They are everywhere. Listings that offer a low starting bid or Best Offer. Not the traditional higher price or (lower) best offer. These are maddening. I encountered a seller who I made an offer to on one of these listings. He told me that he doesn't accept offers until the fourth day of the auction. How stupid is that? So why put it out there for a best offer in the first place? You have no idea how realistic or unrealistic the seller is. The only way around this would be to contact the seller and ask how much they would accept and see if you can make a deal.
EBAY 'BEST OFFER' LISTINGS - NEED TO VENT
- Thread starter rivieraranch
- Start date
Make a deal.
Not too long ago, I found the same thing. I made an offer on a Tech razor. The seller declined the offer. He ended up selling the razor for less than what I offered. I ended up getting the razor NOV on Etsy for less than what I offered the seller on eBay.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I do seem to see these more and more often although offers can be invited by default and it can be confusing for some sellers to turn them off. I have refused fair offers myself, not because I was being unreasonable, but because I wanted to enjoy the fun of the auction and was willing to take a chance on losing some of the final selling price, or not making a sale at all.
Only reason I can see for doing this is the hope of starting a "bidding war" as in real estate.
Offer item "X" for less than you know it should sell for, "or best offer", hope for a bid, and maybe some offers, while waiting to see if the bids start escalating beyond what you were hoping to realize from the sale.
Offer item "X" for less than you know it should sell for, "or best offer", hope for a bid, and maybe some offers, while waiting to see if the bids start escalating beyond what you were hoping to realize from the sale.
This is the point I'd put in the minimum bid just to kill the best offer option on their auction.
I haven't put up a listing on eBay in a while, but I believe you have to opt for "best offer" when you first post the listing. I don't believe you can add that on later, so anyone who wants to wait before accepting offers just has to do it the way that seller did it. Basically, the guy wants to auction it but is willing to entertain an offer if there's no action after a few days. The only way to do that without getting crosswise with eBay (who abhors cancelled auctions and penalizes for them) is to do it the way he did it.
With regard to the "low starting price OBO" auctions, I've posted those when I wasn't all that sure about the value of what I was selling. Sometimes the offers give you an idea.
In any case, the reason why a seller accepts, declines, or entertains an offer is up to that seller. There's never an obligation to be realistic or reasonable. If you don't like the way a seller does business, make a note of that and move on.
I recently watched a BIN go below my 2 offers, then above, then below, then above again to finally settle way below my first offer. Wild ride.
As soon as an auction gets a bid, the best offer option goes away. So that won't work.
I'm pretty sure you can edit almost anything in an auction including enabling or disabling best offers anytime before there's a bid.
Which is why the selling strategy of combining a best offer with a lowball starting price is puzzling to me. Lowball starting bids attract bidders, so anything reasonably desirable and underpriced is likely to have bids several days into the auction and best offer is gone early. More obscure items are probably the kinds of things better sold as 30 day buy it now listings instead of auctions. That way you don't risk getting stuck selling a valuable item only a few people want for less than its worth.
I was not aware of that. Never sold on the Bay, and refuse to buy there these days.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
One time an item was listed as something like $80 or Best Offer. I made an offer of $70. The seller responded with an counteroffer of $95.
Pretty sure I tried to buy a Segal off the same seller. I couldn't figure out when the listing was posted to determine if it had been four days or not so I made an offer anyway and he gave me the same reply you got and never offered when four days actually was. I definitely share your frustration.
that kind of makes sense as starting bid type, not a BIN though.
- Thread starter
- #14
That seller was a JACKASS! Time wasting idiot.
2005 called ... it wants its online selling website back.
Is it just me, or is Ebay becoming less and less relevant? I haven't really been active there for years.
Is it just me, or is Ebay becoming less and less relevant? I haven't really been active there for years.
- Thread starter
- #16
Well I have begun bidding the low starting prices to knock out the option of make a [ridiculously high] offer [and then I'll think about it].
I currently have a vintage Boar strop on eBay. Listed it at a bidding starting point and a BIN, no best offer. It didn't sell. After ebay relisted it they offered or best offer, not me. I refused a low ball offer and had to set a minimum offer for the strop as not to be bothered with ridiculous offers. Point..? Maybe seller did not list a best offer option. Thanks.
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