tire kickers

[ferro39]

You know, I probably am one of those buyers you guys are talking about. For items that I think are listed for a BIN that I believe is way too high, I start low. I expect that sellers will make a counteroffer and see where we're at with prices. Sometimes I get no response, because a seller is too busy feeling insulted to come back with a higher price that I might accept. My thought is I'm negotiating and am definitely willing to up my offer.

Some people put stuff up for BIN/BO when they are just looking to get rid of something. I've struck gold with a couple of best offers, so I figure what's wrong with trying. You never know what's in a seller or buyer's mind. I once got an old all-star commemorative jacket for a great price because the seller was just looking to get rid of it after all these years. It's too huge to wear, so I just have it displaying on a wall.

I'll give a good example. I offered $150 on a $500 BIN, because I thought the starting price was ridiculous. I really did want the item, so I emailed the seller asking what he wanted for the item. If the seller would have counteroffered, I would have raised my price considerably. He wanted $350. A couple months later, I offered $200, and we worked out a deal for $250. In the end, I raised my initial price by $100.

I tried buying another item from the same seller for $25, when the BIN was $100. Had the seller counteroffered, I would have again raised my price. However, I didn't want the item nearly as much, so I didn't take the initiative to send him a message. The end result is that he let my offer expire. This person missed out on a potential sale because he wasn't willing to use the counteroffer feature.

So don't assume that every buyer is trying to get something for nothing. I don't think most would start off with their highest offer, unless someone is absolutely dying to have an item. It goes both ways. I don't sell practically at all on eBay, but I could start a thread about how I find sellers to be annoying with BIN/BO auctions. However, I don't, because I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about these types of auctions.

-Frik

running off of that, i always try to open up some kind of dialogue with people who make offers on my BINs and id say that around 90% of the time, they dont even have the common courtesy to respond. sometimes i counter, sometimes i send them a message, and sometimes i counter along with a message. very rarely do people even respond and that really p1sses me off to no end.

what irks me the most (and i might have mentioned it on the board recently) is when i send a counter offer and the buyers dont even have the common courtesy to decline. if i can counter, what does it take for someone to click the reject button?

business practices like that have also kind of left me jaded, so lately i dont even counter all the time. i figure that if someone is seriously interested in anything other than d1cking around that they will make another offer. what you're saying is that sometimes they dont. so i guess we continue to go around in circles

ive had 1 fool kicking the tire on one of my ebay jerseys since april!!! at that time, he emailed me asking if i would do it for a set price, i agreed, and then i never heard from him again. this was after he asked for details about the jersey and photos that were all linked in the item description.

at one point, i mentioned the signature on it and he responded in disbelief that it was autographed--it was only mentioned in the opening line of the auction.

he then emailed me a couple of months ago again asking what my bottom price was. when i told him that i was fine with his initial offer, he said that i would take it if i gave him a great deal for it. i told him i would knock $50 off if he saved me the ebay fees. after a few more emails involving asinine questions (he once again asked for pictures!!!!!!), he tells me that he only does transactions through ebay and wants to get my best "ebay" price. back to square one

i was reluctant to sell him to sod off because i thought he might have been a little bit slow, but i looked at his feeback and the guy deals high ticket items.

the next time he emails me, i might not be so nice. we're going on 3 months now!!

[BostonSportsFan]

running off of that, i always try to open up some kind of dialogue with people who make offers on my BINs and id say that around 90% of the time, they dont even have the common courtesy to respond. sometimes i counter, sometimes i send them a message, and sometimes i counter along with a message. very rarely do people even respond and that really p1sses me off to no end.

what irks me the most (and i might have mentioned it on the board recently) is when i send a counter offer and the buyers dont even have the common courtesy to decline. if i can counter, what does it take for someone to click the reject button?

business practices like that have also kind of left me jaded, so lately i dont even counter all the time. i figure that if someone is seriously interested in anything other than d1cking around that they will make another offer. what you're saying is that sometimes they dont. so i guess we continue to go around in circles

ive had 1 fool kicking the tire on one of my ebay jerseys since april!!! at that time, he emailed me asking if i would do it for a set price, i agreed, and then i never heard from him again. this was after he asked for details about the jersey and photos that were all linked in the item description.

at one point, i mentioned the signature on it and he responded in disbelief that it was autographed--it was only mentioned in the opening line of the auction.

he then emailed me a couple of months ago again asking what my bottom price was. when i told him that i was fine with his initial offer, he said that i would take it if i gave him a great deal for it. i told him i would knock $50 off if he saved me the ebay fees. after a few more emails involving asinine questions (he once again asked for pictures!!!!!!), he tells me that he only does transactions through ebay and wants to get my best "ebay" price. back to square one

i was reluctant to sell him to sod off because i thought he might have been a little bit slow, but i looked at his feeback and the guy deals high ticket items.

the next time he emails me, i might not be so nice. we're going on 3 months now!!

I am not sure what everyone else is selling, but when I do sell on ebay very rarely, I do try to sell some measure of higher end game used which is rare but on occassion I do this.

I will be honest, I really, really get annoyed when I have a BIN or BO and lets say I have a BIN price of $5000 and kid you not, I get BO of $500 - $800.00. I am not even going to waste my time countering on that ridiculous offer. It is one thing to put in a reasonable offer up front that is negotiable but if you are stupid enough to think anyone is going to accept a price at 15 - 20% of your BIN you probably should not be left out of your cage. Again, I don't know everyone else's selling practices, however I price my items even at BIN competitively with all other items of that type which have sold via major auction and or ebay over the past 12 - 18 months. I know some sellers way overprice items, I do not. My items are all premium highly graded and authenticated and quite frankly it is ridiculous to me that you as a buyer do not understand the market that you would insult a seller with offers like that.

I find that probably about 50% of the time, I actually get very competitive offers on premium items and often I am able to work something out when we are not far apart.

It really is as simple as you cannot account for stupidity and some people are either misinformed, trying to be funny, or just as mentioned kicking the tires and wasting their time and yours.

Joe

[frikativ54]

My own "favorite": placing an item for sale on C2C, making mention (as I normally do) to have no means of sending pictures (I do not have a camera), and getting replies asking me "can you send pictures?" If I could post them, I would.

If not seeing pictures in advance is a deal-breaker, then that's OK. I wouldn't
make specific mention of not being able to send pics in the description if I could send some...HELLO?

One guy a few years ago asked me for pics three times, apparently expecting that my answer would be different the third time than it was the first or second time.

Again, if a buyer wants pictures before buying, and I am unable to provide nthem, no harm done...if that's their motus operandi, they're entitled to buy in the most comfortable way they choose. But, please...DON't ask for pictures when the last couple of lines in my post say that I am unable to send them!

Dave Miedema

While I definitely see what you're saying, cheap digital cameras can be bought for under $40. I've found there to be an expectation that everyone can provide pictures - or knows someone who will take them for him. Plus, some only skim the Classifieds section. So I am not surprised that someone asked three times for you to provide pictures. He probably thought that you could just have someone in your family or a good friend snap a few photos for you, if he asked another time.

-Frik

[otismalibu]

While I definitely see what you're saying, cheap digital cameras can be bought for under $40.

I remember when half the eBay auctions didn't include pics. Gotta have pics if you want to get a decent price. Especially if you're selling signed items, when players often have multiple versions of their signature.

[R.Mansfield]

For those who are insulted by “low ball offers”, I have to ask why you accept are using the best offer feature on eBay? Just let the auction run its course or set a buy-it-now price?

I recently was watching a bat on eBay that started out with a $3400 or best offer price. This bat was way overpriced, but it was a bat that I wanted it with not too many on the market so I offered $1000 for it.

Well this offer set the seller off; we went back and forth a few times, personal attacks, vulgar language… Anyway I did not buy the bat, but kept an eye on it. Slowly over a period of 6-8 weeks the bat went to a buy-it-now price of $ 2800, $2400, $1800, $1600, $1400, and then back up to $1600 with a best offer option.

I ended up making a deal with the seller, using my wife’s eBay account and bought the bat for $1150. I would have been willing to buy the bat for more than my first offer of $1000, and I would have paid more than $1150, but by being patient I feel I got the bat for a good, fair price. Mike Specht was kind enough to complete a record check through his certification service and I am very happy with it.

For all of the tire kickers out there, there are just as many crazy sellers who are way out of touch with the market.

Just take a look at this thread, where I am considered a low-baller, by the same person who started this current thread.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=22050&page=2&highlight=ruben+sier ra+bat

I remember at the time, Sierra bats were going for the price I offered. With the market now, I am glad he didn’t accept my price!

Russell Mansfield
batdna@sbcglobal.net