What is your Best Price? Question

188 Posts

Hi folks,
As per the title of the thread, really. This refers to BIN listings.
In the past I've sent across a reasonable answer back, eg. if my item is £25 I will say, I'll deal for £20. expecting some kind of counter in the £14-18 region. invariably they have come back with something a long way apart, expecting way more than a 50-60% discount and this has gone on for 2 or 3 messages; I figure people like this are not serious, and generally just move on. It's not a question of item price or condition - always price items reasonably and appropriately and only sell things that are in very good saleable condition, that I would be more than happy to buy myself.
This pattern kept repeating itself, so I changed my reply to a couple of variations:
1) just repeat the price that I stated in the listing,
2) point out I'm not really sure I can negotiate with myself, and ask them to buy or make an offer via the listing page.
Still haven't got any serious replies using the above approach either.
I'm asking now as I have had this question (on separate items, from separate buyers) about 6 times in the past 3 weeks.. so was intrigued to know if other ebay sellers get this question at all, and how do you approach it? is everybody who asks this question just a timewaster?
As per the title of the thread, really. This refers to BIN listings.
In the past I've sent across a reasonable answer back, eg. if my item is £25 I will say, I'll deal for £20. expecting some kind of counter in the £14-18 region. invariably they have come back with something a long way apart, expecting way more than a 50-60% discount and this has gone on for 2 or 3 messages; I figure people like this are not serious, and generally just move on. It's not a question of item price or condition - always price items reasonably and appropriately and only sell things that are in very good saleable condition, that I would be more than happy to buy myself.
This pattern kept repeating itself, so I changed my reply to a couple of variations:
1) just repeat the price that I stated in the listing,
2) point out I'm not really sure I can negotiate with myself, and ask them to buy or make an offer via the listing page.
Still haven't got any serious replies using the above approach either.
I'm asking now as I have had this question (on separate items, from separate buyers) about 6 times in the past 3 weeks.. so was intrigued to know if other ebay sellers get this question at all, and how do you approach it? is everybody who asks this question just a timewaster?
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Raise your price next time
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
I was half thinking that... because obviously my "best price" will be as much as I can possibly get for something!
Literally just got off messenger with someone who had asked 'I want your best price', I said please use the listing if I you are interested in making a purchase or offer, or I will happily answer any other questions... got a quick reply back that he's no longer interested and hopes I get another buyer because I didn't answer his question properly?
some people I guess I just will never understand....!
actual market value than you wish it was.
The item maybe worth a lot more than your starting value so any offer below that could be seen as a joke and
instantly dismissed.
Normally I just buy at the listed price but a little while back I made an offer for an item and the seller declined. They
relisted it something like 18 times before finally putting it up for auction. It sold for considerably less than I offered.
They may have thought my offer was silly low but the true value was less than I offered.
RRP for item is around £650.
I have sold one at £540, and another 2 at full BIN price - so I know I'm about right with my listed price.
I have 3 units left.
Offer received for £300.
I refused offer - when I get a lowball offer like this I don't even counter offer. It obvious the buyer isnt too serious about teh item and is just trying his/her luck.
Message received from same buyer - "rather then faff about with offers going back and forward, why don't you let me know your best price"
I generally politely inform any buyers that send me this question that I would obviously like the listed price, but will consider any close, and sensible, offers.
however thats quite rare now as I have an auto amount set most of the time it's at 75% of BIN
I disabled all the "auto accept and decline" settings from the best offer option as I don't get enough offers to warrant filtering any out so I deal with each manually.
When I get an offer my response is based on how long the item has been sitting about for (some of my stuff has been listed for 4+ years) and how much I would like to see the back of it! Some stuff I've accepted 50-60%. but other things I have declined 90% offers.
I tend to get 80-90% of my offers through the best offer option, but a few still message with the "best price" question, and these rarely lead to a sale!
I have also been making much more use of the "seller eligible to send offer" option to shoot some discounted prices at interested buyers, and this has been quite successful, but again, I think some sellers are playing clever games with this feature too by constantly adding and removing the same item from their watch lists in the hope that I will send a lower offer next time!
• The poor only have expenses.
• The middle class buy liabilities they think are assets.
I do send offers out to watchers on some items and get a few sales from that but it's don't without any real communication with the buyer so is easy and under my control.