Lane, would it work to add best offer to all items?

I trialled that on a few listings yesterday (free post) a couple of multi variation ones and a couple of single ones, and I already have had offers - on all styles - (one was really unrealistic, but the others were not too bad) but i digresds

if you counter or decline a little comment box comes up and you could explain in there - I use the best offer function as a way to offer discounts to people wanting to buy more than one item (something like that) for those who just make a random one off offer, you could even have a pre written blurb somewhere to just copy and paste into the box when relevant

or write it in your description iykwim.

I know it still isn't a perfect solution and there will be exceptions to the rule, but surely if we implement as many things as are available to us that encourages a customer to make contact with us before paying, then it's going to increase our chances of not having to go the refund after the fact route...

there has to be a way to make the system eBay gives us to work for us...

maybe this could also help those with calculated postage issues somehow

*shrugs*

I just know, there is always a solution, you just have to find it.