Bin/Make Offer - Not Really

You can always send a best offer to a seller through the "contact seller" link - it is one of the options you are shown. This is whether or not the seller has indicated that they accept best offers.

I have used this with something like "I would be a buyer at $______." (fill in your desired price) and have never experienced a seller being put off by the effort...

I just point it out as another possibility.

John

johnsim03: That's true, I've had as much success having an offer accepted this way as I have by sending one via 'make offer'.

I've generally limited my "offers" to about 90% of the asking price. Now I think I should be offering less than that!

Several months ago I sent a message to a seller asking if they would entertain an offer on a certain item.

The stamp was damaged but I wanted it for the cancellation. The asking price was higher than the catalogue price, and the stamp had been relisted week after week, literally for years.

I offered 50%, but didn't even get a no thanks.

The stamp still hasn't sold.

Keep in mind that certain items may not actually be for sale or only for sale at "the right price", i.e., they are listed solely for attention-grabbing purposes, or getting eyes on other items in inventory. It's a legitimate marketing tactic: "Look at this shiny whizzbang! Too expensive? Well perhaps I can interest you in this item instead..."

Like Bobby de la Rue, a couple of days ago I made offers on two listings from the same seller, both were for the cancellations on the stamps. This lister, however, did have the make offer option available. So I used it. For the two I offered a little over 100-bucks, each with what I thought was a reasonable offer (and well above ebay's auto-suggestion numbers), and never heard back. The offers expired so yesterday I bumped both of them up, both now pretty close to the asking price. Still not a word, not even the courtesy of a refusal or counter offer. If these two offers expire (which I assume they will), then the pox on this dealer. Both stamps have been sitting there for a while so even if he comes back later accepting my offers...screw him...too late (and I'll never by a damned thing from this seller either. Poor business practices like this, as rude as they come across, really get under my skin !

Make an Offer is just a marketing gimmick if the offers have to be within a couple of points of the full ask. I used to laugh when I saw sellers flat out state in their description that offers below "x" percent had little chance of success and that offers of "x" were likely (wink wink) going to be accepted. In other words if you read the description you paid the real price and if you did not you paid MSRP.

I view make an offer as an invitation to enter into negotiation. Recently, not too long ago , I saw an attractive stamp that was being offered by a SCF member, but I thought a little high. I offered 80% he countered 90% I countered his offer minus shipping. He accepted, I sent a check and I was pleased with the stamp. I looked at it last night and am still pleased. Thanks Dan
Regards m

rogdcam: It's amazing how many people never look at the description when buying on ebay. I always do.