eBay Spring 2020 Seller Release: Send Offers to Buyers tool improvements

From all accounts the eBay Send Offers to Buyers tool is one of the best site enhancements for many years – mainly because it works and works well. It’s a way of capturing a hesitant browser and turn them into a buyer. If someone has added your item to their watch list they’ve an obvious interest so why haven’t they purchased? Well sending them a discount through the eBay Offers to Buyers tool might be all the incentive they need to complete a purchase.

eBay’s internal data says that around 30% more watchers turn into buyers if they receive an offer from the seller. We also published some research by David Brackin which reveals take-up rates of up to 6% from all the offers he sends. This is a free tool and the only requirement is the willingness to give a discount to encourage a sale so if you’ve not used it before it’s worth experimenting with.

Now, in today’s eBay Spring 2020 Seller Release, eBay have announced new features for Offers to Buyers to help you reach more buyers, increase conversion rates and be able to manage offers more easily.

Reach more potential buyers with eBay Send Offers to Buyers tool

Out of all the enhancements announced today, the first is the most interesting as it expands the potential of the program exponentially:

• eBay are adjusting how they determine who your potential buyers are. Currently buyers are identified by signals that they’re interested in your items, such as when they add the item to their Watch List or basket. Soon eBay will also incorporate browse data so they can capture those buyers who visit your items frequently without buying, adding to their watch list or basket.
• By the end of March 2020, the number of potential buyers that you’ll be able to send an offer to at one time will increase from 10 to 40, allowing you to broadcast your offer to a much larger audience. Please note that if you have more than 40 potential buyers for an item, the most recent 40 will receive the offer. You can then send another offer to reach up to 40 of the next set of potential buyers.
• Currently, the lowest discount you can offer your potential buyers is 5%. eBay will reduce the minimum discount for items over £200 to a variable amount you can see in your Send Offer window on your high-priced items. The discount will change according to the item price so you’ll still be able to offer significant discounts (but under 5%) for your high value items.

Get more of your offers accepted

eBay are introducing some changes that could increase the likelihood of buyers accepting your offers:

• From the end of March 2020, you’ll be able to allow counter offers from your buyers on the eBay app. Previously only available through the Seller Hub active listings tab on desktop, this gives potential buyers the opportunity to counter your offers and finalise the sale. Please note, you’ll be able to disable this option if you don’t want to receive counter offers.
• eBay will also be introducing offer reminders to your potential buyers 24 hours after they’re sent. This might help to notify potential buyers who might have missed the offer the first time it was sent. Please note, eBay will be monitoring notifications to ensure that buyers don’t receive too many.

Access and manage offers more easily with new Send Offers to Buyers tool improvements

eBay are making it easier for you to access and manage the offers you send:

• From March 2020, you’ll be able to quickly access your listings that are eligible for the “Offer to Buyers” feature from the task window of the Seller Hub overview page.
• You’ll also be able to quickly filter for listings that are eligible for Offer to Buyers on the eBay app, an option previously only available on desktop.