Posted By:
MarkIt all depends upon the seller...
Some are very rigid, and are easily offended at any outright offer.
Some will appreciate your offer and many will gladly accept it if they feel the price is right.
If I make an outright offer, I usually state something like "I know this to be a generous offer, based on "blank" years of experience in this specific niche". I will usually ask the seller to review my feedback, and I always thank them for their consideration.
That said, I find that about half of my offers are rejected and half are accepted. One constant is to try to catch them early in the game, ideally before any bidding has taken place. I have a much higher success rate in these instances, as many buyers are hesitant to terminate an auction in which there are existing bids.