Is 23% off a listing price considered a low ball offer?

[heliomeris]

A seller was recently offering an item for a Buy It Now price of $22.00 + $13.00 shipping. The seller also added "Make Offer". I sent an offer of $17.00. The offer was quickly declined by the seller which also included the following message: "Is this a joke!.. Send another lowball offer like that again.. you'll be blocked!"

Two questions:

• As a seller, generally, do you consider an initial offer of 23% off your listing price a lowball offer?
• Is the sellers message a violation of eBay policy that states: "They sent threatening messages or used abusive or vulgar language."?

Interestingly, within minutes of sending me that message above, the seller removed "Make Offer" and "Buy It Now" and turned the item into a bidding auction.

[klhmdg]

Hello, as I seller I would have never responded that way to a buyer.

It depends on the item as to weather 23% is low.

If you have done your research and the price you offered is what they usually sell for then.... not really low.

You may have dodged a bullet. If a seller responds that way with an offer how would the rest of the sale go?

Also sometimes, and this does not excuse the response, eBay changes sellers listings to accept offers without the sellers knowledge.

sorry this seller responded rudely. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

Wow, that is one cranky seller, but IMHO he didn't overstep the limits of threatening, abusive or vulgar.

Each seller has their own perspective on what's a reasonable offer.  I regularly submit offers that are around 50% of the asking price, and they are often accepted.  You don't know if you don't ask. 

[soh.maryl]

The term "low ball offer" is pretty much subjective, isn't it?

Sometimes the seller has thought long and hard about pricing and then finally came up with a price that meets his needs and that he hopes will still attract buyers.  That guy might be insulted by the 23% off.

Another seller may have something he has tried to sell more than once and is just tired of having it hanging around.

He might jump at just about any offer.  

[mr_lincoln]

@heliomeris  For myself I don't use Best Offer but at times people message offers.  I price items to make a profit and at times there "may" be some room to move but for the way I price things 23% would be outside that range.  Sellers have to pay about 13% in fees when an item sells and if the item is on a Promoted Listing Campaign that % goes higher.

Now I will say the Seller's response was not necessary and they could have politely and professionally declined your offer. 

[femmefan1946]

The OP makes no mention of the shipping fee.

Shipping is not a part of the Best Offer system.

If the OP made a $17 offer without confirming that the $13 shipping was acceptable, that would be a very lowball offer.

[ed8108]

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@heliomeris wrote:

A seller was recently offering an item for a Buy It Now price of $22.00 + $13.00 shipping. The seller also added "Make Offer". I sent an offer of $17.00. The offer was quickly declined by the seller which also included thei following message: "Is this a joke!.. Send another lowball offer like that again.. you'll be blocked

+++++++++++++++++++++

Sales 101

Unfriendly & unprofessional seller replies such as the above, are a disincentive for a buyer wanting to do some business on ebay.

Seller should consider taking a class in business communication.

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[buyselljack2016]

A "lowball" offer can be accepted, ignored, countered.

A bit back I made an offer. Just a bit off the asking price. About 10%

It was free shipping. Seller countered immediately that if I paid for shipping they would sell it at the "offer" amount.  With paying shipping the total would have been more than the original price.

Made an offer on something a couple of days ago. It was listed at $17.76, marked down to $15.98. I "lowball" offered $10 (around 44% off the starting price) , not really caring if I got the item, or not. Surprisingly the offer was accepted, and is on the way. Listing said shipping was by "Priority" mail.  May be coming 1st Class, but that is not an issue. I am in no rush.

Different end of the spectrum reactions from different sellers.

[klhmdg]

Offers do not include shipping unless the item has "free" shipping. Offers are for the item only.

Even if the buyer notes "offer includes shipping" it is not enforceable. In red under the "offer" box it states very clearly that offers do  not include shipping.

I have had a few buyers send offers and write in the comment box that it includes shipping so I will counter and put "offers are not allow to include shipping"

[heliomeris]

Yeah, I've been a buyer on eBay since 1997 and I've never had any seller talk to me that way. I made a sincere offer that made the seller angry (by the way, my offer was based on searching auctions for the exact same item that sold and didn't sell over the past two months).

If you are a seller: If you're not happy with an offer, just decline it; no message is necessary. Or, better yet, why not make a counter-offer to the buyer that is more in the price range you are wanting? The seller, in this case, did neither. As a buyer, perhaps it's now necessary that I explain an offer if, say, it's 20% or more off the sellers listing price. I don't know.

I was tempted to respond to this person but that would have done nothing but escalate things I'm sure. I don't like--or need--that kind of heart pounding stress in my life! Ironically, the seller had 100% positive feedback. Go figure.

Thanks everyone on this thread for your feedback and some of you with advice. I appreciate it.

[7606dennis]

Question One:  While I personally do not consider 23% off the asking price to be low ball necessarily.  It is not a matter of what I or any other seller considers a low ball offer, but rather what the seller you are making the offer to that does.

Question Two:  I do not see where the seller's message was abusive or vulgar.  As far as threatening, I would probably consider the comment about blocking you more of a statement of fact as to his intentions rather than a true threat.  Personally, I would never warn you. I would simply block you and be done with it.

By the way, eBay has been adding the BO option to seller's listing on their own and have made it the default when using the easy listing tool.  Many sellers are not aware of it until they receive an offer.  Even removing it doesn't seem to do much good as it evidently has a habit of reappearing.

23% is a hefty discount that you're asking the seller to give in making such an offer.  It appears that in this case the seller thought it was a bit too much.

[creekcoyote]

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@heliomeris wrote:

A seller was recently offering an item for a Buy It Now price of $22.00 + $13.00 shipping. The seller also added "Make Offer". I sent an offer of $17.00. The offer was quickly declined by the seller which also included the following message: "Is this a joke!.. Send another lowball offer like that again.. you'll be blocked!"

Two questions:

• As a seller, generally, do you consider an initial offer of 23% off your listing price a lowball offer?
• Is the sellers message a violation of eBay policy that states: "They sent threatening messages or used abusive or vulgar language."?

Interestingly, within minutes of sending me that message above, the seller removed "Make Offer" and "Buy It Now" and turned the item into a bidding auction.

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As a seller, yes, I would consider an offer of 23% off as a lowball offer on a low priced item.  I am already selling the item relatively inexpensively and would probably not be making much of a profit after all fees, cost of item, etc. are deducted from the original cost.   Now the seller could have been a little bit more polite when they responded but I don't consider them rude particularly. 

And they certainly didn't use abusive language or threaten.  

They told you exactly what they would do if you sent another low-ball offer.  They just didn't fancy it up to make you feel better.

They are completely within their rights, under E-bay's rules, to block you or any other buyer for whatever reason they choose.

My own personal reaction to this request would be dis-belief that someone would make an offer on an already relatively low-priced item.  Particularly if I didn't list the item under 'best offer'.   E-bay does put 'best offer' on some items without the knowledge of the seller.  

And this seller may have had the 'best offer' added to their listing without their knowledge.

[jennieaa]

As a seller, I would not call 23% a low-ball.  I've gotten low-ball offers -- 50% and free shipping.

I would probably have countered back at 20%.

There for a while, when I got a low-ball offer, I would ignore it.  Now I simple answer,  "no, I can't do that at the present time".

But I am not the typical seller when it comes to discounts -- I used to work at estate sales.   If you want a low-ball, if I could throw you out  I would offer, try  this -- daily discount is 70% off  ($10 item is then $3) and you get asked 'can you do any better on the price'  

[creekcoyote]

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@jennieaa wrote:

As a seller, I would not call 23% a low-ball.  I've gotten low-ball offers -- 50% and free shipping.

I would probably have countered back at 20%.

There for a while, when I got a low-ball offer, I would ignore it.  Now I simple answer,  "no, I can't do that at the present time".

But I am not the typical seller when it comes to discounts -- I used to work at estate sales.   If you want a low-ball, if I could throw you out  I would offer, try  this -- daily discount is 70% off  ($10 item is then $3) and you get asked 'can you do any better on the price'  

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That I understand.  I used to have a booth in an Antique mall and would work there.   There was always one or two potential buyers that wanted a 20% discount on a $10.00 item and then pay for it with a credit card.   After paying for CC fees and the owners commission, plus the cost of the item, there would have been nothing left for the seller.

There was a policy of no discounts on items less than $20.00 but I am guessing, by now, that this price has gone higher.

I have no trouble with someone who wants a discount on a thirty dollar item but on any price lower than that, just seems to be in the realm of: you have got to be kidding me.

I think that E-bay has made a bit of a mistake in adding best offer to listings without the seller's consent.   It can come as a complete surprise to both buyer and seller when a seller gets an offer that in no way did they solicitate.   They don't initially know how to respond.  If they say yes, they will lose money and if they say no, they have a potentially angry, frustrated and confused buyer.   I am sure in the mind of a buyer who has been refused is: then why did they use best offer? 

It is a no-win situation for both sides.

[7606dennis]

When it comes to people wanting a 20% or more discount or anything for that matter, I am reminded of one of my late mother's favorite sayings: "People in hell want ice water too."