topic Re: Best Offer??? in Selling

Best Offer???

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 09:43:15 GMT

Is it just me or have other people had in the last couple of weeks absolutely ridiculous best offers for their items? I research all my items and look at prices for which similar items have sold for, so I know they are not too expensive.

In the last two weeks I have had 5 "best offers" all of which have been below 50% of the "Buy it Now" price. Instead of declining the offer I send a nice message with a counteroffer. I never here from these people ever again.

Is this happening to other sellers too?

Re: Best Offer???

davewil1964 — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 09:58:01 GMT

No.

The only items I have best offer on are those that I am not sure of value. Or when I am prepared to accept a bit less for a sale. Even then the threshold is around 80% of BIN. Automated. No umming and ahhing.

If you habitually offer 'best offer' without a minimum stiupulated, then you can hardly blame buyers for trying it on.

Re: Best Offer???

4946marks — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 10:25:03 GMT

I agree with you more and more time waisters are sending thru stupid bids example the other day $35 BIN OR BEST OFFER offer sent was $6.35 too many tyre kickers out there its about time ebay shook up all the deadwood and cleaned them out once and for all its getting too hard might be better off doing a garage sale aleast if they want they pay for it

Re: Best Offer???

davewil1964 — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 10:32:17 GMT

You have the option to not offer best offer, or to only accept offers within a stipulated range.

if you choose to offer 'best offer' on everything, without parameters, then you will naturally get tyre kickers. But that is your choice - maybe decide that the 'Buy It Now' price is a buy it now price? Or set your prices at market value?

Re: Best Offer???

maconii — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 10:52:08 GMT

I have parameters set up for my best offer items and it's definitely worth it. If I didn't have them up, I would get $1.00 offers for $4-10 items everyday....

Re: Best Offer???

retailtherapist_8 — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 11:39:35 GMT

You dont have to have "best offer" as an option on your listings to get stupid offers sent to you. While really annoying I put it down to just part of the whole ebay experience.

I try to be as polite as I can in my responses, needless to say I have developed a horrible habit of biting my lip and a somewhat disturbing tick in my eye, oh and a really disturbing itchy rash hahahhaha

Re: Best Offer???

amber-eyed-girl — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 12:38:02 GMT

the cure for that might be a nice glass of champagne Reta

or one of these

🍸

Re: Best Offer???

retailtherapist_8 — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 12:50:03 GMT

amber ya gotta luvvvvv the silly season picked up my fave veuve clicquot on a 2 fer sale , New Years Eve should cure me hahaha hiccup!

Re: Best Offer???

springyzone — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 20:56:06 GMT

I would agree with dave. I think, from what I have read, that you can set it to automatically reject offers that are below a set point. That way you won't have to bother replying personally.

Why not do that? Of course people will offer low to start with, just to see how it goes. If they are serious though, they will come back with as econd or third offer that is higher. If they don't and you have it set on auto reject for low offers, no bother.

I like best offer but what it signals to me as a buyer is I would be silly to pay full price before making a lower offer.

Re: Best Offer???

billexploited — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 08:03:21 GMT

ebay should be bring back reserve prices unlike best offer there are so many cheapskates out there

Re: Best Offer???

davewil1964 — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 08:16:20 GMT

Why?

Surely the minimum bid should be the reserve?

Why would you start an 'auction' at less than you are prepared to accept?

Are 'auctions' that normal these days?

I sell books. There are about 30k auctions out of several million book listings. And if I was to do an 'auction' it would be unlikely to be less than the BIN price. Or my acceptable 'Best' Offer for those I would contemplate BO for.

Plus it costs me 5c for a GTC BIN with BO. It would cost me $1.50 for a 10 day 'auction'. Which would mean I need to have a book listed, unsold, for 30 months to equal the fee for one 10 day auction. My auction start would be significantly higher than my BIN. And if nobody bought it in 2 1/2 years there is a fair bet it wouldn't sell for a reasonable price at auction.

For non-media, it is still 7 1/2 times more expensive for a 10 day 'auction' than it is for a 30 day BIN.

Re: Best Offer???

billexploited — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 09:15:44 GMT

Your best offer can be your reserve price should you wish to choose. Unfornualy for me I have had auctions started at 99 cents and sold for 99 cents or less! I wish real estate was at 99 cents!

Re: Best Offer???

davewil1964 — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 09:31:50 GMT

Simple. Don't start auctions at 99c.

Probably every newbie gets sucked into that. Most quickly learn not to.

Re: Best Offer???

bjmonty28 — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 09:46:37 GMT

I think a lot of these " tyre kickers " run amock with crazy low offers in the hope that one, just one seller will click " accept " by mistake.

Re: Best Offer???

lane-ends — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 10:10:50 GMT

I got one the othe day on a $45 item. It was submitted at $18, immediatly retracted as wrong amount and re netered as $8. I declined and they reoffered at $6. This on free post items that are going to cost $7 to post.I blocked them.

Aything 50% or less I decline without counter. Anything under 20% I often just block them, if I can be bothered.

Re: Best Offer???

bjmonty28 — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 10:16:00 GMT

LOL
Crazy isnt it.
Retracted a 65% reduction offer and then submitted a 80% reduction offer.

I too block bidders in these instances.
Some people really are a worry arent they.

Re: Best Offer???

sales3_reddomino — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 10:25:01 GMT

i think you have to have a safety net. i always work on my absolute lowest profit margin for best offer. if buyers want to try lower than

that..it gets rejected.without it, i would have sold my items for a quarter of what they were worth.

Re: Best Offer???

lane-ends — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 10:36:24 GMT

I have a set amount I will discount. They offer X which is either above my set minimum (which is the same for all items) in which case it is auto accepted. If below I counter with this standrad discount, I dont even check to see what the item is as the discount is the same for all. That way I dont get tempted to keep lowering my minimums, as there is no considering involved

Ridiculous offers as per previous post

Re: Best Offer???

hsvcc64 — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 07:27:40 GMT

I completely agree! I sell my items as buy it now or make an offer. Generally i have limits set to automatically decline or accept the offer as i get people offering ridiculous amounts. E.G. $15 buy it now, $2.50 offer.... Really? Seriously!

Re: Best Offer???

davewil1964 — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 08:07:35 GMT

I really don't understand why people would have best offer on all their listings.

Seems to negate the point of a BIN.

I have best offer on a few, more valuable, books, where I am prepared to accept a bit less than market value in order to move them. But I can also relist them at 5c per month for several decades before they seriously impact on my profit. And short print run first editions get scarcer over time.