Auction is live and someone has messaged me with a crazy over the top buy it now offer

[jrho2561]

I’m curious how others handle this. I listed a piece of Pyrex it is a rare piece and very little info is available. It got multiple offers right away and now has bids. I received a crazy offer last night for buy it now. It seems that I can’t accept a best offer anymore. I guess I would have to end and repost? It doesn’t seem like the ethical thing to do has anyone run into this?

[nobody*s_perfect]

Of course it's unethical.  Of course it's against eBay rules since "Got a better offer" is not one of the very few valid reasons for canceling an active auction.

It's also highly suspect.  If a member is willing to pay a "crazy" price for the item, then why not just bid that amount with confidence that they will win the auction? Because they'e afraid of being outbid, that's why. Now they're taking the risk that you'll be so outraged by their behavior that you might put them on your blocked-bidders list.

As you have observed, after an auction has received bids it is completely locked down -- it's not possible to edit, add a 'Buy it now" option, accept or send offers, etc.  Even if the seller cancels the bids.

You should just let the auction run its course.

EDIT:  I just looked at the auction. Wow!  So much action from so many different bidders during the first 12 hour of the auction, overnight!  You definitely have a hot item which you should let run the full auction duration. Good luck!

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@jrho2561 

Best offer goes away once a bid comes in. The pyrex has bids now, you must let it play out to the end.

[dnasilver]

If the person is truly interested, they would bid on it. 

[jrho2561]

Thank you so much! I will let it play out I’ve just never run into someone trying to offer so much

[lux.ra_14]

Thank them for their interest and say you're unable to accept offers now that the item has multiple bids.

If they persist, don't respond further and block if you think they might cause a problem. I've had similar situations where the bidding went even higher than what seemed like a "crazy" offer. 

[jamess5962]

I've had this happen in the past with a couple rare or unusual items.   I always let the auction play out.  In each case it turned out that the crazy offer I received was much less than the final ending auction price.  I hope your auction turns out the same!

[pls-consignments]

Yep, very rare! Hope you get a nice number on them. Congratulations!

[pickapaper]

@jrho2561 

Another vote for let it play out.  You already know that it is rare, it's only been on for a day or so and already has multiple bids; obviously a lot of interest in it and a lot of people won't even bid until the last seconds.  Usually when someone makes a "crazy" offer on a rare item, they know that it will most likely sell for more than their offer.   

Lucky you!  It will be exciting to see how the auction ends! 

[ryry-jj]

Yes, you have to let it play out via the auction...and yes, many of us have had this happen before.  It is a buyer trying to secure the item without having any risk of being outbid.   It will be interesting to see if their "crazy" offer turns out to be lower than what it ultimately sells for...usually it does, as @pickapaper mentioned above

[theteamsetguy]

@ryry-jj ,

Any guess where it will end up?

Bot 8675309

[pastimpressions]

Curious what your BIN price was (if listed with one) as you are really cooking with this one already!

All the luck with shop & sales!

[gurlcat]

THIS is the post to save for linking whenever someone says auctions are pointless, unappealing to most buyers, and/or just result in lower winning bids than BIN sold's of the same item.  -That may usually be true, but if ever you can't find an exact match of something in any 'sold' records but you know it's a category with a big collector base, it is probably better to let buyers show how much it's worth, and risk a disappointing low winning bid (just start out with the least you'd be willing to take) ....  rather than to under-guess a BIN price.  Ugh, that feeling of listing a BIN and have it sold in minutes, because I didn't realize what a treasure I had!

To probably most of us, these Pyrex look like pretty ordinary 'grandma' cookware/serveware pieces.  I might have just priced them $50+shipping, thinking it was probably too high but dreading the packing task if they sold anyway.  🤣  But apparently some patterns just drive people bonkers!

@jrho2561How excited are you?!  I am just by proxy.  Oh but speaking of packing, I would be so nervous about these 4 pieces in a box, even if the auction closed at the current bid ($327 -YOWSA!), I think it would be worthwhile to go to a craft/fabric store and get a yard of egg crate foam cushioning.  I wouldn't trust these to bubble wrap. 

[ednkarens]

You also have to keep in mind that if you end an auction early, and especially if it has bids, that eBay might charge you a final value fee based on the amount of the highest bid.

[luckythewinner]

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@gurlcat wrote:

THIS is the post to save for linking whenever someone says auctions are pointless

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Most people who say auction are pointless are referring to common items with a well-defined value, like recent bestselling novels or cell phone cases or a Gap tee shirt.

I think most agree that truly rare items - those with high demand and low supply - are the exception.