eBay

itsjustasprain · ‎01-27-2021

I made an offer on a newly-listed item just now - but I notice that there is no option now to add a message to my offer. I know it was a source of problems in the past when buyers would add a condition to their offer such as demanding Free Shipping as part of the deal and the seller might miss it - but removing the comment section altogether is like killing a flea with a howitzer.

In my case I wanted to explain what looks like a lowball offer by pointing out to the seller that the item had some wrong low-value parts on it which made it worth significantly less than what he was asking. I will now have to send him a separate message just to explain why my offer seems so low.

lightlily_arts · ‎01-27-2021

That is your only option.

7606dennis · ‎01-27-2021

Frankly, I doubt that your telling the seller that the reason for your lowball offer was because you consider the item he has listed is of inferior quality, in a messaged attached to it, would do much in the way of making the seller want to accept your offer. In the future, you might want to try contacting the seller prior to making an offer. Especially a lowball one.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎01-27-2021

@itsjustasprain wrote:
I made an offer on a newly-listed item just now - but I notice that there is no option now to add a message to my offer. I know it was a source of problems in the past when buyers would add a condition to their offer such as demanding Free Shipping as part of the deal and the seller might miss it - but removing the comment section altogether is like killing a flea with a howitzer.

In my case I wanted to explain what looks like a lowball offer by pointing out to the seller that the item had some wrong low-value parts on it which made it worth significantly less than what he was asking. I will now have to send him a separate message just to explain why my offer seems so low.

If you have concerns about their description you could send them a message from the actual listing or just wait for a reply/to accept and cross fingers. It is their choice whether or not to accept your offer. And they may be unaware of any inaccuracies in their description. I would like to be an expert for every listing I create but sometimes that is not always possible. EBay removing features like adding a courtesy note does not make things any easier for buyers or sellers. But that is only my 2 cents. 5 cents CAD.

-Lotz

soh.maryl · ‎01-28-2021

There is an "Ask Seller A Question" link in every item.

And the question should be asked BEFORE bidding or making an offer.

mudshark61369 · ‎01-28-2021

@itsjustasprain,

I just checked several items that had Best Offer on my computer and saw the + add a message to the seller button on all of them. The box that used to be there is gone, but shows up when you click on the button.

Adding a message does not mean it will always be read. Sellers who use the auto accept decline feature probably won't see them. Some sellers don't care why an offer is low they only look at the price.

I too do use the feature but I'm selective about who I send it to. If I find an item listed by a seller who isn't experienced selling them, I will message them before making an offer from the listing itself to they see the red flag saying "you have a question about this item". I'll wait an hour or so before sending the offer.

I've had mixed results when doing that, but if you word the message carefully so as not to sound like you're accusing them of being intentionally misleading. Often the offer will be accepted. You can always ask the seller at the end of the message if because of what you've written, would they accept an offer of $X. Then send it if they reply.

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FOOLPROOF, BECAUSE FOOLS ARE SO DARNED INGENIOUS!" (unknown)

itsjustasprain · ‎01-28-2021

@7606dennis wrote:
Frankly, I doubt that your telling the seller that the reason for your lowball offer was because you consider the item he has listed is of inferior quality, in a messaged attached to it, would do much in the way of making the seller want to accept your offer.

In fact it did and I have now purchased it for the price I offered. Its not a matter of quality. It was just that the seller had tried to fill in a missing part with a replacement so he could ask more for a complete item but he had installed a completely wrong part. It was easy to see the wrong part in his photos if you know what youre looking for and if I had not mentioned it the next guy would have - and if he had sold to someone else for his original asking price he could have been looking at a NAD dispute or a partial refund or even a return when it arrived.

Yes - working it out in messaging beforehand would have been one option but when the message can be part of the offer then you can simply send your explanation for the offer along with the offer itself. I have been doing this for years and I am very familiar with the whole process but this listing I was looking at absolutely did not have the message option on it.

All the ones I have looked at this morning do show the usual link I was looking for. I checked both auctions with Make Offer and Buyitnows with Make Offer and both types brought up the link for a message within the offer box exactly where I expected to see it.

I know that Ask seller a Question does now let you add an offer there. Maybe that is what they are moving to as a way to add a message to an offer - or more precisely add an offer to a message and remove the message from Make Offer. I know there are glitches but in this case it looked more like a test of a new Make Offer with no messaging included.

7606dennis · ‎01-28-2021

@itsjustasprain wrote:
@7606dennis wrote:
Frankly, I doubt that your telling the seller that the reason for your lowball offer was because you consider the item he has listed is of inferior quality, in a messaged attached to it, would do much in the way of making the seller want to accept your offer.
In fact it did and I have now purchased it for the price I offered. Its not a matter of quality. It was just that the seller had tried to fill in a missing part with a replacement so he could ask more for a complete item but he had installed a completely wrong part. It was easy to see the wrong part in his photos if you know what youre looking for and if I had not mentioned it the next guy would have - and if he had sold to someone else for his original asking price he could have been looking at a NAD dispute or a partial refund or even a return when it arrived.

Yes - working it out in messaging beforehand would have been one option but when the message can be part of the offer then you can simply send your explanation for the offer along with the offer itself. I have been doing this for years and I am very familiar with the whole process but this listing I was looking at absolutely did not have the message option on it.

All the ones I have looked at this morning do show the usual link I was looking for. I checked both auctions with Make Offer and Buyitnows with Make Offer and both types brought up the link for a message within the offer box exactly where I expected to see it.

I know that Ask seller a Question does now let you add an offer there. Maybe that is what they are moving to as a way to add a message to an offer - or more precisely add an offer to a message and remove the message from Make Offer. I know there are glitches but in this case it looked more like a test of a new Make Offer with no messaging included.

Well congratulations on your bargain purchase. I would have probably let you offer expire and blocked you but to each his own.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."

lightlily_arts · ‎01-29-2021

Unfortunately eBay seems to make changes that don't benefit anyone. They seem to be moving towards minimizing communication between parties. I believe much of it related to the use of mobile devices.

7606dennis · ‎01-29-2021

@lightlily_arts wrote:
Unfortunately eBay seems to make changes that don't benefit anyone. They seem to be moving towards minimizing communication between parties. I believe much of it related to the use of mobile devices.

I'm not sure about it being related to the use of mobile devices but I know that they are paranoid about buyers and sellers possibly working off site deals.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."

be_4101 · ‎01-29-2021

@7606dennis wrote:
@itsjustasprain wrote:
@7606dennis wrote:
Frankly, I doubt that your telling the seller that the reason for your lowball offer was because you consider the item he has listed is of inferior quality, in a messaged attached to it, would do much in the way of making the seller want to accept your offer.
In fact it did and I have now purchased it for the price I offered. Its not a matter of quality. It was just that the seller had tried to fill in a missing part with a replacement so he could ask more for a complete item but he had installed a completely wrong part. It was easy to see the wrong part in his photos if you know what youre looking for and if I had not mentioned it the next guy would have - and if he had sold to someone else for his original asking price he could have been looking at a NAD dispute or a partial refund or even a return when it arrived.

Yes - working it out in messaging beforehand would have been one option but when the message can be part of the offer then you can simply send your explanation for the offer along with the offer itself. I have been doing this for years and I am very familiar with the whole process but this listing I was looking at absolutely did not have the message option on it.

All the ones I have looked at this morning do show the usual link I was looking for. I checked both auctions with Make Offer and Buyitnows with Make Offer and both types brought up the link for a message within the offer box exactly where I expected to see it.

I know that Ask seller a Question does now let you add an offer there. Maybe that is what they are moving to as a way to add a message to an offer - or more precisely add an offer to a message and remove the message from Make Offer. I know there are glitches but in this case it looked more like a test of a new Make Offer with no messaging included.
Well congratulations on your bargain purchase. I would have probably let you offer expire and blocked you but to each his own.

Alas!-ka, that sore rings hollow of sour grapes, especially after that seller was alerted by OP that the knee bone had mistakenly been attacked to the elbow.

--Frankly

itsjustasprain · ‎01-31-2021

@be_4101 wrote:
@7606dennis wrote:
Well congratulations on your bargain purchase. I would have probably let you offer expire and blocked you but to each his own.
Alas!-ka, that sore rings hollow of sour grapes, especially after that seller was alerted by OP that the knee bone had mistakenly been attacked to the elbow.

--Frankly

Yes. Basically it was someone elses knee bone too. The part he had stuck on was not correct - it just happened to physically fit but would not have actually worked as intended.

As far as what I actually wrote - I explained why my offer was what it was. Said I did not even NEED the wrong part in case he wanted to leave it out. But the key to getting the deal instead of getting ignored or blocked is to be polite and treat it as business. I dont know why some people think the offer process is a license to be a jerk and try to bully the seller. I know that works in some cases unfortunately but it is certainly not how I do things.

hmysecurity1 · ‎02-01-2021

Usually it is OK to add the text message in the offer.If you can't do that,it is also easy to message him within seconds

glasser · ‎02-01-2021

I use offers from time-to-time and sometimes I message and sometimes I don't. I get irked when the auto accept is basically the asking the price. I sometimes reach out to those folks and basically say what my top dollar is sometimes that gets accepted.

Sometimes, as it looks like in this case, a buyer may be more knowledgeable the the seller. I think it's OK to share that information, in a polite and respectful manner, and give a justification for what you are offering. I sell mostly auctions with no reserve and have stopped taking offers since my start prices are always low and the offers I get are below that usually. I guess people think I start an auction for a several hundred dollar at 29.99 so I must be willing to accept 14.99. If I am selling no reserve with a low start price I am basically saying to bidders you make your best offer in the form of a bid and we will see how that goes.

I see a lot of items for sale where the seller is basically guessing what the item is worth and don't have a clue. 99 time out of 100 they are guessing way too high 🙂 I have a pretty keen sense of the value of the items I buy. I know my markets, do my research, and know based on that the most I am willing to pay. Doesn't mean someone else might pay more. But I offer what I think is fair and sure try and get a good deal. But who doesn't.

I have made some great deals on having offers accepted and accepting offers. I find etsy frustrating since there is no vehicle for making an offer and everything is fixed price. i am talking about making offers on used and collectible items not handmade things.

itsjustasprain · ‎02-02-2021

@glasser wrote:
I see a lot of items for sale where the seller is basically guessing what the item is worth and don't have a clue. 99 time out of 100 they are guessing way too high.

Yes. I am in a niche market where I usually DO know more than the seller because I restore a focused area of vintage items but a lot of the sellers are simply flipping an example that they picked up at an estate sale.

So okay - thats just the way it is. I dont fault the seller for making a best guess about what he thinks he can get for it and in some cases its obvious that he was looking at past sales of similar items here. In some cases they simply copy someone elses title and item specifics. In some cases they even get that right. But a lot of the time they are either comparing a mint or restored example with their unrestored grimy or even nonfunctioning item.

If I am lowballing an offer I will always explain why my offer seems low. The seller usually responds. Either they accept my offer right away - a surprising percentage do - or they counteroffer with a bit higher because thats how the game is played and I can accept that. In many cases I think they just want to be rid of the thing and my explanation of the offer suggests that it might be a headache for them to sell at their original price to someone else who might end up returning it.

But like I said - act like a jerk about it and I dont know why anyone would feel the need to meet your offer. If you get a Make Offer from me and its not something that I am lowballing or which needs explanation for some reason then at minimum there will still be a note in the Message box from me reading 'Thank you for considering my offer!' Thats it. Not hard to be nice.

The only problem in this case and the reason for my posting is that the Message option was absolutely not there in that one listing for which I was using its Make Offer button. If I come across another example anytime soon I will post it here.