How to Send Offers to Buyers on eBay (Card Sellers)

To send offers to buyers on eBay, open a fixed-price listing that has watchers, choose Send offer in Seller Hub and set a price at least 5% below Buy It Now. As of October 6, 2026, eBay sends the offer to the 30 most recent interested buyers, and it lasts 96 hours or until the card sells. Each buyer can receive up to 3 offers from you.

Sending offers is one of the cheapest ways to turn watchers into sales, because the buyer has already found the card. Every rule below is from eBay’s Best Offer and send offer help page, read on October 6, 2026.

Key takeaways

Offers go to interested buyers only: the 30 most recent watchers and buyers with the card in their cart.
The offer must be at least 5% below Buy It Now, and it lasts 96 hours or until the card sells.
You can send each buyer up to 3 offers, so start small and raise the discount later.
Base the discount on how long the card has sat and how many people watch it.
WaxEngine sends offers to watchers automatically on a daily schedule, with limits you set.

How do you send offers to buyers on eBay?

You send offers from your active listings in Seller Hub, one listing at a time. eBay moves its menus from time to time, so the labels may differ slightly:

Go to Seller Hub and open your active listings.
Find a fixed-price listing with watchers or buyers who added it to their cart.
Choose Send offer for that listing.
Set the offer price, at least 5% below the Buy It Now price.
Add a short message if you like, then send it.

Who receives an offer you send on eBay?

eBay sends your offer to interested buyers, which means people watching the listing and people who put the item in their cart. It goes to the 30 most recent of them. If more than 30 buyers are interested, eBay sends up to 30 more offers every 48 hours until all of them have one.

You cannot send an offer to a buyer who never showed interest in the listing. For those buyers, your tools are the price itself, Best Offer and promoted listings.

What are eBay’s rules for offers to buyers?

Rule	As of October 6, 2026
Who receives it	The 30 most recent interested buyers (watchers, carts)
More than 30 interested	Up to 30 more offers every 48 hours
Minimum discount	5% below the Buy It Now price
Offers per buyer	Up to 3
How long it lasts	96 hours, or until the item sells

Best Offer is a separate feature. It lets buyers send you an offer, and you can set amounts at which eBay accepts or declines offers automatically.

How much should you offer on a card?

Start with the smallest discount that might move the card. Each buyer can receive up to 3 offers, so you can raise it later.

A simple starting rule:

Card listed less than a month, a few watchers: 5% to 8% off. Interest is recent, so a small discount is often enough.
Card listed one to three months, steady watchers: 10% off.
Card listed more than three months: 15% to 20% off, or reprice. If a bigger offer does not sell it, the price is the problem.

Check the offer against what you paid and what eBay’s fees will take. A 15% offer on a $10 card can leave nothing after fees and postage. Our guide to eBay seller fees shows what you keep at each price.

When should you send offers instead of lowering the price?

Send an offer when a card has watchers. The discount goes only to buyers who already showed interest, and the listed price stays the same for everyone else.

Lower the price when a card has no watchers and little traffic. An offer cannot reach buyers who never found the card. If the price is right and the card still does not sell, it may be a candidate for a lot or for relisting. Our post on relisting myths covers when relisting helps.

How do you send offers to watchers automatically?

Sending offers by hand works for a few cards. For a store with hundreds of listings, it means checking watchers on every listing and remembering who got an offer and when.

WaxEngine automates it. Its offer automation finds watched listings in its Offer tier each day, works out a discount from how long the card has been listed and how many people watch it, and sends the offer through your eBay account. You set the limits:

Discount range. Between 5% and 15%, and never below a $3 offer price.
Cooldown. How many days before the same watchers can get another offer.
Daily cap. A maximum number of offers per run, 15 by default.
Dry run. Preview every offer before any are sent.

It runs in the cloud, so it works with your computer off. The automation docs explain each setting.

What else turns watchers into sales?

Offers work best on cards that are priced from real sales and listed with good photos and titles. Our guide to listing cards on eBay fast covers both for a whole batch, and hockey sellers can start with how to sell hockey cards on eBay. If you are still choosing where to sell, see where to sell sports cards online. Before listing a card in a slab, check whether grading was worth it, and if you are still choosing how to scan cards, our scanner apps comparison covers the options.

How do you turn watchers into sales every day?

Start a free WaxEngine trial, connect your eBay account and preview the offers it would send today with a dry run. The trial runs 7 days or 200 scans, and nothing is charged unless you subscribe.

Frequently asked questions

How do I send an offer to a buyer on eBay?

Open the listing in Seller Hub, choose Send offer, set your discounted price and an optional message, and send it. eBay sends it to the most recent interested buyers, such as people watching the item or holding it in their cart. The listing must be a fixed-price listing with interested buyers.

Who receives an offer I send on eBay?

As of October 6, 2026, eBay sends your offer to the 30 most recent interested buyers, such as watchers and buyers with the item in their cart. If more than 30 buyers are interested, eBay sends up to 30 more offers every 48 hours until all of them have received one.

How long does an eBay offer to buyers last?

An offer sent to interested buyers lasts 96 hours, or until the item sells, as of October 6, 2026. The 48 hours that sellers sometimes mention is the gap between batches when more than 30 buyers are interested, not the life of the offer.

What is the minimum discount for an eBay offer?

An offer to interested buyers must be at least 5% below the Buy It Now price. You can offer more than 5% off, and you can send the same buyer up to 3 offers in total.

Can I send an offer to someone who did not watch my listing?

Only if they showed interest another way, such as adding the item to their cart. eBay's send offer feature reaches interested buyers only. To reach buyers who have not found the listing, lower the price, turn on Best Offer, or promote the listing.

Is it better to send offers or lower the price on eBay?

Send an offer first when a card has watchers. The offer goes only to buyers who already showed interest, and the listed price stays the same for everyone else. Lower the price when a card has no watchers and has had little traffic for weeks.