Making A Offer

[tozo6272012]

Hi

I have my  eye on a item for $2100 and accepting offers.  What would you think a good offer to make for that price??  

[lamber9347]

Without knowing what the item is no one can advise you correctly....

[glasser]

Agree with @lamber9347 

Although you can start by asking yourself how much the item worth? How much is the item worth to you? and what's the max you are willing to pay?

If you do offer, communicate. Let the seller know why you are making the offer you are. I sometimes buy on eBay for resale and working dealer-to-dealer I can explain my basis for the offer. 

For example, I recently made an offer on an item and told the seller what I was offering and why. We couldn't come to an agreement, but we ended up in a pleasant exchange with no hard feelings.  I know my markets and my top dollar. The seller had their bottom dollar and we couldn't meet. That's the way it goes in business.

eBay's method can take the personal touch out of things. Try to engage in civil manner. Rather then use the offer mechanism I sometimes message my offer so they are not immediately put off by my offer or I don't get the auto reject the seller never sees.

[monroe67]

There are waaaaay too many variables in your post.  

What would you pay for that item in a store?
Is it really rare?  Is it an antique or otherwise considered "valuable"?  

How much money do you have at hand or in an account you can easily get to?
Have there been other similar items on eBay that have sold recently?   
If so, how much did they sell for? 

The final decision can only be made by you. 

[woodland_gnome]

How badly do you need/want it?  How easy or hard is it to find it, and at what price?

If it is a one of a kind item and you have to have that one and are willing to pay that much for it, you don't make an offer, you use the Buy It Now right away.  Bird, hand, bush etc.

If it's something that is not essential to you and you can find it elsewhere for fixed price of $2000 offer something less than that.

[reallynicestamps]

All the above PLUS many sellers will be offended by an offer of less than 90% of the listing price.

Most sellers will be offended by an offer of less than 50% of the listing price.

Go too low and the seller is likely to Block you and you will not be able to buy from him at all.

[soh.maryl]

Glad to hear that your method is working for you; however, I, as a seller, would not necessarily want to hear that you are going to be able to make a profit by buying from me and selling it.  Doesn't that make it look like I am not bright enough to know the value of my item? 

[mudshark61369 · Accepted solution]

@tozo6272012,

From your feedback it appears you sold an expensive item you accepted an offer on.  How much of that money did you actually receive after fees?  You need to keep that in mind as well as all of the other things the others have already written, before you make an offer. 

Because you do not have much selling experience, did you actually want Best Offer on the listing mentioned above, or was it forced on you because you used the quick listing tool? Many sellers are not interested in receiving offers, but because of the quick listing tool, they can't remove the option. So they ignore offers or set up the automatic accept/decline option with the accept price set very close to the buy it now price. 

If what you are interested in making an offer on is something you really want, depending on how the item is priced already above or below trending prices. Do an Advanced search of sold listings to get an idea. Then decide how much it is worth to you.  My rule of thumb is to ask for 20% off trending prices as a start, if I get an auto decline notice, I'll go to 10% off trending prices, if that offer is auto declined I'll go to 10% off the seller's asking price, and quit there if declined or ignored.  If an item is within the trending prices I'll start by offering 10-15 % less.   If there is a good reason for making an offer missing parts/accessories, signs of heavy use, very short description, working condition not mentioned, etc.. I add a note to the offer explaining the reason or the offer.