eBay best offers.....

[dethomas07]

Okay, my gripe......

I reviewed completed auctions for a players autos. I find a good "average" amount and I submit offers on three items using this information. The BIN on each was significantly higher than my offer and prior sales.

So far, two have been declined with no counteroffer. When I made the offers, I left a comment about prior sales values and everything. I know it is the sellers prerogative to sell the card for what he wants but I just don't understand at least making a counteroffer.

Thanks,
David

 

[Exposfan]

For me, nothing irritates me more than a buyer telling me what the last few cards have sold for. You are correct in saying it is the sellers card and they can price it how they want so, all you can do is make a fair offer. I have tried myself to do a better job of making counter-offers on all items as a seller, even on a offer that I think is way below my selling price.

But if I paid x amount for something, it doesn't matter at all to me what the last few have sold for on Ebay, my price will be higher.

Yes, also some people just aren't looking to sell.

 

[matchpenalty]

No one cares what seller has into a card. It's all about current market value. Ebay is for most part a bargin/ garage sale. For most part Ebay buyers don't pay more than market price. Unless it's a hot/hype behind something, then sheep come calling. Otherwise sellers turning down fair market offers, only end up holding card for longer and waiting. Only to sell for less. More cards go down in value over time than up. So their loss.

 

[Gonzaleznut]

+1

No one cares what seller has into a card. It's all about current market value. Ebay is for most part a bargin/ garage sale. For most part Ebay buyers don't pay more than market price. Unless it's a hot/hype behind something, then sheep come calling. Otherwise sellers turning down fair market offers, only end up holding card for longer and waiting. Only to sell for less. More cards go down in value over time than up. So their loss.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

We should just have a rolling best offer gripe thread.

A lot of eBay sellers suck. They price their cards too high and won't respond with counteroffers. As was pointed out earlier, they (we) are fishing for a sucker to come along and hit the BIN or provide a higher offer than what we would accept.

I don't like it, but that's the way the game is played now.

 

[pigskincardboard]

Stop complaining.

If you tell me how much my card's worth, I won't sell it to you. Here's the thing about eBay: The Seller gets to list a price! Just because it's on eBay doesn't mean he has to sell it for the price of the last completed auction.

People only get pissed off when they can't take their business elsewhere, which means market value isn't actually market value. If you're not happy with someone's price, just go ahead and buy the same card off someone else for that price.

Now that you're also bidding on this item in auctions, believe it or not, the price will go up! I don't understand how someone can look at a card that's not readily available and get pissy when the seller doesn't sell to them.

 

[jkeys]

Okay, my gripe......

I reviewed completed auctions for a players autos. I find a good "average" amount and I submit offers on three items using this information. The BIN on each was significantly higher than my offer and prior sales.

So far, two have been declined with no counteroffer. When I made the offers, I left a comment about prior sales values and everything. I know it is the sellers prerogative to sell the card for what he wants but I just don't understand at least making a counteroffer.

Thanks,
David

I think alot of good ebay buyers are being "punished" by the bad ones.

For example, all the no-pays and slow pays make sellers hesitant to list even mid-level cards in a traditional auction format. They like the BIN/BO format so that they have more control over who is buying their cards (ie, good feedback and track record and very likely to actually pay - and not return or ask for partial refunds - on a card). However, with this also comes higher fees. On average about 3% more I think plus additional listing fees. To make up for that sellers want a little more. Or, as others noted, they hold and *hope* that someone is willing to overpay.

Caught up in the fray is the average e-bayer. There is definately a move towards more BIN/BO and less standard auction formats, and the steals/deals of the past will kind of dry up with it.

- jason

 

[dethomas07]

I'm not getting pissed off. I would just like to exercise the art of negotiations.

They post a BIN (moderately higher than going rate) with a Best Offer option.

I submit offer based on eBay-researched value.

They counteroffer stating $xx is the lowest I can go on this.

I can then....a) accept the counteroffer or b) not accept it.

So many people nowadays have lost the ability to barter and come to a compromise that is actually beneficial to both sides. Several people in this hobby are polarized to the point that they are right and that is the end of the discussion.

I am in no way TELLING the seller what HIS card is worth. I explained, along with the offer I presented, that SIMILAR cards were selling in the dollar range that I offered.

David

 

[pigskincardboard]

I'm not getting pissed off. I would just like to exercise the art of negotiations.

They post a BIN (moderately higher than going rate) with a Best Offer option.

I submit offer based on eBay-researched value.

They counteroffer stating $xx is the lowest I can go on this.

I can then....a) accept the counteroffer or b) not accept it.

So many people nowadays have lost the ability to barter and come to a compromise that is actually beneficial to both sides. Several people in this hobby are polarized to the point that they are right and that is the end of the discussion.

I am in no way TELLING the seller what HIS card is worth. I explained, along with the offer I presented, that SIMILAR cards were selling in the dollar range that I offered.

David

I list a card with best offer. If someone wants to offer 5% off my asking price, I'll probably accept it. Other than that, I'm not doing it.

Someone offers me a price that's below the number and rather than waste a bunch of time, I decline the offer.

The buyer has 2 offers left, if he wants to make an offer of 5% off, I'll accept it. Otherwise, I'll just decline it.

Oh wait, that's what the auto-decline button does.

I do not want to go back and forth over 5 dollars. If the buyer wants the card, there's a price attached to it. If you don't like that price, don't make offers. It's not like you're going to convince me that I've massively over-priced my card. If I want to lower the price, I'll do exactly that.

When it comes to cards, the buyers are so stuck on getting a deal and not overpaying, it's silly. When i want something, I buy it. I don't care if I overpay by 5 bucks or by 100 bucks. I'm not going to get pissy about paying market value because I want it. If I wanted to wait for the next one to pop up at auction, then that's what I'd do.

The seller owes you absolutely nothing, it's his card. By ignoring your offers, he is negotiating with you. He's sending you a strong signal that you're nowhere close to what he'd like to get. Negotiating doesn't mean that you get to save money.

People seem to think that "negotiating" is synonymous with "meeting in the middle" or "compromising" but it's not.

 

[hofmichael]

For me, nothing irritates me more than a buyer telling me what the last few cards have sold for. You are correct in saying it is the sellers card and they can price it how they want so, all you can do is make a fair offer. I have tried myself to do a better job of making counter-offers on all items as a seller, even on a offer that I think is way below my selling price.

But if I paid x amount for something, it doesn't matter at all to me what the last few have sold for on Ebay, my price will be higher.

Yes, also some people just aren't looking to sell.

I couldn't agree more.I am in no rush to sell anything so I am content to wait for a price that I am comfortable with.
Mike

 

[All The Hype]

Sometimes I'll list stuff with the intention of not selling unless I get an offer above what some of the recent sales have been. Usually I'll do this when a player is starting to get hot, but keep in mind that completed listings go back two weeks and that's a long time when dealing with volatile cards. If I don't get an offer I want, I'll just hold it. That's my right as a seller.

But I usually counter any reasonable offer with my 'lowest price' so people aren't left wondering why I wouldn't accept a fair offer.

Lastly, I also hate when a buyer tells me what a card is worth. It's not for them to decide. Additionally, if I am listing a card, there's about a 98% chance that I already know either what it's worth or how much I want to get for it. I don't need other people giving me a rundown on completed listings because I am more than capable of seeing for myself, and likely already have.

 

[dethomas07]

From responses, it seems that I may not have followed eBay "protocol" on these offers. I had never used a Best Offer option before so I will use this as a learning experience.

Thank you all for the points that were brought up and helping me see it from the sellers perspective since I've never sold on eBay.

David

 

[All The Hype]

From responses, it seems that I may not have followed eBay "protocol" on these offers. I had never used a Best Offer option before so I will use this as a learning experience.

Thank you all for the points that were brought up and helping me see it from the sellers perspective since I've never sold on eBay.

David

You did nothing wrong, some sellers are just looking for more than current market price for their cards. The only thing I wouldn't have done was tell the seller what the last ones sold for. For whatever reason, I just think it's a little irritating as a seller.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

From responses, it seems that I may not have followed eBay "protocol" on these offers. I had never used a Best Offer option before so I will use this as a learning experience.

Thank you all for the points that were brought up and helping me see it from the sellers perspective since I've never sold on eBay.

David

You did nothing wrong, some sellers are just looking for more than current market price for their cards. The only thing I wouldn't have done was tell the seller what the last ones sold for. For whatever reason, I just think it's a little irritating as a seller.

And it's irritating as a buyer to see the card consistently fire off at a price, and get a response with 4x the market price from the seller. While I understand the seller has the right to sell his card, providing sales information is part of negotiation.

 

[BowmanChromeAddict]

As a seller listing cards with BIN w/BO and having them relist themselves automatically in 30 days is really really easy. As a result of that ease, its not hard to list cards now that you're aren't interested in moving at today's prices, but think conditions could change sometime soon and your price should be more in line with the market value at a later date. As a buyer I hate that, but as a seller I do the same thing. I try not to moan about sellers that do it because I do it too. It's just the nature of the beast now. Sure, it bugs me when sellers are unreasonable, I try not to be THAT guy. For example: Sebastian Valle Blue Refractors sell for less than $4...a seller has some up for BIN w/ BO at $25. I offer $4 and the guy counteroffers $20...that's just annoying as a buyer, if I were the seller I'd sooner make no counter than countering something that a buyer might consider offensive. Different strokes for different folks. The volatility of our market is such that everyone is trying to maximize their money and nobody wants to be the guy that sold at the dirt cheap price.

 

[KandKCards]

I never make counteroffers because I would say at least 90% of the time they just expire without a response. I do, however, decline the offer and add a note saying what I would take for it.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

As a seller listing cards with BIN w/BO and having them relist themselves automatically in 30 days is really really easy. As a result of that ease, its not hard to list cards now that you're aren't interested in moving at today's prices, but think conditions could change sometime soon and your price should be more in line with the market value at a later date. As a buyer I hate that, but as a seller I do the same thing. I try not to moan about sellers that do it because I do it too. It's just the nature of the beast now. Sure, it bugs me when sellers are unreasonable, I try not to be THAT guy. For example: Sebastian Valle Blue Refractors sell for less than $4...a seller has some up for BIN w/ BO at $25. I offer $4 and the guy counteroffers $20...that's just annoying as a buyer, if I were the seller I'd sooner make no counter than countering something that a buyer might consider offensive. Different strokes for different folks. The volatility of our market is such that everyone is trying to maximize their money and nobody wants to be the guy that sold at the dirt cheap price.

I offer $4.01 when that happens. Proves my point. Usually pisses the seller off. So be it.

 

[dethomas07]

I never make counteroffers because I would say at least 90% of the time they just expire without a response. I do, however, decline the offer and add a note saying what I would take for it.

See, from my standpoint, this makes absolute sense.

I work in a business environment so I KNOW that people need to make money in order to continue operations. But I also know that buyers don't want to get victimized.

Replying with "I have to have $xx for it" makes sense to me as a buyer but, as I've stated, I've never been on the seller's side.

This is turning out to be a very enlightening thread for me.

Thanks,
David

 

[matchpenalty]

A lot sellers just overvalue their crap and don't want to look at current market prices that are in the toilet. So if they want to just keep paying ebay fees that is fine, hoping for a sucker to come along. Most of the real dumb ebay bidding goes on in regular auctions anyways. Where two bidders get into a war. Always better to set the market than keep trying to chase the market. You almost always lose money and time trying to chase the market. Ebay is smart now where they have auctions only choice. Where bidders don't have to look at sellers and pipe dream prices. So if a seller just wants a jacked up price bin/bo they are losing viewers.
I do both, when I sell I look at past auctions and make sure I start under what previous ones went for. Or just start at 99 cents. Market is what it is. When I list stuff I want to sell, not just keep relisting. I'd rather have paypal in hand to shop with. While prices sell for or less, I know money can be used to find good deals. SO it's a trade off.

 

[jkeys]

As a seller listing cards with BIN w/BO and having them relist themselves automatically in 30 days is really really easy. As a result of that ease, its not hard to list cards now that you're aren't interested in moving at today's prices, but think conditions could change sometime soon and your price should be more in line with the market value at a later date. As a buyer I hate that, but as a seller I do the same thing. I try not to moan about sellers that do it because I do it too. It's just the nature of the beast now. Sure, it bugs me when sellers are unreasonable, I try not to be THAT guy. For example: Sebastian Valle Blue Refractors sell for less than $4...a seller has some up for BIN w/ BO at $25. I offer $4 and the guy counteroffers $20...that's just annoying as a buyer, if I were the seller I'd sooner make no counter than countering something that a buyer might consider offensive. Different strokes for different folks. The volatility of our market is such that everyone is trying to maximize their money and nobody wants to be the guy that sold at the dirt cheap price.

I offer $4.01 when that happens. Proves my point. Usually pisses the seller off. So be it.

I've had two different ebay sellers "ban" me from bidding due to my "ridiculous" offers, which really are market offers IMO on semi-rare items based on recent sales. I did the incremental bids up and now am banned. F. LOL.