My eBay pet peeve - Sellers with Best Offer Options who don't want to negotiate 1 1

[Dick Pontoon]

I generally don’t use the Best Offer feature but get them anyway. This morning I got one asking if I’d shave almost 30% off a $34 book. I declined. This afternoon I got one for the same book asking for what amounts to a $2.50 discount. I’ll probably accept that one, though it’s tempting not to just because it’s so ridiculous.

[valiantman]

11 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

I generally don’t use the Best Offer feature but get them anyway. This morning I got one asking if I’d shave almost 30% off a $34 book. I declined. This afternoon I got one for the same book asking for what amounts to a $2.50 discount. I’ll probably accept that one, though it’s tempting not to just because it’s so ridiculous.

You should accept that one, since it's barely a discount... that type of buyer might try to combine shipping on some of your other books (assuming you have more listed)... and they're basically paying full price.

It's funny how people think they're getting a deal.  When stores have 25% off sales, they get happy customers, but if they have Buy 3, Get 1 FREE sales... people get really excited and they walk away with four items.

They're both 25% off.  In fact, if the Buy 3, Get 1 FREE items aren't all the same price, then the cheapest fourth item is free and that's even less than 25% off. 

[evilskip]

2 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Definitely a weird response from the seller but equally as weird from you.  Why not just take the book at asking price rather then offer $1 under the asking price.  Is $1 a make a break for the book?  The seller probably just sent the rejection out of spite since he thought you were offering $1 under to mess with him (assuming it was $20 item or more).

Well it was a $40 book. My first offer was $36. Rejected within minutes, no counter offer. My next offer was $38. Rejected again, no counter offer. That doesn't leave a whole lot of room to work with. We're talking two dollars now, and since we're still negotiating here (one sided anyway), why not offer a dollar under?

The whole point is he had the damn thing listed as a best offer when he had no intention of following through.

Actually the weirdest thing on my part is I went ahead and bought the book.

[DavidTheDavid]

4 hours ago, 1Cool said:

I've found that I have to offer Best Offer or crickets.  The second I offer Best Offer and the low ball offers start flowing in.  i usually play the game of bumping up my prices by 10% for the 1st month assuming I'll get a lot of 10-15% discount offers and accept pretty much anything close to that discount amount.  After the 1st month I generally give each book a bump down and double check the going price after I get a reasonable offer.  Sometime I say "5% off is the best i can do based on similar sales" and sometime I've given a 30% discount if my price is way off.  I don't want to give a away books but I also don't want to have no sales in a month so it's a give and take.

What I've learned is that people like using best offer to get round numbers when you have calculated shipping. If something would be $16.72 with shipping they will make an offer that adds up to $15. They like $10 thresholds, so $10, $20, etc. I use offers because they get results. Sometimes I set auto-rejects for a bottom limit, sometimes I don't. I always reply with a counter-offer and if they don't reply, what do I care? Someone else will buy it, which is what happened yesterday. 

[kav]

If the book is say $100 and you only want to pay $80 or wait for another book to come around and you offer $80 and seller counters with $98 then the haggling is over.  Because what will happen is you go $85 he counters with $96.  You counter $88 and he shoots a $96.50.  This is one-way haggling where one guy is making an honest concession and other guy is stubbornly sticking close to his starting point.

[stock_rotation]

2 hours ago, Pontoon said:

I generally don’t use the Best Offer feature but get them anyway. This morning I got one asking if I’d shave almost 30% off a $34 book. I declined.

As a buyer, I tend to offer about 70% of the BIN, because I'm really trying to get a 15% discount. I offer 30% under, and in my own experience most sellers will meet me half-way, to my preferred 15%. If I ask for the 15% out of the gate, they counter with more than I want to pay. I've always felt it's more 'respectful' to let the seller counteroffer so it doesn't feel like I'm trying to beat them up too much on the price.

At shows, I rarely ask for a specific amount off, rather, I ask the seller if 'there's any room to move' on the price, and it usually gets me a 10-15% discount.

[Dick Pontoon]

11 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

As a buyer, I tend to offer about 70% of the BIN, because I'm really trying to get a 15% discount. I offer 30% under, and in my own experience most sellers will meet me half-way, to my preferred 15%. If I ask for the 15% out of the gate, they counter with more than I want to pay. I've always felt it's more 'respectful' to let the seller counteroffer so it doesn't feel like I'm trying to beat them up too much on the price.

At shows, I rarely ask for a specific amount off, rather, I ask the seller if 'there's any room to move' on the price, and it usually gets me a 10-15% discount.

Do you ask for 70% off the BIN if the book is already priced at the bottom end of FMV if not lower?

[RockMyAmadeus]

2 hours ago, valiantman said:

You should accept that one, since it's barely a discount... that type of buyer might try to combine shipping on some of your other books (assuming you have more listed)... and they're basically paying full price.

It's funny how people think they're getting a deal.  When stores have 25% off sales, they get happy customers, but if they have Buy 3, Get 1 FREE sales... people get really excited and they walk away with four items.

They're both 25% off.  In fact, if the Buy 3, Get 1 FREE items aren't all the same price, then the cheapest fourth item is free and that's even less than 25% off. 

"Buy ONE, get the SECOND of equal or lesser value for 50% off!!!"

[1Cool]

21 minutes ago, Pontoon said:

Do you ask for 70% off the BIN if the book is already priced at the bottom end of FMV if not lower?

Of course not - he offers 65% of BIN since they obviously don't know what its worth or how this game is played.  But seriously - I will get offers even if I'm a 5% under GPA.  I usually say something like "book is a steal at this price" and they pop the BIN.  Best Offer is a game to most buyers similar to shopping in Mexico where you never pay full retail.

[blazingbob]

I'm amazed that this thread even got started since I can't tell how many threads I've read or responded to where buyers are complaining about pricing and not wanting to negotiate.

They want the price they want to pay and expect me the seller to know it.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know that price because there are those out there that don't like to haggle or talk.

They just want to see "their" price.  

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

8 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

I'm amazed that this thread even got started since I can't tell how many threads I've read or responded to where buyers are complaining about pricing and not wanting to negotiate.

They want the price they want to pay and expect me the seller to know it.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know that price because there are those out there that don't like to haggle or talk.

They just want to see "their" price.  

 

But your the X-pert! A sixth sense kind of thing!

But seriously your view is what I get out of this thread too. Basically when it all comes together for someone, it's magic and everyone is happy

Unfortunately you can only please some of the people some of the time

Oh Ho it's magic you know, never believe it's not soooo

[Yorick]

On 8/19/2018 at 1:19 PM, 01TheDude said:

just a thought -- might be wrong --- they might not have even put the items up as accepting offers originally and then had Ebay help them out by altering the listing. Happens to many of us-- and I can see why some are just tired of fixing all these "helpful" ebay tactics.

I just put a few things on feebay (it's been a little while since I've done so), and they added a "best offer" option to my listings when I wanted none.  This is new.  When I tried to drop the "best offer" option from the listing, feebay wants me to pay an extra fee to remove it.

I don't like what feebay has been doing recently.

[blazingbob]

2 minutes ago, Yorick said:

I just put a few things on feebay (it's been a little while since I've done so), and they added a "best offer" option to my listings when I wanted none.  This is new.  When I tried to drop the "best offer" option from the listing, feebay wants me to pay an extra fee to remove it.

I don't like what feebay has been doing recently.

I understand that Feebay wants you to make a sale so that they make money.

However,  they can't make parties talk to each other if they don't want to.

You think you hear what they are saying through a email,  you add a few adjectives to throw in and you counteroffer.

They read your counteroffer,  they throw in a few adjectives on their end and then this post gets started.

I love the information age,  NO information is communicated to either the buyer or the seller.

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

I mentioned a few posts back, like 37 cent charge.... may be the reason for the thread, that some seller's were just wanting best offer to avoid the charge  but idk 

4 minutes ago, Yorick said:

On 8/19/2018 at 3:19 PM, 01TheDude said:

just a thought -- might be wrong --- they might not have even put the items up as accepting offers originally and then had Ebay help them out by altering the listing. Happens to many of us-- and I can see why some are just tired of fixing all these "helpful" ebay tactics.

I just put a few things on feebay (it's been a little while since I've done so), and they added a "best offer" option to my listings when I wanted none.  This is new.  When I tried to drop the "best offer" option from the listing, feebay wants me to pay an extra fee to remove it.

 

[Yorick]

2 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I mentioned a few posts back, like 37 cent charge.... may be the reason for the thread, that some seller's were just wanting best offer to avoid the charge  but idk 

 

That's me.  Trying to avoid any charges unless the book sells.  I don't begrudge feebay for taking a fee from a sale, but when I'm starting an auction at $10 for a cgc'd book I don't want to hear offers.  It would be cheaper just to recycle the plastic and paper and not offer it up.

On the other hand, if I do want to use the best offer option, I put up a price that is high so that it gets more attention and I have a lot of wiggle room in negotiating.

[Kevin76]

No matter what the price is, buyers will complain. People even complain over something that's free.    

[ADAMANTIUM]

 but when your right, your right!

[Brock]

18 hours ago, wombat said:

I have had sellers come back at $1 off the original price with a message that they rally can't budge on the price. 

I had a buyer offer me more than the BIN once.

Needless to say, I accepted his offer.

I wish there were more like that...

[blazingbob]

4 minutes ago, Brock said:

I had a buyer offer me more than the BIN once.

Needless to say, I accepted his offer.

I wish there were more like that...

If a seller told me he "Rally" can't budge off his price I would ask him if he were a Go Kart or Nascar driver.  That would explain his counteroffer.

Edited August 20, 2018 by blazingbob

[valiantman]

2 minutes ago, Brock said:

I had a buyer offer me more than the BIN once.

Needless to say, I accepted his offer.

I wish there were more like that...

Was it me?  Sounds like something I would do when I'm shopping Ebay from my phone.  The fonts are tiny and I still need to remember to mash the keypad to order a special bidding wand.