Is ebay version of "Big Brother" watching?

[Chrissy]

Several times now, I have been advised that I've received a message from a random ebay seller offering me a lower price on an item that I "have shown an interest in."

I'm quite a compulsive "watcher" and watch hundreds of ebay items. Obviously I don't buy all of them, well they aren't all pens or inks for a start, but I have received lower price offers on items that I have never contacted a seller about.

Therefore, ebay not only knows what ebay ID is watching an item, it clearly passes on this information to sellers, who can then choose to send an offer to watching potential ebay buyers. The message usually advises me that the seller has sent the offer to "other buyers as well as me," so I need to "act quickly."

This is something I wasn't aware of. Did everyone else know that it can happen?