Are buyers using programs to make offers?

[needsmorerobots]

Is there such a thing as buyers using computer programs to make offers on eBay listings?

I've had about three encounters all from different people that follow the same formula:

Buyer makes offer. I see the offer and make a counter offer. I also leave a personal message they could easily respond to. In the same message I thank them for making the offer.

Person making offer does not respond to message and continues to increase the offer by exactly $1.00 every 24 hours. After the final offer, the potential buyer still does not respond nor does he/she decline the counter offer. Instead the final offer is left to linger until expiration.

One of these offers I declined straight away because it was such a low amount (but I still add a personal thank you message), only to have the same person make another offer 24 hours later with a $1.00 increase. As stated before, no communication is ever sent from the potential buyer.

[pjcdn2005]

I'm not aware of a program like that though that doesn't mean that there isn't one. 

I don't use the make offer option but I've read many times about sellers not seeing a note that the buyer added because they only looked at the offer in one location and that the note can only be seen if you look at the offer in one specific area.  Perhaps the same is true for buyers.

[nostalgicaftertaste]

I would suggest implementing the auto-decline feature so you can weed out lowballers, thus saving you time spent issuing responses and trying to understand the inconceivable — time better spent listing items for serious buyers.

[femmefan1946]

I only stated using the Best Offer option when I learned I could add the automatic accept above /decline below option.

Well worth the moments it takes to set up on the Advanced/Business Sell Your Item form.

My only message is a standard "Thank you for your offer. My price includes shipping." (Which is not true for everybody, but offers are not supposed to affect shipping)