Does the *groveling for a sale* thing work for you?

[dubiousgain]

And by that I mean, sending a watcher of ones listing, a lesser price offer; And to be sure, call it what you will, but in my opinion, that IS, groveling.... and I don't think it has ever panned out for me. I think that 80% (if not more) of my watchers, are chronic watchers, for various reasons.  And by the same token, as a warcher, I don't think I've ever accepted a seller's offer)  So back to my  original question, how many times has sending a watcher an offer, resulted in a sale for you?

[gracieallen01]

It probably works for a lot of sellers.  There are always plenty of buyers that just love to have someone bow down.  Give them something for less and they will buy.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Why does it have to be a moral question? When Macys puts things on sale do you think they’re “bowing down” or”groveling”? As a buyer I watch some things because I think they’re overpriced. If seller offers a lower price I may buy.

its a business transaction and doesn’t need all the negative comments about buyers.

[dubiousgain]

I'd imagine you are pretty spot-on with that.  I guess we all enjoy being tossed a fish, so to speak.  It just boils down to who is the one selling their soul... the buyer or the seller?  And we all know the answer to that question . 😊

[gracieallen01]

Yes, but Macy's is doing a mailing and everybody gets the sale flyer - not just the one that show an interest.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It doesn’t matter. If I take an offer it’s because the price is right. I’m not dancing with glee because the seller is a loser. 

if it’s not also a win for the seller, getting rid of long tail items then the seller shouldn’t be making the offer.

[dubiousgain]

As I said, call it what you will.  I don't think there's been any inference of morality, it's just that you find the term "grovel" uncomfortable . You would prefer something  wrapped up in a prettier paper.  And if one has to justify the term to defend it, well.... I might clarify that Macy's does not put a Proviso on their mark-downs that only John Doe, Mary Smith, etc,. are eligible for this mark down. It's enmass, for EVERYONE... it's not for the few so privileged.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

I don’t understand why sending a offer to more people makes it different?

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

The words used imply that those posters think of buyers as the enemy. It’s a weird business philosophy, selling should be win/win not win/lose. If sellers have opponents it should be other sellers, not the buyers.

I see this attitude a lot on the boards and on listings and frankly it probably turns off a lot of buyers and contributes to the lack of sales here. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I've had very little luck with Seller Initiated Offers, possibly because most of my items are long tail items , and I strongly suspect most of my watchers are other sellers doing research, not potential buyers. However, I have heard from other sellers who have had great success with this, so I think it depends largely on the nature of your inventory and, of course, the nature of the offer.

I look at it this way: I have never had much luck with it, but I can send a bunch of offers out in a matter of minutes, it takes very little time or effort, so I try it from time to time.

[dubiousgain]

Oh well...It is, what it is. You might be overthinking, and reading in to, my original post a bit though. Do you honestly feel that a potential buyer is that delicate, and temperamental? I guess some actually could be.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It wasn’t just yours. The next post said many buyers would love to see a seller bow down.

my point is that people are ascribing negative emotions to the buyer when there are likely none. Anyway I didn’t mean this to be a lecture, merely presenting a different point of view. All sellers are entitled to run their businesses as they see fit. I have just always thought of my buyers as partners in crime, not adversaries.

And as I said if you’re selling in high scam cats like electronics the rules are totally different.

[willyb15020]

I dont think its groveling and I have bought from sellers who offered me a lower price quite a few times. Alot of the times I add items to my watch list so I can go back and buy them when I can afford too so when a seller offers it to me for a lower price now I can afford too lol

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@dubiousgain wrote:

And by that I mean, sending a watcher of ones listing, a lesser price offer; And to be sure, call it what you will, but in my opinion, that IS, groveling.... and I don't think it has ever panned out for me. I think that 80% (if not more) of my watchers, are chronic watchers, for various reasons.  And by the same token, as a warcher, I don't think I've ever accepted a seller's offer)  So back to my  original question, how many times has sending a watcher an offer, resulted in a sale for you?

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I agree. As a seller I have never used the feature. If I decide an item is overpriced for the interest, I will end the listing, rewrite as new, and mark it down for everyone who might happen upon the listing. 

As a buyer I feel sorry for the seller when I receive the offer, as if that seller can't pay the bills this month and desperately needs a sale, and I bet I'm right most of the time. Sometimes the listing was too overpriced to begin with and the markdown offer doesn't make it much better. Often the offer received makes me actually want the item even less than before the lower offer. Some reverse  psychology at play there....

[ed8108]

Selling as a business ?

It's Very simple, If a seller feels entitled to receive a certain price for a particular item, that seller should not then be sending offers to watchers, just enjoy & hold the item forever if no one will pay you the price you want.