Ebay "Or Best Offer" - what's the point?

Hezzawithkids

A few times now I have tried to buy on Ebay from sellers with BIN or "Best Offer" listings. In true MSE-haggling style I have made offers starting at 50-75% of asking price, only to be rejected immediately. My next offer will be at 80-90% of asking price, which is usually also rejected straight away. You only get 3 goes at this so that's when I usually stop. My OH has tried the same and finds that his "best offer" is only accepted if it is within 95%+ of asking price, which for some items is less than £1 difference!!

What is the point of using "Or Best Offer" when the difference is so risible?? :mad:

emby

I had the same thought. There was an item I wanted on for 9.99, i offered 6.99, the seller came back with a 9.50 counter offer :eek:

Wilma123

Same here. I offered £160 for a £200 item, which i tohught was quite reasonable, only for it to be counter offered with £190 :eek:

I had assumed they'd set the BIN a little higher to account for lower offers, that's what i did when i had a Best Offer listing. Then the buyer thinks they're getting a bargain :A

OwtForNowt

I recently had Something on for £330 or Best offer.

Some guy bid £150, so I told him where to go.

Then someone bid £300 so i countered with £315 and that's what he accepted.

I put it on BIN or Best offer because I wanted to walk away with roughly £300 after fees and (at least when I have purchased via best offer) it gives the buyer some happiness knowing they have bartered a bit.

fridayschild_2

I put in a best offer of £10 yesterday for a £14.99 item and they accepted it straight away. I was rather surprised because I was expecting to haggle a bit (not that I'm complaining, you understand) it was a brand new item and I certainly can't get it anywhere else for that price. Plus it was only £2 for p&p which was extremely reasonable for the weight of the item.

I feel quite chuffed.

Hezzawithkids

The other annoying thing I've found that - in my experience - sellers are automatically rejecting offers below a certain level so they dont get to see any notes the buyer includes, so there's no real haggling going on. I usually say something "Happy to buy today at this price" but it gets ignored so you dont even get to have a dialogue with the seller :mad:

DGJsaver

thing is , if its a business seller then you will find the actual best offer price they will accept is going to be fairly close to the actual buy it now price , the BIN price is most cases an optimistic selling scenario for the seller , where as if they draw in potential buyers who are attracted by best offer options no auctions htne they raise the chances of more sales , at an acceptable , to them rate , and the buyer more times than not thinks they got a `bargain`

soolin

Hezzawithkids wrote: »

The other annoying thing I've found that - in my experience - sellers are automatically rejecting offers below a certain level so they dont get to see any notes the buyer includes, so there's no real haggling going on. I usually say something "Happy to buy today at this price" but it gets ignored so you dont even get to have a dialogue with the seller :mad:

I set my automatic refusal limit at a level that I refuse to sell below. So for me there is no point in having a dialogue with a buyer if they are making silly offers.

TurkishDelight

Hezzawithkids wrote: »

The other annoying thing I've found that - in my experience - sellers are automatically rejecting offers below a certain level so they dont get to see any notes the buyer includes, so there's no real haggling going on. I usually say something "Happy to buy today at this price" but it gets ignored so you dont even get to have a dialogue with the seller :mad:

I would assume that by putting in a offer you were happy to buy, surely that's taken as read, and doesn't need to be messaged about anyway.

Our best offer settings are variable. If we're having a good month, then to be honest we neither need or want the best offer function, but we'll take 50p off or so.
If we're having a bad month then we might set the auto reject a little lower, but it does amuse me when you've sold hundreds of the item for £11 and someone thinks it's appropriate to offer £3.

That's why we don't have everything come though- it's too much hassle, and we've been known to block the ones who make stupid offers, as we know they'll feel resentful if they end up paying full price.

The ones who think they are doing you a favour are hillarious as well, had one who said "I'll take them off your hands cos you'll never sell them at that price".
Just pointed him to the bit that said we'd already sold 20, and the completed listings that had sold out

soolin

TurkishDelight wrote: »

I w


The ones who think they are doing you a favour are hillarious as well, had one who said "I'll take them off your hands cos you'll never sell them at that price".
Just pointed him to the bit that said we'd already sold 20, and the completed listings that had sold out

I htought I was the only one who got buyers like that :money:

As well as that I've had them continually put in silly offers then when they can't do any more offers complain to me that they feel cheated.Oh and I've blocked those that think 10% of the asking price is a suitable best offer, I really don't have the time for them. Oh and th einfamous ones who faff about with long winded messages explaining why they think £8 is a more than fair offer on a £20 item, then moan and whinge and threaten to report me to ebay when I sell out before they can re offer.

hermum

I had something on £2,000 BIN or Best offer & I had some prat offer £200, when I ignored him he messaged me & said that he would take it off my hands, at £200, cos it's a buyers market, would I finally respond. I did, saying that I was treating the offer with the contempt it deserved.