E-Bay - Watchers

[andy-hughes]

I am pretty new to selling on EBay - I am offloading some demo CD's i have collected over the years.

One I know to be rare, it's a limited edition and mine is unplayed.

It's on auction, with three days to go, and there are 28 watchers on it - i suspect this may be a lot, but i have no idea.

Can I expect a mad frenzy of bidding at the end, and the price to go through the roof, or do watchers just have a look to see what items fetch?

[237SJ]

I have sold things where I have had quite a few watchers and have still only made the starting bid. I wonder if some watchers are people who have similar to sell and they want to see how it goes.

[bednobs]

a mixture probably. All of your watchers will get an email when the item is nearing the end to remind them I think

[Buenchico]

This thread appears to be relevant here:
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Archive-Seller-Central/What-is-the-point-of-watchers/td-p/2641276

As you've suggested though, some 'watchers' are probably just checking on what items do, or don't sell for (possibly so that they can then price their own items for sale accordingly). That might explain why items which are only offered on a 'buy it now' basis (with no auction involved) still seem to get plenty of watchers.

[sanmac]

This might be helpful:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1718303.html

[andy-hughes]

Sanmac - then again, since it's a different question, it might not.

[Toorak]

You might get several bids but as already said, some will be trying to get a sense of the level at which something will sell and others will be interested but only if it will eventually sell below a certain level.

[Toorak]

...and other will watch while they take more time to think about it

I don’t use e-bay a lot, but I tend to watch for all of these reasons

[royfromaus]

You say it hasn't been played.

I buy it.

I tell you there's nothing on it

Give me my money back.

[andy-hughes]

Roy, it's a promo CD, you would be trying it on, I would refuse to refund you. You can go to eBay and we can argue with them.

Even in my few months I have had two "tryers" and I referred them to eBay and heard no more about either.

[ummmm]

If it's unplayed how do you know what's on it?

[Ken4155]

Andy, how do you know some buffoon hasn't taped the Top 40 over it? :-))

[andy-hughes]

Umm - when you buy a commercially produced CD and take it home and play it, how many times is it blank?

I'll bet I've played more Cd's than most, and my answer would be the same as yours,which would be - none.

[ummmm]

None what?

[THECORBYLOON]

How can a buyer tell it's not been played before?

[ummmm]

And I didn't realise demos were commercially produced.

[pixie374]

I have to admit, I wouldn't buy something "unplayed" on Ebay... just in case it didn't work. There's no comeback if the seller admits they haven't heard it.
I have only done one aution on Ebay, as a buyer... as ar as I'm aware the "watchers" didn't mean anything. I put in my highest bid I was prepared to pay, and got it for much less. But, I think that was because I had put a reasonable price in. I wouldn't take too much notice of "watchers". They are pointless unless they bid...

[pixie374]

Sorry for typos... have a springer spaniel on my lap :-)

[andy-hughes]

Umm, none of the DC's you or I, and I would guess anyone else, has ever got a blank CD.

Promo (I may have said 'demo' in error, it's late, are the same as standard cd's, they are marked on the disc, or the sleeve, or both, as being press advance copies, which makes them collectable, especially limited edition ones - mine is one of five hundred.

[andy-hughes]

Corby, you can tell it's unplayed either because it is still sealed, or it is completely unmarked, or both.