Best Offer these days

[this*old*attic]

Hi,

I havent sold in about 5 years, but it’s REALLY time to get back to it or lot out or donate (I still have full closets in every room).

I put everything up Best Offer because I really don’t mind dealing a bit and it all has to go.

Wow! The half price offers are getting on my nerves!!! And I already offer free shipping.

I know you can set parameters, but things seem to be moving slowly sale-wise too.

I used to be able to go, “Gee, I want a weekend out of town this Saturday... I’ll just put up a few things to pay for it.”

Is it the site? A search standing issue? New buyer demographics? Too many items to choose from.

Suggestions appreciated.

I’m fine with a part time income, but this isn’t worth giving up the space in my house anymore.

I need to at least double my sales (although I’d take a triple or quadruple , LOL)

[nhucollection_closet]

I see you have a lot of nice vintage clothes that look like in great condition and your listing photos look pretty good as well.  As for vintage clothes or items, you do not charge too much in comparson with other vintage clothes that I have seen. You even have best offers and free shipping and it is unfortunate to see people do half best offers. 

I have been to vintage stores in LA such as American Superior Vintage and boy, their items are not nice as yours yet they overcharge their items. 

Have you tried to list your items on poshmark, etsy, instagram or depop? 

I wish you the best of luck. 

[this*old*attic]

No, I haven’t - but that’s a good idea.

Like I mentioned, I’m not a new dealer... just a returning dealer.

I know the quality of my items, and I know how to research completed auctions.

I’m pricing at a soft 3/4 high price and offering free shipping when others do not.

Even as we’ve had this discussion, I’ve had someone who started on my Angora sweater with a 50% offer and has spent the morning chipping away at my counters. She just countered at $1.50 below my last counter.

I declined.

If someone needs to win that badly, how might they complain about the piece when it arrives?

[nhucollection_closet]

Oh my gosh! I cannot believe someone had to fight to save that $1.50 for Angora sweater. The buyer should just accept it since he/she won’t need pay for shipping. That buyer seller sounds like a pain to me. It is a good idea that you declined that offer. 

You are correct that he or she might be complaining and wanting to return the item. 

I think maybe you do not need to do best offers on your items but leave the price as that with free shipping. Buyers that want to buy your items might private message you to ask for some discount but I do not think buyers would low ball that much to half price. Give that a try for a few months to see how it would turn out for you. 

I think etsy fee is quite higher than ebay but I am not sure about poshmark or depop. 

[homecomforts]

I'm not selling as much as I use to because I have a new position now and just don't have that many listings. But I use to sell quite a bit. And, over the years, things certianly have changed!

I would say that for every outright sale I make on eBay, I have 3 people send messages offering to buy one of my items for between 40% to 50% off what I am asking. I almost NEVER take an unsolicited best offer because, like you, I have done my research and feel my pricing is fair.  The few times I have tried to work with people who send me unsolicited best offers, they turn into problematic customers so I just will not do it any more. Every extra minute I spend on a "needy" customer takes away from time I could be using to do something else. Instead, I fold each item, label it, bag it and store it until the right buyer comes along.

I think this trend to bargin with eBay sellers is becoming more normal because of two factors:

1) It is normal on other listing sites. Buyers have come to expect making offers. This attitude then transfers over to eBay. However, the prices on a lot of other sites are actually much higher than eBay so there is room to negotiate. I'll see a dress listed on a certain reselling site for $68 that I know I could sell on eBay for $35 so, yes, the sellers on that site CAN take 40% off their asking price. I cannot.

2) Many eBay sellers WILL accept unsolicited offers. Totally their perogerative. However this practice has resulted in buyers feeling comfortable with asking ALL ebay sellers to come down on their price. Occassionally, a buyer, when rebuffed, will go ahead and purchase at my full price. Unfortunately, it usually sets a poor tone for the transaction for the buyer has been declined. 

The one thing I try to remember with lowballers is to just not take it personal. I had a $20 item that someone offered me $15 and also provide free shipping (about a 50% discount in total). I declined and she did not purchase. It sold the following day to someone else who paid full price.

It's your business, it's your item. Just know that this is the "new norm" for eBay. Respond to those unsolicted best offers quickly, politely and succinctly then forgetaboutthem. The right buyer will come along. 

ETA: This message was meant to be in response to the original poster.

[nhucollection_closet]

I think things have changed because there are so many ebay sellers that are willing to lower their prices which affect our sales as well, unfortunately. You do the right thing where you do not want to deal with buyers that low ball your reasonable price. You know the value of your items and have done your research so accepting their 40%-50% offers would devalue your items. The right buyers will show up and buy your items as listed like you said. Oh, I have seen some crazy prices on ebay as well where I know the value of the items are not what they  list for and don't forget about some high price shipping fee there that just make no sense...hahaha

I totally agree with your two reasons why buyers offer the way they do :). 

You have the right attitude :). It's your business and your items so it's up to you to sell how you want to sell it. I feel the same as well. 

I wish you the best of luck with your business. 

[genemaat]

As a buyer on eBay, I always appreciate a Best Offer option on items I want & generally only offer as low as I think is a reasonable start (maybe 65-70%) because I naturally expect the seller to counter.

However, I have noticed that some really don't seem to grasp the concept, or art, of haggling (aka negotiation) which left me wondering why they added a BO at all. I do realize it's a cultural thing too — not necessarily "second nature" to Americans.

So, perhaps instead of considering a first offer "low-ball" or insulting, just counter with an amount you think low enough — the buyer can either accept or counter with an amount closer to yours. It's the name of the game, & part of the fun, after all.

I believe "The Art of Negotiation" was best illustrated by Monty Python 

[this*old*attic]

Thanks everyone - and the clip made me laugh!

I am perfectly happy with an offer in the 70-ish% range... to which I promptly reply along the lines of “thanks, but let’s meet in the middle at x (which is the 85-90%-ish range).

Of course, I’ve done my research, priced in the above middle range, and added a few more $ to cover offers and postage.

Plus I’m kind of anally picky about what I list so I also know my items are a really good quality.

So lowballs and multiple offers by $1.50 increments are annoying.

[frazlan_ch4oikm]

The same thing happens to me. I have begun pricing my listings even higher than I want in anticipation to all the low balls. The .50 cent and dollar increment **bleep** is so annoying I just decline the buyer immediately. The serious ones end up coming back and submitting an offer at the price I originally countered or they come back with something reasonable.