eBay

kathy507 · ‎02-20-2021

I am pretty sure most sellers get the occasional message on a fixed price listing (where there is no best offer) that says something like:

"Is this your best/lowest price on this item?"

I try to answer them professionally and say that I try to price things fairly, etc.

But here are some ways I would REALLY like to answer:

--Heck yes!

--No, I was just looking for someone dumb enough to pay that.

--I think you would only be happy if I just gave it to you.

Feel free to chime in with what YOU really want to say. We can all use a laugh.

titipeo · ‎02-20-2021

If I wanted to sell it for a lower price, I would have place that price from the beginning!

Sure, I could take a lower price, but after eBay, PayPal fees, & handling I wouldn't make anything.

mobley120 · ‎02-20-2021

Well, many times I have wanted to give a particular answer to a similar question, like, is that your best price, can't you do a little better on it? I've always wanted to answer them by saying, "yeah, I can do better, I can double the price."

But as of you, I've always given a polite mannered answer.

vintagecraze50 · ‎02-20-2021

Thank you for contacting us. Yes that is our best price. Best Wishes.

nevermore_antiques_and_books · ‎02-20-2021

For an item listed for $200:

Q. Would you take $100?

A. No, but I'd take $300

slippinjimmy · ‎02-20-2021

Not saying it's right but I very rarely reply to unsolicited offers.

If I do reply I usual let them know the price is firm but combined shipping discounts are available (and reasonably generous) and I would consider additional discounts for a LARGE order.

I have no interest in even thinking of a snarky answer that I would never use.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep

m_pthisandthat · ‎02-20-2021

I guess I am on the other side of the fence with this issue. I feel if the individual is willing to take the time to contact with me then ther is a chance they have a legitimate interest in the item. Yes, I know this is not always true. Ok lets say it is a straight forward interest in the item. OK I can then start to see is this a real buyer. Lets be serious it is ebay most buyers think all pricing is negotiatable. Are we really going to say that the price I have listed is the only amount I am going to take. I can then respond with either yes I can take a little lower price or no I can not. Remember not every buyers on ebay are experienced buyer.s A fair amount of buyers I have dealt with really do not understand how best offer works. Yes the truth is I do blow off alot of these buyers yet I also make a few sales by getting a conversation started that allows me to point out the value of my item.

divwido · ‎02-20-2021

I VOTE FOR # 2

Good Moms let you lick the Beaters.

Great Moms turn them off first.

southern*sweet*tea · ‎02-20-2021

I have best offer on most all my listings. The stuff I sell is long tail, and is only worth what someone is willing to pay at any given time. There is no set value to all this paper. Anyone is free to make an offer, and I will consider it.

I don't get many lowballs, but when I do, they get countered. The ball gets put in their court, and if they're serious they'll accept. If not, they didn't want it bad enough.

I don't get offended when someone offers $5 for a $20 item - that may be all it's worth to them. That's cool - they'll get a $17 counter. If they buy, great. If they counter, I'll consider it. If not, oh well...eventually someone will come along and buy. Everything sells to someone eventually, and I'm in no hurry. 🙂

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

reallynicestamps · ‎02-21-2021

Today I got two questions.

I should explain that all stamps are catalogued and priced. Scott is the usual catalogue used in North America.

One wondered why I was selling an item at 10% less than catalogue when he had recently purchased a different stamp at 10% of catalogue (90% off).

Without seeing the one he bought, it is impossible to answer that question. Condition, condition, condition would be my best answer.

Another offered me $10 US for a stamp priced at $395.00. Even if he put the decimal point in the wrong spot, that's beyond insulting.

Oddly I rarely get questions except for more scans although Best Offers are a normal part of business.

farmalljr · ‎02-21-2021

This.....

If you are selling new, at times you need to be able to negotiate.

Selling anything "used" you MUST be willing to negotiate. That you got a lowball offer, should not get under anyone's skin. At LEAST you got an offer. If you want to avoid lowballers, it's simple enough to set a floor price for offers.

If you are selling something that you can't budge on the price, well, you honestly have to expect it's likely not going to sell quickly. However, bare in mind, eBay IS the garage sale of the internet. This has been a place to sell "used" and collectable stuff for quite a long time. As such, people want to wheel and deal.

While many seller are quick to be miffed at buyers making unsolicited offers, you have to know in the back of your mind, it MUST have worked/be working for them to some degree, or they wouldn't bother to do it. Some sellers are giving "deals" or the buyers wouldn't spend the effort to ask.

I had a deal like that the other day. Has some tea figures listed. BIN priced, no offer. They wanted part of what was there, and wanted me to pick out a certain number of the group for them for a lower price. I just offered 25% off, and they bought the whole group. No fuss, no muss. Sold a listing I had forgotten about and put capitol back into my hands to invest in more inventory.

I know the intent of the thread, but instead ask yourself this:

Do you expect to MAXIMIZE every single sale, or do you want to move inventory? If you want to move your inventory, you have to buy it right and sell it when a opportunity arises. I may have made less money in this instance, but who knows how long it would be BEFORE I have another opportunity. And who knows what the next offer would have been. Maybe full price, maybe half my asking. It's gone now, and there is no more "what if".

luckythewinner · ‎02-21-2021

@kathy507 wrote:
I am pretty sure most sellers get the occasional message on a fixed price listing (where there is no best offer) that says something like:

"Is this your best/lowest price on this item?"

I try to answer them professionally and say that I try to price things fairly, etc.
But here are some ways I would REALLY like to answer:

--Heck yes!
--No, I was just looking for someone dumb enough to pay that.
--I think you would only be happy if I just gave it to you.

Feel free to chime in with what YOU really want to say. We can all use a laugh.

As someone who is watching 50-odd items at a time on eBay, a pretty sizeable percentage of sellers here appear to regularly "send offers to interested buyers". I get a couple unsolicited offers a day for anywhere from 10% to 50% off.

In fact, I usually watch an item for a week before I buy and wait for an offer. If I get one, I use a different buying account to make an offer 10% below that. Most get accepted.

So I have absolutely no problem with buyers asking for a best price, because I know that many sellers on eBay have trained them not believe the asking price. And asking costs nothing and requires almost no effort.