Multitool.org Forum
+-

Hello Lurker! Remove this ad and much more by logging in.


Making Offers on the 'bay

Yadda · 36 · 1237

us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Making Offers on the 'bay
on: October 22, 2017, 01:13:39 AM
In most cases, when I see something of interest, and it is offered with a "Make an Offer" option I will make an offer.  Usually my offer is 20% to 30% below the asking price unless I am really interested and I will look for a counter offer if the seller is interested in dickering. I am never insulted by someone that isn't interested in discounting to that level and never try to be insulting with my offers. If I really want it, my offer will be 10-15% or I will buy it at full price. 

Today I was chastised by a seller for making a less than full price offer.  He could have rejected the offer or counter offered, but instead he decided to be less than polite and asked me to stop wasting his time. BTW, this was not a free shipping issue either, so I wasn't expecting a discount with free shipping. I politely told him to keep his knife.  To be honest, I would have purchased the item if it had been posted as "Buy it Now" at the same price. I consider it somewhat disingenuous to post something with an offer option, when you are expecting the full price.

My question:

How do you handle "Make an offer" auctions?
« Last Edit: October 22, 2017, 02:07:16 AM by Yadda »
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline thatotherguy

  • *
  • Full Member
  • ***
    • Posts: 230
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #1 on: October 22, 2017, 01:32:11 AM
I agree with you on the fact that if he didn't want to accept a lower offer he shouldn't have made it an option, though it is a possibility that he was trying to play hardball and try to make you feel guilty enough  for "insulting" him to pay full price. It's a jerk tactic, but a tactic nonetheless.

If I make an offer, it's a bit less than what I'm actually willing to pay so I have some room to wiggle, but always fair. I also have no problem with walking away from just about any deal, though that tactic works better in person. I'm a pretty hard negotiator, but I'm fair too, and I know it; of someone wants to be insulted by my offer, so be it.


us Offline SteveC

  • Global Moderator
  • Just Bananas
  • *
    • Posts: 67,363
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #2 on: October 22, 2017, 02:00:00 AM
I've gotten similar responses myself. Some people don't get how it works apparently  :think:

Offer - counteroffer repeat until a deal is made or not  :tu:


us Offline WiSAKfan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
    • Posts: 460
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #3 on: October 22, 2017, 02:11:52 AM
I
How do you handle "Make an offer" auctions?

I handle them like a penny pinching miser would; I offer what I'd like to pay if I were running things  :cheers:  If anyone on the bay were to chastise me for playing the make offer game on an auction they made make offer I would withdrawn offer and NEVER deal with that seller again.




us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #4 on: October 22, 2017, 02:25:52 AM
I
How do you handle "Make an offer" auctions?

I handle them like a penny pinching miser would; I offer what I'd like to pay if I were running things  :cheers:  If anyone on the bay were to chastise me for playing the make offer game on an auction they made make offer I would withdrawn offer and NEVER deal with that seller again.

Yeah, he is on my do not buy list.
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline Poncho65

  • Global Moderator
  • *
  • Just Bananas
  • *
    • Posts: 85,894
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #5 on: October 22, 2017, 02:35:02 AM
I would be insulted that he insulted you :rant: They don't have to have the make an offer option and I never understood someone who wasn't even willing to come down more than a dollar if they had this option either :facepalm: If they want full asking price then they should only have BIN as an option ???

On the flip side I have threw a few lowball offers in just to see what they would do (still a fair price ;) ) and to my surprise they accept the offer :ahhh

Makes me feel good to get a deal sometimes :dd: :like:

I as well would never deal with that seller again :salute:


us Offline Poncho65

  • Global Moderator
  • *
  • Just Bananas
  • *
    • Posts: 85,894
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #6 on: October 22, 2017, 02:37:55 AM
I've gotten similar responses myself. Some people don't get how it works apparently  :think:

Offer - counteroffer repeat until a deal is made or not  :tu:

That is the route the seller should have went :tu: A counter offer would have been way more business like and you wouldn't have felt insulted and he possibly would already have the item in question sold and heading to you now :like: but instead he probably still has it :facepalm: and hopefully no one else is interested in it and he feels bad and messages you to apologize and ask if you would still be willing to take it for your offer :D


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

  • Head Turd Polisher
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Just Bananas
  • *
    • Posts: 65,920
  • Optimum instrumentum est inter aures
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #7 on: October 22, 2017, 02:50:09 AM
My thoughts on it?

Smurf him right up his smurf hole with a smurf.  Sideways.

There is no excuse for being rude to people IMHO, and I used to make a living getting punched by people.   :facepalm:

If he wants to be a Smurf about it then Smurf him.  There are lots of dealers out there that will be very happy to take your money and treat you with respect.

Def
Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


us Offline smiller43147

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 1,494
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #8 on: October 22, 2017, 04:00:17 AM
Lots of options how you can sell on the bay.  I say don't use the "or best offer" if you don't want to sell for less than you listed it for.
- Steve


Offline mwb1100

  • Newbie
  • *
    • Posts: 9
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #9 on: October 22, 2017, 06:21:50 AM
Why would you let a seller's comment about your offer being too low bother you?

Sometimes my offers are for what I really thing the item is worth.  Sometimes my offers are intentionally lowball because I'm only moderately interested in the item or because I think that the seller will counter whatever offer I make so I go in a little low hoping a counter offer would hit where I really want to land.

But I never worry in the least about insulting the seller.

eBay lets sellers set a price at which offers below that are automatically declined.  If he doesn't want to be bothered with offers that are below his threshold of his idea of a reasonable offer, then he should use that tool.  Other than that, if he doesn't like the offer he should decline (or counter).  If a seller made a comment to me about an offer being insulting, I'd think, "Huh".  Then I'd either just forget about that item, or I'd consider making another offer if I decide I'm OK with paying more than my original offer.




us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #10 on: October 22, 2017, 07:39:32 AM
Thanks everyone!  I didn't feel bad, but I did want to make sure I wasn't unknowingly breaching some unwritten 'bay etiquette.
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline Aloha

  • Global Moderator
  • *
  • Point Of No Return
  • *
    • Posts: 31,233
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #11 on: October 22, 2017, 03:40:15 PM
When I was buying a lot from fleabay I also did pretty much the same as you Yadda.  I never worried about offending the seller since they posted the ad with a "make an offer" option.  Could very well be that the seller had received several offers lower than expected and got annoyed.  Not saying a rude response to your offer was warranted, just thinking aloud.  In any case I'd probably not spend my money with that seller unless they had something I really wanted and priced to my liking.  On a side note, I've offered much less on a few occasions and surprisingly was accepted so.........   Heck you just never know.  Happy fleabay hunting.     
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline strmliner

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 1,041
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #12 on: October 22, 2017, 07:39:39 PM
When I was buying a lot from fleabay I also did pretty much the same as you Yadda.  I never worried about offending the seller since they posted the ad with a "make an offer" option.  Could very well be that the seller had received several offers lower than expected and got annoyed.  Not saying a rude response to your offer was warranted, just thinking aloud.  In any case I'd probably not spend my money with that seller unless they had something I really wanted and priced to my liking.  On a side note, I've offered much less on a few occasions and surprisingly was accepted so.........   Heck you just never know.  Happy fleabay hunting.     

+1   :tu:
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they go."    -Will Rogers


us Offline El Corkscrew

  • *
  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,187
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #13 on: October 22, 2017, 09:59:33 PM
Sounds like a case of thin skin.

It's hard for us to remember to be adults sometimes.  I buy and sell quite a bit on the bay and typically, if I do a best offer situation, I'll take pretty much anything more than 75% of the asking price.  Hitting the "decline offer" button takes a heck of a lot less time than going out of your way to write a nasty message, and most certainly discourages future business. 
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” - Mark Twain


us Offline ironraven

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,071
  • American Clandestine Materials Executive (ACME)
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #14 on: October 23, 2017, 02:15:52 AM
Retract the offer. If he doesn't want to take less, he should just put a flat price on it. I might have asked how much his mother was offered nine months before he was born, but I'm a smurfhole.
"Even if it is only the handful of people I meet on the street, or in my home, I can still protect them with this one sword" Kenshin Himura

Necessity is the mother of invention. If you're not ready, it's "a mother". If you are, it's "mom".

"I love democracy" Sheev Palpatine, upon his election to Chancellor.


us Offline El Corkscrew

  • *
  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,187
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #15 on: October 23, 2017, 03:45:13 AM
Retract the offer. If he doesn't want to take less, he should just put a flat price on it. I might have asked how much his mother was offered nine months before he was born, but I'm a smurfhole.
:rofl:

That's the best thing I've heard all day.  :cheers:
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” - Mark Twain


nl Offline glenfiddich1983

  • *
  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 6,860
  • aka "G-Fiddle" and "Glen-Fizzle"
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #16 on: October 23, 2017, 08:53:36 AM
I buy and sell on a regular basis. When I see something I like and it has the "Make Best Offer" option, I simply offer just a little less of what I think it's worth. This because most of the time there will be at least one counter offer and with my first bid I hope to "steer" the seller in the direction of what I think is a reasonable price. Most of the time this works. Sometimes my first bid is accepted and i'm lucky. Sometimes a seller acts to be "insulted" by the bid, but I find that a bit strange. If you enable Best Offer you're saying there's room for negotiation! If you don't want that, don't enable it, or let eBay automatically decline the really low offers.

Sometimes something is already such a bargain that I don't feel the need to try to get it even cheaper. And of course making an offer also has the risk of someone else buying it while you're waiting for the sellers response.

When I sell something on the US eBay I awlways enable Best Offer (the Dutch eBay doesn't have the Best Offer option). If someone makes a ridiculous low offer I simply make a counter-offer and explain why I think that is a reasonable price, and to be honest most of the time the low bidder siginificantly increases his bid or accepts my counter-offer. The low first bid was just him trying to get a bargain and I don't blame him for that. After all, the low bid is still an indication that he was interested, and as a seller you should make use of that fact instead of acting offended and scaring away the potential buyer!
[--- arms length ---] (-.-) 

                                ^-- where the cat sits


fi Offline AlephZero

  • *
  • *
  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 7,636
  • Smurf smash!
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #17 on: October 23, 2017, 09:57:14 AM
Retract the offer. If he doesn't want to take less, he should just put a flat price on it. I might have asked how much his mother was offered nine months before he was born, but I'm a smurfhole.
:rofl:

That's the best thing I've heard all day.  :cheers:

That and this one:

My thoughts on it?

Smurf him right up his smurf hole with a smurf.  Sideways.

There is no excuse for being rude to people IMHO, and I used to make a living getting punched by people.   :facepalm:

If he wants to be a Smurf about it then Smurf him.  There are lots of dealers out there that will be very happy to take your money and treat you with respect.

Def

:rofl:


As for the smurfing smurf in question: :twak::twak::twak: :facepalm:
"Hoarder of weirdness,
Always posting random things,
I'm AlephZero" :ninja:


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #18 on: October 23, 2017, 01:46:55 PM
Retract the offer. If he doesn't want to take less, he should just put a flat price on it. I might have asked how much his mother was offered nine months before he was born, but I'm a smurfhole.

I like your style!  I really wanted to go there, but decided in this case, ( I can be a bit of a smurfhole too. ) that going there would allow him to mentally justify his position.   

"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #19 on: October 23, 2017, 01:47:46 PM
My thoughts on it?

Smurf him right up his smurf hole with a smurf.  Sideways.

There is no excuse for being rude to people IMHO, and I used to make a living getting punched by people.   :facepalm:

If he wants to be a Smurf about it then Smurf him.  There are lots of dealers out there that will be very happy to take your money and treat you with respect.

Def

Made my day Grant!  Thanks!
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline sLaughterMed

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,450
  • Nothing's typical around here
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #20 on: October 24, 2017, 03:25:19 PM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.
Laughter is the best Medicine
Slaughter is just Laughter with an "S"

We are looking for Multitool Encyclopedia Editors! If you are interested, please give me a PM!

The Multitool Encyclopedia Editing for Dummies Page: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,65751.0.html
Multitool Encyclopedia Suggested Edits Page: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,65746.0.html


us Offline WoodsDuck

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 1,832
  • Duck!
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #21 on: October 24, 2017, 07:39:23 PM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Most of my offers have either been accepted or countered. And I frequently accept the counter offer because I was offering less than I was willing to pay anyway.


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #22 on: October 25, 2017, 01:54:08 AM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Some sellers also apparently can set the auction to auto accept too?  I usually add a penny to my bids so that if it is an auto accept I have a chance at getting it at the best possible price without a second bid.
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline El Corkscrew

  • *
  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,187
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #23 on: October 25, 2017, 02:08:56 AM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Some sellers also apparently can set the auction to auto accept too?  I usually add a penny to my bids so that if it is an auto accept I have a chance at getting it at the best possible price without a second bid.

a penny saved
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” - Mark Twain


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #24 on: October 25, 2017, 02:10:59 AM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Wow! That is a record. No accepted bids?
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline sLaughterMed

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,450
  • Nothing's typical around here
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #25 on: October 25, 2017, 06:07:40 PM
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Wow! That is a record. No accepted bids?

There have been some. 90% of my ebay selling has been Buy it Now sales of desirable, rare NIB knives & tools (I got very lucky at a Mom & Pop gun shop), so my experience may be a little atypical. I spent a lot of time researching the market pricing, and I always tried to place it near the third quartile of the range of past sales of that same item (so if past sales indicate the item sold from $100-$200 in the past, I would price mine at $175).  I have no problem accepting reasonable offers, and one person I even gave a 30% discount off just for buying a dozen different knives at once. Very few items sold right away, but most had sold at or near the price I set before the 30 day time limit expired.
Laughter is the best Medicine
Slaughter is just Laughter with an "S"

We are looking for Multitool Encyclopedia Editors! If you are interested, please give me a PM!

The Multitool Encyclopedia Editing for Dummies Page: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,65751.0.html
Multitool Encyclopedia Suggested Edits Page: http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,65746.0.html


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #26 on: October 26, 2017, 06:07:21 AM
 
I have never had a seller accept an offer from me, although I usually ask for around 80% of the full price.

As a seller, If I allow offers (I usually do), I set it to auto-reject any offer less than 50%. This weeds out 90% of the offers I get, and allows me to "gauge" the remaining 10% of the market interested in my item. I usually counter offer around 85% of the list price, although often these items get bought at full price before I get any takers on the counter offers.

Wow! That is a record. No accepted bids?

There have been some. 90% of my ebay selling has been Buy it Now sales of desirable, rare NIB knives & tools (I got very lucky at a Mom & Pop gun shop), so my experience may be a little atypical. I spent a lot of time researching the market pricing, and I always tried to place it near the third quartile of the range of past sales of that same item (so if past sales indicate the item sold from $100-$200 in the past, I would price mine at $175).  I have no problem accepting reasonable offers, and one person I even gave a 30% discount off just for buying a dozen different knives at once. Very few items sold right away, but most had sold at or near the price I set before the 30 day time limit expired.

I definitely learned something today.  :salute:
« Last Edit: October 26, 2017, 06:08:30 AM by Yadda »
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline watchandknife

  • Newbie
  • *
    • Posts: 26
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #27 on: November 07, 2017, 02:33:33 PM
Send your lowball offers in if you think the price is fair it’s ebay. Don’t worry about what the seller says. At the end of the day it’s your money and your not a charity.

The seller has no idea how eBay works he should have auto reject on to reject low offers and should have responded with “I have received mtiple offers between 60-65 and countering all of them with 68$ first one to accept gets jt.” Or something along those lines.

There’s good deals to be had especially when the seller isn’t specialized and is one of those estate/garage sale hunters where they will list on eBay with Doing minimal research.
Follow me on Instagram @    watchandknife


us Offline Yadda

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,578
  • Lifelike and remarkably self similar
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #28 on: November 07, 2017, 05:54:08 PM
Send your lowball offers in if you think the price is fair it’s ebay. Don’t worry about what the seller says. At the end of the day it’s your money and your not a charity.

The seller has no idea how eBay works he should have auto reject on to reject low offers and should have responded with “I have received mtiple offers between 60-65 and countering all of them with 68$ first one to accept gets jt.” Or something along those lines.

There’s good deals to be had especially when the seller isn’t specialized and is one of those estate/garage sale hunters where they will list on eBay with Doing minimal research.

 :salute:
"It didn't hurt, flirt, blood squirt, stuffed shirt, hang me on a tree
After I count down three rounds, in Hell I'll be in good company" -  The Dead South


us Offline gregpost

  • Hero Member
  • *****
    • Posts: 584
Re: Making Offers on the 'bay
Reply #29 on: November 08, 2017, 03:10:21 AM
I also set up auto reject for extremely lowball offers. I also ignore offers if they are terrible but just above that. If you structure your listing with a best offer option don't expect people to pay full price, although this has also happened to me. I guess some people don't want to haggle.

Looking for a 30% discount seems steep IMO but more power to you if you frequently get that. I think around 20% is fair.

If somebody is asking way more than market value for an item, I don't even bother. Overpricing things to begin with even if you're open to haggling seems shady to me, very used car-salesman.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2017, 03:11:46 AM by gregpost »


 

Donations

Operational Funds

Help us keep the Unworkable working!
Donate with PayPal!
March Goal: $300.00
Due Date: Mar 31
Total Receipts: $379.86
PayPal Fees: $19.62
Net Balance: $360.24
Above Goal: $60.24
Site Currency: USD
120% 
March Donations

Community Links


Powered by EzPortal