Has this been around for a while and I just haven't seen it because I haven't wanted to ask sellers a question? I'm talking about the topic that relates specifically to make an offer.
Maybe this is why I had a few offers last year. I still think it's rude to ask if the seller hasn't invited it and people who ask will still get put on my blocked list.
I only found this because today I got an email with the subject "Make an offer: XXX (buyer ID) sent a message about XXX (item title)" and decided to have a bit of a look around. The above example is from someone else's listing.
There's nothing on my listing that shows anything about offers so it was an unsolicited offer that was encouraged by ebay - but still not encouraged by me! I think it's time to say "NO OFFERS!" in all my listings. I don't want to block them from asking any questions at all because I actually find that gets me a few extra sales (on ebay).
I agree with what you're saying about things creeping in and people thinking they must be acceptable because ebay says it's okay to at least give it a try. What I'm probably trying to say is that a lot of people who wouldn't have done it before still won't do it, but it'll just make those who did it before a lot worse. I blocked someone a couple of years for making what I considered to a rude, condescending offer and she messaged me after she realised she'd been blocked and insisted she hadn't done anything wrong.
I don't have anything in my FAQs and never have, but I'm currently in the process of adding a line about it to my descriptions. I've resisted doing this in the past because I didn't want to sound aggressive, but feel I don't have a lot of choice now. If anybody does read it and still message me, they should know why I block them.
The woman stood in the curved shadow of an arch, peering at the gaily decorated booth to her right. Exotic goods from far-off places were piled enticingly upon the tables, and the booth's curtains in peacock and brilliant cinnabar were as eyecatching as a ship in full sail.
The calm-faced automaton of the market, which struck tinny tones upon the minutes and seconds of frantic buyers' purchases, attracted her attention with a deep sepulchral voice. "G'day, Mistress Gunnabuyabargen. Come hither, for I have news for you."
Gunnabuyabargen hesitantly left the shelter of the arch and approached the automaton which smoothly rotated its metallic head as she neared. "What news?" she breathed, marvelling at the meticulous and ornate design of the automaton, the eyes of polished agate set in a face of brass and leather.
The brazen lips moved with but the faintest sound of clockwork and levers. "Do you wish to contact the seller of the exotic goods before you?"
The woman pondered for a moment. "To what end?" she asked.
"Why, " said the automaton, "so that you may query the details of an item in which you're interested, or ask about postage, establish whether there is combined postage, proffer to the seller an offer for any item, pay for a purchased item, ask about returns, or any other question or issue that may occur to you." The voice was a dark hollow, glassy and with an illusion of breath; its hidden bellows squeezed out sound while the eyes examined one fixedly.
"Oh," replied Gunnabuyabargen. "I had not seen that this merchant would welcome an offer. Are you sure that I may proffer a lower price?"
"Certain sure, for these things are permitted within this Great Merchants' Fair," confirmed the automaton. "The seller may accept it, reject it, or make a counter-offer." It bowed, and withdrew; many were the calls upon its attention.
Thus armed with knowledge from the automaton itself, Gunnabuyabargen approached the merchant of the fine exotic goods. A wild aroma arose; cardamom, cinnamon, mace, cloves, zodoary, wormwood, anise, bergamot, vervain. Oh! What a strange warmth and spice of smells! Gunnabuyabargen's eyelids drooped like half-moons over water, and her hand trembled as she reached forth to touch the wondrous goods before her.
A box of pearl and tourmaline and belemnite, edged with moonstones and jade, stood before her, and its interior was lined with silk the colour of a subtle dusk. Her hunger for the precious box was keen, and she looked at it with covetous eyes. A neat tag upon parchment waved from it, stating that the price was four hundred gold coins. "Payment in coin upon collection, or via Camel Monies Transfer", was added in a clear script. "Buy it now, if thou wilst, and offend me not with offers."
"Ah", thought Gunnabuyabargen, "but the automaton has told me I may make an offer. None shall outdo my haggling, for I swear I shall have this box for a pittance." She put out her hand to attract the merchant's attention, eager to begin the bargaining. As she did so, a scroll unfolded from the top of the merchant's booth, declaring This merchant shall entertain no bargaining, no haggling, no negotiating, no dealing. Press your luck by proffering an offer, although it shall not be welcomed. The woman paused for no longer than a gnat's blink. The automaton had told her that she might bargain. What a fool she would be to pay 400 gold coins if she could talk down the merchant to a quarter of that, or even half if she could manage no better. "Merchant!" she called out, "I'll give you eighty gold coins for the box."
The merchant's smile froze, and he immediately signalled for the bulbous genie who acted as his guard to bar the woman from his goods. Gunnabuyabargen screeched in outrage, but willy-nilly, she was deposited back to the arch whence she had looked on before, and she was prevented by an invisible barrier from approaching the merchant's booth once more.
"But the automaton said I could proffer an offer!" she raged, and spotted the automaton in the distance. Hair flying in wild wisps and her breath coming tumultuously, she caught up to the automaton and launched into her tirade of complaints. "And now I am barred from purchasing from the seller, which is not right, not right at all!"
The automaton bowed with mechanical grace. "Thank you for contacting me, Gunnabuyabargen. Your query is important to me. I understand that you are looking for a seller of mini-bars, is that correct?"
yeah, it bothers me sometimes when someone lowballs me, but I try not to let it. It's just business, or so I tell myself. Normally I either just delete their message unanswered or send a mildly curt response back, such as just "no thanks".
I had never considered blocking someone for that before. I can see the appeal, but I don't think I will start doing that. Normally I only block people who open a case after 4 days on untracked free postage (I offer a tracked option for $6).
Although, I will be looking for the make an offer button on my next ebay invoice. Seriously though, perhaps we should all send offers to the office of the CEO.
Two things really cracked me up here - Mrs Gunnabuyabargen and Camel Monies Transfer.
I was laughing so hard that it took me a while to 'get' the last paragraph, or that's my excuse anyway! You can tell I haven't contacted ebay for a long time.
What really bugs me about this is that I've always considered myself to have control over my prices because I actually own the goods and they're mine to do as I like with. Buyers who make offers are seeking to deprive me of that right and think it's their right to decide the price, not me. Now ebay are trying to encourage them to do this even more. Maybe ebay can see the end and they're trying to make as much money as they can before it happens.
"...she was deposited back to the arch whence she had looked on before, and she was prevented by an invisible barrier from approaching the merchant's booth once more."
Aaaand now I have a visual of someone trying to walk against an impossibly strong wind while they struggle to shout out the words "I....just....wanna....small discount!".
Half the reason I block them is because I've heard so many horror stories in the forums about people wanting things cheaper and when they don't get it they buy but later damage the item and try to scam the seller for a refund. With a lot who do that it's obviously retaliation for not getting what they wanted.
My other reason is that I only want to sell a certain amount a year and I'd rather sell to pleasant people than greedy ones. Everything I've ever had a private offer on has sold for full price to someone else, so why would I want to give someone else the satisfaction of 'beating me down'? If they find out I've blocked them it might make some of them stop and think before they ask the next person.
First off, I can't say i have ever seen that "Make an offer' in the ads i have looked at lately, but then again, most of those are buy it now and I don't go looking into topics, just either buy or don't.
I used to think exactly as you do-that making an offer if the ad does not say "Make an offer' is quite rude/forward of a person. On ebay at least.
But if this is the sort of thing that is automatically appearing in the topic lists these days, then although I don't think you should have to accept any offer at all, I don't know that blocking those buyers who make an offer is necessarily warranted (although it depends on what sort of offer we are talking about, a sensible one or an insulting one).
I'm saying that because a buyer can only go on what they see in an ad & if they are seeing this message from ebay, they are going to assume this is part of the accepted practice (which is pretty much what it is on gumtree).
So you'd potentially be punishing someone who maybe didn't mean any harm at all and who just thought they were following instructions.
I think if ebay does add this topic as a matter of course, then it probably is worth putting in your ads "No offers".
