How do I review the reason a best offer bid was retracted?

[splitzzzzz]

Hi all!

Does anyone know how I can see the reason a buyer has retracted a best offer bid?

I had an email from eBay saying I can review the reason by clicking the "history" link from the individual item page.

I have searched and searched and cannot find this link?

Any clues?

Cheers

[digital*ghost]

---

@springyzone wrote:

. Personally, I think all sellers should have to set the auto accept/reject limits, with only a narrow range going into the 'seller needs to review' basket.

---

Anything where the buyer includes a note with the offer needs to be reviewed regardless, otherwise the seller could be automatically accepting terms that are unreasonable.

Also, eBay would need to provide a much more nuanced offer feature in order for that to be ok, since many sellers use it to provide discounts across multiple purchases. Sellers without stores can't use promotions manager, and sellers with single items can't use the volume discount, so best offer remains one of the best ways to negotiate a volume discount - if they had to automatically accept offers, it would become useless for that purpose. 

[tazzieterror]

springy, 12 hours is now the minimum duration, which I think works well.

[springyzone]

12 hours is reasonable, 2 days is way too long.

[lyndal1838]

So what happens if the seller has a full time job and is away from home for more than 12 hours during the day?

[davewil1964]

150 lashes.

Or, at least, the stocks.

[digital*ghost]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

So what happens if the seller has a full time job and is away from home for more than 12 hours during the day?

---

While I do disagree with the mandatory auto-accept / decline, I actually think it's good if a (potential) buyer can set a shorter time limit on an offer. The seller's schedule isn't the buyer's problem - their problem could involve other items they want to bid on, buy, or submit an offer for, and 2 days is a long time to be beholden (but with uncertainty) to an item if the seller doesn't reply as quickly as the buyer needs them to in order to make the next best purchase. 

I didn't even know this change had come in, until I read it here, but I think it's a positive change and will probably reduce the number of offer retractions, as well. 

[lyndal1838]

While I agree that 2 days is far too long to leave a buyer hanging, I think 12 hours is a bit too short a time.  

It has been pointed out many times on these boards that a lot of sellers are not full time ebayers and only come here in the evenings after a day's work.  If an offer is made just after the seller logs off for the night they will not see it for well over 12 hours.

I think that 24 hours is more appropriate.

[digital*ghost]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

While I agree that 2 days is far too long to leave a buyer hanging, I think 12 hours is a bit too short a time.  

---

For the seller, maybe, but I don't think that's relevant here. If the buyer doesn't mind waiting for 2 days to get an answer, it appears they can still select 2 days. If they need (or just want) a reply sooner than that, then the seller is likely to miss out on the sale anyway, with the buyer moving on. At least this way the seller won't accept the offer and have to go through the UPI process etc. 

If the buyer can select how long they're prepared to wait, and if the seller can't respond within that time, clearly the seller was not in a position to help that buyer.

To me it's a bit like when I get a message from a buyer asking me if I can post something express that day - this is clearly an expression of interest, but one that's contingent on me being available, and able to post same day as that's what the buyer needs or wants. Sometimes I've already left for the PO and can't reply for several hours, sometimes I can reply but can't post that day. If I can't reply in a reasonable amount of time, or before the buyer needs me to, sooner or later the buyer will just move on because I can't / don't help them. I don't feel like it's unfair or that I missed out, or that the buyer should have waited until I was able to reply, it is just a case of me not being in a position to accomodate that particular buyer at that particular time. 

[springyzone]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

So what happens if the seller has a full time job and is away from home for more than 12 hours during the day?

---

Then they miss the offer.

I didn't say a buyer would have to tick the 12 hour time, but I think they should have that option.

It can depend on what the person is making an offer on. Sometimes they are interested but need to know fairly quickly how things stand so they can look elsewhere.

You're not talking to someone who is unsympathetic with those who are not online 24/7. I don't own a smart phone myself and was driven mad when i recently sold some things on facebook as people expect immediate answers when I am only on a computer a couple of times a day.

But that's the reality. Most people are on smart phones, most people have all these apps for every last thing & that attitude is not going to get any better, it is going to get worse, I am very much afraid.

Ebay is a little better than Facebook but all the same, it isn't how it was a decade ago or so ago. I don't think the average person is willing to wait around for 2 days to find out if an offer is accepted or not.

I'm not suggesting the seller has to be online every minute to pander to buyers, just that if a buyer makes an offer that isn't accepted or rejected after 12 hours, then the buyer should have the option to withdraw the offer as it isn't as if a sale has actually occurred.

[tazzieterror]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

While I agree that 2 days is far too long to leave a buyer hanging, I think 12 hours is a bit too short a time.  

It has been pointed out many times on these boards that a lot of sellers are not full time ebayers and only come here in the evenings after a day's work.  If an offer is made just after the seller logs off for the night they will not see it for well over 12 hours.

I think that 24 hours is more appropriate.

---

If someone made me an offer and I didn't see it in time to accept, I'd simply write back and say as much, and they're welcome to make it again in order to purchase.

I don't think it's a problem really - it's a feature more designed to suit the buyer, IMO.