Bottom Feeders

[homegoods2u]

Anyone else noticing an EXTREME number of bottom feeders (those who send RIDICULOUSLY low offers) recently?  

Example: I currently have some Brand New in the Box items for sale for $249.00.  The lowest current price for these items anywhere on the Internet, whether it be Retail or Wholesale is $719.89!  Yet, I get offers for less than $100.00!

Yes, I know I can set minimum prices with BIN but I’m always curious what responses I get and it allows me immediately block the buffoons!

I’m just trying to determine what to attribute this ‘bottom feeding” phenomenon to. I don’t think it’s the economy.  The reason I say that is because when I’m out and about whenever I hear someone complain about the economy I watch them get into their $65,000 F250’s (or Dodge Monstertrucks, etc)  and guzzle gas all the way to their $500,000+ suburban lairs where they undoubtedly have 2-3 other vehicles (read BMWs, Audis, Teslas, etc) parked in the driveway!

WTH? My wife and I earn a grand total $40-$45,000 a year (dependent on eBay proceeds), yet we own 2 vehicles outright (both Hybrids which average 40-45mpg) and we have a mortgage which we been paying on for 27 years. In 8 years we will have paid it off entirely.  We are able to vacation 2 (and sometimes 3x) a year, we dine out 1-3 times a week and we have both been able to put together decent retirement accounts.  We live modestly otherwise with very few “extravagant” purchases and the last thing either of us would do is offer less than $100 for an item that has already been discounted by 65%! 

So other than the fact that most Americans are Self-Centered, Greedy and feel Entitled I’m just wondering if there are any other obvious clues regarding this descent into oblivion?

Your thoughts would be appreciated!

[ed8108]

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@homegoods2u wrote:

...  most Americans are Self-Centered, Greedy and feel Entitled 

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That is a major problem within America today 

Being a positive role model is a way to help in addressing the problem

[chapeau-noir]

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@rugerskick wrote:

First, its not just Americans.  Everyone wants a better deal.  There isn't anywhere on earth ebay folks don't want a better deal than you're advertising.  The few small places on earth folks just pay retail sticker price, they probably aren't shopping much on ebay.

Many people who offer as low as you are describing are not normal buyers.  They are sharks.  They are looking for desperate sellers.  Simply ignore and block them and don't let them take up a second more of your time.

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Yes - most people are good people and everyone likes a deal!

We just remember the annoying ones. Jonathan Swift once said that one obnoxious person takes up the space and energy of five normal people (he said a bit more elegantly), and I'd say that's about right.

[gurlcat]

If you could have dinner with Jonathan Swift, Maya Angelou or Mark Twain, who would you pick?  

[psfhobbies]

well thats no fun!

[fbusoni]

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@farmalljr wrote:

I hope they go bankrupt if their attitude is they are the only ones ok to be greedy jerks.

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I take it its too late to edit your sentence.  😆

[fbusoni]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

Now you can watch a video instead and learn appropriate situational dependent responses?  Maybe you can, but I was way more fun.  Many people don't learn well by just watching. 

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"Maybe you can?" 

Good grief.  Never mind.  

PS: I meant to thank you for your advice last week for advising that I deactivate that switch that requires buyers to provide a payment method before making an offer.   I cannot prove cause and effect, but looking at my averages over the last 7 months, it appears that I made about a dozen more sales than I think I otherwise would have.    Regards

[pickapaper]

I think we are all bottom feeders, in a way,  Just try going to an estate sale on the last day when things are half price or 75% off!  Let the grabbing begin!

I remember several years ago, the media blitzed us with newspaper and magazine articles and television shows about "don't pay retail price for anything".  They suggested even if you go to a retail store that isn't having a sale, to ask for a discount anyway.  "It doesn't hurt to ask."   They also said to haggle prices whenever and wherever possible, and offered more "helpful hints" about getting a better price on anything.   (Remember when it used to be part of the game to haggle prices when buying a vehicle?  I'm glad most dealerships don't do that anymore.)

[aeparts1]

See, Promoted listings DO work. They bring you all those "bottom feeders".

At the swap meets, you'd be amazed at how much stuff I buy by making crazy low offers. It is part of selling, always has been, always will be.

[chariot_badges]

35% of all my sales start with an offer.  

Dear Buyer:   Thank you for your 65% discount offer.  I search and research prices when I list.  I check several sources, new and used.  I did it again for this listing and found that I am in the bottom 20% of the available inventory.  If you can tell me where you found this item for what you are offering I would sure appreciate it as I'd like to buy a dozen of them - it's below new wholesale.  For this one, however, the best I can do for you is 20% off. 

This is a text file that I cut and paste into all counter offers.
Most of them get ignored.

The ones that send multiple, low ball offers ... I block.
Don't waste time on them, but I have found that it's worth it to spend time. 

[redlinear]

I attribute it to the increased popularity of FBMP.  Along with those reality buying/selling TV shows.
Doesn't matter how cheap, or how good a deal you list something there, 80% of the interest you receive is somebody wanting to cut you in half.
It's starting to carry over to eBay

I remember back when that show Barter Kings was on.   You would list something for sale and all you would get were offers to trade.  Much of those offers were from shoppers that had no need for your item.  They just thought you might be dumb enough to trade diamonds for crud.

[farmalljr]

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@rugerskick wrote:

First, its not just Americans.  Everyone wants a better deal.  There isn't anywhere on earth ebay folks don't want a better deal than you're advertising.  The few small places on earth folks just pay retail sticker price, they probably aren't shopping much on ebay.

Many people who offer as low as you are describing are not normal buyers.  They are sharks.  They are looking for desperate sellers.  Simply ignore and block them and don't let them take up a second more of your time.

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I agreed with you right up to the last part. Sure, there are some sellers here looking to score cheap inventory to resell. That's IMO, a very SMALL slice of the people making offers. What I buy here, is for myself, not to resell. I want a deal, not just because I want to save money, but because I know most sellers here are not giving anything close to what they are listing the price at. Most buyers making offers, are aware of that too. Hours and hours of YouTube videos pointing out to people how to buy for a buck or two and list for a hundred. Just like all the videos about shopping at certain thrift stores made those CEO's aware of the money they could be making themselves, resellers have pooped in their own cereal letting everyone know what kind of mark up they are making on thrifted/yard sale items. 

It's akin to some blockhead listing their unwanted yard sale junk at eBay fairytale prices. We have all run into THOSE yard sales. Sellers just need to get comfortable with sinking sales, or wake up and start making actual deals. Is it better to turn something at a $20 profit now, or leave it listed waiting on that $100 profit that probably will never come? If sellers are honest here, they have LOTS of inventory that has been listed for years with no actual sale. When a seller's capitol is tied up in inventory that is not turning, they can't use that capitol to acquire stock that WILL sell quickly. Every dead dollar tied up in inventory is a dollar that makes you a fat zero in profit. 

[fbusoni]

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@redlinear wrote:

I attribute it to the increased popularity of FBMP.  

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Yes, on that platform its an epidemic.   It usually starts with the redundant question:

"Is this available"?  

When I see that, I delete the message because I know that the next question will be:

"What is your best price?" 

By contrast, I had a wonderful person contact me yesterday with this message:

"Hello, I want to buy your wine glasses.  Do you take Venmo and can you ship them to NY?"

Now, 16 hours later, I'm off the the post office. 

I have found over the years that if you are patient, someone who is not living paycheck-to-paycheck will come along in time and relieve you of your merchandise at the price you are asking.  

[redlinear]

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@fbusoni wrote:

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@redlinear wrote:

I attribute it to the increased popularity of FBMP.  

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Yes, on that platform its an epidemic.   It usually starts with the redundant question:

"Is this available"?  

When I see that, I delete the message because I know that the next question will be:

"What is your best price?" 

By contrast, I had a wonderful person contact me yesterday with this message:

"Hello, I want to buy your wine glasses.  Do you take Venmo and can you ship them to NY?"

Now, 16 hours later, I'm off the the post office. 

I have found over the years that if you are patient, someone who is not living paycheck-to-paycheck will come along in time and relieve you of your merchandise at the price you are asking.  

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NO!  Don't delete. 
We all know the "is it available?" is a pre-filled in thing.   
It's there as a conversation starter for somebody that doesn't know how to begin.
It's SO easy to accidentally send that.
     Most of my sales start that way.  
It's too easy to type "yes" and move on. So that's what I do.  Conversation has begun, time to make the deal...or conversation is over. Easy enough.
  I also have to make myself say "Sorry, no" instead of "NO!"  on offers, insults, meet me half-way, etc. (lol)
Constantly reminding myself to "be nice"

[gurlcat]

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@fbusoni wrote:

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@redlinear wrote:

I attribute it to the increased popularity of FBMP.  

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Yes, on that platform its an epidemic.   It usually starts with the redundant question:

"Is this available"?  

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I have asked that numerous times with zero intention of haggling, and I'm sure it's the same with lots of other buyers.  Why?  -Because (unless this has changed), FBMP is more like Craigslist than eBay in the sense that there is no automated take-down of listings that have sold; sellers have to manually take them down, and lots of them DON'T BOTHER, just like people who leave their rummage sale signs up at street corners.  I got tired of getting excited about an item for sale and writing to the seller about it, only to have them reply that it was already sold (and often STILL not taking the listing down).  So when I saw that the platform was offering a 1-click "is this still available" button, I started using it.  

I don't know why I'm replying to you though.  There is obviously some reason you dodged my requests for clarification on your statements about a TRS filter, but I can't imagine why, and it feels kind of awkward now.  

[gurlcat]

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@redlinear wrote:

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We all know the "is it available?" is a pre-filled in thing.   
It's there as a conversation starter for somebody that doesn't know how to begin.

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It's there because lots of the listings are for items are actually NOT available anymore, but the sellers didn't take the listings down.