topic Re: uninvited offers in Selling

uninvited offers

shoppingbag* — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:11:00 GMT

Just wondering how other Sellers deal with unsolicited uninvited offers

Re: uninvited offers

kacoo_9552 — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:51:47 GMT

I ignore them now.

Its bad enough when Ebay keeps putting Best Offer on without my knowledge and I have to keep checking my listings.

Re: uninvited offers

sandypebbles — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:26:21 GMT

When I was selling, I would also ignore them

9 out of 10 times it would be for about a quarter of the price I was asking (which was already a lot cheaper than what it was 'worth') AND wanting free postage on top

I did'nt have best offer, and removed it every time eBay was 'helpful' and put it back again

Re: uninvited offers

springyzone — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:49:04 GMT

If you don't have best offer on your listings and the offers are not what you want for the items, just ignore the messages. You are under no obligation to reply, it is not as if it is a question about the item itself. Life is too short to waste too much time on unsolicited offers, most especially if they are heading into the insulting range.

Most of the time, I suspect they would be people who aren't dead keen on buying anyway, they are just trying their luck.

Re: uninvited offers

curraone — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:47:15 GMT

I usually send back a high counter-offer. Sometimes they are just feeling the way. Only takes a minute of my time, and may result in a sale.

Re: uninvited offers

joz15au — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:48:56 GMT

Same, I didn't have best offer on my listings but some of the people who contacted me were quite pushy and rude, virtually demanding that I sell to them at less than half of my listing price. Of course they went straight to my party list!

Re: uninvited offers

digital*ghost — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:50:44 GMT

If I'm feeling diplomatic...

"Thank you for getting in touch, unfortunately I'm not currently running any sales or offers at this point in time, but you're welcome to follow my store so that you can be updated if a discount becomes available in the future."

Re: uninvited offers

glenbankloel — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:51:15 GMT

Up to you how you want to view the offers.

Personally we would not ignore!

This person is actually looking at your item so that is a good thing.

If the offer is reasonable then perhaps you might accept and adjust the listing for them.

If the offer is ridiculous then send a message and let them know what lowest $'s you would accept.

If they accept- great, if they don't - great. No skin off your nose.

But at least you have some activity and people contacting you.

Remember their offer could be just a way to flush out what your lowest price is. And who knows they may accept your price.

It can be confronting when unsolicited offers arrive, (and sometimes ROFL time), but we just view it as someone trying to find out what we will accept. So we view it as a positive situation and start the conversation. But never ignore, or be rude back.

Your choice, Good Luck.

Re: uninvited offers

sugar249 — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:14:26 GMT

@shoppingbag* wrote:
Just wondering how other Sellers deal with unsolicited uninvited offers

If they are reasonable I may accept them, or counteroffer.

If they are low ball, either ignore, send a laugh back or ask what planet they are from. Just depends which way the wind is blowing on that particular day.

Re: uninvited offers

south.coffee — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 02:01:18 GMT

Our latest standard reply for stupid low ball offers:

"If you're on a tight budget try Kmart, they sell xyx item"

Re: uninvited offers

love_of_cars — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 05:23:28 GMT

When someone offers a very low price for one of my automotive prints (and they usually expect free postage included!) then I offer to supply one with all the technical info stripped out of it, so it's just the pictures. They then usually buy it as is or don't respond.

Re: uninvited offers

shoppingbag* — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:55:41 GMT

@glenbankloel wrote:
Up to you how you want to view the offers.

Personally we would not ignore!

This person is actually looking at your item so that is a good thing.

If the offer is reasonable then perhaps you might accept and adjust the listing for them.
If the offer is ridiculous then send a message and let them know what lowest $'s you would accept.
If they accept- great, if they don't - great. No skin off your nose.

But at least you have some activity and people contacting you.
Remember their offer could be just a way to flush out what your lowest price is. And who knows they may accept your price.

It can be confronting when unsolicited offers arrive, (and sometimes ROFL time), but we just view it as someone trying to find out what we will accept. So we view it as a positive situation and start the conversation. But never ignore, or be rude back.
Your choice, Good Luck.

I have tried to be tolerable of univited offers which I have received four of them today, asking for 15% to 20% and one 25% off already cheap prices which I am already losing money on. So I agreed to three of them, (just want to get stuff moving out of my overcrowded house) One never got back, the other haggled about postage costs for the two discounted items, messaged back and forth, do I take direct deposit, how much for combined postage, and then, "I'll let you know" I am not responding to that because I may not be able to continue to be polite. I don't know how long she expects me to keep the offer open. In future, I will just be telling them "this is a fixed price listing and offers have not been invited" On the flip side, I did ask a seller recently if the price was at all negotiable, as I had noticed most of her listings invited offers but not the one I was looking at.

Normally I would not ask, and did not think it right to put an $ offer, but just to ask was it negotiable. She ended up giving me a 10% discount, but I let her tell me if she would and how much, not the other way around.

Re: uninvited offers

davewil1964 — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:03:04 GMT

eBay have for quite a long time allowed members to make offers, even when the seller doesn't have the function enabled.

I don't get many, and tend towards ignoring rather than negotiating.

I'm not desperate to get stuff out of the house if it means the amount of time and effort I've put into a listing netts me less than not having bought it in the first place.

Re: uninvited offers

countessalmirena — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:42:07 GMT

As I'm in that sort of mood (the sort of mood where I'd reply with brutal whimsy), I might reply in this manner:

Dear [buyer]

Thank you for your offer. It's a particularly fascinating offer as it received no solicitation to cross my threshold, and thus I prize it dearly. Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that it may be a harbinger of the quizzical?

May I counter in a manner that suits the present circumstances? If you have a spare child lying around the place, I happen to have room in my collection for just one more. Please describe your spare child in detail, and I will measure the prepared repository (which I assure you is very nice indeed, gold-edged and lined with smudge-proof silk), to see whether the size is as correct as Cinderella's foot in the slipper.

Yours in caprice,

[name]

Re: uninvited offers

davewil1964 — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:56:15 GMT

I believe 'gilt' to be the capricious term.

I do not believe you would ever think, much less say, 'gold-edged'.

Re: uninvited offers

countessalmirena — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Gilty, m'lud.

Re: uninvited offers

*tippy*toes* — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 10:30:25 GMT

I would be happy if someone offered me a child as part of a discount on a listing. I like children. But only if they're cooked properly.

🙂

Re: uninvited offers

joztamps — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:11:40 GMT

@countessalmirena wrote:
As I'm in that sort of mood (the sort of mood where I'd reply with brutal whimsy), I might reply in this manner:

Dear [buyer]

Thank you for your offer. It's a particularly fascinating offer as it received no solicitation to cross my threshold, and thus I prize it dearly. Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that it may be a harbinger of the quizzical?

May I counter in a manner that suits the present circumstances? If you have a spare child lying around the place, I happen to have room in my collection for just one more. Please describe your spare child in detail, and I will measure the prepared repository (which I assure you is very nice indeed, gold-edged and lined with smudge-proof silk), to see whether the size is as correct as Cinderella's foot in the slipper.

Yours in caprice,
[name]

Could sign your name as Jonathan Swift.

Re: uninvited offers

glenbankloel — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 20:52:09 GMT

Oh Boy! sounds like a tyre kicker, and yes you must deal with them as you see fit.

Once they start to try to keep haggling and all the argy bargy it soon becomes clear what sort of buyer they really are, and probably not worth the time and effort.

We usually only give them one chance to accept either the offer we send back, that they were trying to find out, or accept what they are offering, or just say thanks for their interest but "No".

But we never ignore or are rude.

We are always happy to deal/negotiate with someone who is polite, as you were with your enquiry, and presume other sellers are the same. After all, the name of the game is to sell, so if there is a chance of a sale at a price we are happy with, don't really care how we got the sale as long as it is not breaking any rules.

We always reply with an answer and if we send an offer, it is always our "best and final". Usually either don't hear back or they accept.

Either way we are happy.

Re: uninvited offers

springyzone — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 23:56:51 GMT

@shoppingbag* wrote:

I have tried to be tolerable of univited offers which I have received four of them today, asking for 15% to 20% and one 25% off already cheap prices which I am already losing money on. So I agreed to three of them, (just want to get stuff moving out of my overcrowded house) One never got back, the other haggled about postage costs for the two discounted items, messaged back and forth, do I take direct deposit, how much for combined postage, and then, "I'll let you know" I am not responding to that because I may not be able to continue to be polite. I don't know how long she expects me to keep the offer open. In future, I will just be telling them "this is a fixed price listing and offers have not been invited" On the flip side, I did ask a seller recently if the price was at all negotiable, as I had noticed most of her listings invited offers but not the one I was looking at.
Normally I would not ask, and did not think it right to put an $ offer, but just to ask was it negotiable. She ended up giving me a 10% discount, but I let her tell me if she would and how much, not the other way around.

I am not surprised. People who have the front to make an unsolicited offer and specify the exact amount etc are probably not going to have any problem with haggling about postage etc as well, especially if they are buying 2 items. They will be after combined postage.

One thing-if a buyer asks if you take bank deposit, I'd be saying yes. It's a win for you if they do, no paypal fees plus they have no proof of payment so the chances of them being able to give you too much trouble are lessened.

I seem to recall someone on this forum a while back showed us an ebay instructional type statement somewhere, where it seemed to imply that buyers were welcome to make offers. It practically encouraged them to do so. I guess if people see that, then you can sort of understand why some buyers think it is fine. Because I have been on ebay a while, I have always tended to think the price is the price and would not make an offer unless the ad had 'make an offer' specified, but like you, if I thought it might be welcome I would ask and let the seller take it from there with yes/no and if yes, how much etc

If you do decide to answer unsolicited offers, maybe assess them one by one. If they are offering less than 50% just ignore but if they are offering almost ball park, perhaps make a counter offer instead of just accepting it. And put in the message that the offer is good for 48 hours or whatever.