What Is an eBay Watcher?
If you're a seller on the online auction site eBay, you may have noticed people "watching" your item. This means they are not necessarily a bidder and will simply keep an eye on a listing for different reasons.
Other People Are Reading
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Features
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According to eBay Inc., a person who is "watching" an item can view the current high bid, place a bid, view other items you may be selling or set up an email notification to check the status of an item.
Time Frame
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A person watching an item on eBay can choose to watch until the bidding ends by clicking the "Watch This Item" button under the "Place Bid" or "Buy It Now" button on a listing. She also can choose to stop watching an item before bidding ends or continue to watch if the item is relisted.
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Identification
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To see who is watching your auction, you must log in to your My eBay page. Under the "My Summary" section you can view your individual listings, which will include information on who is watching the item or how many bids an item currently has.
Misconceptions
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An eBay item can have many watchers but no bids. This can be due to number of reasons, including eBay users who are skeptical of the merchandise, waiting to outbid another user at the end of the auction, or waiting for the item to be relisted at a lower price. Having a large number of people watching an item never guarantees a bid.
Expert Insight
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According to Michael Banks, author of "The Ebay Survival Guide," some watchers may be other sellers. They will keep an eye on several items similar to what they're planning to offer in order to get an idea of what kind of opening bid and "Buy it Now" prices to set, and to gauge demand for their item.
Fun Facts
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There are a number of online tools outside of the eBay website you can use to watch items. The most popular is the "eBay Watcher Widget" for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. You can get more information by visiting the MobileMe website or by searching for this application on your iPhone. Using a search engine to find other tools also may be helpful.
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References
- "The eBay Survival Guide: How to Make Money and Avoid Losing Your Shirt;" Michael A. Banks; 2005
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Pete Stott
