Offers

[juliocesarz2006]

Just a comment about eBay’s offering system and some sellers. Here’s the thing : if a seller allows offers but refuses to take an offer that is equal to 90 % of the buy it now price it really begs the question why even waste buyer’s time with the offer option ?

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

@juliocesarz2006   If the seller is new then eBay may be adding the offer option to a sellers listing without their consent.    

A seller only has 24 hours to respond to an offer sent by a buyer so sometimes the offer expires before a seller even sees it, especially for some sellers that only check listings M-F.  

Depending on the buy it now price a 10% discount can be a lot to take from a sellers bottom line, a seller might accept a 5% discount.  Keep in mind sellers are also paying eBay 13.6 %  to 15% fees.  

[gosimus]

@juliocesarz2006 

< why even waste buyer’s time with the offer option >     

eBay adds the Offer feature to a listing whether the seller wants it or not.  Some sellers don't know how to prevent this in the first place, or how to remove it once it's there.  Heck, some sellers don't even know how to complete a sale ... if you find that hard to believe, just browse these boards for a while.  Such sellers, not knowing how to prevent offers, resign themselves to tolerating the situation, with varying degrees of stoicism and/or resentment.  I know that comics already covered this very well, but I wanted to emphasize it.  There are several responses to an offer:  accept, counter, decline, ignore...  All of them are legitimate, even that fourth one.  

[woodland_gnome · Accepted solution]

To screen out potential bad buyers.

Because they are willing to take 5% off but not 10%.  Or might take that much off in some circumstances but those circumstances are not the current ones.

Because eBay forced it on the listing or made it a default that is not that easy to override.

If 10% off is in your opinion so insignificant that a seller should have to accept it, what makes it so significant to you that you didn't just use the Buy It Now which the seller is immediate rather than "waste buyer's time" waiting for a response (even if it is acceptance you still have to take that time)?

[juliocesarz2006]

I got up to 90 % of the listing price , started lower than that ….the listing has a significant shipping that makes the total investment not as attractive as other offers…between the time it takes for sellers to answer and the back and forth it’s a waste of time ….

[woodland_gnome]

Again YOU chose to waste the time.    The seller did not force you to make any offers.   eBay did not force you to do so.   The Buy It Now is there to get the item NOW at a price the seller is required to accept.  If you can't live with waiting and being rejected or the offer expiring, don't make the offer.  Remember also that others can do the BIN also (or make an offer acceptable to the seller--AND that can happen on the listings that are more "attractive") and you can lose the opportunity to buy at the BIN price.  Bird/hand/bush.