Watching on eBay

[Meeley Man]

Okay, so I don't know if this topic has been broached before, but it's something I'm been wondering about recently.

 

We all know you have the ability to "watch" auctions on eBay. It's a great way to keep track of items you have an interest in buying, without having to constantly run through listings to find it. It also makes it easier for you to know when the auction ends, so you can snipe more easily. But I've noticed more and more, people watching my OA auctions, yet never bidding. And not just like one or two watchers, but four, five, six or more. And I really don't get it. I mean, if you are monitoring, so you know when to bid, that makes sense, but why monitor when you won't bid? What's the point of that? And with multiple watchers, you'd think someone would pull the trigger. And what's more, they remain watching for days (or even weeks) after the auction has ended. Why? I mean, if you were watching, because you thought you might bid, why didn't you stop watching after you knew you wouldn't bid?

 

It's just something I really don't understand and makes no sense at all to me. Watching stuff with no intention to bid, what's the point? Anyone here have a legitimate reason for why they think this is done (or why you personally do it)? I'm really interested to understand this behavior, because it just seems moronic and without reason.

[TommyRaiko]

Some people might be interested in what the final price for the item would be, even if they're not interested in purchasing that item and using eBay's watch function to easily "bookmark" the auction for ease of later reference.

[Will_K]

Reasons why I "watch" on ebay:

* bidding / sniping - Yeah, I want it. But I may not bid on account of some other item or expense.

* thinking about bidding / sniping - Yeah, I might want it

* seeing the winning bid - Pieces I'd like to buy but probably won't because I know it'll end for more than I'm willing to pay. It's useful to ballpark a price for a similar but more desirable item

* pure curiosity - Pieces I would never, ever consider buying / bidding. I just wanna know.

* seeing unsold items get relisted ( at lower a price ) - I've been watching a couple of the same items get relisted for over a year

 

Note, I watch items other than original comic art.

[Meeley Man]

Some people might be interested in what the final price for the item would be, even if they're not interested in purchasing that item and using eBay's watch function to easily "bookmark" the auction for ease of later reference.

 

But then, if it ends without a bid, why keep watching for days or weeks afterwards?

[Meeley Man]

Reasons why I "watch" on ebay:

* bidding / sniping - Yeah, I want it. But I may not bid on account of some other item or expense.

* thinking about bidding / sniping - Yeah, I might want it

* seeing the winning bid - Pieces I'd like to buy but probably won't because I know it'll end for more than I'm willing to pay. It's useful to ballpark a price for a similar but more desirable item

* pure curiosity - Pieces I would never, ever consider buying / bidding. I just wanna know.

* seeing unsold items get relisted ( at lower a price ) - I've been watching a couple of the same items get relisted for over a year

 

Note, I watch items other than original comic art.

 

1) Then why keep watching, when you know you won't bid? Because you will know there is a point where bidding will not happen, so why keep watching after that?

 

2) Refer to reply #1.

 

3) If you know it's more than you are willing to pay, then what difference does knowing the end price make? You'll be seeing prices similar for other items in the future, which will also be too much for you to want to pay.

 

4) But there are things, like CAF's "market data" and programs like that, which can give you that same information.

 

5) Why watch a relist, when the price isn't lowered? If you are looking to cheap your way to something, that is a very unsound way to do so.

 

[suspense39]

Some people might be interested in what the final price for the item would be, even if they're not interested in purchasing that item and using eBay's watch function to easily "bookmark" the auction for ease of later reference.

 

But then, if it ends without a bid, why keep watching to days or weeks afterwards?

 

Sometimes it gets re listed at a lower price

[John E.]

I'm a perpetual seller on eBay of mostly comics, sometimes of published pages, more often non-published artwork. Right now I have a DVD with 6 watchers. It's "only" $24.95 OBO. I just lowered it to $19.95 OBO hoping someone will pull the trigger now that it's priced lower. Nada. What will it take for them to buy? Lower the price to "free-99"? This is one of many instances.

 

But I do the same thing to other listings for similar reasons that Will K. stated. I just want to add that sometimes I watch an item just to know or be notified if someone is actually willing (re: crazy enough) to pay the asking price or put in the minimum bid.

 

At the end of the day, "Watching" is like a bookmark and you're not obligated to buy or bid.

[Meeley Man]

At the end of the day, "Watching" is like a bookmark and you're not obligated to buy or bid.

 

I'm not saying anyone is. But if you know, at some point, you won't be bidding, then watching it is pretty much pointless. So, why do it? If there is interest in the item, that's one thing, but I'm talking about not having it (or no longer having it).

 

I watch stuff, too. But if I reach the point that I know I won't/can't buy it, I stop watching. No reason to watch what you aren't interested in or able to buy, is there?

[Will_K]

Reasons why I "watch" on ebay:

* bidding / sniping - Yeah, I want it. But I may not bid on account of some other item or expense.

* thinking about bidding / sniping - Yeah, I might want it

* seeing the winning bid - Pieces I'd like to buy but probably won't because I know it'll end for more than I'm willing to pay. It's useful to ballpark a price for a similar but more desirable item

* pure curiosity - Pieces I would never, ever consider buying / bidding. I just wanna know.

* seeing unsold items get relisted ( at lower a price ) - I've been watching a couple of the same items get relisted for over a year

 

Note, I watch items other than original comic art.

 

1) Then why keep watching, when you know you won't bid? Because you will know there is a point where bidding will not happen, so why keep watching after that?

 

2) Refer to reply #1.

 

3) If you know it's more than you are willing to pay, then what difference does knowing the end price make? You'll be seeing prices similar for other items in the future, which will also be too much for you to want to pay.

 

4) But there are things, like CAF's "market data" and programs like that, which can give you that same information.

 

5) Why watch a relist, when the price isn't lowered? If you are looking to cheap your way to something, that is a very unsound way to do so.

 

 

Re: 1 and 2

Let's say there's something that interests me. But I don't want to commit to it because I may end up having to spend $$$ on something else. That something else may or may not be on ebay.

 

For example, there are about 6 things I'm watching on ebay that end within 2 days of each other. Should I place bids on all 6 items?

 

Re: 3

I may not be willing to pay X for a so-so piece. But I may be willing to pay 2X for a better piece. Or I'll be satisfied knowing that I'll never want to pay 2X or X.

 

Re: 4

I don't really use the free CAF market data. And I'm not sure if it's worth paying CAF for more market data. I don't really need historical information or research. I may not bid on a Frazetta painting but I may want to see where it finishes. I wouldn't go CAF to check historical Frazetta prices. For things that really interest me, I kind of know the market, anyway.

 

Re: 5

Sometimes prices are lowered. Sometimes I just want to keep tabs on something because one day I may be in the mood to buy the item, it's happened.

 

 

As Jay Olie Espy said, watching doesn't commit anyone to bidding.

 

 

[Meeley Man]

Re: 1 and 2

Let's say there's something that interests me. But I don't want to commit to it because I may end up having to spend $$$ on something else. That something else may or may not be on ebay.

 

For example, there are about 6 things I'm watching on ebay that end within 2 days of each other. Should I place bids on all 6 items?

 

Again, there will come a point that you know you aren't going to buy some of them, as you opt for others. So, why keep watching the ones you no longer want?

 

Re: 3

I may not be willing to pay X for a so-so piece. But I may be willing to pay 2X for a better piece. Or I'll be satisfied knowing that I'll never want to pay 2X or X.

 

Still makes no sense to watch, when you know you won't bid.

 

Re: 4

I don't really use the free CAF market data. And I'm not sure if it's worth paying CAF for more market data. I don't really need historical information or research. I may not bid on a Frazetta painting but I may want to see where it finishes. I wouldn't go CAF to check historical Frazetta prices. For things that really interest me, I kind of know the market, anyway.

 

So, again, the reasoning doesn't make sense.

 

Re: 5

Sometimes prices are lowered. Sometimes I just want to keep tabs on something because one day I may be in the mood to buy the item, it's happened.

 

But if the price is the same on a relist, which the vast majority on eBay are and you already said you don't want to pay that price, why keep watching it over and over?

 

As Jay Olie Espy said, watching doesn't commit anyone to bidding.

 

 

And I said, that I never said it does. Just that watching when you know you aren't going to buy is a pretty pointless and stupid thing and I wonder what legit reasons people do it? Haven't seen much on that score yet.

[John E.]

At the end of the day, "Watching" is like a bookmark and you're not obligated to buy or bid.

 

I'm not saying anyone is. But if you know, at some point, you won't be bidding, then watching it is pretty much pointless. So, why do it? If there is interest in the item, that's one thing, but I'm talking about not having it (or no longer having it).

 

I watch stuff, too. But if I reach the point that I know I won't/can't buy it, I stop watching. No reason to watch what you aren't interested in or able to buy, is there?

 

Well, yeah. For those items that I have no intention to bid on I'll watch for one cycle, *maybe* two, but stop watching after that, no matter how many times it gets relisted..for the next four years. Often times I'll delete the item from my watch list a few days before the listing ends, thus the seller will see a drop in watchers. Lastly, I haven't brought this up because it's too obvious, but how do you know if you have the same watchers and not new ones?

[Meeley Man]

I haven't brought this up because it's too obvious, but how do you know if you have the same watchers and not new ones?

 

I don't know that. It's why I asked the question to see if there is some legit reasoning for why people watch with little or no intent to purchase. When you have an item with multiple watchers and it doesn't sell, then you relist and it gets the same number of watchers and doesn't sell again, it makes you wonder why they watch with little intent to buy. Doesn't matter if they are all the same people. They are indulging in the same behavior. That's what I'm trying to understand.

[Will_K]

Just that watching when you know you aren't going to buy is a pretty pointless and stupid thing and I wonder what legit reasons people do it? Haven't seen much on that score yet.

 

Ohhh... You were looking for legit reasons. Then... nevermind what I said.

 

 

[Meeley Man]

Just that watching when you know you aren't going to buy is a pretty pointless and stupid thing and I wonder what legit reasons people do it? Haven't seen much on that score yet.

 

Ohhh... You were looking for legit reasons. Then... nevermind what I said.

 

 

Well, yeah. I even noted that at the start. From the OP:

It's just something I really don't understand and makes no sense at all to me. Watching stuff with no intention to bid, what's the point? Anyone here have a legitimate reason for why they think this is done (or why you personally do it)? I'm really interested to understand this behavior, because it just seems moronic and without reason.

[Mighty Hal]

Reasons why I "watch" on ebay:

* bidding / sniping - Yeah, I want it. But I may not bid on account of some other item or expense.

* thinking about bidding / sniping - Yeah, I might want it

* seeing the winning bid - Pieces I'd like to buy but probably won't because I know it'll end for more than I'm willing to pay. It's useful to ballpark a price for a similar but more desirable item

* pure curiosity - Pieces I would never, ever consider buying / bidding. I just wanna know.

* seeing unsold items get relisted ( at lower a price ) - I've been watching a couple of the same items get relisted for over a year.

 

Will K. has it nailed as far as I'm concerned. I watch for many of the same reasons.

 

I watched one OA cover for weeks. The seller wanted roughly double what I thought it was worth -- and this was after he's lowered the price by a little. I wanted the cover, but not at 2x what I thought it should bring. But he'd lowered the price once, so...

 

Auction ends, it relists, I watch. A friend knows the seller, and he shares my contact info (with my permission). Seller wants to know if I'd like it at a 10% discount, purchased off of eBay, no PayPal. He's still getting his price, really, it's eBay that's losing out. I go over the reasons why I think the cover is overpriced -- the series ended before it was published, other covers by the same artist went for less -- but he won't budge. He paid that same price for the piece before the series was cancelled and refuses to lose money. I get it. It's his, he can do as he likes.

 

From that point on, I watched out of curiosity, just to see if he'd ever find his buyer. I never saw it sell, but it's off of eBay now, so who knows?

[Meeley Man]

I watched one OA cover for weeks. The seller wanted roughly double what I thought it was worth -- and this was after he's lowered the price by a little. I wanted the cover, but not at 2x what I thought it should bring. But he'd lowered the price once, so...

 

Auction ends, it relists, I watch. A friend knows the seller, and he shares my contact info (with my permission). Seller wants to know if I'd like it at a 10% discount, purchased off of eBay, no PayPal. He's still getting his price, really, it's eBay that's losing out. I go over the reasons why I think the cover is overpriced -- the series ended before it was published, other covers by the same artist went for less -- but he won't budge. He paid that same price for the piece before the series was cancelled and refuses to lose money. I get it. It's his, he can do as he likes.

 

From that point on, I watched out of curiosity, just to see if he'd ever find his buyer. I never saw it sell, but it's off of eBay now, so who knows?

 

So, from what I'm gathering here, all of the reasons boil down to "I'm cheap," "I'm greedy," or "I'm lazy."

 

I kind of had sussed out that on my own. But I thought that, perhaps, there was other legit reasoning for it. Something I was missing or just wasn't in my purview. So, I suppose that I should just consider the fact that there isn't any legit reasoning beyond that? Cool. Thanks for the assist everyone. I appreciate it.

[cloud cloddie]

This echoes what others have said, but I watch items for...

 

-mainly because I'm interested, but I think the price is too high. If it's in my watch list, eBay will send me an email if the price gets reduced. It also keeps the item handy so if I get an eBay bucks offer I can maybe pull the trigger.

 

-to keep track of what it sells for. Usually because I'm interested in similar pieces or selling similar pieces.

 

-I don't generally remove things from my watchlist when ended, because if they get relisted they'll automatically be in my watchlist again. And if they don't get relisted, well, I don't really look at my ended watchlist tab, so eBay will filter them out eventually.

[ThothAmon]

I watch that way because often I own something similar and am interested in the outcome or, alternatively, I'm interested in buying the piece and I am waiting for the seller to come to their senses and list at a reasonable price!

[MyNameIsLegion]

there may be far less mystery here than you realize. I know from experience, that if you watch an auction from an ebay store that gets re-listed after 30 days, it remains in your watched items as soon as it's relisted. I've had things sit in there for a year before. So unless you actively clean up your watched items, they will recycle.

[Meeley Man]

there may be far less mystery here than you realize. I know from experience, that if you watch an auction from an ebay store that gets re-listed after 30 days, it remains in your watched items as soon as it's relisted. I've had things sit in there for a year before. So unless you actively clean up your watched items, they will recycle.

 

Interesting, but I don't have an eBay store, so this is certainly not something that fits in with my seeing it done on my listings. When stuff ends, I don't just automatically relist. If I relist at all, it's usually weeks later, so as not to flood the listings with the same stuff again and again without a break.