Currency confusion for buyers when making best offer

[teenytrinkets]

Some of my US buyers have no idea how much the CAD $ is worth.

My items are listed in CAD$ on the .ca site. Even though prices appear in US$ on the .com site, when US buyers go to make an offer, it asks for CAD $. I've had to explain to them (when they send a message groaning with confusion) that the converted US$ amount will display once they enter the CAD$ amount. BUT they have NO IDEA what to enter because they don't know the conversion. They don't know where to begin and become frustrated. Seems elementary to Canadians who do this all the time, but most Americans don't ever see any type of currency conversion.

They JUST want to enter US$ but can't! I'm sure I've lost sales from this. Is there any way a US buyer can make a US$ offer???

[reallynicestamps]

Well if they are frustrated by some simple arithmetic, this suggestion may be beyond their powers, but....

they could make the offeras if it were  in their own currency  ie you have it listed at $100Cdn - which should show on dotCOM as ~$76 and they offer $50Cdn, thinking its US, because the site only shows Cdn which  YOU would see as ~$50Cdn. or ~$37.25US.

Then YOU counter offer at $67.25Cdn telling them it is equivalent to $50US.

And using xe.com as a reference, if the website link is allowed.

Aaaand-- now I'm confused. 

[reallynicestamps]

Do Offers show up in Messages? I haven't had a formal offer in ages, since I don't use that option.

Informal offers do come through Messages in which case the buyer and seller could discuss/haggle before the formal Offer with the amount in the appropriate currency discussed and approved beforehand.

[teenytrinkets]

Offers don't go through messages, but I have had buyers send offers through messages and I tell them enter the offer formally so I can accept/decline formally.

I just don't understand why offers are not allowed in the currency of the website the buyer is on?! I've had several complaints about this now

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@teenytrinkets 

As an afterthought  and recent test with @silverpinups curious to know how across the board the choose currency feature is or isn't working. I've received a few random slightly lowball offers from US buyers as of late. They all arrived in Canadian Funds to precise rounded off numbers. If they thought they were submitting an offer in US funds "some" of the offers would have been acceptable. If currency exchange is part of the equation, a functioning calculator would be a necessary accessory especially when rates can potentially fluctuate hourly. Are we losing sales because of this? Possibly.

-Lotz

[teenytrinkets]

It should be easy for Ebay to implement a currency converter for me to receive offers in CAD$ when sent in US$. If I accept the US$ amount, I would receive whatever the CAD$ equivalent is the moment I receive the payment.

I think this makes more sense than an American submitting an offer in CAD$ - which is say good for 48 hours. For example: They have a $100US gift card to spend, so they offer $135CAD (based on today's rate). But then I accept 2 days later, and they pay two days after that, and now $135CAD is worth $103US . Guess what? They can't use their gift card anymore. This is why it makes waaay more sense for offers to be made in the currency of the buyer, esp. if they are on a US website!!!

As An aside... most of my lowball offers are from Canadians! Just like Americans are clueless about currency conversion, Canadians are clueless about shipping rates...sigh...

[silverpinups]

If you list on eBay.com in USD then your offers will display in USD. Your offer on the Marilyn Monroe photo was in USD. If you list on eBay.ca then your offers should show in CDN funds.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@silverpinups 

When I made the offer to you I was signed in from the dot com site. It never specified it was in US or Canadian funds. I found out when I confirmed my offer email to you that it was US funds.

-Lotz