topic Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers in Selling

Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 04:42:54 GMT

A couple of times lately I have had sellers send me an offer for items I have placed on my watch list. From an old thread I found that this was possible if you ask the seller a question, but I am sure this wasn't the case with at least one of the items I was sent an offer on. I just placed it on my watch list.

I have several watchers on a number of items and in order to get things moving, would like to send an offer to those who are watching. How do I access this? (and I don't have 'make an offer' enabled on any listings)

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

katistrophik — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 05:11:27 GMT

Open your eBay App and navigate to the Selling tab.
Click on the “Send offer” button.
Enter the amount (per item), please note you have to discount at least 5%.
Include a nice message honoring that you are giving a discount.
Review & Press Send Offer.

Ths was all I could find

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 05:16:00 GMT

Thank you for your reply. I don't actually use the app, but your suggestion made me look further and found 'send offer' under the 'edit' button on my listing in the seller hub.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

paper-jack — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 05:30:08 GMT

@gumleaf_goodies wrote:
A couple of times lately I have had sellers send me an offer for items I have placed on my watch list. ....

Just an aside on this part of your message. In 2016 I sold a book for about $30. The buyer picked it up and gleefully told me he sold books and was so glad to have got this at a bargain price. Not a subtle person. So naturally I searched for the book and yep, next day listed for $145. So I put the book on my watch list, curious to see how much it got resold for - needless to say, when I recently received an offer from the seller to buy it at $120 it was declined.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 07:12:24 GMT

I had an unsolicited offer a couple of months ago for $50, on a $300 item. They don't sell on eBay, but use the same ID to sell on other sites. It is a rare book and they seem to have a copy, listed for $800.

I countered with $250, and an observation that they were a tad optimistic. Crickets. It would seem $550 wasn't enough profit for them.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:18:29 GMT

(not specifiaclly aimed at you Dave)

I reduced the price of an item with 4 watchers by 15% - no takers.

Was rather hoping it might kickstart sales as I haven't had a sale all week.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:30:10 GMT

When I was researching a book I wanted to sell, I found exactly the same one listed by another seller, and he was asking $100, plus $13.50 postage. I thought that was a tad high for what it was, so emailed him to check he had the price correct and if so, why so high? . His reply was that it was a VERY rare book. I don't think it could have been, as I had the exact same one (same publisher, date.etc). .

So when I listed mine I put a price far below his and it didn't sell - neither did his. I kept lowering the price ( it is now listed for $10 with $3.60 postage - it's not a big book) and has now been listed for 6 months - a few views but no watchers.

Needless to say, his hasn't sold either. Still $100 plus $13.50 postage.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

joz15au — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:58:15 GMT

I have occasionally made an offer to watchers in my store account but I don't think any have ever been accepted (usually offer around 20% off). I would then end the listings and after a couple of weeks 'sell similar' at higher than the original price and they would often then sell, go figure! I don't bother making offers anymore though. My prices are pretty fair as they are and if the watchers are really interested they will buy at that price. I don't get too excited about watchers as it seems that's all they do, most of them anyway.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:33:52 GMT

@joz15au wrote:
I have occasionally made an offer to watchers in my store account but I don't think any have ever been accepted (usually offer around 20% off). I would then end the listings and after a couple of weeks 'sell similar' at higher than the original price and they would often then sell, go figure! I don't bother making offers anymore though. My prices are pretty fair as they are and if the watchers are really interested they will buy at that price. I don't get too excited about watchers as it seems that's all they do, most of them anyway.

I would then end the listings and after a couple of weeks 'sell similar' at higher than the original price and they would often then sell, go figure!

Interesting - think I will try that for those items I don't want to reduce in price (which I believe are very fair anyway), but have/had half a dozen watchers for a while.

I don't get too excited about watchers as it seems that's all they do, most of them anyway.

I tend to agree.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:35:37 GMT

I sold a book last week for $170. That was on the low side of what it's worth and I had it listed for 9 years. With rare books, you have to wait for the buyer looking for it.

The other seller might be overpriced, but you might well be underpriced. If a potential buyer sees a book listed at well under value, they might assume that it's not the book they're after.

I have bought a $50 book from an eBay seller for $16 and sold it for the actual value.

Maybe I need to look at your books.

There are plenty of resources out there to determine what a book is worth. eBay isn't necessarily the bible on values. Think bookfinder or addall.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

instylecollectables — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:45:25 GMT

@gumleaf_goodies wrote:
When I was researching a book I wanted to sell, I found exactly the same one listed by another seller, and he was asking $100, plus $13.50 postage. I thought that was a tad high for what it was, so emailed him to check he had the price correct and if so, why so high? . His reply was that it was a VERY rare book. I don't think it could have been, as I had the exact same one (same publisher, date.etc). .

So when I listed mine I put a price far below his and it didn't sell - neither did his. I kept lowering the price ( it is now listed for $10 with $3.60 postage - it's not a big book) and has now been listed for 6 months - a few views but no watchers.

Needless to say, his hasn't sold either. Still $100 plus $13.50 postage.

I've done the same thing many many times and all the replies to me were **** off

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:47:44 GMT

Just checked the book on bookfinder.com and used copies are selling from $8 including postage (ebay AU) to $290 (at Abe Books by a German seller). So much for it being rare - there are 230 results worldwide with the same title (but not necesarily the exact same version). I am happy to wait for someone to buy it for $10.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:52:17 GMT

First editions are always worth more.

If it's a first, it would likely be worth more than $10. I might have to buy it.

Edit: If it's Garfield or Snoopy, your price is about right.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:56:11 GMT

Also just checked the same book on Add all - also 230 results. Can sort in cost order and that one by Abe Books in Germany mentioned in my previous post is way out in price by far from the next nearest which is US$100 less.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:56:40 GMT

Snoopy

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 11:07:00 GMT

$13.60 would be close to what I would price it at.

Stick with that, but don't discount any further. The thing with books is to price fairly and wait for the fair buyer to come along. I regularly sell books that I've had listed for years.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

gumleaf_goodies — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 11:36:27 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
$13.60 would be close to what I would price it at.

Stick with that, but don't discount any further. The thing with books is to price fairly and wait for the fair buyer to come along. I regularly sell books that I've had listed for years.

So there's hope yet.

Still got a bookcase or two of books to list and sell. Trouble is, I spend way too much effort researching and creating synopses, but I know I wouldn't buy a book that didn't at least give me an indication of what it was about (unless I was familiar with the author).

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

davewil1964 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 11:45:09 GMT

For fiction Fantastic Fiction is a good resource. Or the African river, if there is a blurb available.

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

misseyespy — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 08:47:14 GMT

DID YOU RESOLVE THIS as this is an ongoing issue for my ebay says its working on i cannot sent an offer to buyers watchers ect thanks just wondered how you went thanks

Re: Sending an offer to interested buyers

kopenhagen5 — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:20:09 GMT

OP posted this 18 months ago.