eBay

yooner-ama · ‎05-25-2019

Hi,

i have intentionally disabled Make Offer on my listings. Right now I have someone interested in one of my listings who is messaging me offers. I told them I would like to wait for end of auction and if no bids I will consider their offer. That didnt stop them and they got back to me with yet another offer. Do I have to respond again? I was polite when I declined first offer.

Thanks !

mam98031 · ‎05-26-2019

@ste-9405 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@janet9988 wrote:
Look at my post..directly from ebay policy....highlighted in red.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-buy-now/adding-best-offer-listing?id=4144&st=12&p...

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:
If you receive a bid, current offers and counteroffers will be declined automatically and buyers won't be able to make any additional offers on your item
If a bidder retracts their bid, the Best Offer feature will be re-enabled
If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid
This option isn't available in these categories: Cell Phones, Motors, Real Estate, Tablets, and Tickets
26 Views
Message 5 of 8
"BID" being the operative word here. It is like it says in the first bullet point. Once there is a bid, best offers are off the table.
eBay itself is clear on the language: A listing without any bids yet has a STARTING BID. See "Savings off starting bid" here:
So all offers on an auction-style listing, before it has any bids, must be BELOW the STARTING BID or risk a POLICY VIOLATION.

@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
I have no idea why anyone would think a seller would be open to receiving an offer for less than the starting price on an auction

Buyers are free to offer whatever they want when making an offer. Sellers are fee to reject any offer a buyer may submit.

I'm unsure why you responded to my posting above. It is as you yourself stated, the language in the rule is clear. If a bid is placed on the auction, Best offer goes away.

"A listing without any bids yet has a STARTING BID. " I'm not sure where you get this from. The policy quoted above does not make an exception for the first bid on an item.

"So all offers on an auction-style listing, before it has any bids, must be BELOW the STARTING BID or risk a POLICY VIOLATION." Now you are just contradicting what you said earlier. So is it your opinion that you can make an offer on an auction that has NO bids or on auctions with no more than one bid? You can't have it both ways. A starting bid is a bid. Once a bid is made, the offer button disappears and any pending offers are cancelled.

An offer on an auctions can be below or above the starting price of the auction. It is completely within the seller's control to accept or reject them.

I think you are just misinterpreting what Starting Bid means. A Start bid is the FIRST bid on an auction for the amount the seller is asking for the item in the auction.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

a_c_green · ‎05-26-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
@janet9988 wrote:
Look at my post..directly from ebay policy....highlighted in red.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-buy-now/adding-best-offer-listing?id=4144&st=12&p...

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:
If you receive a bid, current offers and counteroffers will be declined automatically and buyers won't be able to make any additional offers on your item
If a bidder retracts their bid, the Best Offer feature will be re-enabled
If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid
This option isn't available in these categories: Cell Phones, Motors, Real Estate, Tablets, and Tickets
26 Views
Message 5 of 8
"BID" being the operative word here. It is like it says in the first bullet point. Once there is a bid, best offers are off the table.

I've been scratching my head over how that last bullet item above would actually work anyway, because if there is a "current bid," the Make Offer button will be gone. Thus the only way to make a further offer at that point would be in a written message to the seller. Because bid(s) have been received, the seller can no longer add a BuyItNow, nor is there a Make Offer number to be accepted that way.

The only avenue left open to the prospective buyer is to plug in his offer as a bid. His offer (now a bid) might be enough to take the lead away from the previous bidder, but at most, the price will only rise to the previous bidder's high bid plus one increment. If his offer (bid) is not enough to take the lead away from the previous bidder, then the price will rise to the current bidder's offer plus one increment, but the previous bidder will still be in the lead. The prospective buyer's offer is essentially declined this way.

So the line in red in the quoted material above is correct, but incomplete in describing what would have to happen, and what might result; e.g.

If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid for that amount. If his bid exceeds the previous bidder's maximum, it will put him in the lead bid position, though the price may not reach the level of his original offer. It can only exceed the previous bidder's maximum by one bid increment.

mam98031 · ‎05-26-2019

a_c_green

So the line in red in the quoted material above is correct, but incomplete in describing what would have to

happen, and what might result; e.g.

If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid for that amount. If his bid exceeds the previous bidder's maximum, it will put him in the lead bid position, though the price may not reach the level of his original offer. It can only exceed the previous bidder's maximum by one bid increment.

**********************************************************************

For this to apply, the OFFER would have to come in BEFORE the bid was made. Otherwise they would not have been able to send an offer. Once a bid is placed on the listing, the ONLY option for a buyer now is to bid. It works just like any other auction from this point to the end. What you describe is the normal bidding process on ANY auction.

Your description is why sellers with Offers allowed on auctions should stay on top of any offers received. Otherwise the seller may not make as much money on a listing as they could have.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

ste-9405 · ‎05-26-2019

@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
I have no idea why anyone would think a seller would be open to receiving an offer for less than the starting price on an auction

It's actually ILLEGAL to accept an offer above the opening price to end an auction (using auction terminology).

If an item is offered at auction, you must take bids and sell to the highest bidder: This is why eBay cancels all offers as soon as bidding begins, to stay legal.

mam98031 · ‎05-26-2019

@ste-9405 wrote:
@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
I have no idea why anyone would think a seller would be open to receiving an offer for less than the starting price on an auction
It's actually ILLEGAL to accept an offer above the opening price to end an auction (using auction terminology).

If an item is offered at auction, you must take bids and sell to the highest bidder: This is why eBay cancels all offers as soon as bidding begins, to stay legal.

Please link the actual "law" this breaks.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

div_style · ‎05-26-2019

There is no law broken if there are no bids. Lacking any bids, buyer and seller can work out whatever deal they want, at any price, as long as it's an eBay transaction.

List more, sell more. Goodwill that other, uh, stuff.

Feeling sleepy? There's an app for that.

a_c_green · ‎05-26-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
a_c_green
So the line in red in the quoted material above is correct, but incomplete in describing what would have to
happen, and what might result; e.g.

If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid for that amount. If his bid exceeds the previous bidder's maximum, it will put him in the lead bid position, though the price may not reach the level of his original offer. It can only exceed the previous bidder's maximum by one bid increment.
**********************************************************************
For this to apply, the OFFER would have to come in BEFORE the bid was made. Otherwise they would not have been able to send an offer. Once a bid is placed on the listing, the ONLY option for a buyer now is to bid.

Well, that's what I'm saying, yes. Before any bids are made, a Make Offer button may be present, in which case a prospective buyer can use it to make a binding offer. If the seller accepts it (and no bids have been made yet), then it's a done deal.

After bids have been received, the Make Offer mechanism is gone, but there's nothing to stop someone from messaging the seller and saying, "Hey, would you take $100 to end the auction now?" I believe that's what the clause in red is discussing.

ste-9405 · ‎05-26-2019

@mam98031 wrote:
@ste-9405 wrote:
@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
I have no idea why anyone would think a seller would be open to receiving an offer for less than the starting price on an auction
It's actually ILLEGAL to accept an offer above the opening price to end an auction (using auction terminology).

If an item is offered at auction, you must take bids and sell to the highest bidder: This is why eBay cancels all offers as soon as bidding begins, to stay legal.
Please link the actual "law" this breaks.

Dennis will be along shortly, but you should do the research, to avoid contamination.

lacemaker3 · ‎05-26-2019

@mam98031 eBay Money Back Guarantee.http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html#description @mam98031 wrote:
a_c_green
So the line in red in the quoted material above is correct, but incomplete in describing what would have to
happen, and what might result; e.g.

If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid for that amount. If his bid exceeds the previous bidder's maximum, it will put him in the lead bid position, though the price may not reach the level of his original offer. It can only exceed the previous bidder's maximum by one bid increment.
**********************************************************************
For this to apply, the OFFER would have to come in BEFORE the bid was made. Otherwise they would not have been able to send an offer. Once a bid is placed on the listing, the ONLY option for a buyer now is to bid. It works just like any other auction from this point to the end. What you describe is the normal bidding process on ANY auction.

Your description is why sellers with Offers allowed on auctions should stay on top of any offers received. Otherwise the seller may not make as much money on a listing as they could have.

I agree with this. I think that the policy is awkwardly formatted, which is causing some members to misinterpret it. The policy is stated:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-buy-now/adding-best-offer-listing?id=4144&st=12&p...

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:
If you receive a bid, current offers and counteroffers will be declined automatically and buyers won't be able to make any additional offers on your item
If a bidder retracts their bid, the Best Offer feature will be re-enabled
If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid
This option isn't available in these categories: Cell Phones, Motors, Real Estate, Tablets, and Tickets

It should be read like this, {with a bit of explanation added in blue}:

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:

♦ If you receive a bid:

current offers and counteroffers will be declined automatically and buyers won't be able to make any additional offers on your item
If a bidder retracts their bid, the Best Offer feature will be re-enabled
If you {had} received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid {because their offer was declined when the first bid was placed}

♦ This option isn't available in these categories: Cell Phones, Motors, Real Estate, Tablets, and Tickets

There is no indication that it is against policy to make (or accept) an offer that is higher than the auction starting price. That would be absurd.

eBay auctions are not subject to the same laws as outcry auctions. If they were, then NO offers could be made or accepted once the auction had started. Obviously, that is not the case. I am aware that the state of Pennsylvania has attempted to make eBay sellers subject to their state laws for auctioneers, with limited success.

itsjustasprain · ‎05-26-2019

@ste-9405 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
Please link the actual "law" this breaks.
Dennis will be along shortly, but you should do the research, to avoid contamination.

Its customary for the one making the claim to be able to back it up.

mam98031 · ‎05-26-2019

@ste-9405 wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@ste-9405 wrote:
@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
I have no idea why anyone would think a seller would be open to receiving an offer for less than the starting price on an auction
It's actually ILLEGAL to accept an offer above the opening price to end an auction (using auction terminology).

If an item is offered at auction, you must take bids and sell to the highest bidder: This is why eBay cancels all offers as soon as bidding begins, to stay legal.
Please link the actual "law" this breaks.
Dennis will be along shortly, but you should do the research, to avoid contamination.

Nope. They threw it out there, they can support it. If it is accurate, they should know how to find it and provide it. Otherwise it is merely a statement with no support.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

femmefan1946 · ‎05-26-2019

You did the right thing with a polite explanation on the first offer.

The second offer is a sign that this is going to be a problem customer.

Personally, after ignoring and deleting the second offer, I would add the entitled twit to my Blocked Bidder List.

Here's why.

If the bidding went higher than any of his offers, but his high bid wins, he will want to pay only the offer price.

If you refuse and he pays, he will demand a partial refund for Not as Described.

If you send a return shipping label, you won't get back what you sold, whether it is a rock (unlikely but possible) or a NIB item that is now opened.

Block.

berserkerplanet · ‎05-27-2019

>>Ebay doers not allow buyers to make offers via messaging.

Ah, but they do when you "contact seller".

An auction listing with no best offer on it (and it's the same for fixed price listings)

te_1556 · ‎05-27-2019

@lacemaker3 wrote:
I think that the policy is awkwardly formatted, which is causing some members to misinterpret it. The policy is stated:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-buy-now/adding-best-offer-listing?id=4144&st=12&p...

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:
If you receive a bid, current offers and counteroffers will be declined automatically and buyers won't be able to make any additional offers on your item
If a bidder retracts their bid, the Best Offer feature will be re-enabled
If you received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid
This option isn't available in these categories: Cell Phones, Motors, Real Estate, Tablets, and Tickets
It should be read like this, {with a bit of explanation added in blue}:

If you have an auction-style listing with Best Offer, bear in mind that:
♦ If you receive a bid:
current offers ...
If a bidder ...
If you {had} received an offer that was higher than the current bid, the buyer who made the offer will have to place a bid {because their offer was declined when the first bid was placed}
♦ This option ...