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?

[yuzuha]

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@equid0x wrote:

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@yuzuha wrote:

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Have you ever been to a flea market?  Because that sort of thing happens all the time there.  If a vendor sees that you seem interested in an item, it's not at all uncommon for them to offer you a slight discount, especially if it's getting close to closing time.  The last time I went to the local flea, I walked away with an entire garbage bag of stuffed animals for $15 because I'd asked the vendor how much it would be for 4 or 5 of them and he said "You can have that whole bag for $15."  I hadn't even asked for a discount-- he just offered it to me, and he ended up getting a sale.

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He just wanted them out of there. 

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Which is, I would think, what most eBay sellers also want, unless they're perfectly happy to run a museum or a gallery instead of a store.

[equid0x]

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@turquoisetulips wrote:

You've never been to Mexico. They're very pleasant shop owners btw, once you get used to the way they chase you down. It takes a bit getting used to, but once you come to expect it you smile back and just say no thanks. They're always very pleasant about it. erastz -------------------------------

We went on a 3 day cruise to Mexico  many years ago . When the boat docked we browsed through  a lot of the shops . I found a heavy decorated wall mirror  that for some reason I just had to have . It wasn't much fun lugging it back to the ship. Yes the shopkeepers were very nice  though and spoke English quite well ,,which made all the practicing  Spanish  I'd done beforehand  pretty much useless. 🙂   Tulips   Quando questa este ? 

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"Quantas Dineros?" will do it. Mexican merchants generally don't expect the polite banter expected in a US transaction. Normally, if they chase, its in a tourist area and they see Gringo peso signs...

[dynamite_deals4u]

My only issue with the hidden buyer is their location for shipping! I do free shipping. In the case of heavy items, the price I'm offering would depend on location!! It's a shot in the dark! Judy

[equid0x]

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@7606dennis wrote:

Groveling, No!  Providing exception service to your customer, Yes!

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Its interesting that "giving a discount in any and all situations" seems to now be synonymous with "Providing exceptional service to your customer."

[equid0x]

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@yuzuha wrote:

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@equid0x wrote:

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@yuzuha wrote:

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Have you ever been to a flea market?  Because that sort of thing happens all the time there.  If a vendor sees that you seem interested in an item, it's not at all uncommon for them to offer you a slight discount, especially if it's getting close to closing time.  The last time I went to the local flea, I walked away with an entire garbage bag of stuffed animals for $15 because I'd asked the vendor how much it would be for 4 or 5 of them and he said "You can have that whole bag for $15."  I hadn't even asked for a discount-- he just offered it to me, and he ended up getting a sale.

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He just wanted them out of there. 

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Which is, I would think, what most eBay sellers also want, unless they're perfectly happy to run a museum or a gallery instead of a store.

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True. However, I think what the seller really did was got you to take his trash along with the 5 stuffed animals you really wanted. If he was liquidating the whole bag at that price and offering that right to you up front, he's already divested from the asset, conceded that he's not going to make money on it, so he's unloading it. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@turquoisetulips wrote:

I find this thinking really strange.  I guess because I don't prefer to pay full price if I can get something for less.   Is this how you feel about stores that run sales? fern' wood  

Stores will often run sales on unpopular  items that aren't moving very well  . You'll rarely see a  low  bargain  price  sale on the latest  hottest  selling items . If I put a watch on something  it usually means  I haven't decided on it  yet . It doesn't encourage    me to buy it  if  I think others are going to think it's as ugly as a mud fence . Tulips 

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But what do you care what people think?  You know what opinions are - everyone has one, just like everyone has one of something else.

[fern*wood]

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@turquoisetulips wrote

Stores will often run sales on unpopular  items that aren't moving very well  . You'll rarely see a  low  bargain  price  sale on the latest  hottest  selling items . If I put a watch on something  it usually means  I haven't decided on it  yet . It doesn't encourage    me to buy it  if  I think others are going to think it's as ugly as a mud fence . Tulips 

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Thanks for explaining.  I hadn't thought of that, since I buy things I personally like and/or need, without worrying if others might think it is "pretty" or "hot".    

[slideshopper]

I used the Send an Offer for the first time this week. Sent out 130 offers and received 10 % purchase response. Will I do it again? Yes. Often, no

[7606dennis]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

I agree about evaluating pricing, but as for offers, this is such a simple yes/no situation.  Someone sends an offer - is it worth it you (collectively) or not?  No necessity to try to read minds, gauge motive, etc.  Yes...or no.  Life is complicated enough as it is. ٩◔̯◔۶

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If your saying that all that is wanted is a yes or no answer to the title question, my answer is no.

[lovefindingtreasures2]

@ersatz_sobriquet: "You've never been to Mexico. They're very pleasant shop owners btw, once you get used to the way they chase you down. It takes a bit getting used to, but once you come to expect it you smile back and just say no thanks. They're always very pleasant about it. "

LOL! You beat me to it, I was just about to write the same thing.

I had a vendor chase me down the street trying to sell me a leather mini skirt 🙂

I've had beach vendors in Mazatlan, Costa Rica, Panama, (I'll stop here, the list is long) that have come up to me while I am sunbathing and try to sell me items.

Europe, don't get me started 🙂



It's a WORLDWIDE selling technique, anyone who travels knows exactly what I am talking about.

[dirk12955]

EBAY has offered send buyer an offer as another selling tool. It works for me. I pick which listings I want to send out an offer on. I usually pick the old stuff, the slow stuff, The "Why did I buy that?" stuff.

I get around 25% sell thru. Send out 30 I might get 6-7 sales.

And they almost always buy something else and they come back again later.

We're here to sell. Ebay offers a tool to sell. Maybe it does not work for everybody, But some of us are taking advantage and making sales.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
I've had beach vendors in Mazatlan, Costa Rica, Panama, (I'll stop here, the list is long) that have come up to me while I am sunbathing and try to sell me items.

Europe, don't get me started 🙂

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Interesting, vendors left me alone in London, Paris, and all over Italy. How was Costa Rica, do you recommend? Many more places on my bucket list...

Sunbathing up the coast of Puerto Vallarta while drinking loads of tequila, darn near bought the vendor on the beach's entire suitcase, was Christmas presents for everyone ready in one fell swoop. 

Gringo expat shops will never chase you down, something about it they would seem odd if they did, it's a cultural thing, smiling Mexicans yes, snooty expat shop owners no! There's a little town called Todos Santos up the coast from Cabo San Lucas filled with expat "artists"...smirk....

The most fun was trying to pick out a piece of alebrijes in a basement sublevel shop with a broken fan and no windows that opened. Beautiful pieces, but, it couldn't have been less than 150 degrees in there and I couldn't see the pieces because of the sweat running down between my eyes. I've never been that hot in my life.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@fern*wood wrote:

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I find this thinking really strange.  I guess because I don't prefer to pay full price if I can get something for less.   Is this how you feel about stores that run sales?

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Not if I need some home improvement item from Menards, no. Used collectible type items on ebay? Yes, the offer can backfire. If I really wanted it badly I would have bought it on first sight and never added it to my watch list. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@7606dennis wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

I agree about evaluating pricing, but as for offers, this is such a simple yes/no situation.  Someone sends an offer - is it worth it you (collectively) or not?  No necessity to try to read minds, gauge motive, etc.  Yes...or no.  Life is complicated enough as it is. ٩◔̯◔۶

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If your saying that all that is wanted is a yes or no answer to the title question, my answer is no.

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The original topic was pretty much a yes/no question, it's just that the OP decided to freight it with some loaded words, perhaps to put a little more meat on a dry bone.

So, your answer is a good one and answers the question.  Judging from the response rate of my offers, I'd say about 60% of my watchers agree with you.  The others said "yes". 

Which leads me to wondering - what might be the breakdown in yes/no in various categories? Do more people offer/take offers in some categories than others?  Are some categories more amenable to offers than others? 

ETA: BTW, I'm a terrible joker so I couldn't help kidding the OP.

[equid0x]

@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
@ersatz_sobriquet: "You've never been to Mexico. They're very pleasant shop owners btw, once you get used to the way they chase you down. It takes a bit getting used to, but once you come to expect it you smile back and just say no thanks. They're always very pleasant about it. "

LOL! You beat me to it, I was just about to write the same thing.

I had a vendor chase me down the street trying to sell me a leather mini skirt 🙂

I've had beach vendors in Mazatlan, Costa Rica, Panama, (I'll stop here, the list is long) that have come up to me while I am sunbathing and try to sell me items.

Europe, don't get me started 🙂



It's a WORLDWIDE selling technique, anyone who travels knows exactly what I am talking about.

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In my experience, this generally only happens to "rich Americans" in tourist traps. 

I would be... extremely concerned and uncomfortable... if a vendor was chasing me down the street with a mini-skirt.