Ebay Best Offers Time Wasters

[tulagirl]

Yea I see what you are saying Ringlets. I have never had the experience of being a seller and using this option.  Its good to see though that I am not the only one that is giving a very good offer a few dollars short and being ignored.  Its just a waste of time.  I guess its also a waste of time to deal with buyers who want a 50.00 item for 5.00.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Is it possible to message a seller with Best Offer and say, "Hey, I am looking at 3 of your items... they are $10 each, can I make an offer for $25 for those three?  I can see where that would be a useful tool for sellers.

But... I can't see the logic in offering a few dollars less for an item.  If it's priced at $50, then why would you offer $47?  I'd consider that a waste of time as a seller.  Most sellers realize that you need to set your BIN's and auctions for the lowest amount they are willing to take for the item.  This alone makes it a deterrent for Best Offer! 

Nobody is going to offer *more* than the item is listed for, only less.   So it seems to me that having a Best Offer available is best when you have a potential buyer looking at more than one item for sale.  I guess we should consider "Best Offer" as more of a seller's benefit, NOT a buyer's benefit.    It's not really a way to "shop for a deal" on Ebay... not that you really can shop for a deal on Ebay anymore, but that's a different story...

I can see both perspectives but I understand why it's maddeningly frustrating for both sides as well. 

[tulagirl]

There is a lot of logic to it LovesB.  Because if I only have so much money and the pony with the shipping is past what I have but I almost have all of it...why am I considered a time waster for trying to get it with what I do have even if it is only 3.00 or 2.00 less?  That really is not a fair way to look at a buyer.  I am not wasting your time if I am trying to buy something you are selling.     If its 50.00 plus 3.00 shipping and I only have 47.00 to spend its worth it to me to try to see if I can get it for that.  If sellers think that someone like me trying to save a couple of dollars is a time waster then something is wrong with this system and the way people are assessed on ebay.

[babylicketysplit]

There is a lot of logic to it LovesB.  Because if I only have so much money and the pony with the shipping is past what I have but I almost have all of it...why am I considered a time waster for trying to get it with what I do have even if it is only 3.00 or 2.00 less?  That really is not a fair way to look at a buyer.  I am not wasting your time if I am trying to buy something you are selling.     If its 50.00 plus 3.00 shipping and I only have 47.00 to spend its worth it to me to try to see if I can get it for that.  If sellers think that someone like me trying to save a couple of dollars is a time waster then something is wrong with this system and the way people are assessed on ebay.

just to play devils advocate, then why do you say its time wasting for the seller? if the buyer is immune to being called a time waster on the basis of the same few dollars here?   i mean buyers are already immune to almost everything on ebay nowadays.. lets not give them the immunity from being a time waster too.  Just saying. 

edit to add:   i also want to say i see it as a benefit to offer BIN for both parties, plus it allows both buyers and sellers to test the market so to speak, with time and offers. i appreciate the fact that i can set bins on my items, it helps me determine market value within a few weeks.  if the nibbles are few and far between then i need to drop my price, if they come in in droves with offers as soon as i list, means i need to let it sit and watch the market for a bit.  and if i have a quick sell i know my item was priced fairly.   

[tulagirl]

There is a lot of logic to it LovesB.  Because if I only have so much money and the pony with the shipping is past what I have but I almost have all of it...why am I considered a time waster for trying to get it with what I do have even if it is only 3.00 or 2.00 less?  That really is not a fair way to look at a buyer.  I am not wasting your time if I am trying to buy something you are selling.     If its 50.00 plus 3.00 shipping and I only have 47.00 to spend its worth it to me to try to see if I can get it for that.  If sellers think that someone like me trying to save a couple of dollars is a time waster then something is wrong with this system and the way people are assessed on ebay.

just to play devils advocate, then why do you say its time wasting for the seller? if the buyer is immune to being called a time waster on the basis of the same few dollars here?   i mean buyers are already immune to almost everything on ebay nowadays.. lets not give them the immunity from being a time waster too.  Just saying. 

edit to add:   i also want to say i see it as a benefit to offer BIN for both parties, plus it allows both buyers and sellers to test the market so to speak, with time and offers. i appreciate the fact that i can set bins on my items, it helps me determine market value within a few weeks.  if the nibbles are few and far between then i need to drop my price, if they come in in droves with offers as soon as i list, means i need to let it sit and watch the market for a bit.  and if i have a quick sell i know my item was priced fairly.   

Because if they are only going to sell it for a bin anyway and deny all offers then they are wasting their own time dealing with ongoing offers.  That is pretty simple.  If you want only what you are asking for in a bin then I see no reason to do a offer.  The only thing is you do bring up the point of testing the market with this which I wasn't aware of.  That perhaps they are just testing the market.  However, in the cases I have mentioned before please know that I did remark about the fact that these items have been listed and re-listed more than 3 times.  Seem like a waste to me to not take an offer. Not have a store and set up a bin over and over and over and it never sells.  So, if they were testing the market why test it over 21 days?  Its just odd behavior at best.    If all they are doing is testing the market per say...why would they bother when they know that 90% of their offers will be so low its ridiculous?  I think that is odd also, because that does not give a seller an accurate test of value.  Its just a circus parade of ridiculousness.  So back to my whole point that I get someone wanting to test the market, but if ebayers for the most part are not giving fair offers and then I come in and give one and the auction ends...its relisted...ends...its relisted....ends not sold yet again. This is just silly selling.

Post Merge: July 08, 2013, 11:28:11 AM

If you want to determine the market value look at the auctions that have sold and do an average of several of them and that will be more accurate than anything else. If you are wanting to know interest in your item you can see that with watchers on your account.

[girlyponce]

As a buyer, sometimes I have sent what I know is an insanely low offer as an attempt to get a counter offer from the seller. If they counter at 5-10% off, then I'm good to go. If they counter at the BIN price or $1 off, then they put the Best Offer option there for... some reason that I have yet to fathom. It's annoying when they don't respond, but then I up my offer and see how it goes from there.

On non-pony things I have had the luck of a seller accepting a Best Offer of 50% off the original price (or more, it was crazy)... but then declining an offer on another item that was 5-10% off the BIN price.  It seriously boggled my mind.

[Tiffymh1fan]

It is a annoying game! If The seller never replys, I never offer anything else ever when Items expire. I have had 1 person reply after the expiring best offer. The other sellers that price their items so High is beyond me. I would love to know their reasoning for setting such a super high price? For example when shopping for a pony I will see one for 20 plus dollars plus shipping & handling than right next to that pony is another one much cheaper with free shipping & handling. I think it would be a no brainer there. I do get wanting to get your money back on these ponys, but some people are beyond insane. I will often see what the most expensive item is for something im searching for just for giggles- does anyone else do this?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It is true...  I have experienced this myself and it is totally frustrating!  But some sellers do use these types of techniques as price checks and price manipulation.    Very irritating situation but one day there may be a reason to understand both sides of the perspective if you don't want to sell something for less than its value.

It happens a LOT with dolls, by the way! 

[tulagirl]

It is a annoying game! If The seller never replys, I never offer anything else ever when Items expire. I have had 1 person reply after the expiring best offer. The other sellers that price their items so High is beyond me. I would love to know their reasoning for setting such a super high price? For example when shopping for a pony I will see one for 20 plus dollars plus shipping & handling than right next to that pony is another one much cheaper with free shipping & handling. I think it would be a no brainer there. I do get wanting to get your money back on these ponys, but some people are beyond insane. I will often see what the most expensive item is for something im searching for just for giggles- does anyone else do this?

Yes that always confuses me also.  You have your pony up for sale and there are like 5 more all much more reasonable in price.  Those seem to sell and yours does not...hmmmmm maybe the price is a little high?  I understand that people want a pure profit.  They want the buyer to pay for the seller and paypal fees and still make a profit on their item.  Its just really frustrating to see some of the prices we see now for certain things.

[Ghost]

Some of those offer ratios are ridiculous.  I felt my initial offers might be taken as insultingly low at 50% of the BIN the few times I've made them. Overall though, as a buyer I've had good experiences with best offer in the three cases I remember. One accepted my initial offer to my surprise, another counter-offered asking for retail price which I hadn't realized I was under and agreed to, and the third case ended with no agreement reached. The third one left a good impression during negotiation though and I remembered to come back to them for their price matching offer before I bought somewhere else.
As for sellers, I would understand not wanting to go too far under what they initially wanted, but if they can't even bring themselves to accept 2-3 dollars less then they aren't really interested in offers since no one is going to offer more than BIN.

[NovelNerd]

As others have mentioned they might have some other reason for having a best offer. I know when I shop around for an item if I see one with a best offer lots of times I'm drawn to that one since "I might get it cheaper". They might hope someone will end up buying despite the price? Who knows.  I guess though they didn't think it was a waste of time to put it up since they have done it and continue to put it up, especially if they have it set to auto decline offers. It's really not wasting their time at all.

[ponylady]

I used to have best offers for my items but the amount of ridiculous low offers made me reconsider that option and I changed it. I honestly don't have time for an item that is listed way below everyone else's prices for someone to come in and make an offer of a $1 or $2 several times. It's frustrating.

It is also frustrating when you do not have Best Offers on things and people contact you and say "Well I can get it for this amount elsewhere." I have no objections to that but if it can be purchased elsewhere then I say "Go for it."

[tulagirl]

Yea once when I was selling a very expensive pair of designer shoes, I got offers constantly through ebay pm's.  They begged me to sell the shoes at very low prices.  I was selling them for 165.00 when they were originally 350.oo.  People wanted them for 75.00.  I knew I could get more.  I didn't bother with the make an offer option and, I still got tons of pms begging me to sell low.  They wanted to do a bin and have me change the price.  I said no and had to block every one that asked me to do such a thing to avoid them trying it anyway.  I even got hate mail about how I would never sell them for 165.00 and so on.  Well, they did sell to someone that wanted them and everything went well.  I just feel that a offer option should only be used when you are willing to take less than your bin.  If you are not willing to take less than your bin then don't set the offer option on your listing.  This makes the most sense to me.  I realize though that what seems logical to me obviously is not logical to some sellers.  Live and let live I suppose.  I only feel frustrated with this and that was the point of my post.

[babylicketysplit]

just to clarify, if someone offers me a few dollars below my asking (unless its a dollar or 2 dollar item with free shipping or something LOL)  i would totally take it    i was only curious as to the ferocity towards sellers doing this, when buyers are also haggling ridiculously too    both parties have and will continue to do so.  honestly the discussion of this was kind of a run in circles thing in my honest oppinion.  (we need a blow off steam section lmao)    its just that its always been an issue and its never going to go away.    if you keep dealing with sellers who do this, just drop it and move on, they obviously (as stupid as it is) dont want to take the bin for lower.

[StarGleamer]

ugh i had soemthing similar happen, but not with ponies... someone had a wholesale lot of clothing up for $3000, which as REALLY high as is since unless you are a specialty store its going to be realllly hard to move that stuff n still make a good profit! so i offered $2300, which I thought was pretty fair but I figured theyd want a little more... what did they offer me?? $2800.... not erally worth it but I talked to them off ebay (im a seller, so I know ebay is taking such a HUGE cut, Id get a better deal doing it in person, sine they lived only a few hrs away) they still only said $2500 and in the end i walked away because it was just not a good price.... and they got mad at me for backing out of the deal.

I really see no point in expecting someone to pay the price they were asking and the refusing go to lower than a $200 discount, they are never going to sell this stuff...