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