eBay Offers to Buyers: How UK Sellers Can Close More Sales
eBay has updated and expanded its Offers to Buyers feature, giving UK sellers a more powerful and automated way to send targeted discounts to buyers who have already shown interest in their listings but have not yet completed a purchase. The update introduces enhanced visibility, automation tools, and bulk offer capabilities through a dedicated Offers page in Seller Hub, with further customisation and a unified view of all offer types planned in the coming months.
What Offers to Buyers Actually Does
Offers to Buyers allows sellers to send private, targeted discounts directly to buyers who are watching a listing or have added an item to their cart but not yet purchased. Rather than waiting for a buyer to make the first move, sellers can proactively reach out with a discount to nudge an interested buyer towards completing the transaction while their interest is still fresh.
The feature is available on fixed-price Buy It Now listings and can be used alongside Best Offer listings. It is separate from Best Offer, which is a feature added at the point of listing that invites any buyer to negotiate, whereas Offers to Buyers is a private tool used to target specific buyers who have already engaged with a listing.
How to Send Offers to Buyers
Sellers can find eligible listings through the Active Listings page in Seller Hub by selecting the Send Offers-Eligible filter, which surfaces all listings that have watchers or cart abandoners ready to receive an offer. Offers can be sent individually or in bulk, and the minimum discount that can be offered is 5 percent of the Buy It Now price.
When sending an offer for the first time, sellers have the option to automatically send the same offer to future interested buyers, removing the need to manually initiate offers every time a new buyer watches or carts the item. Sellers remain in control and can opt out of automatic offers at any time through the Offers page in Seller Hub.
Rule-Based Automatic Offers for Store Subscribers
eBay Store subscribers have access to a more advanced version of the feature through rule-based automatic offers. Rather than setting up offers listing by listing, Store subscribers can create rules based on criteria including category, price range, and item condition, and eBay will automatically send offers to eligible buyers whenever a listing matches those criteria and a buyer shows interest.
To set up rule-based offers, sellers navigate to the Marketing tab in Seller Hub, go to the Buyer Groups section, and select Set Up Automated Offers. From there they can choose which listings to include, set the discount amount, write a message to buyers, and set the duration of the offer for up to 150 days. Sellers can also choose whether to allow buyers to make counteroffers.
What Sellers Need to Know Before Making an Offer
There are a few practical considerations worth keeping in mind before setting up offers. eBay's guidance is to take full margins into account before setting a discount, including eBay fees, advertising fees, and postage costs, since offers only apply to the item price and not postage. If a buyer found a listing through eBay Advertising, promotional fees may still apply depending on how long ago the buyer engaged with the listing.
Sending an offer does not lock the item or prevent other buyers from purchasing it. Any open offers that have not been accepted are automatically cancelled if the item sells to another buyer.
The Difference Between Offers to Buyers and Best Offer
Best Offer is added to a listing at the point of creation and invites any buyer to negotiate on the price, whereas Offers to Buyers is a private tool used after a buyer has already engaged with a listing. Both can be active on the same listing simultaneously, though if a buyer has already submitted a Best Offer bid on a listing, they are no longer eligible to receive an Offers to Buyers discount on that item.
Fees
There are no additional fees for using Offers to Buyers on fixed-price listings. An eBay Store subscription is required to access automated and rule-based offers. Final value fees are based on the price the buyer actually pays after any discount is applied.