topic Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me in Buying

Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

nheather — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 06:24:20 GMT

eBay regularly send me unsolicited offers, sometimes for items that are in my watchlist, sometimes for items that I have only momentarily glanced at.

The algorithm really annoys me in a number of ways.

1) You can’t delete offers that you are not interested in until they expire, so I have all these unwanted, unsolicited offers cluttering up my account.

2) The algorithm will send me offers for items that I have only momentarily glanced at and not not in my watch or wish lists.

3) The algorithm is dumb, it will send me multiple offers, from different sellers, at different prices. Why on earth send me a higher offer for an item when I already a lower offer. eBay claims to use AI, they should really call it AS (Artificial Stupidity).

4) And here is the one that really annoys me. There is an item that I am interested in and I receive an offer. The problem is that the notification of offers is really subtle, so I don’t notice it until it is expired. I contact the seller saying that I would have bought at the offer price but didn’t see it until too late. The seller says “no problem, I will resend it”, but it never comes. The only explanation is that the eBay algorithm must block offers being reissued. This has happened more than once. The sad thing is that I would have bought at full price, but I won’t now because I know that the seller is making offers. The result, the seller doesn’t get a sale, I don’t get an item and eBay doesn’t get fees.

Personally, I dislike offers for the reasons above and would prefer to not have them, but I can’t see any way of turning them off.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

davrman — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 09:35:35 GMT

You can stop offers for viewed items by browsing or searching in a private or incognito browser window. You won't be signed in so eBay won't be able to send you offers. If you find something you want to watch, copy-and-paste the URL (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/xxxxxxxxxxxx) into your normal browser window where you are signed in.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

bish38 — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:42:04 GMT

I totally agree with you.

I’ve been a seller who has sent those offers ( eBay actively encourages this ) and I’ve been a shopper receiving them.

As a someone who just looked at something it cheeses me off and devalues the item.

it’s something that I’m not even watching

as a seller I don’t send them any more because as you point out you can’t just swipe it away and you have to get actively involved to go thru a process devised by ebay which is quite irritating to get rid of the red Alert light in the T R Hand Corner

this one of the many irritating developments of eBay trying too hard.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

geoffzzzz — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:15:04 GMT

Yes - just messaged them in complaint. I bought an item at £8 - a basic webcam - had two in my watch list similar. The one they 'offered' was in recently viewed and was a deliberately inflated price - £23 - ie twice new price for used ! I have not seen this done before. Its just using the messaging service as an advert - and the worst sort of seller - crazy.

I'm glad i found this forum - at least make me feel better to have a outlet for a moan !

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

str11p — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:34:20 GMT

"1) You can’t delete offers"

If you decline the offer, you can then delete it. (I realise your main point is you don't want many of them in the first place.)

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

neovass0 — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:51:04 GMT

In relation to this, since I have started selling, I've realised a number (probably the majority) of supposed watchers on my items are actually these people who have either clicked on my items momentarily or by accident. They have clearly not decided to add my items to their watch-list. I know this from the lack of sales and no interest in any offers sent out, no matter how big the discount is.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

thesmokingrunner — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 07:36:45 GMT

The number of views an item has had and the number of watchers of an item are different @neovass0

The number of views is the total number of times a user has (or users have) clicked on your listing, whereas the number of Watchers of your items is the number of people who have added the item to their Watch List. The number of views is usually greater than the number of Watchers, though if an item is added to a Watch List by clicking on the little heart on the listings returned in a search it counts as a Watch but not a view.

Items are added to Watch Lists for many reasons: vague interest in an item, genuine interest in an item, possible future purchase, price comparison or added in anticipation that the seller will send an offer in future. I have items in my Watch List which were added two or three years ago - some out of interest, some as reminders of where to buy an item should I need one, some which I nearly bought but then something stopped me at the time and I thought "Ok, I'll keep an eye on that and maybe buy in future".

There is no guarantee that just because an item is added to a Watch List it will sell. Just as there is no guarantee that the numbers of item views and Watchers which you see on your listings is necessarily accurate: you see numbers displayed and accept them to be the actual number of views/Watchers. In reality you have no proof, no data, to validate those numbers: they may be accurate, but they could just as easily be random numbers created by eBay to make you think people are interested in your items.

Your statement regarding lack of sales is effectively based on unsupported, and therefore inaccurate, data. There may or may not have been views on your items, there may or may not be Watchers of your items, but until you get an actual sale to a rea-life buyer you can only go on the information supplied to you by eBay.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

wara_rat — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:41:39 GMT

On the other hand, when I'm selling I often get "send offer" clogging up my screen, even though there any no watchers. It bugs me so I send the offer, not because I wanted to and not because I expect it to work. This is ebay trying to make sales happen so they can take their cut.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

wara_rat — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:46:04 GMT

I tend to buy stuff via money generated from selling stuff. When something sells I can then look at my watch list, see what's left in there and pick something to buy.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

tiggerkp — Wed, 20 May 2026 00:42:12 GMT

If that’s the only solution, then eBay needs to make it possible to decline an offer with ONE click - and block the seller from further emails. This is not a solution to the problem.

Re: Unsolicited offers that eBay send me

tiggerkp — Wed, 20 May 2026 00:44:42 GMT

I received two offers recently and it doesn’t allow you to decline.