topic Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :( in Buying

Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

maxretro76 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 02:35:02 GMT

I am growing concerned with this new trend of sellers choosing to ignore sales opportunities!! Recently i had my final offer of 50c less for a dvd player from the uk quickly declined. Royal mail would have been screaming for the missed opportunity of $50 postage. Also a chinese item for 20c less was instantly declined by ebay auto feature. Many are also left to expire with no counter-offers or response from sellers. What is the point of having a best offer feature then? It seems that many people would rather watch their items gather dust or be stuck on storage shelves. The only other thing i can think of is maybe they are testing the market?? Rather than roll coins down a hill in protest, could someone tell me what the hell is really going on ???

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

digital*ghost — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:03:14 GMT

Some sellers misunderstand what the best offer function is for (eg there's been a few who thought it meant higher offers), some sellers use it to entice buyers without actually offering or accepting any discounts (not really sure of the logic behind that one, but it happens), some sellers use it to provide discounts only on volume purchases, some sellers may be more inclined to be generous in more prosperous times, some sellers have decided to no longer provide best offer discounts - the feature can't be removed from a listing if there have been sales, and sales history improves search rankings, so they can be reluctant to create a new listing, especially in competitive categories.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

collect247 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:03:53 GMT

I can understand offering $50 or $20 less and not responding but 50c and 20c less, well those sellers are bonkers I say.

Or probably don't even realize they have an offer on them lol.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

lyndal1838 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:25:54 GMT

There are some reports on the boards of the Best Offer feature being automatically activated and the sellers have no idea that it it on their listings until they get an offer. As far as they know the potential buyer is just being cheeky.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

sarahs_preloved_booksnbits — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 05:29:03 GMT

This trend of letting offers expire or declining them (assuming a reasonable price) amazes me. The general complaint i have heard about on the seller message boards of late, is that sale levels are right down.

Even when i receive a ridiculous offer - I have countered with something more reasonable. In some instances, the person just isn't really interested, but in others, they just don't want to pay any more than the absolute mininum the seller will sell at.

Finally - as a seller i have noticed that, if I post an item for sale, with the 'Best Offer' option, on the next item I list that box will automatically be selected. So it's possible that the seller may have inadvertantly listed with that option.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

k1ooo-slr-sales — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 11:34:30 GMT

@maxretro76 wrote:
I am growing concerned with this new trend of sellers choosing to ignore sales opportunities!! Recently i had my final offer of 50c less for a dvd player from the uk quickly declined. Royal mail would have been screaming for the missed opportunity of $50 postage. Also a chinese item for 20c less was instantly declined by ebay auto feature. Many are also left to expire with no counter-offers or response from sellers. What is the point of having a best offer feature then? It seems that many people would rather watch their items gather dust or be stuck on storage shelves. The only other thing i can think of is maybe they are testing the market?? Rather than roll coins down a hill in protest, could someone tell me what the hell is really going on ???

while I understand you being puzzled by sellers declining or ignoring offers that are only a matter of 50c or 20c below their BIN price, the question I will ask is why are you even bothering to offer 50c or 20c less than the BIN price? . . . . . . unless you are only doing so to test their willingness to actually accept such an offer.

You ask:

What is the point of having a best offer feature then?

. . . . . to which I would counter with:

why would anyone who genuinely wanted an item use their last of three offers to offer 50c less than BIN rather than just buying at the BIN price?

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

collect247 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 11:54:56 GMT

slr sales perhaps the BIN price was 55c and OP offered 50c off and wanted to buy it for 5c

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

k1ooo-slr-sales — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:16:22 GMT

@ eezipeezi

55c DVD player from the UK with $50 postage !!!!!!!!!! No wonder they wanted to save a little with their offer of 5c !!!!!!!

Just kidding maxretro, we know that your offer was not for just 5c, we are just being silly (as we can so often be )

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

digital*ghost — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:39:04 GMT

@k1ooo-slr-sales wrote:

55c DVD player from the UK with $50 postage !!!!!!!!!! No wonder they wanted to save a little with their offer of 5c !!!!!!!

Just kidding maxretro, we know that your offer was not for just 5c, ....

That's 'cos the minimum price of a buy it now item - after all discounts have been applied - is $1 😉

Technically Correct ~~Guy~~ Girl Strikes Again

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

maxretro76 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 22:52:17 GMT

Thanks for the replies folks😀 I hadnt thought of some of those issues. To sir-sales i would like to say that like most shoppers i also like to shop around for bargains and look to save on overpriced items and high postage costs wherever possible. Personally, i find it annoying that after making a 2nd or 3rd & final offer that a seller has made no effort to do business with me. Whatever happened to customer service?? I hardly ever go back to the same seller after a final offer fails & purchase the same item from a competitor instead usually at a higher rate. Perhaps i should make my final offer at the minimum BIN or ' buy it now price ' to avoid disappointment, but i dont know if i'll die wondering if i could have saved a dollar here or 50c there...it all adds up you know....😂Lol

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

k1ooo-slr-sales — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 00:45:48 GMT

@maxretro76

To sir-sales i would like to say that like most shoppers i also like to shop around for bargains and look to save on overpriced items and high postage costs wherever possible.

Save on overpriced items by offering just 20c or 50c lower than BIN? pfffffft

I hardly ever go back to the same seller after a final offer fails & purchase the same item from a competitor instead usually at a higher rate.

Seems like a contradictory statement from someone who is prepared to pay higher prices while also looking to save on overpriced items

Perhaps i should make my final offer at the minimum BIN or ' buy it now price ' to avoid disappointment,

For goodness sake, just hit the bl00dy BIN button if you final offer is going to be the BIN price! Just because a seller has Best Offer on their listing doesn't stop you from making two offers and then hitting the BIN price, unless a buyer has some other agenda

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

digital*ghost — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 02:30:47 GMT

I'd agree with you in some cases, but not in instances where my offers were completely ignored. If sellers want people to go ahead and buy, they should show some common courtesy, I'd be much less likely to buy from a seller if they ignored offers, whether intentionally or not (which I wouldn't know either way) - I haven't used best offer in years, but when I did, even if I outright declined an offer I'd do it fairly quickly and with a brief but polite message (I declined the silly ones without counter-offering because I didn't feel like the potential buyer was taking me seriously, which doesn't inspire me to negotiate).

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

lyndal1838 — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 03:23:33 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
@k1ooo-slr-sales wrote:

55c DVD player from the UK with $50 postage !!!!!!!!!! No wonder they wanted to save a little with their offer of 5c !!!!!!!

Just kidding maxretro, we know that your offer was not for just 5c, ....
That's 'cos the minimum price of a buy it now item - after all discounts have been applied - is $1 😉

Technically Correct ~~Guy~~ Girl Strikes Again

Digi, Digi, Digi...........you have too much ebay knowledge for your own good.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

digital*ghost — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 06:42:24 GMT

Probably, but fingers crossed it comes in handy for some use other than pedantry, one day.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

maxretro76 — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 07:46:22 GMT

Cheers digi ! It is not just about price or quality of an item, but the overall experience that counts for me!!!
If i see an item available for $20 with make an offer option i would start off by putting up $15. I would normally be left hanging for 48hrs till offer expired, then make another offer of $17-17.50, thinking maybe seller will take it more seriously. Most of the time this midrange offer would also expire. By now im thinking do i really want this item or can i go without it? Or can i get a better quality version. I usually opt to go for the 3rd & final offer as encouraged by ebay! This would be either $19 or $19.50 thinking for sure they will accept. After all if postage is $10.50 plus $19.50 item making $30 even everyone is happy right??? Wrong. I have watched many offers like this fall on the wayside with nil action from sellers. Some dont even reply to messages even when i mention i am keen on making a purchase😢
Someone mentioned that sales across the board are down! Perhaps this is one of the reasons why! Many buyers would be put off by lousy sellers. What keeps me going are the great sellers who really look after their customers. I follow the best ones and always return down the track for repeat business😁

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

k1ooo-slr-sales — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 08:39:18 GMT

@maxretro

again, if you really want a $20 item and are happy with the postage why would you make your third offer $19.50? (especially if you are prepared to make a principled statement by buying for more $ from some other seller)

Personally, I wouldn't d!ck around. If the BIN price is one I would creep up towards in my offers, I would just hit the BIN button and be happy.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

brerrabbit585 — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:44:05 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
I'd agree with you in some cases, but not in instances where my offers were completely ignored. If sellers want people to go ahead and buy, they should show some common courtesy, I'd be much less likely to buy from a seller if they ignored offers, whether intentionally or not (which I wouldn't know either way) - I haven't used best offer in years, but when I did, even if I outright declined an offer I'd do it fairly quickly and with a brief but polite message (I declined the silly ones without counter-offering because I didn't feel like the potential buyer was taking me seriously, which doesn't inspire me to negotiate).

Perhaps the sellers concerned didn't think the OP was taking them seriously either, so they didn't bother responding to the third/final offer.

What I have a problem with is the buyers who think I'm desperate enough to sell to them for a big discount when I don't even have offers enabled on my listing. Then they get upset when I block them and insist they've never been rude. The reason I block them is simply because I don't want them as a buyer. I wonder whether they try and bargain with all the b&m shops they go into, and how quickly they'd be shown the door if they did?

I assume by 'good sellers look after their customers' the OP means that good sellers always give a discount. What about the buyers looking after the good sellers by not trying to twist their arms up their back and take the food out of their mouths? Ah, silly me, I forgot ALL sellers on ebay are supposed to be desperate for sales.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

brerrabbit585 — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:46:07 GMT

@k1ooo-slr-sales wrote:
@maxretro

again, if you really want a $20 item and are happy with the postage why would you make your third offer $19.50? (especially if you are prepared to make a principled statement by buying for more $ from some other seller)

Personally, I wouldn't d!ck around. If the BIN price is one I would creep up towards in my offers, I would just hit the BIN button and be happy.

Ah, but it's the principle of the thing - some people just aren't happy unless they can get the seller down in price. Just think how humiliating it would be to actually pay full price after lower offers have been refused.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

*tippy*toes* — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 12:24:40 GMT

Yes, it's the principle of the thing. It's also the vibe. Yes, it's the vibe.

Then there are the buyers who make an offer when there is no best offer option (because the item is listed as auction). Seller says yeah, sure, I'll lower the start price, then you bid on it and seller will end item early for them. Only the buyer never bids after the price was reduced for them. Price went back to higher than the original price and sold on the next relist. Sellers don't need buyers like that.

The other day I had an offer from a buyer on a BIN item that didn't have best offer. It was listed for $20 and they offered $15. I said I couldn't go any lower than $18 or I'd lose money on it. Buyer agreed, I reduced it to $18, they bought and paid within 5 minutes. Not bad for an item I paid less than $1 for!

Some buyers have made offers and I've flat out refused because of how their message was worded. Their true colours came out when I'd get a reply full of abuse and venom after I rejected their offer. I've been around long enough to know if a buyer is genuine, or just trying to yank my chain.

Re: Up to 90% of offers now declined or left to expire :(

k1ooo-slr-sales — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 12:38:40 GMT

@tippy

ahhhhhh . . . . . . the vibe . . . . . . there have been times when I have been selling (on this and/or other IDs) when I have looked at the feedback of a potential buyer who has made an offer and got a vibe about the buyer based on the feedback they have left for others.

The vibe was strong enough for me to put them on my party list and not even respond to their offer. Doesn't make me a lousy seller, the word I would use is astute.