cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

Does anyone have this happen as often as I do?

 

I mean what is their game here? Are they just that dumb or do they fishing to see if we're slip up and accidentally hit accept?

 

I'm talking about $5 offers on $100 items....  or, worst yet, $3 offer on a $15 item that has free shipping. It'll cost more to ship than they'll pay! I mean, do they want me to pay to send them something for free?

 

I don't get it.

 

And, yes, I know you can set minimums for offer requirements, but I like to be flexible and also that's one extra step for every listing. I just don't get it.

Message 1 of 44
latest reply
43 REPLIES 43

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

There are some countries where bargaining is an innate part of the culture.

It's like you are more or less expected to bargain.  

Message 16 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

We like when they do this. We give them one chance. The 2nd time, they go on our Block List.

 

We figure this helps us to avoid headache buyers.

Message 17 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

My first offer is always a very nice low ball offer, and I will either get blocked pronto, or the seller counteroffers. 

 

If the seller counteroffers then it's game on, and quite often it ends in a sale for the seller...

 

If I must have the item no matter what, I never risk getting blocked.

Message 18 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

This is the exact problem. As sellers, we don't see this as a 'game'. This is our job. Our work. Low ball offers interfere with that.

 

And fyi, if we counter a low ball offer it's for a much higher prices than we really want. And it's firm. 

 

 


@*madison wrote:

My first offer is always a very nice low ball offer, and I will either get blocked pronto, or the seller counteroffers. 

 

If the seller counteroffers then it's game on, and quite often it ends in a sale for the seller...

 

If I must have the item no matter what, I never risk getting blocked.


 

Message 19 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

@voguevintage 

1. Don't use Best Offer

2. An offer is just that, an offer and yes ... most will be low balls, in their minds it never hurts to ask right?

3. Don't use Make offer

4. One of eBay's agendas is to drive prices down ... Best Offer or Make Offer are just tools used to accomplish that

5. Don't use Best Offer

6. Set your item price at the lowest amount you are willing to take for it ...

7. Don't use Make Offer

 

I guess you can see I am not an advocate of the Best  Offer / Make  Offer features on eBay.  I have never used that feature but I do occasionally get offers message to me ... most are low ball but some are okay and IF (and I stress "IF") I am ready to get rid of something I will haggle a bit and work out a deal.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor
Message 20 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

As a buyer, I don't normally make offers, I just outright buy. When I do make an offer, it's usually for around 10-15% off the listed price - and sometimes those get declined.

 

As a seller, some of my best sales have come from ping-pong matches, and I have gained some very special repeat customers that way.  As a seller of long tail items, I don't have tons of buyers interested in my stuff, so when someone IS interested I want to keep them interested. It only takes a few seconds to counter an offer, and you never know where it may lead.

 

That said, I've never gotten a really stupid lowball offer. Most will start at half off.

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.


We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell
Message 21 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

That gets a "serious offers only please".

 

If they entertain me a second time they get the BBL.

Message 22 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

There are a lot of what I call bottom feeders on eBay. They make tons of low offers and occasionally get a win. I no longer use BO on auctions as some people assume that since I have 29.99 start price that's what I think it will sell for so offer less. When in fact the item will sell for much, much more.

 

I have no problem generally with the haggling environment. If you see in certain categories--antiques, etc.--expect it. Also, some people put astronomical prices on items. I have been known to make them down to earth offers and they are sometimes accepted. 

 

For me Best Offer works when I price an item a bit below market and am willing to even take a bit more off. Example, I recently listed a piece of silver about 10% below the silver value of of the item. Already a good deal. Someone offered me $15 less. I took it. Sold the item in 3 hours. That's the way I like to roll 🙂

Message 23 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

Give it a rest with the millennial bashing.  Last I checked "younger" buyers didn't raise themselves.  In my experience older buyers are also entitled and out of touch with how much items and shipping should cost.

Message 24 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers


@mr_lincoln wrote:

1. Don't use Best Offer

2. An offer is just that, an offer and yes ... most will be low balls, in their minds it never hurts to ask right?

3. Don't use Make offer

4. One of eBay's agendas is to drive prices down ... Best Offer or Make Offer are just tools used to accomplish that

5. Don't use Best Offer

6. Set your item price at the lowest amount you are willing to take for it ...

7. Don't use Make Offer

 

I guess you can see I am not an advocate of the Best  Offer / Make  Offer features on eBay.  I have never used that feature but I do occasionally get offers message to me ... most are low ball but some are okay and IF (and I stress "IF") I am ready to get rid of something I will haggle a bit and work out a deal.


I've gone back and forth with putting BO on all my listings, and the conclusion I came to after lots of sales stats crunching was that it creates an offramp from what would have otherwise been an impulse purchase. It can also create resentment if their offer is rejected and they feel slighted. To me, the moment a buyer is looking at my listing and I have their attention for a split second is the most valuable. I have to assume I'll never get it back, and so I need things priced for them to buy at that fleeting moment.

 

Attentions shifts quickly with online shopping. I've accepted BO's and many buyers never followed through on payment- "Sorry, but somewhere else, can U cancel?" 

 

I've seen mega sellers (the ones with 6 and 7 figure feedback) with BO on everything, and I've seen other mega sellers with no BO. So I realize there's no best practice. A lot also has to do with the nature of the items being sold - unique/rare vs commodity.

Message 25 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

Why don't you NOT accept offers?

Message 26 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

You're not alone ,, so as a previous poster said ''Don't take it personal ''.  I once received an offer  for one dollar on an item that had free shipping  lol .. I asked them if they were serious ?   but never got a reply.  I think either these people are either  totally clueless  or they just like to pester people .  Tulips 

Message 27 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

I once set up a $1.00 Table at our local flea mkt - I wanted to draw a crowd in a very competitive market - So, I was willing to sacrifice items that cost me $5 to $20 to maybe sell the larger pieces in my space that were affordably marked - I had an Art Deco Camphor Glass Powder Jar w/ cover, no damage, orig. price $29 on my $1.00 table - A man & woman in their late 50s who drove up in a new exotic car that I looked up later & was selling for $69,000. came to my table - I am an older widow & setting up in the heat is draining for me - This well dressed couple in their designer accessories, jewelry, sauntered up, enjoying the leisure of a Sunday without working a 12 hr day like me - She picks up the jar, gives it a full examination in the sun, runs her fingers around all the edges, asks why is it marked $29 and what's wrong with it - I said, nothing wrong, I am just making storage room -  - Hands it toward me & says... "Take 50 cents ?"... I looked at her, I was speechless... I had just lost my husband & I was beat down & broke - I took the jar, I turned around & put it in my old van & closed the door - I walked away from my space to go pet a dog and left them standing there - I wanted to say... I hope, one day, lucky woman, you are not alone, tired, working in the heat w/ a headache to make a few dollars, because you HAVE to... I hope you never know how awful that feels.

 

Message 28 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

I had an offer a few days ago on an item that wasn't offer enabled. Being (too) nice, I asked what their offer would be. Mom broke hers, I'm a student, yada yada, and all I have is 20 bucks plus shipping. I declined. Then they miraculously found and extra $25 and offered 45. I felt an "it arrived broken" coming... BBL.

Message 29 of 44
latest reply

Re: Buyers Making Ridiculous Offers

I only use BO on items that I have multiples of and set auto accept and auto decline at the same price, so low ball offers never appear.  Many buyers pay full price, some submit acceptable offers.  How many low ball I have no idea since I don't check.

 

 

Message 30 of 44
latest reply