eBay

goldrushfinds · ‎04-04-2022

Once again confirming that for the most part 'Best Offer' is a waste of time and encourages buyers to think they can get you way down on price. If you don't drop the price a lot, they won't buy. I get offers on things listed for $25 of $5-$10. Everyone wants everything for near nothing. Also lots of people proposing buying well below my asking price with free shipping included (which I don't offer). This is now like Poverty Mart.

asset_liquidators · ‎04-06-2022

"I'm coming from x, will you take less?"

Yeah I get that one pretty often also. I respond to that one with "so you want ME to pay for YOUR gas?"

mr_lincoln · ‎04-06-2022

@yuzuha wrote:
@meme6253 wrote:
Buyers here have been very use to the discount mentality forever is part of the problem,
A buyer has every right to expect a discount mentality when a seller is openly advertising that they are willing to discount the item.

@yuzuha Exactly, its a feature that simply drives prices down ... it also has a negative impact on Sold search ... any item sold via an Offer have a strike through line on the price so we do not know what the actual Selling price was ... I know eBay has been asked to fix this and show the actual Sold price but they haven't.

I use Promoted Listings so at least with that feature when an item sells it sells for List, the fee I pay behind the scenes.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

glasser · ‎04-06-2022

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques

"what's the lowest you'll take" questions" This is a pretty common phrase on the flea market and antique show circuit, Sometimes after some back and forth and sometimes just asking what's the best you can do?

laststopgeneralstore · ‎04-06-2022

It could also be because some of the stuff you have listed is over priced and the offer they are sending you is closer to what it will actually sell for. I accept offers all the time and that's how I get a decent amount of my sales. Some of my stuff is priced a little higher but I always get an offer for a few bucks less, accept and move on. Moving product is the name of the game, as long as your still making a decent profit then accept and move forward. The fast nickle will always beat the slow dime.

lepke1979 · ‎04-06-2022

@mr_lincoln wrote:
@yuzuha wrote:
@meme6253 wrote:
Buyers here have been very use to the discount mentality forever is part of the problem,
A buyer has every right to expect a discount mentality when a seller is openly advertising that they are willing to discount the item.
@yuzuha Exactly, its a feature that simply drives prices down ... it also has a negative impact on Sold search ... any item sold via an Offer have a strike through line on the price so we do not know what the actual Selling price was ... I know eBay has been asked to fix this and show the actual Sold price but they haven't.
I use Promoted Listings so at least with that feature when an item sells it sells for List, the fee I pay behind the scenes.

Less than a year ago, you used to be able to see the sold price hidden in the HTML somewhere for accepted offers. But it got mentioned in a YouTube video and less than a week later it got hidden again. Although it could have just been a coincidence on it being mentioned and getting taken out.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-06-2022

@mr_lincoln That's a nice thing about Terapeak---it will show you the actual sold price, whereas ebay solds will show you the original price before the offer was accepted. I think this may actually help to keep prices up. If a buyer is researching prices and sees a sold of $100, rather than the actual sold price of $65....the buyer may decide $100 is reasonable, or he might offer , say, $85. If ebay actually showed the offer accepted price of $65, the buyer might use that as his reference instead.

I don't really see Best Offer as a feature that inevitably drives prices down. I have taken Best Offers that still leave me with the highest actual sold price for the item. With Best Offer, the seller is in control...I can accept or reject. I have never taken a price that was not satisfactory to me.

glasser · ‎04-06-2022

@meme6253 @yuzuha The mentality you all talk about is how markets have worked since time began. Haggling is a time honored practice in some cultures. As in you never pay the first asking price and could even be an insult if you did.

As for finding the accepted offer price, Terrapeak shows the accepted offer price. When I want to se I copy the entire title and paste into Terrapeak. I actually think it's OK to generally keep accepted offer prices harder to find. That is an agreement between a buyer and a seller and no need for the world to know. Plus just because someone gave x% discount on one item doesn't mean what they would do going forward.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-06-2022

@glasser Very true. (I used to set up at fleas and antique malls.) As you say, it's quite common at flea markets , or yard sales for that matter. I've heard people try it at consignment shops and thrifts as well. But in my experience, it's been rare here until just recently, which is why I'm wondering if someone influential didn't suggest it recently, as a way to cut out the back and forth of Best Offer.

2013grotz · ‎04-06-2022

A lot of times "best offer" doesn't even get engaged when I have it on. I think most buyers just pass by instead of seriously wanting to make an offer. But when I do get them, I see low-ball stuff that would push it where I'd be paying to give them the item. Of course, the problem is when I got 40 competitors that are already giving buyers items right out of the gate. I price pretty close to my costs though.

Anyway, ebay definitely deserves a lot of the blame for creating expectations that things go for cheap on here. There's just so many factors on here that drive prices down and turn it into a race to the bottom. It really only hurts sellers by and large.

meme6253 · ‎04-06-2022

I could not agree more, Everything is designed for the seller to lose money, & it is imbedded in the buyers, Give it away & ship for free , No Thanks!

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-06-2022

@meme6253 I don't lose money on my sales, I don't give my stuff away, and I rarely use free shipping. Sometimes I think you and I must be selling on different platforms LOL

soh.maryl · ‎04-06-2022

How is refusing to accept an offer "gaming the system"?

Did you know that eBay sometimes drops that OBO into the listing and the seller doesn't realize it until he gets that $20 offer on his $100 item?

us_bmich · ‎10-29-2022

Well, I could not disagree more. Almost every sale I make is non auction and 50% have "offer", and I have found that those that make the "offer " are generally very reasonable.

I suppose it's a question of how much you have, dollar wise, in your item, what you think is a fair offer is and most importantly, how bad you want to sell it.

If it bothers you so much then simply don't offer, "offer".

fredoniacoinandtreasure · ‎10-29-2022

Don't people use the automation feature on best offer? I usually try to price so I can give up to 20% and I set the minimum offer and automatic accept to the same amount so I don't even see the low ballers.

allen1853 · ‎10-29-2022

I use Best Offer for ALL of my items over a certain price point AND Auto-decline offers lower than 90% (10% off). I am amazed many/most buyers pay full price. Many also offer the 90%. I do not see and do not care about the declined 50% offers. It helps to price competitively in the first place. Or you can WAY overprice like a Department Store so you can accept 50% off.