Can I bid a lower price than what the seller is asking?

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I have never purchased anything on eBay - if I see an item that I want to buy, am I permitted to offer a price lower than what is being asked for?  If so, how do I do that?

Thank you,

Tim

[momcqueen]

Welcome to ebay.

If the item has a Best Offer button on it, feel free. Some sellers will also entertain offers via Messages but others take offence at those as they are technically unsolicited. Other sellers run Markdowns or sales so you can Watch an item and then buy it if it's on sale a the price you like. 

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

Keep in mind that you cannot include the cost of shipping in an Offer.

That money doesn't go to the seller in any case and is a fixed cost for her.

And watch out for these words on any listing:

Customs services and international tracking provided

A listing with those words will charge you Canadian duty and Sales Taxes plus a service charge on any purchase over $20Cdn (~$16USD).

It sounds good, but CBSA tends to ignore shipments that are small and low value that come in by post. You can really get nailed on that.

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Thank you for your help.