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Buyer wants to reach a deal

I got this message from a member with 493 feedbacks, so I am assuming it's not a scam. However is it a violation of eBay policy? Item number is #322515360019

 

Would you setup a $175 buy it now with free shipping? I can pay right away. You can pack it in a $13 usps flat rate box. Just let me know when the buy it now is up and if you already have bids I can bid to the top and then you can choose to end item and sell to highest bidder and revise the invoice to reflect our agreed upon price before you send it to me.

 

 

 

Message 1 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Well I was betting to myself it was either an expensive phone or an apple Macbook.

 

To be honest,

 

I wouuld tell him that you do not end auctions early as it is unfair to your other customers and just let this auction come to its natural conclusion.

 

You say he has 493 feedback, but is any of it within the last month.

 

Also as you know buyer feedback can only be positive so it is not a true indicator of the buyer's integrity.

Message 2 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal


@emerald40 wrote:

Well I was betting to myself it was either an expensive phone or an apple Macbook.

 

To be honest,

 

I wouuld tell him that you do not end auctions early as it is unfair to your other customers and just let this auction come to its natural conclusion.

 

You say he has 493 feedback, but is any of it within the last month.

 

Also as you know buyer feedback can only be positive so it is not a true indicator of the buyer's integrity.


Yes, and OP may want to block as well. Maybe my paranoia is showing, but someone asking to end an auction and dictating shipping doesn't sit well with me. They think the price will end higher, that's why they're asking. If they bid and win, they may just find something wrong later, kwim? After all, it IS a Macbook, I know those things can be very pricey. This is why I do best offers, people can make offers and I can screen the buyer (as best as I can). 

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.


We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell
Message 3 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

No.  It is an offer to buy, with a BIN price, on ebay.  It is not an agreement to buy unless you do so.  You are also allowed to cancel item/bids as you see fit, within a given timeframe of the item ended, without consequence.

 

You can chose to block, but not sure why you would given you've checked out feedback, etc.  If the item runs to completion, you could get higher bids than what the member offered, from another, more "reliable" bidder.

 

Your call.  But no policy violation.  You can always say "no".

Message 4 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Well, I'd be thinking about how much the item will bring and if his offer is in the same ball park.  Have you checked the feedback left for others on his account? That can spell big trouble so I'd make sure I'd checked that. 


If that checks out and you think the price is good I'd sell it.  Otherwise....let it ride.

Message 5 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal


@icyrainz-5 wrote:

I got this message from a member with 493 feedbacks, so I am assuming it's not a scam. However is it a violation of eBay policy? Item number is #322515360019

 

Would you setup a $175 buy it now with free shipping? I can pay right away. You can pack it in a $13 usps flat rate box. Just let me know when the buy it now is up and if you already have bids I can bid to the top and then you can choose to end item and sell to highest bidder and revise the invoice to reflect our agreed upon price before you send it to me.

 

 

 


I would just say no and then probably block him. Just will be a problem:(

 

(In bold from your post)^^^ BTW you can not revise the invoice to reflect a different amount than what the item sold for.

When you end a listing to sell to the high bidder, the bid entered when ended is the winning amount, period.

 

Message 6 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal


@starroute-us wrote:

@icyrainz-5 wrote:

I got this message from a member with 493 feedbacks, so I am assuming it's not a scam. However is it a violation of eBay policy? Item number is #322515360019

 

Would you setup a $175 buy it now with free shipping? I can pay right away. You can pack it in a $13 usps flat rate box. Just let me know when the buy it now is up and if you already have bids I can bid to the top and then you can choose to end item and sell to highest bidder and revise the invoice to reflect our agreed upon price before you send it to me.

 

 

 


I would just say no and then probably block him. Just will be a problem:(

 

(In bold from your post)^^^ BTW you can not revise the invoice to reflect a different amount than what the item sold for.

When you end a listing to sell to the high bidder, the bid entered when ended is the winning amount, period.

 


Good catch.  When a buyer suggests you do something against the rules, imo, he will become an even bigger problem later.

 

If he has all that feedback, he should know that is not allowed.

Message 7 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Frankly enough, his profile seems to be legit both as a seller and buyer. http://www.ebay.com/usr/candygrip?ul_noapp=true

 

However, I don't like that offer because honestly, I bought the computer with $150 and restored it to working condition. His offer, after all fee deduction, would be a loss for me. So I said no.

Message 8 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Everything is okay until the potential buyer says "if you already have bids I can bid to the top and then you can choose to end item and sell to highest bidder and revise the invoice to reflect our agreed upon price before you send it to me."

 

You can only revise an invoice down so much. The best thing to do is set it up as a BIN and give the buyer the item number. Tell him to hurry because anyone can come along and buy the item.


I am not an eBay employee. I'm a US eBay Community Mentor.
Sunny

Message 9 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Do you have a reserve price set for it? If not, it will go to the highest bidder, even if it's too low.

Message 10 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

There are so many things wrong with this purported buyer's strategy that it's hard to know where to begin. 

 

The first, most obvious issue here is that he's clearly worried that if he doesn't persuade you to take it off the market before end of the auction, it will probably sell for more than he is willing to pay. My usual response to such offers (regardless of whether bids have already been received, which would preclude adding a BIN option anyway) is to invite the interested party to just bid that amount, and wait to win it. He doesn't need your permission or cooperation to do that, either; he can just bid right now. He might even score it for less, if his offer does turn out to be the best one.

 

His strategy to bid the price up to his offer and then have the seller end the auction makes no sense, because that relies on having some other bidder to bid against; otherwise the price can't go up. He could do it via bid shielding, using another account to counterbid the price up, but if he's already famliar with that little scam, he's probably not someone you want to have as a buyer.

 

Finally, his theory about having you send him a jacked-up invoice with additional charges to meet his offer is, I suspect, another scam avenue for him, since all he needs to do as the "winner" of the auction is to whack the Pay Now button as soon as possible, before you have a chance to invoice something higher, and when he's paid, you're on the hook to ship the item, even if you didn't get the extra money you were promised. 

 

I'd just thank him for his interest and invite him to bid like everyone else... or else ignore him and block; your choice.

Message 11 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

Whever a buyer wants to change the terms of the auction he has something up his sleeve.  Regardless of his feedback and history, don't take the bait. When I get these requests I simply say, "This is a standard seven-day auction and the highest bidder will win the item. Good luck." 

Message 12 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

When I posted I was guessing that this is not an item you have already listed and is active?


I am not an eBay employee. I'm a US eBay Community Mentor.
Sunny

Message 13 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal


@a_c_green wrote:

There are so many things wrong with this purported buyer's strategy that it's hard to know where to begin. 


P.S. I had one other thought: the odd wording of his message, including the phrase "if you already have bids" (can't he just look and see if you do?), plus his references to "the item" instead of calling it by name suggest that he's sending these messages out in bulk to as many sellers as possible, something typical of scammers in a hurry using a hijacked account.

Message 14 of 36
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Buyer wants to reach a deal

@a_c_green,
Very smart detective work! I would never have thought of it.

I am not an eBay employee. I'm a US eBay Community Mentor.
Sunny

Message 15 of 36
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