eBay said I could make an offer to Watchers - BUT!

[sandyt2123]

Today, eBay opened up an opportunity for me to make an offer to watchers and viewers on one of my items. I have always tried to respond to this, although it rarely results in a sale. Anyway I offered a lower price to my watchers/viewers and put on an explanation of why I was making the offer. Inexplicably, eBay have now said I have breached their conditions by saying that I have provided contact details to do a deal outside of eBay! I did no such thing! And they have blocked my item! When I tried to click appeal the decision, eBay said they are having a problem and I have no access to an appeal! 

Just what is going on in Ebay? 

It's becoming a trial to use it. My views and watchers are way down from last year, and my sales have shrunk from 35 in the 5 months of 2024 to 15 these months in 2025. I am not a big seller as it is only personal stuff I now longer need. But the sales are very useful to me. 

[tressygirl]

If you are mentioning that you Will lower the price, then this may look like you are asking for contact to make an off eBay sale.  Tenuous I know , but looks like eBay are seeing it from that viewpoint.

The price need to be first lowered on the listing,   then on the listing perhaps to say something like.....'  price recently lowered to this amazing price of £**  ! ' .

@sandyt2123 

[john1297576]

If using make an offer, do not say anything, it is not necessary. You will be lucky if one in ten offers is taken up.

[sandyt2123]

Thanks. I have never had this problem before. And when I try to resolve my listing, eBay isn't letting me revise anything in my listing, yet it is asking me to revise my listing! Catch 22!

[sandyt2123]

I realise that I don't need to say something, but I have done this in the past without being punished by eBay.  If eBay are going to do this, why offer the option of saying something? I just feel their algorithms are going haywire just now and making what used to be a "simple" task much more unnecessarily difficult. I feel now that the only way to resolve this is to delete my item and create a new listing for it! 

[sandyt2123]

I have submitted (I think!) an appeal against the decision. But I have not had an acknowledgement from eBay. That option is now greyed out. I can't end the listing as that is greed out as well. And I can't attempt to resolve the issue as that is greyed out as well! 

I have looked at how to contact eBay through their help section, but none of their categories apply to me situation to try and sort this out.  

I just want to delete this item from my sales lists, but I can't now. 

I am just a bit worried that eBay's algorithms will now begin to affect views on my other items I have listed because this one item is unresolved. 

This is very much a Catch 22 situation! 

[sandyt2123]

I did manage to speak to a human being a few days ago, to see they could delete my item (as I could neither resolve it, not end the item or delete it!), but the agent couldn't either! I thought the whole point of speaking to a human being was that they could override the computer if I asked them to, but no, the computer has to take priority. 

So my item is still unresolved and although it is not publicly listed, it is hanging  around in my space, and I do worry that this affecting my eBay algorithm such that my other sale items are not being seen. 

I just don't know what to do now.

[john1297576]

I doubt it will have any effect on current or future listings.  Just ignore it and it will eventually disappear.

Annoying but decisions are made by computers who are not very intelligent, and no common sense. They detect key words, or even link last letters of one word to beginning of next word to make a completely different meaning that no human would ever notice.

As I said before, unless essential avoid saying anything on these offers.

[*vyolla*]

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@sandyt2123 wrote:

I did manage to speak to a human being a few days ago, to see they could delete my item (as I could neither resolve it, not end the item or delete it!), but the agent couldn't either! I thought the whole point of speaking to a human being was that they could override the computer if I asked them to, but no, the computer has to take priority. 

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To end a listing just click on the 'end listing' button on this eBay guidance page:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/cancelling-listing?id=4146&s...

[sandyt2123]

Thanks for this. Unfortunately this link doesn’t allow me to end my unresolved listing. All my options are greyed out preventing me from either resolving or ending the listing. 

catch 22!