eBay Makes Updates to Seller Initiated Offers

summarized recent updates it made to Seller Initiated Offers over the last months during Thursday’s “Summer Marketing Tactics” webinar. eBay Senior Product Manager Evan Swanson kicked off the session, saying eBay was making it easier to send offers as soon as buyers show interest.

He shared a slide showing the recent updates to seller offers: “ Offer Integration in Messages: Negotiate in real-time and keep the conversation flowing.” Swanson said sellers can now see the full offer negotiation inside message threads. “ Second Chance Offers: Buyers can now request a second offer if the first offer expired.”

Swanson called it a small improvement, but said it was really helpful for buyers who missed out. “ Buyer Counters 96 hours: Buyers now have 4 days to accept counter offers, helping drive more sales.”

Swanson said buyers have more time to accept counter offers, with fewer deals falling through the cracks – he said eBay data shows the extended timeline is driving more sales. Swanson said buyers are 10 times more likely to accept an offer if they messaged the seller first.

He also said eBay would continue to make improvements in messaging and offers going forward, including improvements to eBay algorithms. He also pointed sellers to the automation settings in Seller Hub under Marketing – Offers.

He shared the following recommendations for sellers with regard to Seller Initiated Offers: Respond to buyer interest quickly, or automate offers. Send offers when buyers message sellers. Focus on quality over quantity. Pause offers 1-2 weeks before vacation.

eBay Pro-Seller Account Manager Alex Lobos then provided information about other eBay marketing tools, including: sales events; coupons; volume pricing; order discounts; and Store newsletters – all of which require a Store subscription (except for volume pricing).

eBay invited a seller to participate in the webinar by sharing their strategies, and former eBay executive Chuck Van Pelt, also a longtime seller, filled the role. During the Q&A portion, he shared a marketing technique he uses: he puts decals on every box he sends to customers that says “thank you for supporting my small business.”

“The problem I’m trying to solve with that is that I feel like a lot of buyers may not understand that they’re buying from an individual or a small business and not from a large corporation. And I think that is an important differentiator for us to make as sellers when we are small businesses.

I’d like to be given the benefit of the doubt and I like when people realize, oh, I’m dealing with a human, more personalized family business.” Van Pelt said he has seen a change in the tone of buyers when they reach out to him – “it’s usually much more civil, and I really feel like those decals made a difference for me.”

Sellers who registered for the event can see the replay of the webinar on RingCentral; it’s possible eBay may also post the video on YouTube. eBay will be hosting another seller webinar on July 16 on Seller Community, and on August 20 on the topic of Holiday Selling Prep.