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?

[moondogblues]

I want to add...TIPS is an acronym from the 20's or 30's...Toward ImProved Service. I saw it in a very old magazine. I've never seen yea or nay about that since.

[chapeau-noir]

The word "tip" has been used since the 16th century - it was 'cant' or 'thieves English' and meant a sort of illicit gift.  It came into more common use in the early 18th century. The alternate word was vails, and if you stayed at a wealthy person's house, when you left you'd be faced with a phalanx of footmen with their hands out, all demanding their vail or tip, even if they hadn't done jack-all to serve you, and if you didn't give them enough, you'd get nettles in your bed next time you visited. 

But I've heard the "Towards ImProved Service" before and it's clever!

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@lovefindingtreasures2 wrote:
@ersatz_sobriquet

Costa Rica was and still is my best vacation ever. The country is beautiful, the people are very kind, and the rain forests and animals were beyond compare. I could have stayed there for a very long time.

Ok! I'm putting it on my bucket list! I'll visit Panama too just to see. Number one on my to do list is fly into Brussels and drive up to parts of Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, all within a few hours driving. I've done a great part of Italy, France, and England, and 20 trips to Mexico, from one side to the other, and no, not all tourist traps. Just outside of the main drags of Cancun for example, is the quaint town of Playa Del Carmen, and as touristy as it is, it's a far cry from the Spring break crowd. With daily nonstops from the frigid north where I am to Cancun, it's all too easy to get away and have that heat hit your face like a brick right off the plane, and love every second of it. 

[equid0x]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@equid0x wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

Other than in the US the waitstaff is generally paid a decent wage and so don't depend on tips to keep a roof over their heads (in Australia a 10% tip for exceptional service is appreciated).  There may be tip jars in coffee shops and the like. YMMV, depending on how you travel.  I'm generally on foot and on a shoestring, and just eat where the locals eat, wherever I happen to be.

I've never been asked to leave a table after an hour or so in the US. Never. My friends and I can spend considerable time when we go out, too - again, we don't go to spendy places, just local joints where people know each other.

One thing I know - there are no absolutes beyond respecting the local manners and customs.

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I have to totally disagree with that. 

When I live in MD, servants were paid $2.75/hr.... far below minimum wage. 

Out here in Nevada they make at least minimum, but you have to agree thats not much. 

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That seems more qualified than 'totally' - and wait staff are not servants. OK, I can be qualified, too - probably 2/3 of the states do not have the basic wage and have to rely on tipped wage differential.  And even at minimum wage, for the most part they still have to rely on tips to make ends meet.

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I don't wish to get into semantics. I was just pointing out that in many states, your waiter or waitress gets paid less than minimum wage. They absolutely depend on tips to make a living. 

Maybe some here are not aware of this. 

[equid0x]

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@moondogblues wrote:
"Well, I've gotten lot of reems(is that correct) of "paper" on some "

My mother was a writer...so I know. It's REAMS...500 pages in a ream.

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There you go. Now I know!

[rktoyandhobby]

Nope.  I've never had an offer result in a sale.  They're either watching for non-purchase reasons or waiting for a gift.

It's hasn't really been a winning sales tactic in live sales either.  I can count on a clumsy shop teacher's hand how many times somebody has responded to any sort of negotiation.  In aggregate, I sell the same number of toys whether I ask top dollar or offer bargain pricing.  That's too bad but that's the way it works.

Strange, because I _have_ accepted such offers about 1/3 of the time (would be higher if they'd had better timing).

[constructionjock]

I just used this feature for the first time a few days ago--no results yet. But my point is, with the new 'list it until sold" **bleep**, it was just a means of getting christmas decor off my coffee table, instead of packing up something for another year that I really just don't want anymore.

As for other comments--ebay decides which listings you can send the 'offer" to watchers--and that's the key--they are just watching.  Think of it as the KMart blue light special !  

[chapeau-noir]

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@constructionjock wrote:

I just used this feature for the first time a few days ago--no results yet. But my point is, with the new 'list it until sold" **bleep**, it was just a means of getting christmas decor off my coffee table, instead of packing up something for another year that I really just don't want anymore.

As for other comments--ebay decides which listings you can send the 'offer" to watchers--and that's the key--they are just watching.  Think of it as the KMart blue light special !  

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That's exactly how I see it "Get it while it's hot - won't last long!"  I remember those blue light specials back in the day - it would be announced and WHOMP - a mob by the light standard.

For those who think people are begging and 'groveling' for sales and splitting hairs about what it all means - many of us sell in categories where you have to hustle or you're gone - I sell in one of those and it's Fashion.  It's crowded, very competitive and you have to keep current, keep stock changing,  keep items moving through because styles change, brands drop, new brands come in.  Seasons change and you need to be ready early and just keep hustling.  I'm ruthless at end of season - unless it's a special piece (and I do have a number of those) - it's gotta get out of there to find a new happy home to make room for the next.  Start taking pricing and discounts personally, and you're outta business.

[hawkwind5454]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

 styles change, brands drop, new brands come in.  Seasons change and you need to be ready early and just keep hustling.  

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Yikes... I cannot even imagine selling ANY type clothing on eBay. I'm sure you speak the truth- 

[newjerseypicker08836]

I never was much for sending out offers but lets put it this way, if you have over 50 eligible to put offers on do it! Pick a strategic time where people are off work like Saturday morning. If your smart about pricing and run offers when it gets slow it seems to offset the patches of slow sales like I have now. I  have in the past sent out like 40 offers and make a couple of hundred dollars back in about 6 hours. Larger sellers with thousands upon thousands of listings do the same when it gets slow because it usually generates immediate sales.

Nice doggie photo by the way!

G/L!

[keziak]

cute dog!

I lack the time to read this whole thread so someone else may have said the same thing, but when I send an offer it's for the price I would accept if the customer left me a Best Offer.   This is in my pricing comfort zone.  As one member aptly put it, I'm not operating a museum, I want things to move out as long as the price is good.

[chapeau-noir]

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@hawkwind5454 wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

 styles change, brands drop, new brands come in.  Seasons change and you need to be ready early and just keep hustling.  

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Yikes... I cannot even imagine selling ANY type clothing on eBay. I'm sure you speak the truth- 

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OMG - funniest skit ever!  I remember Harvey Korman had to turn his back because he couldn't stop laughing.

[moondogblues]

"The word "tip" has been used since the 16th century - it was 'cant' or 'thieves English' and meant a sort of illicit gift. It came into more common use in the early 18th century. The alternate word was vails, and if you stayed at a wealthy person's house, when you left you'd be faced with a phalanx of footmen with their hands out, all demanding their vail or tip, even if they hadn't done jack-all to serve you, and if you didn't give them enough, you'd get nettles in your bed next time you visited.

But I've heard the "Towards ImProved Service" before and it's clever!"

Thanks for the info...I love learning new things! I got the above from an old cartoon from the 30's or 40's. One panel of a soda fountain with 'tips' and the associated words written out and posted on the wall. It was cute and has stuck with me over the years.

[moondogblues]

"I don't wish to get into semantics. I was just pointing out that in many states, your waiter or waitress gets paid less than minimum wage. They absolutely depend on tips to make a living.

Maybe some here are not aware of this. "

I worked in town for a couple of weeks at a local coffee shop/bar/nightclub. Minimum wage plus tips. I made really good tips but discovered after getting my 1st paycheck (we were told to declare the tips to our employer and I was honest) that they deducted the tips from my pay. Needless to say, I didn't last long there. They were using their customer's money to pay the staff. I am not even sure if it was legal.