From the eBay help pages:
What does it mean to “watch” an item?
When you’re “watching” an item, the listing appears in your Watching list in My eBay. You can view the item every time you visit My eBay, without having to search for it again.
By watching an item, you can: View the current high bid for the item Place a bid or take another action on the item View the seller’s other items Get notified by email when the status of the listing changes or if the item gets relisted
If you haven't amended any account settings that you will real-time alerts for items being watched. To check your preferences you need to:
Log in to eBay > Account Settings > Communication Preferences.
In the Buyer section expand the Buying activity section. You will then be able to change the frequency of the emails.
eBay
ebay.com › help › buying › search-tips › watchlist
Your Watchlist | eBay
You can turn off your Watchlist email alerts by following these steps: Go to Communication preferences - opens in new window or tab in My eBay. Scroll down to the Buyer section and select Edit next to Buying activity. Unselect the checkbox beside Watch alert to no longer receive notifications.
eBay
ebay.ca › help › buying › search-tips › watchlist
Your Watchlist
You'll receive notifications about items on your Watchlist by default. For example, you'll receive an alert if a listing you're watching is ending soon. You can turn off your Watchlist email alerts by following these steps: Go to Communication preferences - opens in new window or tab in My eBay.
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Selling › Is-there-a-way-to-get-notified-if-an-item-is-added-to-watch-list › td-p › 31946787
Is there a way to get notified if an item is added... - The eBay Community
June 8, 2021 - Unfortunately there is not. Here are the notifications that can be user configured.
Automatedsearches
automatedsearches.com › blog › how-to-get-alerts-when-out-of-stock-ebay-items-come-back-in-stock
How to get alerts when out-of-stock eBay items come back in stock - AutomatedSearches.com
April 1, 2025 - Every time an item in your eBay Watchlist goes back-in-stock after being out-of-stock you will automatically get an alert.
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Ask-a-Mentor › How-to-change-watch-item-notifications-emails › td-p › 33939833
How to change watch item notifications emails . - The eBay Community
August 18, 2023 - When you see a listing you would like to add to your watch list, you simply click ADD TO WATCH LIST, which you will find under the Bid or By It Now button. After you have added several items to your Watch List, you can go to My ebay > Watchlist...
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Buying › How-to-get-notified-right-before-watched-item-ends › td-p › 31798973
How to get notified right before watched item ends... - The eBay Community
February 20, 2023 - Your best bet for not missing a listing's end time is to set your watch list to Sort > Ending Soonest. If you check your list daily you will see what items are ending each day. "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FOOLPROOF, BECAUSE FOOLS ARE SO DARNED ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/ebay › constant ebay app notifications "seller offer" from just viewing items not on watchlist
r/Ebay on Reddit: Constant ebay app notifications "seller offer" from just viewing items not on watchlist
July 15, 2022 -
See here: https://imgur.com/a/T5UadqR
I turned off the offers to buyer notifications and am still getting them. It's literally spam and I have no way to stop just these as I'll miss out other important notifications. Please help this is ruining the ebay app for me! Previously it had to be on the watchlist to receive these. What's goin on?
Top answer 1 of 5
12
I'm even getting "viewed item update". Like c'mon ebay? Why have you become the TikTok algorithm of shopping apps. It's so invasive...
2 of 5
5
I get the "this item is no longer available" notifications when I view any sold item. I know it sold, I specifically searched for sold listings for that item and clicked them. Don't need the emails, eBay. But how else are they going to pump their "marketing" numbers to make you feel like your additional fees are worth it?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/ebay › [deleted by user]
[deleted by user] : r/Ebay
November 8, 2022 - Please read the rules - https://old.reddit.com/r/Ebay/about/rules/ ... Archived post. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Share ... I've been getting this stupid reminder for months now as well. I think it might have been something I added to my wishlist (or whatever it's called), but I've quadruple-confirmed now that it's not in my saved items list, yet I still get random reminders about it. It states that it's a "Watched Item Reminder" notification that I get.
eBay
ebay.co.uk › help › buying › search-tips › watch-list
Your watch list | eBay
You'll receive notifications about items on your watch list by default. For example, you'll receive an alert if a listing you're watching is ending soon.
EcommerceBytes
ecommercebytes.com › home › 2018 › march › 15
How to get Free Email & Text Message Alerts for your eBay Watch Lists - EcommerceBytes
October 21, 2018 - Whenever your eBay Watch List items are near ending, you will get an email and/or text message alert with a link to the item so you don’t miss out.
Quora
quora.com › Can-I-get-notifications-whenever-someone-watches-an-item-Im-selling-on-eBay
Can I get notifications whenever someone watches an item I'm selling on eBay? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Unfortunately, no. Buyers can set up alerts for the items they are watching but sellers don’t have the option of being alerted when a new person adds their item to their watch list.
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Mobile-Apps › 15-Minute-notifications-for-watch-list-items-no-longer-working › td-p › 33247184
15 Minute notifications for watch list items no lo... - The eBay Community
October 3, 2023 - Hi @mrrkz! Could you please check: My eBay > Settings > Notifications > Shopping updated > Item ending to ensure the item ending notification is turned on?
EcommerceBytes
ecommercebytes.com › home › 2020 › july › 4
How to get alerts when out-of-stock eBay items come back in stock - EcommerceBytes
July 4, 2020 - Every time an item in your eBay Watchlist goes back-in-stock after being out-of-stock you will automatically get an alert by email or text message.
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Ask-a-Mentor › Not-receiving-notifications-for-watchlist-item-ending-soon › td-p › 33553484
Not receiving notifications for watchlist item end... - The eBay Community
February 17, 2023 - Rest assured that this will be fixed soon and the notifications will arrived real time for the items you have on watchlist.
EBay
developer.ebay.com › api-docs › static › pn_item-added-to-watch-list.html
ItemAddedToWatchList | eBay Developers Program
eBay sends an ItemAddedToWatchList notification to third parties subscribed on the buyer's behalf whenever a buyer adds an item to their watch list.
uBuyFirst
ubuyfirst.com › home › never miss a deal: the ultimate guide to setting up ebay alerts
Never Miss a Deal: The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up eBay Alerts - uBuyFirst
August 21, 2025 - Enable seller alerts in your eBay notification settings for real-time updates. Pro Tip: If you’re a reseller or bulk buyer, use uBuyFirst to get faster alerts for seller listings and advanced filtering options.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How to Set Up an Ebay Alert - YouTube
Set up an alert on Ebay so that you never miss a family photo for sale again.
Published August 10, 2021
uBuyFirst
ubuyfirst.com › home › docs › watchlist notifications
WatchList Notifications - uBuyFirst
July 31, 2025 - View watchlist notifications in a separate panel. Automatic monitoring for relisted, restocked, status or price changes. Apply advanced filters to customize how you view items when they’re updated.
Tech Life Unity
techlifeunity.com › ebay-watch-list
How to Use an eBay Watch List
March 14, 2022 - That's not all your Watch List does, though! You can also request notifications and/or emails be sent to you when something about the item changes (such as its price, stock, or details).