Replying to low price offer with statement to raise price

[joshuacbraun]

I only sell Buy It Now items and I don’t use the offer option, but buyers sometimes contact me and ask if I’ll take a lower price for an item. Usually, it’s a low ball offer and I counter them to see if we can reach an agreeable price in the middle. Most the time they don’t respond but sometimes it works. 

Recently, I was sourcing at a garage sale and I found an item I wanted. I asked if they would take a lower price. 90% of the time this works for me. But in this case the guy said that he would raise the price because it was already a great deal. In truth, he was right. I cut my losses and gave him the original asking price which at first made me feel like a sucker, but as I was driving away, I knew the item would have still been worth the higher price and when he offered it, it made me think for a moment that I needed to buy it right away.

This makes me wonder if other eBay sellers have tried the same tactic. When a low ball offer comes in, to respond and thank them for their offer then explain that due to multiple offers and a high level of interest you will soon be raising the item’s price. Has this worked for anyone consistently?

[inhawaii]

I've kind of done that before.

A seller asks me if I can lower the price.

My response was: 

"I was just about to raise the price on that item. Before I do you may still buy it at the old price."

[joseh1445]

If they say that they want what I am selling at 50% off, or lower.  I just thank them and tell them that I am not taking any offers.  When some one want's some thing at 50% off, or lower.  In my mind they are re-sellers.  If they continue to ask again about buying my items at their price.  I just don't respond, and put them in my BBL.  If I put buyers in my BBL, I do so for free and when ever I put some one in my free BBL, they are not coming out.   

[joseh1445]

@inhawaii 

By the way, how are you doing?

[inhawaii]

Hanging in there.

Thanks for asking.

Half way there.

[paulhua3]

I like when a buyer asks, "What's your best price?"  I respond with a higher price than before and then ask, "What's YOUR best price?  Maybe we can make a deal."

[coolections]

Don't do it. Playing games never works out. People wonder why they get rude messages and such and that is just the beginning. Angry people can do some nasty stuff.

[richard1rst]

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@coolections wrote:

Don't do it. Playing games never works out. People wonder why they get rude messages and such and that is just the beginning. Angry people can do some nasty stuff.

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My standard response is:

We believe our prices are fair as they are. They are not open to negotiation.

What's interesting is that sometimes they go ahead and buy it at the asking price. That tells me they were just asking because, well what they heck I might say yes. AND I would have been giving away profit if I had accepted.

Which in turn simply reaffirms that my price was fair.

[knifeaholic]

Yes if some asks for my "Best Price"...I respond by adding 20% or more to the original price...then I tell them, you asked for my BEST price, not my LOWEST price.

[kath.layn]

Like many sellers here, I always use BIN and don’t include Make An Offer.  How I respond to unsolicited offers varies.  If an item hasn’t been listed very long I will tell the buyer that, and that I’m not lowering the price at this time, but put the item on your watch list for future price reductions.

More often I have people ask if I can do better on the shipping.  This is in spite of the statement I include in most listings that shipping is set by the carrier, based on size, weight, and distance…yada yada.  To those buyers I make this offer: “ I’m happy to try to ship the item any way you like.  Please let me know exactly which carrier and shipping method and box size you want and I will be happy to try and send it that way.”  I’ve never had anyone do that.  Although they do sometimes buy the item.