I just blocked a bidder, for a reason I never did before

[gb58]

I just had a buyer make an offer on an item. It was a low ball offer, which I don't have a problem with ($15 offer on a $23 item). I never block a buyer for making a low ball offer, I just either counter or just decline and move on. In some cases the person will come back and even accept my counter.

In this case, I countered with $20. The buyer countered again with the same $15 and left this message:

"I'm in ___. Shipping shouldn't be that much from ___. Change it to standard ground shipping with that lower cost to us both and you have a deal".

First of all, how is changing the shipping a lower cost to me?  All of my listings have a minimal handling charge which helps cover my packing expenses. Second of all, postage is not something to be negotiated over in "best offer". Thirdly, don't come back with the same exact offer I just refused.  Fourthly, don't dictate to me what I need to do to make the sale in my store.

And last and probably most importantly, the buyer just registered on ebay today 2/20, so for a newbie to be telling an over 20 year seller how to run their business isn't a good way to establish your presence on the site.

For those reasons, my gut is telling me, this customer could possibly be a problem right from the get. So I've declined the second $15 offer and blocked them. 

Two questions would any of you have done the same thing? 

Second question, because we were still in negotiation, meaning the buyer didn't use all of their offers, can they still come in and either buy the item at the listed price, or make another counter offer even though I've blocked them?  I don't believe they can, but again never blocked a buyer in mid negotiation.

[vintage-camerastuff]

second $15 offer and blocked them.   

I don't consider a $15 offer on a $23 item a low ball offer.   I would have accepted the offer the first time.   That may also depend on your profit on that particular item.   I personally would have gotten him up to a higher price or he would have just gone away on his own.

[brightlightbookseller]

I agree that's not really a low ball offer.  I recently had a $20 offer on one of our $999 items, now that's lowball!  Customer said they assumed it was an "arbitrary price" and we didn't really expect to get that.  Nope, buddy, that's not how we roll. 

Still didn't block them, though in your case I don't really blame you.

[thelongball]

If it walks like a duck, smells like a duck , then its a duck. 

[gator08041971]

Don't feel bad about it.  Had my own experience not long ago, similar nature:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Ok-I-now-get-why-some-sellers-resort-to-blocking-buyers-with-t...

There is a point to trying to be as approachable as you can be as a seller, but then you still have to weed out the ones trying to take advantage in a bad way.  There's reasonable, and there downright blatant rudeness.

All of my auctions with offer options now are fully auto.  Either they auto accept at a certain price point or auto block below that same price point.  Now, those also auto send offers that are above that price point, but below the listed price.  They can make offers to those as well, and battle the computer for a better price.

I don't have to be involved in any of it.

But the ones I hear from typically avoid that process and want some special effort.  Like a really low price, or something different with shipping, or whatever.  Or they are a student on a budget.  lol  (love that one)

Now, this past weekend, I made a deal to sell my entire stock of HDDs that didn't meet the requirements for my larger listings.  30 drives in total, sold for 20 bucks.  And that was to a buyer that messaged me directly asking questions.  I just wanted them gone, they weren't going to be worth much.

So, I will work with buyers, if they are being reasonable.  If they are going to waste my time or throw weird excuses, I don't have time for that non-sense nor the inevitable result once they get the item.

My gut will be trusted in some of these dealings.  lol

[deltilogical]

at the end of the day, does spending this time dealing with offers actually make you money - profit, not just cash flow - or is it costing you in time, emotion, brain energy, actually less money. 

There are a lot of these AI-bullies being unleashed on us - its a test run.     Can't wait for ebay to eliminate the power to block. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@deltilogical wrote:

at the end of the day, does spending this time dealing with offers actually make you money - profit, not just cash flow - or is it costing you in time, emotion, brain energy, actually less money. 

There are a lot of these AI-bullies being unleashed on us - its a test run.     Can't wait for ebay to eliminate the power to block. 

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I think these are just plain human low-ballers.