eBay

rover39 · ‎05-28-2018

I listed multiple items in the auction format. In some instances it was the second time I listed the item and in those instances I reduced the starting bid. eBay unilaterally inserted the best offer option. I feel that should have been up to me to decide if I wanted to do that. Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item. Has this happened to others and is there a way I can stop this? Thank you

kim_y_buran · ‎05-28-2018

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:
@kim_y_buran wrote:
.... The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. ....
Are you sure about that? I've seen posts from sellers who were unable to send counteroffers that wer higher than the opening bid price.

I know that, but did you really expect for eBay to implement it correctly?

kim_y_buran · ‎05-28-2018

@ted_200 wrote:
@kim_y_buran wrote:
@rover39 wrote:
Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item.
I think you misunderstand. The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. Basically they are trying to formalize and legitimize the widespread practice of messaging the seller and offering him to buy his auction at certain price.
I thought that was called a bid.

No that's more like bid + end an auction and sell to the current highest bidder. Or BIN price set by buyer.

rainbowcolorz · ‎05-28-2018

@rover39 wrote:
I listed multiple items in the auction format. In some instances it was the second time I listed the item and in those instances I reduced the starting bid. eBay unilaterally inserted the best offer option. I feel that should have been up to me to decide if I wanted to do that. Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item. Has this happened to others and is there a way I can stop this? Thank you

eBay has never (thank goodness) put Best Offer on any of my listings. I think if I ever saw that, it would not be good.

rainbowcolorz · ‎05-28-2018

@Anonymous wrote:
@jonathankirkland wrote:
brian@ebay
@Anonymous
alan@ebay

Here's yet another person (we see many of them several times daily) who is incredibly displeased with ebay's decision to add Best Offer to listings without the listers consent.
Hi @jonathankirkland, happy to provide the link to our announcement on this change. Since introducing this last fall, we've seen an increase in sales conversion and consider this update to a success. While I understand that some sellers may not wish to entertain offers, many have been introduced to a feature that they have found beneficial to their business.

The way I look at it is -- if eBay arbitrarily put Best Offer on one of my listings and someone made an Offer for less than what I am willing to accept, and I refused the Offer, that person "might" not be a happy camper. I do not want ANY of my prospective buyers to be unhappy in ANY way. Geez .... what a way to accumulate possible retaliators.

ted_200 · ‎05-28-2018

@kim_y_buran wrote:
@nobody*s_perfect wrote:
@kim_y_buran wrote:
.... The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. ....
Are you sure about that? I've seen posts from sellers who were unable to send counteroffers that wer higher than the opening bid price.
I know that, but did you really expect for eBay to implement it correctly?

I don't think that was the idea at all.

They extended the bot added Offer to Auction format because they have a lot of auctions that are "one bid kill" listings (Fixed Price listings pretending to be an auction, with a start price at the BIN price level). These don't sell, auction bidders do not like them, they're just another over-priced BIN. The "Offer" feature is intended to cause a sale at some price lower than the start price.

This problem has existed ever since eBay abandoned the tiered insertion fee for Auction listings in favor of "Free" or (now .35) for Auctions at any start price, which encourages sellers to list Auctions that aren't really Auctions. It's a bad idea, intended to solve a problem caused by a previous bad idea.

The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.

ted_200 · ‎05-28-2018

"We're not happy until you're not happy".

The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.

Anonymous · ‎05-28-2018

@readabouthorses wrote:

@Anonymous

I've gotta ask ... when eBay thinks the starting price of the auction is too high, just exactly what data are they collected to make that decision?

For example, I may be selling a magazine that is in good condition and shipping properly and not abusing Media Mail ... please don't tell me you are comparing that listing that recently sold for a magazine in ratty torn musty condition and being shipped by Media Mail simply because it sold for less than my starting bid for my almost perfect magazine.

Does a simple bot make this decision? A bot that has no idea about shipping policies, item condition, etc? Does that bot just see "magazine" and "prices on completed" and make the decision?

I'd really really like to know how this process works. Is each item compared the exact same item? My magazine might contain a hard to find photo or article while the magazine you are comparing it to is just a run of the mill issue that can easily be purchased from the publisher.

Inquiring minds want to know!

Hi @readabouthorses, happy to elaborate. The starting price of the auction is compared to the trending price on eBay and other marketplaces for the past 90 days. If the starting price is higher than the average price similar items have sold for, Best Offer may be applied. We take into account factors such as the item condition.

Additionally, @ymeagainlord, as soon as a bid has been placed on an auction the Best Offer option is removed and any offers that have been placed but not yet responded to are automatically declined. The Best Offer feature on auctions serves as a supplemental option for when a listing is not receiving bids, not as a replacement for the bidding process.

readabouthorses · ‎05-28-2018

@Anonymous

Thanks for the update. Now I have to ask ... how similar ... same magazine, same year, same month? And "trending prices" ... are these also similar items or just magazine back issues in general?

So just how "similar" are they when doing the comparison?

I noticed the OP who started this thread seems to be selling Antiques. So how do you find "similar items" do comparisons on antiques?

I'm not trying to be a pain ... I just think it is almost impossible to do similar comparisons to justify adding a Best Offer because you "think" the auction has started too high.

readabouthorses · ‎05-28-2018

@ted_200 wrote:
@readabouthorses wrote:
@Anonymous

I've gotta ask ... when eBay thinks the starting price of the auction is too high, just exactly what data are they collected to make that decision?

For example, I may be selling a magazine that is in good condition and shipping properly and not abusing Media Mail ... please don't tell me you are comparing that listing that recently sold for a magazine in ratty torn musty condition and being shipped by Media Mail simply because it sold for less than my starting bid for my almost perfect magazine.

Does a simple bot make this decision? A bot that has no idea about shipping policies, item condition, etc? Does that bot just see "magazine" and "prices on completed" and make the decision?

I'd really really like to know how this process works. Is each item compared the exact same item? My magazine might contain a hard to find photo or article while the magazine you are comparing it to is just a run of the mill issue that can easily be purchased from the publisher.

Inquiring minds want to know!
I think this is a rhetorical question?

We don't seriously think eBay's bot can make those distinctions, do we? Are we suggesting eBay's magazine expert in the Philippines is going over the listings one by one and doing it?

No, I don't think the bots can make distinctions well enough to say something is priced too high. And no, I don't expect anyone in the Philipines to know either ... when I called them once about the Media Mail abuse in the magazine category they told me it was perfectly OK because Ebay allows it and the Top Rated Sellers are doing it so it must be fine. That was my first AND last call to Ebay Customer Service.

castlemagicmemories · ‎05-28-2018

@kim_y_buran wrote:
@rover39 wrote:
Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item.
I think you misunderstand. The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. Basically they are trying to formalize and legitimize the widespread practice of messaging the seller and offering him to buy his auction at certain price.

And this could also lead to keeping more transactions ON ebay.

But there is also the possibility that buyers will take it as an invitation to offer a lower amount than the starting bid, instead of a higher one.

castlemagicmemories · ‎05-28-2018

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:
@kim_y_buran wrote:
.... The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. ....
Are you sure about that? I've seen posts from sellers who were unable to send counteroffers that wer higher than the opening bid price.

Oops, I think you are right. I recall that now. My apologies.

castlemagicmemories · ‎05-28-2018

It's a bad idea, intended to solve a problem caused by a previous bad idea.

***************************************************************************************************

Sort of like two wrongs don't make a right.

sharingtheland · ‎05-28-2018

We take into account factors such as the item condition.

This is simply New vs Used, correct?

Sherry

=^.^= =^.^=
( ) ( )
" " =^.^= " "

sharingtheland · ‎05-28-2018

@kim_y_buran wrote:
@rover39 wrote:
Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item.
I think you misunderstand. The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. Basically they are trying to formalize and legitimize the widespread practice of messaging the seller and offering him to buy his auction at certain price.

This is about making an offer below the starting price. Read Message 22, part of which I have quoted here:

The starting price of the auction is compared to the trending price on eBay and other marketplaces for the past 90 days. If the starting price is higher than the average price similar items have sold for, Best Offer may be applied

Sherry

=^.^= =^.^=
( ) ( )
" " =^.^= " "

castlemagicmemories · ‎05-28-2018

@sharingtheland wrote:
@kim_y_buran wrote:
@rover39 wrote:
Additionally it discourages anyone from bidding in the auction format as the price seems to cap expected cost of item.
I think you misunderstand. The idea is to make an offer above the starting price. Basically they are trying to formalize and legitimize the widespread practice of messaging the seller and offering him to buy his auction at certain price.
This is about making an offer below the starting price. Read Message 22, part of which I have quoted here:

The starting price of the auction is compared to the trending price on eBay and other marketplaces for the past 90 days. If the starting price is higher than the average price similar items have sold for, Best Offer may be applied

You're right, Sherry, but I wonder if Ebay has considered tweaking it to accomodate higher offers. This would be more advantageous to both seller and Ebay. Scenarios where the buyer doesn't want to wait and would offer more. But then again, sellers may not like that because they want an auction to determine the price. Oh well.