Ebay Bin Without Best Offer - Will Most Sellers Get Upset If I Make An Offer Anyway?

I am interested in a BIN lot currently on ebay which does not have an "or best offer" option. I feel like the item is priced a little high and would like to make an offer at 80% of the asking price. My question for those of you who sell stamps on ebay is this: would a typical seller get upset or feel insulted somehow if I contacted him with such and offer? His BIN price is close to $400 and I would be offering 80% of that.

I think the way you word the offer is important in this situation. Perhaps something like "I am interested in your item #1234 and would be a buyer at $xxx.xx. If your current auction does not generate a sale and you would like to sell it at this price, please let me know."

Don

I've had many sellers accept offers in this exact same situation.

Joe

An offer representing 80% of the asking price should not annoy the seller! I've made offers of as little as 30 or 40% of the asking price and -- after an item has not sold -- had those offers accepted. One seller, to whom I had written "I don't want to insult you with a low offer, but..." responded that he would never feel insulted, since "an offer is an offer." We did not make a deal in that particular instance, but we've made many others since, including several at seriously discounted prices from the original reserve or asking price. So, Anghus, go ahead and make your offer!

As a buyer, I do this on a regular basis. I treat it a two-step process:

First, I politely ask the seller if they would be willing to entertain offers on the item. I do NOT initially include an actual offer, for three reasons: 1. I don't want to come off as abrupt or demanding if they are opposed to the concept, 2. They might come back with a number that is actually lower than what I was considering (it's happened!), and 3. Their response might provide insight as to why they are looking for a certain price point and I can tailor my offer language accordingly.

Then, if they are amenable, I make the offer, or in some cases they will modify the listing to add Best Offer.

It never hurts to ask, just prepared for the occasional negative response or lack of response, which is itself an answer.

I can't add much to what the others have already said,
but you really don't have much to lose by asking. As Don mentioned, the way that you word it can be important.

I can't speak for all sellers. I take best offers on almost all BIN items, but if I don't I don't. I wouldn't be upset. I'd be polite. But I wouldn't take an offer either. Fixed price is fixed price. Best offer is best offer.

I would offer 50% of BIN. You never know what kind of a financial situation the seller is in and how low she/he is willing to seller an item for.

I think it would be helpful if ebay were to list the actual sold price on items that sold with Best Offer, that way a buyer could gauge in general how low a seller is willing to go on Best Offers.

The seller listed on ebay to market the item, 80% of list price seems a serious offer to me. It's perfectly ok to state your interest, I agree with Studebaker.

Some listers avoid BIN, as there are many time-wasters who think their offer of 10-20% selling price is welcomed.

Also, the longer an item sits unsold the more amenable to an offer sellers tend to become, especially professional dealers who would rather have some cash than none so their stock can turn over.

If you make an 80% offer the seller is unlikely to get insulted.

I disable the 'make offer' button on all my BIN listings -- I think my prices are already low.
I have had people making offers of 50% on stuff that I had listed at low prices and then I did feel insulted.
(It was some mint Canada that I was selling at well below face)
But as a seller there's not much you can do about this. Just make a mental note to have as little as possible to do with that buyer.

I think it all depends on how the seller has priced his stuff.
And whether you are going to get insulted when he ignores your email!

As a general thing, I tend to have a low opinion of people emailing me and asking for special deals. I price things at what I think they should sell at, and don't want to spend all day swapping emails with picky skinflints.

If a buyer offered 50% when there is no best offer option I would block them and move on. Big waste of my time.

Low best offers have worked for me on items that have been listed for 3+ months.

How can you tell how long an item has been listed? Can you tell if it has been relisted?

Anghus: Sort by Time: Newly Listed and then each listing will have date and time it was listed and will show from newest to oldest.