malvin Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 I've noticed that I have been getting emails from ebay saying that I have been offered a special discount from items I am watching. Do you think all of them is the seller actually taking that action? (or some sort of setting ) Or could ebay be doing it without the seller and eating the discount? The last one I got was 8%, and some were 5%, so ebay would still make money. I have also seen ones that were higher %, those might be the seller modifying their auction and lowering the BIN price. Anyone else get these offers and have these thoughts? or do I just watch a lot of items and read all my ebay emails? Malvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodou Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 1 minute ago, malvin said: Anyone else get these offers and have these thoughts? or do I just watch a lot of items and read all my ebay emails? I receive these all the time (for watched and even just visited items) but I also, as a seller, receive solicitations to lower my prices just a bit (various options are given). That would be weird if eBay is showing different screens to different people (the seller being one of them!) but I guess it doesn't matter to the seller if they get what they're expecting to get. Unless...lawyers...is it illegal to discriminate against some users when offering only some other users the same exact item but at different, lower, prices? (assuming the price change is not global, and I don't think we know that yet!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipB2k17 Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 9 minutes ago, malvin said: I've noticed that I have been getting emails from ebay saying that I have been offered a special discount from items I am watching. Do you think all of them is the seller actually taking that action? (or some sort of setting ) Or could ebay be doing it without the seller and eating the discount? The last one I got was 8%, and some were 5%, so ebay would still make money. I have also seen ones that were higher %, those might be the seller modifying their auction and lowering the BIN price. Anyone else get these offers and have these thoughts? or do I just watch a lot of items and read all my ebay emails? Malvin I get them all the time too. I think it’s a new feature eBay offers sellers. Maybe to preferred, proven buyers? I have no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unstoppablejayd Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 10 minutes ago, malvin said: I've noticed that I have been getting emails from ebay saying that I have been offered a special discount from items I am watching. Do you think all of them is the seller actually taking that action? (or some sort of setting ) Or could ebay be doing it without the seller and eating the discount? The last one I got was 8%, and some were 5%, so ebay would still make money. I have also seen ones that were higher %, those might be the seller modifying their auction and lowering the BIN price. Anyone else get these offers and have these thoughts? or do I just watch a lot of items and read all my ebay emails? Malvin Seller originated... they can send offers to watchers kpaqu1, Sideshow Bob and celluloidbuff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 I just got 3 more this morning after I posted about this! Malvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celluloidbuff Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 (edited) If you put an item on Watch List, the seller has the option to send you an offer for lower than posted Buy It Now (or opening bid if running as a true auction). I use it all the time, but I usually wait a few days before sending an offer. Sometimes I put items on Watch that I own and have no intention of buying, using it more like a price tracker. That said, if the "discount" is 5%-8%, the seller isn't trying very hard. That might cover sales tax. Edited December 12, 2019 by celluloidbuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstojano Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 17 minutes ago, celluloidbuff said: If you put an item on Watch List, the seller has the option to send you an offer for lower than posted Buy It Now (or opening bid if running as a true auction). I use it all the time, but I usually wait a few days before sending an offer. Sometimes I put items on Watch that I own and have no intention of buying, using it more like a price tracker. That said, if the "discount" is 5%-8%, the seller isn't trying very hard. That might cover sales tax. This, with sales tax now even the ebay Bucks promos do nothing to get me to bid. My eBay buying has declined by over 90% I'd say, not just due to sales tax but the entire experience. John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 32 minutes ago, cstojano said: This, with sales tax now even the ebay Bucks promos do nothing to get me to bid. My eBay buying has declined by over 90% I'd say, not just due to sales tax but the entire experience. same here actually, ebay bonus bucks didn't get me looking as hard as it used to. Malvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 16 hours ago, vodou said: I receive these all the time (for watched and even just visited items) but I also, as a seller, receive solicitations to lower my prices just a bit (various options are given). That would be weird if eBay is showing different screens to different people (the seller being one of them!) but I guess it doesn't matter to the seller if they get what they're expecting to get. Unless...lawyers...is it illegal to discriminate against some users when offering only some other users the same exact item but at different, lower, prices? (assuming the price change is not global, and I don't think we know that yet!) I feel like I should put on my cape and long underwear right about now. The general rule is that it is not illegal. There are exceptions, like discrimination based on race, etc. There may also be violations of contract between eBay and the seller, but I don’t know of any. You have, however, hit on something which has bothered me for a while. When advertisers gather information to target ads, are they also using it to set different prices for different viewer groups? This has happened, although digging out the information has been hard for the press and others to ferret out. For example, it was discovered that Home Depot was posting different prices on the internet to people living closer or farther away from different stores. So, let’s say you lived near a Lowe’s and further from a Home Depot. You might see lower prices than someone who didn’t, since distance to the Lowe’s is one reason a possible buyer might pick it over a Home Depot. I read later that this discrimination quickly vanished after knowledge about it became public. Or, if your profile suggested you had an interest in buying something, why give you a discount? I swear that happened to me a few years ago when planning to buy a vacuum. When I first started searching, the price was X. After 2-3 searches over a few days, all the pricing became X+ $80. After that, I went with a different brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan. Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Watchers who receive the discount offers in question are anonymous to the seller. You can't discriminate when it's an anonymous population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aokartman Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 (edited) On the topic of online discounts, I would encourage online shoppers to place items in your "cart", and then walk away for a second. With me, its just a mouseover to the toolbar, or something similar. Some sites use that opportunity to offer you a discount immediately on your item before you leave. Worth a try! It works for them, because they get a new customer. And you get a nice discount. David Edited December 13, 2019 by aokartman bolding vodou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodou Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Ryan. said: Watchers who receive the discount offers in question are anonymous to the seller. You can't discriminate when it's an anonymous population. Seller can't. eBay can. Duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodou Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, aokartman said: On the topic of online discounts, I would encourage online shoppers to place items in your "cart", and then walk away for a second. With me, its just a mouseover to the toolbar, or something similar. Some sites use that opportunity to offer you a discount immediately on your item before you leave. Worth a try! It works for them, because they get a new customer. And you get a nice discount. David Oh yeah. All day long. Also: if you don't like the price, log out and try again. Or use a different browser. It's laughable and somebody is going to get hurt somewhere somehow. But not the smart folks that save money almost every single time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan. Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 54 minutes ago, vodou said: Seller can't. eBay can. Duh. eBay isn't creating the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodou Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Ryan. said: eBay isn't creating the price. Not known; that very question is asked but as yet unanswered above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
