Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

[godwulf]

Re: Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

I did once let a Seller know that his quoted shipping rate was just a tad bit out of line.

He was selling a $20-25 bat, and his listing stated that the shipping would be something like $80. After checking to make sure that the item location wasn't the Moon, I sent him a polite message pointing out his error, and he thanked me, said it was some kind of screwup with the postage calculator, and dropped it to 15.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

You know what really GRINDS MY GEARS?

Sounds like someone is a fan of Family Guy.

Dave Miedema

[earlywynnfan]

Re: Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

You know what really GRINDS MY GREARS? When i make a fair offer to a seller and they reply "no" with no counter or communication, i clearly want the item but not at the price listed, common sense would think they would at least counter?

Perhaps they don't consider it a fair offer. How do they know you clearly want the item?

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[yankees506]

Re: Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

You know what really GRINDS MY GREARS? When i make a fair offer to a seller and they reply "no" with no counter or communication, i clearly want the item but not at the price listed, common sense would think they would at least counter?

[godwulf]

Re: Pet Peeve from Potential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

I've made a few Best Offer bids lately, but nothing really outrageously lowball, I don't think.

There's a bat on eBay that I've been watching for awhile - it's been relisted numerous times, and the seller is a well-known online catalog seller, as well. He's asking $60, and I think I offered $48, 'cause I happen to think 60 is a little steep for this particular bat, and he politely declined my offer. Okay, no feelings hurt on either end.

A local seller began disposing of some nice big signs that they took out of Chase Field when the team changed its colors a few years back, and I bought one, and the seller even let me pick it up so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping and he wouldn't have to hassle with wrapping and mailing it. He's still got a few signs on eBay, and I thought I might pick up another one for my sister; it's been relisted probably dozens of times, at this point, so I figured he might go $75, even though he's asking $90. What I got back was a curt, "Our items are priced according to condition", or something like that. Not such a positive vibe from that guy.

[xpress34]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

Chris,

Is there a way to include a note when making an offer OR you do it separately using the "ask a question" feature. I have done it separately but doing it together would be convenient.

Joel -

When you go to make an Offer on eBay using the Best Offer button, there is a text box that you can use to lay out the terms of your offer (i.e. offer includes s/h, etc)

The ask a question thing is a pain in the @$$!

- Chris

[joelsabi]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

It depends on the item and such and I always include a note explaining my offer.

All the best -

Chris

Chris,

Is there a way to include a note when making an offer OR you do it separately using the "ask a question" feature. I have done it separately but doing it together would be convenient.

[Dach0sen0ne]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

A bunch of sellers have a delusional idea what they "think" their items are worth. Those are the items you see re-listed OVER AND OVER AND OVER. I hate making offers because I never want to insult anyone. Also, some sellers ask for way more then its worth because maybe somebody will actually buy it. I guess you never know.

[xpress34]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

Hello Chris, I am just going off of what you typed. But you said you dont offer the seller less than 50%. But offering 50% is just as insulting. Some may accept it, but it is defintiely borderline.
Think for a second, im selling a $100 item and you make me an offer for half?????
Chances are because it is ebay most items are usually marked lower than norm already because of course everyone knows that buyers come to ebay to get a deal.
So for example lets say the guy is into Item A for $75 lists it for $100 to make a small profit. And you turn around and offer him $50. I am sure he is not going to be so open and willing to your offer.

But I guess also its all about how you present the offer. Because if someone came to me and said $50 is all they could afford because they don't have a lot of money and really wanted the item because it's from there favorite player. I might feel bad and let it go for $50

Suave -

I understand where you are coming from, but I'm an old school haggler/barterer... the general rule for me is start at a point where I would buy for certain but not so insulting (25% or 30% of BIN) as to piss off the seller. Generally, they will meet you halfway and then you just fine tune the deal (fees/shipping, etc)

My issue is guys that have BIN and BO. You offer BO and they respond with a counter just a dollar less than their BIN or a note saying they won't take less than the BIN... what the F was the point in putting in a BO option then? Just to see what offers they would get?

When I list, I have a realistic price that I would take without question and that is my AUTO accept BO minimum. If you send me an offer for that amount or more, the system auto accepts your offer and we have a deal. My BIN is a price I would LIKE to get - and sometimes you do. My AUTO reject BO is a price I won't even take the time to respond to the offer, so the system tells them no immediately. In between is an area where I will respond, but I need to think over the offer and it gives me 48 hours to respond or it auto rejects.

As far as what I offer, as I said my rule of thumb is I never go lower tahn 50% of the BIN. Some items is 75%. It depends on the item and such and I always include a note explaining my offer.

All the best -

Chris

[suave1477]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

Sorry guys not everything you buy is going to be worth what you paid for it. Chances are whatever made you buy the item back when you probably did was the same reasons others would have also. So if your willing to sell it chances are you lost the reason for wanting it and so did others...

More people need to take the fast nickel over the slow dime approach when selling. Because the chances of most items you buying holding value or gaining value is slim to none.

Berger I loved this comment because it is so dead on accurate and true if that is the case, but that is not always the case because for the most part of the items I sell usually ride right under market value of whats they go for.
For example if everyone is selling (present time) a particular players bat for around $125. I will sell mine for $100.
So in my eyes you are getting a deal because you go anywhere else your paying the extra $25. But I till get the occasional email "Hey list it for $30 and ill buy"
oh well

[suave1477]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

.

My rule of thumb when BUYING is thatif there is a BIN and a BO, I usually don't offer less than 50% of the BIN as I consider it distasteful and insulting to the seller. Then, if they send a counter-offer, we can barter and hopefiully find a price.

My PET PEEVE when buying is say it's a $100 BIN. I start with a $50 offer and I get a counter offer of $99. No attempt to even try to meet me on a price. I never respond back to those counter offers.

Many times, I watch the item cycle for months and eventually sell for LESS than my original offer!

Ci La Vie!

- Chris

Hello Chris, I am just going off of what you typed. But you said you dont offer the seller less than 50%. But offering 50% is just as insulting. Some may accept it, but it is defintiely borderline.
Think for a second, im selling a $100 item and you make me an offer for half?????
Chances are because it is ebay most items are usually marked lower than norm already because of course everyone knows that buyers come to ebay to get a deal.
So for example lets say the guy is into Item A for $75 lists it for $100 to make a small profit. And you turn around and offer him $50. I am sure he is not going to be so open and willing to your offer.

But I guess also its all about how you present the offer. Because if someone came to me and said $50 is all they could afford because they don't have a lot of money and really wanted the item because it's from there favorite player. I might feel bad and let it go for $50

[suave1477]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

As both a buyer and seller, I figure the BO option gives me a chance to offer whatever the max is that I'd pay. I make it reasonable but I don't worry too much if it's on the low side because it's easy for the seller to decline or ignore my offer.

If there is no BO option on the listing, then I let the seller see if he can get his price, and if the auction runs its course without any bids, I figure that's a clear indication his asking price was too high, so maybe my offer is taken more seriously. I often email sellers after their listings have ended with no bids when I'm interested in an item.

As a seller, when I'm working with a buyer, I like to take it outside ebay and request payment by check or MO. I figure that way the ebay and PayPal fees go into the discounted price we're negotiating. I would not negotiate a lower price and then throw it back on ebay. If I'm going to work with someone on price, they need to work with me to minimize/eliminate the fees.

Mark I wish that was true as I mentioned before a (particular customer) haggled with me on price asked me to relist it several times and then bought it at about the 4th time I listed it.

[suave1477]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

I get plenty of those emails. I usually reply No Thanks, or I don't reply to the really ridiculous ones. Here is a recent email I received:

$109 FOR THIS ITEM IS A LITTLE OFF I THINK,BUT CALL ME AT ****** WHEN THE LISTING IS OVER IF YOU WILL TAKE $65.00 FOR IT,INCLUDING SHIPPING.THANKS,******

I was 109 shipped when Steiner sells the same item for 299 plus shipping. Needless to say, someone else paid the 109 shortly after this email.

-Chris

Bulbus I get this same type of email at least twice a week regarding items I sell.

[BergerKing22784]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

Everyone loves a great price! I am one of those guys! Well we all do. I just tend to realise the future value of most of the items I send best offers to wont be as high in the future.

Other than top of the line HOFers or those random rare items back before the collecting boom I feel like in due time almost everything sports related will go down in value.

All my baseball cards are now worthless when if I sold roughly around the time I got them I might have got my money back or close to it..

All my starting lineup figures that I bought for $7 to $30 bucks each I cant even get 10% of that.. I have a bunch of McFarlane figures who I paid 10 to 12 bucks for that I always see selling on ebay for $2 bucks..

Autographs I have tons of them and now all the time and effort I put in them I realise I can just go on ebay and buy signed photos of guys that if I were to have bought the photo unsigned back when I collected I can get it for 4 times less than an unsigned photo...

Game used I almost feel its the same way....

I collect Andruw Jones game used items and when I first started collecting him I paid $180ish for a bat... His career has been on the downfall in recent years but now I keep picking up his bats for $60 to $85 each as people do no reserver straight auction. Yet I still see people on ebay or via emails wanting $150-300 for them and they never sell. I send them emails or offers for the price range they are selling for and they think im insane..

Sorry guys not everything you buy is going to be worth what you paid for it. Chances are whatever made you buy the item back when you probably did was the same reasons others would have also. So if your willing to sell it chances are you lost the reason for wanting it and so did others...

More people need to take the fast nickel over the slow dime approach when selling. Because the chances of most items you buying holding value or gaining value is slim to none.

[jobathenut]

Re: Pet Peeve from otential buyers on Ebay. Your thoughts?

XPRESS-You story reminded me of one of mine before i stopped selling on there.I had a item that had a $300 buy it now.And the buyer offered a best offer price of $299.And to be a jackass i countered it with $299.50.And never heard from them again.I mean why you offer $299.Just to save $1.So i assummed they were being a jack so i was one back to them.I hate not being able to sell on there.But certainly don't miss that part of it.

I've been on both sides of this as a buyer and a seller.

My rule of thumb when SELLING is that I only do BIN auctions but I always have BO option.

I also set my 'limits' on the offers so it auto rejects lowball offers, auto accepts offers at or above what I would accept and sends me a note for 'middle of the road' offers that I might consider.

My rule of thumb when BUYING is thatif there is a BIN and a BO, I usually don't offer less than 50% of the BIN as I consider it distasteful and insulting to the seller. Then, if they send a counter-offer, we can barter and hopefiully find a price.

My PET PEEVE when buying is say it's a $100 BIN. I start with a $50 offer and I get a counter offer of $99. No attempt to even try to meet me on a price. I never respond back to those counter offers.

Many times, I watch the item cycle for months and eventually sell for LESS than my original offer!

Ci La Vie!

- Chris