eBay

momcqueen · ‎12-31-2017

I'm just going to leave this here and go. It's a zero-feedback buyer so maybe they think make-an-offer is like placing a bid on an auction listing and that there are 'no bad bids' while there are, in fact, bad offers.

ricarmic · ‎12-31-2017

A very good example of a situation where no response of any kind is the best way to go, ie no acknowledgement, no decline or any response of any kind.... (at least thats how I handle ones like this)

momcqueen · ‎12-31-2017

I considered allowing it to dangle. If it was a buyer who registered five years ago with a feedback count of 453, I'd have handled it differently. This person registered today, perhaps they have no idea it's an insult to offer someone 99 cents for a $500+ item.

So I thought at least to decline it.

I could have countered for a reasonable amount too, I guess, but that seems pointless. You don't buy $500 items on your first day on ebay. (Unless you've stolen someone's credit card.)

pinetreecottage · ‎12-31-2017

When I list with "buy it now and best offer" I use the option to "accept or deny" $ amounts, that automatically eliminates the time wasters. It's unlikely all offers will be used this way. Sincere experienced buyers will see offers remaining, and make a fair offer (hopefully)

Happy New Year Cheers.

momcqueen · ‎12-31-2017

Yes, I do that too. Except there's a glitch with handling time wherein if you alter your handling time on an item (or all 1100+) it wipes clean all the auto-decline and auto-accept amounts. Most of these, I have set to auto-decline multiples times already to no long-term avail. Because they vanish the next time I have to alter handling time for one reason or another.

lady.stark · ‎12-31-2017

@ricarmic wrote:
A very good example of a situation where no response of any kind is the best way to go, ie no acknowledgement, no decline or any response of any kind.... (at least thats how I handle ones like this)

In my humble opinion, no response is the worst. As a buyer, I would feel like the seller does not want to bother with offers, so why adding it to the listing? Of course, I would never, ever send this kind of low ball offer. But my point still stands. I would at least send a counter offer. But that's just me.

ricarmic · ‎12-31-2017

I certainly understand the reasoning behind at least declining, that is probably the most polite way to go.

In days gone by I would decline and/or reply with my best offer only to have them return with a $2 offer and maybe work their way up to $5. for similar if not higher priced items than MJW's

I guess I got hardened to the point that I just don't reply at all to anything that is way beyond reason. Before I began doing this, I never ever had any of the exceptionally poor offers turn out to be anything other than time wasters....probably if the offer was in this case at least $50 I would respond with my best offer, or at least decline...

momcqueen · ‎12-31-2017

Yes, I've had that happen too. Nickel and dime up to $5 on a $500-item.

By not replying at all, the buyer is tied up for a full 48 hours while they are forced to wait for you to reply or the offer itself expires.

It's certainly a tactic for dealing with insulting lowball offers because it prevents more insulting lowballs from coming in for at least two days from that person. Eh?

femmefan1946 · ‎01-01-2018

Well, if you wanted data for your master's thesis on eBay selling, you could respond thanking them for their $99.00 offer and declining politely.

Just to see what happens.

Psychologists do worse things to rats.

bpl521_sell · ‎01-01-2018

Surprised they didn't also ask for free shipping as well.

momcqueen · ‎01-01-2018

Ha! They didn't have to; the item for Best Offer was listed with free shipping already part of the listing.

ricarmic · ‎01-01-2018

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:
Yes, I've had that happen too. Nickel and dime up to $5 on a $500-item.

By not replying at all, the buyer is tied up for a full 48 hours while they are forced to wait for you to reply or the offer itself expires.

It's certainly a tactic for dealing with insulting lowball offers because it prevents more insulting lowballs from coming in for at least two days from that person. Eh?

I don't recall ever hearing a 2nd time from an extremely low offer that I didn't acknowledge at all.

Now before it sounds like I do this all the time, if I had to guess, I would say it is safe to say I've done the never even acknowledge an offer maybe 3 times ever..... I don't run a lot of items with best offer on them.....

zee-chan-jpn-books · ‎01-01-2018

@femmefan1946 wrote:
Well, if you wanted data for your master's thesis on eBay selling, you could respond thanking them for their $99.00 offer and declining politely.
Just to see what happens.

Psychologists do worse things to rats.

My work today was cr@ppy and I had a good laugh at this. Thanks!

rose-dee · ‎01-02-2018

Having used Best Offer almost since it was first introduced many, many years ago, I've developed a strategy to deal with ridiculously low offers to make them work to my advantage. I think too many sellers look at Best Offer as a selling tool only, rather than a potential marketing tool.

Like 'ricarmic' I ignore any truly outrageously low offers and let them sit --- but only until they almost expire. At that point I send a polite counter-offer, thanking the buyer for their initial offer.

As a result, thanks to Mr. or Ms. Lowball, I've bought myself a total of 96 hours of free advertising on eBay. (Actually, if that buyer is silly enough to make another low offer, I could probably extend the promotional freebie to more than a week). More than once in my experience, an item displayed as "offer pending" has attracted a serious buyer, usually somebody who snaps it up at the BIN price. This works particularly well on higher-priced, high-demand items, especially if there are already a number of watchers. It's another reason I never use auto decline.

So I say to low ball offerors...go ahead, make my day!

lady.stark · ‎01-02-2018

That's a good strategy. Never thought of it. Will probably try it in the future and see how it goes. For that, I will need to delete some auto-declines I set up though.

momcqueen · ‎01-02-2018

The act of making an offer (regardless of whether it's accepted or declined manually or automatically) has about the same affect on a listing as new watchers being added to a listing, according to my research on it.

rose-dee · ‎01-03-2018

Well, my attitude is that 100% of something (the "offer pending" flag) is better than 100% of nothing, and that a possibility, however small, is better than none at all. Especially when it's all free and does me no harm.

I've tried bold and subtitle with less success, and for those we pay through the nose.

Anonymous · ‎01-12-2018

If I am in a nasty mood, I would counteroffer with $512.68 and put him on the block list.

weaversofspeech · ‎01-13-2018

I have never used the Best Offer Option on ebay.

I also sell offline and at times get enough bizarre offers there, don't need to have it being done across North America

Silliest offer I had was someone who wanted to buy my Postcard Collection. Had about 30'000 of them at that point. He told me he would take all of them if I gave him 85% off. Other have offered me $10 for $1000 items. I would never have the nerve to do it but some will. Worse is when they argue with you about it after. It happens

Usually it is very low ball offers for items that are $100, $200 items IE: $5.00, $10.00 $15.00 etc

Honestly at times I feel like ripping a strip off them when they do this but it's not worth it. If I did I would lose. I would look like the bad guy to others around us because many would not know what actually was taking place

I use humor instead

I don't get loud or try to draw others into it, try to keep it between myself and the person dealing with me

Will stop look like I am thinking about it and say quietly "Hmmm well while we are at it why don't you take everything else on the table or booth for that price? Cause if I am going to lose I may as well lose in volume"

Always keep a smile on my face and chuckle etc. They usually get the idea and stop Some get embarrassed but some will go with it and say " Well I tried"

Thank goodness these exchanges are not common but I keep Aspirin handy cause some do "Hurt My Head" at times