EXPERIENCES WITH BEST OFFER SINCE EBAY HAS BEEN INCLUDING IT AUTOMATICALLY

[castlemagicmemories]

It has been some time since Ebay decided to automatically add Best Offer to many listings.  While this was not popularly received, some have said that it has facilitated sales.

I wonder what your experiences with it have been, and how it has been used by buyers.  I know that Ebay's goal was to facilitate sales and lower prices, but buyers might interpret that as an opportunity to create a modest BIN situation, and offer more than the listed price.

There were times in years past where a buyer might message a seller asking for a BIN to be added and either offering a price for that or asking the seller what price they might expect for that.

So what would you say is the way most buyers are using this?  Are any using this to offer more?  Or has it mainly been used to lower prices?  I just thought that answer might be revealing and interesting.

[mosmom25-6]

All it's done for me is let people make ridiculously low offers! I wish it didnt exist but sometimes I get busy listing and forget to set a higher offer price or forget about it totally and that's when i get .50 offers on $10 items! Wish it was gone IMO.

[castlemagicmemories]

That's a shame.  I wonder if some people really think about exactly what they are offering in some cases~it just doesn't seem like it many times.

I mean, who is going to think 50 cents for a ten dollar item will be accepted?

Perhaps these users are those who heavily buy from China, with 99 cent listings and free shipping, but that does not mean that US sellers will do that.

[castlemagicmemories]

Those types of offers aren't going to exactly endear that user to their seller, and if they are serious, they may find themselves on the BBL faster than they can blink an eye.

Buyers want to pay the least they can for it, sellers want to get the most they can for it.  Diametrically opposed but there is no need to make offers that basically aren't.

[castlemagicmemories]

There's a clickable option by Best Offer that explains how it works and how an attractive offer for the seller will be more likely to be accepted.

It seems many have ignored that.  

[vintagecraze50]

I get ridiculous offers even using buy it now from time to time. Today, an offer for nearly 50% off buy it now. No thanks. I think having the best offer on with the right price and the ability to lower it some for people is a good feature but, it all depends on whether you are getting a bottom feeder, or someone willing to offer a decent price.

[castlemagicmemories]

So true.  I've read that many may accept 50%, while many won't~so I guess some just think that is a good place to start.  I wonder if increasing the number of Best Offers a person can make has led to offers starting so low, or if offers being so low led to users being locked out of the listing, so they increased the offers in hopes that would facilitate sales.  I think the latter is most likely true.

[vintagecraze50]

I might do an experiment and see what happens with adding the best offer. If it is set at the right minimum offer then it could work nicely, and not be time consuming to keep up with. Overall, it could be a real attractive way to present the listing, minus the extremely low offers.

[castlemagicmemories]

Ebay has been adding Best Offer automatically to many listings, but perhaps you have been using the Advanced Listing form to edit that out.

And as you say, setting auto accept/decline will filter out offensive offers and the time consuming aspect.

It used to be something that might be added as an additional option if the listing "sat" for awhile.

[mosmom25-6]

I just think it's an extra thing to do when listing. You have to click on it, erase whatever low amount EB chose and put in your own. It's just more work to do all of that. I list mostly from my phone because my pc is so slow and full of junk so it's just an extra pain for me to deal with. Also the fact that EB sets a shipping price that I have to go change! Shipping is not as much as they put on there and I'm trying to keep my costs low as possible so I can sell my items. Maybe I'm just complaining too much but I wish I could skip half the stuff I have to change and adjust because EB puts their 2 cents in it. 

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Have to love the offers for 50% that add "including shipping". Really? That's an offer?

[castlemagicmemories]

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@vintagecraze50 wrote:

I get ridiculous offers even using buy it now from time to time. Today, an offer for nearly 50% off buy it now. No thanks. I think having the best offer on with the right price and the ability to lower it some for people is a good feature but, it all depends on whether you are getting a bottom feeder, or someone willing to offer a decent price.

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That's true; it does depend on the expectations of the buyer.  I completely understand that a 50% off is not attractive to you.  Buyers do like the idea of being able to save but that can also become too extreme.

[tunicaslot]

I've had a few of those low balls with free shipping - but BO has generated more sales lately - and I'm only coming down a couple of bucks usually on the item - so I'll continue to use it.

[futuretomorrow]

@castlemagicmemories

I sold a pair of shoes last night I've been trying to get rid of for months, having forgotten that "best offer" was still activated on them. 

This isn't always the case unfortunately and accept and decline parameters save a little bit of the headache in weeding out low ballers. I've NEVER had a legitimate buyer offer to pay more for a pair of shoes as the type of shoes that would happen with I don't typical sell on eBay. In most of my cases if the accept and decline aren't set best offer is used to offer less and in most cases insultingly less than I would let the shoes go for. Mind you, ALL MY SHOES are already under retail.

I've asked people seriously "Do you really want me to be that guy eating out of a trash can? Do you even notice these people in life and wonder how they got there? Maybe they were once an eBay seller who thought selling things for 60% lower than the MSRP was the right way to go. I don't want to eat out of a trash can. Can you please pay my asking price so I'm not late on my rent again this month? The price of butter and eggs has also gone up a few cents in my area."

Oddly, I never get a response. 

[castlemagicmemories]

@futuretomorrow

Thank you for your thoughtful and expressive post and I am SO very sorry you have been getting offers so low as to inspire your message that received no responses.  My heart went out to you as I read.  Perhaps it will inspire any buyers who read this to be more reasonable in their offers.  

It seems to me that the Best Offer entices a lower price just because it is there, given that your shoes are already below retail.  Raising prices to compensate in order to offer a discount could turn away the buyers you do have, and not every buyer will be comfortable offering a Best Offer price.  

I'm glad you sold the shoes, but am so sorry for your experiences.