Second Chance Offers...

soolin

I use second chance offers a lot and get a very good pick up rate from them, sometimes I can go several weeks without a no sale.

I use them as a way to reduce the fees I pay to ebay where I have a lot of the same item. I have something listed at the moment for instance and had no idea what it would fetch. So far I have 4 different bidders on it so when it finishes on Sunday I will sell one to the highest bidder (obviously) and then send second chance offers to all the underbidders.

Soo

FloFlo

No reason to think its suspicious if the seller has good feedback.

Contains_Mild_Peril

If the 2nd chance offer is made because of a non-paying winning bidder within a few days of the auction ending, I'd be a little suspicious and check the seller's history to make sure it wasn't a habit. When I send a 2nd chance offer, I use the "message to buyer" box to tell them whether I'm offering the original item or a duplicate item.
I recently sent a 2nd chance offer for something I "sold" on 30 Aug but didn't get paid for, so after waiting for payment, waiting for a response to payment reminder, filing an unpaid item dispute and waiting a week to close it on the grounds that the buyer did not respond, it was well over a fortnight later before I made the 2nd chance offer.

Hintza

As a seller I just use them for multiple items I have. As a buyer I would be sceptical of paying if it was just one other bidder pushing the price. Again it comes down to knowing your market and deciding whether another will be along shortly. The other warning bell is when you get the 2nd chance offer within a day or so of item finishing...NPB normally drag on for ages.

matto

A new one for me the other week that I didn't know you could do was that I received a second chance offer on an item that had not met its reserve (and I was the highest bidder).

Lawbag_2

you are being grumpy - second chance offers are good

Hintza

Lawbag wrote:

you are being grumpy - second chance offers are good

Not if you suspect seller has ramped price!

blue_monkey_2

I think it depends on what you are buying. I sell undies and quite clearly have items on Buy It Now and on Auction that are the same so if a seller gets an offer they can see it is because I have multiples of the items I am selling. However, it is also worth checking out the feedback rating and average prices something sells for on Buy It Now. I use them as it means I can clear more stock and get new stuff in and I have also started putting the make an offer options on my items as well. If I get offered a price that means I don't lose any money on the items worth after costs then I'll offer it on Buy It Now it as it means I can clear it and get more stock in that is newer and will have more appeal. I think it just needs some common sense. If a seller is selling just a couple of items then check out what the auction winner has bought before or has been bidding on as well in the past - you can even see where they live on their feedback rating and if you have reasons to be suspicious. if they have been bidding on nothing else then yes, be suspicious, if they have an active record then why be suspicious? If however the seller, like me, is running 400+ auctions and 1500 Shop items we really don't have time to be putting shill bids in for the sake a few pounds, we still have to pay the fees until we can claim them back and that takes a couple of weeks anyway. I think the key is to use common sense, a seller with a legit business like me probably buys in bulk and like me probably runs some items at a loss initially and hopes the bids come in and this gets people looking at the other items they have to sell as well, and like me, if they get a price on auction items at cost it is better to clear the stock to make way for new stuff.

Moglex

If it's a seller who has a stock of identical items they will often offer 'second' chance deals to bidders who bid over the minimum they are prepared to accept.

Once you realise this you can use it to your advantage if you are not in a hurry.

I've save a lot with this method.

DrFluffy

I waited for a relist and just won the item for a fraction of the 'Second Chance' price it was offered to me at.