EBay Best Offer Game Playing

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Not really bitching, just wondering why someone would employ that as a deliberate strategy.

Ok, I will bite. Say the item is listed at $3,000, and you offered $2,500. Maybe the seller is willing to accept that, but before he accepts, he is waiting for something close to 48 hours to see if an offer higher than $2,500 comes in. If so, great and he goes with that. If not, he hits accept on yours before it expires.

What's wrong with that?

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Ok, I will bite. Say the item is listed at $3,000, and you offered $2,500. Maybe the seller is willing to accept that, but before he accepts, he is waiting for something close to 48 hours to see if an offer higher than $2,500 comes in. If so, great and he goes with that. If not, he hits accept on yours before it expires.

What's wrong with that?

True dat. Or another: the seller already has another offer in hand and started negotiating with that buyer first, and now is just waiting to see where that lands.

I'd say a 48-hour window is about the right amount of time for a seller to have (24 hours would probably be too short, given all the things that can happen in life).

BUT, one of the things that separates an average seller and a great seller is that the great seller will reach out and let the potential buyer know the offer was received and will be considered but needs a little time for it.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by AGuinness

True dat. Or another: the seller already has another offer in hand and started negotiating with that buyer first, and now is just waiting to see where that lands.

I'd say a 48-hour window is about the right amount of time for a seller to have (24 hours would probably be too short, given all the things that can happen in life).

BUT, one of the things that separates an average seller and a great seller is that the great seller will reach out and let the potential buyer know the offer was received and will be considered but needs a little time for it.

I used to do that with sales here, telling people who made decent offers below my asking price that I'd get back to them in a day or two and that if I didn't receive a better offer in the meantime they could have it. Then I got back to one of those people a couple of days later, and he said, "Well, if nobody else offered as much as I did then I guess it's not worth so much. You can keep it." So I don't do that anymore.

[basesareempty]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Ok, I will bite. Say the item is listed at $3,000, and you offered $2,500. Maybe the seller is willing to accept that, but before he accepts, he is waiting for something close to 48 hours to see if an offer higher than $2,500 comes in. If so, great and he goes with that. If not, he hits accept on yours before it expires.

What's wrong with that?

Or maybe the buyer offered a ridiculous $1000 offer on a $3000 item and doesn't feel the need to respond to such a silly offer. Me personally, if offered $1000 on a $3000 item would counter with $2999 so the buyer gets the message, especially if the $3000 item is priced correctly.

[Rookiemonster]

On board with hating this. Because in the mean time you could be missing out on something because your waiting on a response.

So I started to do this. When it ask you how much you would like to offer I put in the amount . Under that window is another that says what are the terms of this offer. I ussally put response within this amount of time or my offer is void.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by basesareempty

Or maybe the buyer offered a ridiculous $1000 offer on a $3000 item and doesn't feel the need to respond to such a silly offer. Me personally, if offered $1000 on a $3000 item would counter with $2999 so the buyer gets the message, especially if the $3000 item is priced correctly.

My experience is that I offer $1000 on a $3000 item because two days ago one sold at an AH for $1400 and my $1000 offer, perfectly rational, mortally offends sellers sensibilities and he ignores me. Just happened this week.

[TheBigRedOne]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

My experience is that I offer $1000 on a $3000 item because two days ago one sold at an AH for $1400 and my $1000 offer, perfectly rational, mortally offends sellers sensibilities and he ignores me. Just happened this week.

Agreed. I typically give reasons why I'm offering what I am, usually based on what's sold recently and/or the approximate value that the t206insider rates a specific card. I got a recent lecture after making a very reasonable offer on a common PSA 3 rated t206 on how the seller wishes that he could buy cards for what a books says and that the real worth is what someone is willing to pay for it.

It's still on eBay at his high asking price, needless to say.

After receiving a similar counter offer, would you bother to reply to that? I didn't.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

My experience is that I offer $1000 on a $3000 item because two days ago one sold at an AH for $1400 and my $1000 offer, perfectly rational, mortally offends sellers sensibilities and he ignores me. Just happened this week.

Why would he sell for less than 1400, Because of the "buyers premium"?


Someone still paid 1400 , and quite recently


You are about 40% below the current market, and krss than half his start price pretty low IMO

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Why would he sell for less than 1400, Because of the "buyers premium"?


Someone still paid 1400 , and quite recently


You are about 40% below the current market, and krss than half his start price pretty low IMO

28.5% isn't really "about 40% below the current market," but it's still less than what the seller could reasonably expect to clear if he consigned it.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

28.5% isn't really "about 40% below the current market," but it's still less than what the seller could reasonably expect to clear if he consigned it.

Actually 28.5714285714% approximately.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

28.5% isn't really "about 40% below the current market," but it's still less than what the seller could reasonably expect to clear if he consigned it.

AH and EBAY aren't equal, as as you mentioned this would be less than what the seller would get consigning.

What some buyers don't think about is that the seller doesn't have to give up some to buyer's premium, but that same seller is paying a fee on Ebay that doesn't show up in a final price either. So in the end someone is paying a fee, with AH it is the buyer (typically no commission, but another thread showed one guy paid a commission on top of BP. I never have), with ebay it is the seller.


As far as delaying in a response I agree that it is you projecting. You assumed that someone not responding is just playing games. Yet you even admit there could be other reasons. I am 34 and I don't have a smart phone. I don't have a tablet. I don't have a functional laptop anymore. So unless I am at home or at work in front of a desktop I am not responding to any emails or anything short of phone calls and texts (though I am not always good about responding to those). On top of this it isn't going to my main email, I have a separate email for baseball cards. So sometimes that doesn't even get opened. With as much as my four children have going on it is common for me not to get on over the weekend. If I am anxious (right after my initial listings) I do try and make a point to check, but after a month being listed with no new activity by me it is a bit more sporadic.

[T205 GB]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

My experience is that I offer $1000 on a $3000 item because two days ago one sold at an AH for $1400 and my $1000 offer, perfectly rational, mortally offends sellers sensibilities and he ignores me. Just happened this week.

Yeah but what did the past 2-3 sell for? Could have been a fluke that the AH card sold for less. Either way offering 33% of asking is a kick in the sack and I can bet you he too seen the one at auction. I bet the one you offered on was also a nicer card than the AH one too. I don't know you Steve but I just get the vibe that you always have to be correct about whatever it is.

[Huysmans]

Originally Posted by scooter729

Ok, I will bite. Say the item is listed at $3,000, and you offered $2,500. Maybe the seller is willing to accept that, but before he accepts, he is waiting for something close to 48 hours to see if an offer higher than $2,500 comes in. If so, great and he goes with that. If not, he hits accept on yours before it expires.

What's wrong with that?

I think some buyers see the problem with that being the hypocrisy of some sellers/dealers.
If a person walked into a card store let's say, or approached a dealer at a show and tried to sell a card and received an offer, but then told said dealer that he wants to shop the card around the show for the next 2 days to see if he can receive a higher offer, and if not, could he return and accept the original offer? .... Most dealers would respond no, the offer expires when you go to shop it somewhere else....

Therein lies the problem for some, and legitimately so.