"Best Offer" by eBay

[sudiptahalder]

Hi Team eBay,

eBay has given an option to the sellers to display "Best Offer" as a price option. It's a useless option given to the sellers to misguide the buyers and the sellers almost didn't agree with a legitimate offer.  I have had multiple experiences where sellers sent a counter offer just a few cents lower then the original price. or they didn't respond at all.  This is a nonsense feature developed by eBay without keeping the customers (Buyers) in mind. 

Recent example -  Product cost  Buy 1 - AUD $11.49, Buy 2- AUD $9.77

I offered AUD $10.49, the counteroffer received AUD $11.40. It's just $0.09 less than the original price.

There should have been a minimum discount to be accepted if it's mentioned as "BEST OFFER".  Otherwise, it's just wasting time for everyone (seller as well as buyer). Or maybe consider removing this non-sense pro seller feature. 

[padi*0409]

I don't know if it still happens, but eBay at one stage was putting "best offer" on seller's listings with an auto-accept well below what the seller wanted.

The only way sellers could stop that from happening was to have a minimum price a few cents below the asking price on "best offer".

[davewil1964]

Maybe the item is worth $11.40. eBay stopped being a flea market many years ago

[lezned-toycollector]

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@sudiptahalder wrote:

Hi Team eBay,

eBay has given an option to the sellers to display "Best Offer" as a price option. It's a useless option given to the sellers to misguide the buyers and the sellers almost didn't agree with a legitimate offer.  I have had multiple experiences where sellers sent a counter offer just a few cents lower then the original price. or they didn't respond at all.  This is a nonsense feature developed by eBay without keeping the customers (Buyers) in mind. 

Recent example -  Product cost  Buy 1 - AUD $11.49, Buy 2- AUD $9.77

I offered AUD $10.49, the counteroffer received AUD $11.40. It's just $0.09 less than the original price.

There should have been a minimum discount to be accepted if it's mentioned as "BEST OFFER".  Otherwise, it's just wasting time for everyone (seller as well as buyer). Or maybe consider removing this non-sense pro seller feature. 

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"Useless option"??? "Non-sense pro seller feature"??? Really? Given that the vast majority of my sales are made through this feature, it actually confirms that not only is it far from useless, but it's a feature designed to enhance the buyer experience.

"Misguide buyers"??? Now I've heard everything. How is selling something below the list price "misguiding"? Intelligent buyers seem to understand how it works, and take advantage of grabbing a bargain whenever they can. You can guarantee that not one of them is "misguided" by making their offer.

It's true that some offers are very close to the asking price, but then there are others such as a $2.50 counter offer I received for a $425.00 item. Some buyers are just galoptics and yearn to be blocked.

So it's a great feature that increases sales and increases buyer satisfaction, while weeding out the trouble makers and tyre kickers. It is there for the advantage of both buyers (cheaper item price) and sellers (more sales) alike, and contrary to your opinion, is most definitely not misguiding to anyone at all.

I'd like to better understand your thought process, so may I suggest that you go ahead next week, and make an offer on any of my items? I can 100% guarantee that you'll never, ever get a counter offer for a few cents off. That's because I simply don't do counter offers. Every single offer that I have ever received has been accepted. Go ahead and try it to see for yourself. Then perhaps you can come back here and explain to everyone how the act of making that offer misguided you.

[zanadoo_56]

When I see Best Offer available I always check the seller's feedback to see if he/she has ever accepted a Best Offer.  If the answer it no then it's eBay generated and the seller is unlikely to accept any offers. 

Initially I did ask a few sellers and was told they didn't accept offers - so after that I just don't bother if there's no best offers accepted in their feedback.

[joztamps]

Galoptics is my new Word of the Week

[countessalmirena]

@sudiptahalder

Note: you're not contacting eBay by posting on these boards. They are public forums on which any eBay member can post, and the responders are, like you, fellow eBay members who give voluntary helpful advice and information. That’s just my standard non-eBay preamble in case you weren’t being facetious with the Team eBay comment.

Re Best Offer… Apart from everything that’s already been posted here about it, offering 10.49 on an already cheap item listed for 11.49 is asking for a substantial discount. Perhaps that seller enables Best Offer in order to be able to accept offers on larger quantities. In that case, counter-offering for 11.40 for just 1 item is not unreasonable.

You as a buyer cannot determine what is a fair offer for the seller. Furthermore, you as the buyer cannot impose a minimum amount for which the seller is obliged to sell below the asking price.  Best Offer as an eBay function in no way obligates the seller to sell at less than a price with which he is satisfied.

I am a buyer only. 

I realise that it can be frustrating to make an offer for what one considers a legitimate price…. but neither you nor I know what sort of margin that seller has, nor do we know the seller’s selling strategy or associated costs or turnover. We as buyers can ask…. but on eBay it’s not necessarily “ask and you shall receive”.

Bottom line: if it serves some sellers well for the type of items they sell and given their particular selling strategies, Best Offer is not a nonsense feature merely because you may sometimes feel aggrieved by receiving only a modest counteroffer discount… 

CAVEAT: I don’t know the circumstances and I don’t know the margins/wriggle room for negotiations, so this is mere speculation.

[4channel]

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@sudiptahalder wrote:

Hi Team eBay,

eBay has given an option to the sellers to display "Best Offer" as a price option. It's a useless option given to the sellers to misguide the buyers and the sellers almost didn't agree with a legitimate offer.  I have had multiple experiences where sellers sent a counter offer just a few cents lower then the original price. or they didn't respond at all.  This is a nonsense feature developed by eBay without keeping the customers (Buyers) in mind. 

Recent example -  Product cost  Buy 1 - AUD $11.49, Buy 2- AUD $9.77

I offered AUD $10.49, the counteroffer received AUD $11.40. It's just $0.09 less than the original price.

There should have been a minimum discount to be accepted if it's mentioned as "BEST OFFER".  Otherwise, it's just wasting time for everyone (seller as well as buyer). Or maybe consider removing this non-sense pro seller feature. 

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Hi sudiptahalder, and welcome to the board. Sorry to hear of your frustration and indeed it can he as you say. I hear you !

I think on the whole, most sellers will accept a good offer. Most of my offers are accepted. Just depends on the item etc.. I have made a reasonable offer on an item that had a grossly inflated price, I think it was about 50% and we settled on about 60%. I think that the seller realized that they had inflated the price. Other items where the item isn't grossly inflated, I make an offer of about 75% to 80%, sometimes 90%.  Usually happily accepted. Sometimes a counter offer is made.

With what you have described and I have no doubt of your sincerity, I'm wondering if it a certain type of item open to exploitation. Yes there are some sellers who inflate the prices and just end up doing what you have encountered.

I hope you experience better deals.

[domino-710]

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@4channel wrote:

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 I hear you !

With what you have described and I have no doubt of your sincerity, I'm wondering if it a certain type of item open to exploitation. Yes there are some sellers who inflate the prices and just end up doing what you have encountered.

I hope you experience better deals.

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Yep - a certain type of item open to exploitation @ $11.49. 🙂

[gumardee]

Yes eBay does put best offer on automatically still. Ever thought that you were just being a cheapo?