So annoyed

[second-chance-sa1es]

In one of my stores I have an item for sale thats just more or less a small widget its something insignificant but new, so I figured I would pass the savings on to someone who will use it. In any event this item is cheap $5 total cheap but more or less a quality product.

Ive had watchers sitting on the item for weeks and weeks. So today I was going through and auditing prices and suddenly I get a message on that specific item that I just revised (removing best offer from the listing AGAIN)

Message asks if I will sell it for $4..........Forreal guys?

So I message the buyer back and I let him know that im sorry but I just cant.

$5 - fees - shipping = $0.34 net

Ebay has officially become a garage sale... Feb not off to a great start.

[luckythewinner]

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Ebay has officially become a garage sale

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eBay has been a garage sale since the day it started. IMHo that aspect is exactly what made it successful. 

[loveyourimagination49]

Uh. Your post doesn’t make sense to me. You’re saying eBay is a garage sale site and complaining while listing stuff and only going to make .34 without the best offer of $4.
???

[beardedbovine]

Somebody was interested in your listing, I'd say that's a good start to the month. Their offer wasn't a low-ball... send off a polite reply and you may still make the sale at full price.

Hi Buyer,

As the low $5 price includes shipping I am not able to offer any discounts. Thank you for your interest.

Seller

Do you use the quick listing tool or the advanced listing tool?

[second-chance-sa1es]

I always use the advanced listing tool. I was polite, I am always polite. Good customer service is always a must. I vent here so I dont vent there.

[beardedbovine]

You know eBay is going to keep adding best offer so why not up your prices? Then you have wiggle room and buyers will be happy when you accept an offer equal to what you really wanted to get for it.

With that said, is a 34¢ profit worth your time to photograph, list, ship, etc? And what if the buyer files a SNAD... do you factor that cost in to your listing prices? Some items aren't worth it. When I come across stuff that's not worth selling on its own, but I think is still worth selling I put it aside until I have other items and can list as part of a bundle.

[escuintla]

I think Ebay found out long time go that adding BO without you noticing it brings some adventurous but annoying buyers to your store. I mean, garage sale. 

Yes today I had to explain (something I don't do often) to a buyer that an item selling for $15 wasn't for sale at $5. Just as shipping goes, I was into $4.25 without adding Ebay and Paypal fees. 

None the less, the item though of lower value, it's hard to find nowadays. 

[second-chance-sa1es]

Market does not Yield more than that price. Typically I dont bother but sometimes I get stuff like that in Storage auctions, I try to pass savings along to other people when I can. But lets be honest. if its worth paying $4 for it then its worth paying $5 for it.

[18704d]

"In any event this item is cheap $5 total cheap but more or less a quality product.

...

So I message the buyer back and I let him know that im sorry but I just cant.

$5 - fees - shipping = $0.34 net

Ebay has officially become a garage sale.

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It's only a garage sale because

you're listing at garage sale margins.

I shipped a package today.

14.00 sale.

eBay fees about 1.40

Paypal fees about 75cents

Free shipping about 4 dollars.

Item cost to me.      About 1 CENT (but I got lucky with this lot of 500)

Profit to me;  over 7 dollars.

eBay can be as rock star or garage sale as you set it up to be.

Lynn

[second-chance-sa1es]

I hate and I mean absolutely HATE the BO option. I hate it down to my core. For all of the 3 times its been useful to me as a seller theres probably 30-60 times its been a general annoyance, given potential customers the wrong impression of me, and my inventory and caused generally negative feelings that potential buyers CAN and DO place upon us....even though we arnt the cause.

Im finding a few of the responses here engaging, others I think are missing my point. This isnt necessarily about THIS item, its about the behavior and attitude of a huge subset of ebay customers.

I am happy to drop a buck or five off when it can make a customer happy and still keep me in the black. But pretty much shipping ANY item below $5 net is a backwards step unless you are one of the fortunate few who gets mass shipping discounts.

[second-chance-sa1es]

one item of many that is just todays example, and also not a reflection on my normal inventory.

[sharingtheland]

It's not just the $5 widgets.  I had an (unsolicited) offer yesterday, with a sweet (un huh) background story that ended with I should knock $125 off the $300 price.  

My polite response, shortened here:  No.

Buyer paid full price within 3 minutes of receiving my response.

So my worry gene kicked in.  Is this sale going to be okay or am I going to end up spending weeks and weeks fighting some "arrived damaged" issue?  As I just did* with a buyer who negotiated a price and then tried everything to get me to send a partial refund.

Of course this is a large, heavy, fragile item and of course it's going to Somewhere, SD.  Had two heavy item sales there yesterday - coincidence?  I think not.  South Dakota ?

But I digress.  Instead of being happy about my nice sale, now I'll fret about it.

Me and Eric singing together:

I've gotta get out of this place

If it's the last thing I ever do

Signed,

Just A Little Loopy Tonight 

* I won !  I won !  After 3 phone calls, another indignant paypal rep closed in my favor.  Buyer has now used every angle and failed at them all.

[ripcityresell]

I recently put BO on all of my items priced $7.50 and higher. I have not had one Best Offer, but have sold several at full price. I learned a long time ago that I will never figure buyers out, so I don't try.

I recently turned down a $4.00 offer on a $8.00 item. I simply said "Thanks for your offer, this is the lowest I can go." and counter-offered. They didn't buy. I didn't care.

[second-chance-sa1es]

Thats exactly my point. Sherry THANK YOU!!!!

Its so funny because I used this exact example INTENTIONALLY. A loss is a loss regardless of the value of the widget.

Shrink is shrink regardless of if it comes in the form of shoplifting, buyer fraud, bogus SNADs, fraudulent return requests. What Ebay is doing does not bode well for ALL of us. This thread is proof that there is still people who somehow still dont get it.

I hear you, these days anything I list here is listed in other places and often cancelled once it sells elsewhere. Ill be looking forward to the day that I can leave this site in my rearview and still move enough inventory to pay my bills.

Loopy or not you are still awesome!

[second-chance-sa1es]

Yeah typically thats what I do also, just feeling a bit sick of Ebay and its nonsense. Wish something better would come around, will be happy if it ever does as I no longer hold much if not any faith in Ebay.