Best Offer

[rover39]

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

[nobody*s_perfect]

In eBay's experiment with adding "Best offer" to auction-format listings, it seems that they do not add it if the seller has used the option to add a "Buy it now" price  on the auction.

[lex-talon]

Are you using the quick listing tool? If you are, switch to the advanced listing tool. 

[duggmills]

This issue, as it were, is brought up quite frequently.

Is it really that important to you that eBay dumped this into your and several thousand other listings?  Yes, you should be given the choice. However, it is an opportunity to make a sale.  If you're so against it, revise your listing to say that.

It doesn't take long to review an offer. If you don't want to accept an offer, ignore it.

Depending on the offer price and tone and location (not Kinshasa) of someone with an offer that is somewhat reasonable, you can counter offer.

[jonathankirkland]

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.

[castlemagicmemories]

---

@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

---

Another poster gave you great advice~you may be able to remove the Best Offer using the Advanced Listing form.

But Ebay adds this to listings if they feel the price is too high, or the seller is new, so it may not be removable.

You might try to work with it.  Hopefully you are not listing at a price you would not accept if you only got one bid.  You could raise your price nominally to give you a little wiggle room to offer a modest discount when asked.  

If you truly don't want to entertain offers, you can state that your price is firm in your description, sorry but Best Offer was  not added by you.

Possibly the Best Offer option need not be used to lower price.  Possibly a user who does not want to wait out an auction might offer a price higher than the auction start price to entice you to end the listing with them as the winner.  This would tie in with the previous poster who said that Best Offer is not added if you have a BIN on the auction listing.  If you get a user who REALLY wants something, possibly they might offer you more on a Best Offer then you might get putting BIN on the item, but that is just speculation.

[Anonymous]

---

@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.

[sharingtheland]

---

@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.

---

How many? 

What is the percentage of sellers who have found this has been beneficial to their businesses? 

What is the percentage of sellers who do not wish to entertain offers?

[readabouthorses]

@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!

[ymeagainlord]

But how many have been discouraged from even bidding by seeing a BO on an auction? No way to tell is there?

[kim_y_buran]

---

@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.

[mg152]

Most of my sales the last few years have been through offers. I love the offer button as a seller. Granted I’m not listing as much as I used to but my last sale was through make offer.

As a buyer I don’t use it.

[ted_200]

---

@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.

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@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.

[ted_200]

---

@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?