I love how your logic is watch list = must bid. That's classic.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I had another item up and it had 6 watchers but no bids.

What is the point in watching an item but not bidding on it?

Watching an item on eBay doesn't take much effort, and requires zero commitment. It's like putting lobster tails on your grocery list, getting there and saying "screw it, I don't need lobster tails".

 

[Ns1]

I watch the item because I may or may not snipe it in the last 10 seconds of bidding.

 

[cronos]

I watch a bunch of different items at any given time, just to get a short cut to something I may or may not be interested in getting.

 

[Midwayman]

I watchlist stuff all the time to bookmark it basically. A good portion of the time I'm not a serious buyer.

 

[cavemanmoron]

Buy It Now. less hassles.

Selling or buying.


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[IBMJunkman]

I Watch for another reason. In the area I am interested in people seem to think they are selling gold. When the item does not sell I message them with an offer 50 to 70% of their initial price. More times than not they accept. Many times I make an offer a day or so before the auction ends.

What I don't understand is this. Item listed at 49.99. Does not sell. Relisted at same price. Does not sell. Relisted at 69.99. WTF? And of course it does not sell.

 

[John Connor]

I've seen this a lot and have come to the conclusion watchers don't mean shit.

 

[John Connor]

You poor baby. Just start your auction at a dollar and let the market decide.

My mom has a Hallmark store on ebay and she saw a very expensive Hallmark Christmas ornament go for a couple of bucks and change. Free shipping too! Seller got royally screwed!

So you can't always list at $1. You have to know the market for that particular item.