Anyone notice Ebays new DISHONEST practice of adding "Make an Offer" to auctions without asking?

[adaecomsales]

I've had dozens of auctions WITHOUT the "Make an Offer" option but when I relist some all of a sudden I notice "Make an Offer" has been added plus an amount to decline. This is totally immoral, especially when we are paying Ebay we have equal say. This type of underhanded behavior is what caused Ebay to lose status and many users to depart over the years.

Anyone else have this happen?

[labs118]

@adaecomsales 

They announced this in 2017 & many sellers aren't happy about it

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/UPDATED-eBay-is-Helping-Boost-Conversion-with-Best-Offer...

We have been told they do this for those using the Quick listing tool & App 
but by switching to the Advanced also called  Business tool then they shouldn't change it and add the Best offer
You could try switching your listing tool 

[gwens*4saleitems*]

This is not a "new" thing with eBay. I've had it happen to some of mine for a couple of months. They seem to think that they are helping you to sell those particular items.

They add in the Make an offer and send me notice then I go in and reset item back to no offers.

I know it's a pain but it's eBay. ( come to think of it ,,,, I haven't had that happen lately, HMMM? )

[7606dennis]

I've noticed that many users talk of auctions when referring to listings rather than distinguishing between the two.  They are not the same thing.  While all auctions are listings, not all listings are auctions.  An auction listing is one where the selling price is determined by competitive bid while in a fixed price listing the price is set by the seller.  Most states have separate laws governing the sale of things at auction so the distinction is an important one.

Personally, I'm not fond of eBay adding the BO option to any listing without the consent of the seller.  However, there is a particular danger to the seller utilizing the auction format since it could lead to legal issues for those selling at auction in some states.  Thus I would advise anyone selling at auction to check with their state's auction board before accepting any offers outside of the normal bidding process when the item is listed in the auction format.

There are those, I'm sure, that think that because eBay permits it it complies with the law.  That is not necessarily true.  Remember that eBay is a selling platform or venue and, as such, is not the one doing the selling.  They are not an auction business and not subject to the laws governing the operation of one.  However, depending upon one's state and its laws governing conducting of auctions, the seller may be held responsible for the violation of any law or laws.

Frankly, I'm not sure how eBay legally add things to a seller's listing and still claim to be just a venue and hold the seller responsible for the content of their listings.  It would appear to me that, by adding things to the listing, eBay may be actually becoming the manager of the seller which may result in them being held more responsible.  Of course, this is something that could easily end up being decided in the courts and not here on these discussion boards.

[3eyedfishcatcher]

Buyers for a long time could message the seller with a offer for buy now items. Auctions till the last min could be a bad decision to accept up front. Either way if you do not want offers you can always tell buyers in your description that offers will not be accepted. For a Auction item I would let it run for a few auctions to see what happens. After all by taking a low ball offer you could just be giving money away rather than making it.

[7606dennis]

---

@3eyedfishcatcher wrote:

Buyers for a long time could message the seller with a offer for buy now items. Auctions till the last min could be a bad decision to accept up front. Either way if you do not want offers you can always tell buyers in your description that offers will not be accepted. For a Auction item I would let it run for a few auctions to see what happens. After all by taking a low ball offer you could just be giving money away rather than making it.

---

While buyers have, for the last couple of years, been able to send offers through messages, prior to eBay's about face on the policy to do so was a reportable offense which could get the buyer permanently kicked off the site.  Up until the policy change, eBay consider that by not including a best offer option in a fixed price listing, the seller was not interested in receiving offers.  Thus a buyer  making an offer was deemed by eBay to be attempting to make an off eBay deal in violation of the User Agreement.

I would still advise sellers using the auction format to check with their state's auction regulating authority prior to accepting any offer on an item being sold at auction