"Make an Offer" - on B/S/T threads

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Posted By: leonl

Just to get a pulse of where the board's thoughts are on a particular subject, how do ya'll feel about "make offer" sales on this board's Buy/Sell/Trade area's? Are they ok? Are they good? Are they bad? Who cares? ... It would be hard to police but I want to get an idea of others views on the subject. Thanks much....

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Posted By: Andrew Parks

I sometimes do not know what the market is on certain items, so I wouldn't be opposed to it as a seller.

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Posted By: jackgoodman

For those of us not buying and selling on a daily basis, the "make-an-offer" would be helpful. I'm preparing to sell much of my collection and an auction house or Ebay are my primary thoughts since I'm not in a position to price knowledgably many of the cards. "Make an offer" would allow me to get a sense of the market and act accordingly (and probably avoid auction fees). Please register a (selfish) vote for a "make an offer" section.

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Posted By: Morrie

I can scan ebay as well as anyone else, but aside from that, I don't have a good read on the current card market. I worry, as an occasional buyer, that I'm going to (a) make an offer that's too low, and insult the seller, or (b) make an offer that's too high, and overpay for a card. I don't like the cat-and-mouse feel I get sometimes with "make an offer" type sales.

That being said, I just had a very successful, very satisfying dealing with Bill B. over on the B/S/T boards, and that was a "make an offer" situation. So it can work, I just don't prefer it that way.

Morrie

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Posted By: Brian

I see nothing wrong with them...


Although, a response from the seller would be nice on every offer -- even if its "No thanks" or "Card sold to higher offer". That would be nice.


Brian

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Posted By: jackgoodman

Brian I agree. Every offer received should be acknowledge.

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Posted By: JudgeDred (Fred)

I don't see anything wrong with making offers on cards on the B/S/T. Even if the seller has a fixed price I don't see anything wrong with making an offer on the item(s). The seller can feel what they want about the offer but all they have to do is say NO. If you're a seller and you're offended by a lower offer the best thing to do is email a reply that says thanks for the offer but I'm not willing to sell at that price. There's no reason to show disdain for the offer or indicate the indignation of such a poor and insulting offer because, you never know. That person that made the low offer just might become a big trading (or buying partner) in the future.

The only thing both seller and buyer need to remember is that if a deal is struck then both parties should honor the price and terms of the transaction.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

I personally do not like the threads with no price. I feel you never quite know where the seller is coming from and if you do not have a very good idea about the value of an item but like it how are you suppose to come up with an acceptable price.

I feel the B/S/T thread should have fixed pricing on them. As pointed out I feel there is no problem with making an offer for a fixed price card.

The only time I have sold cards in response to a buy is when the buyer put up what he was paying for the graded items he was looking for. I know this can be tougher for raw cards but a price range would be nice.

Lee

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Posted By: leonl

I did mean the threads with no price, not situations where you make an offer on a fixed cost item.....thanks

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Posted By: identify7

Regarding: "... It would be hard to police", I think that moderating offers may not be necessary; particularly if offers are made with an expiration date. That is "I offer dollars for acceptance by next Thursday".

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Posted By: Cat

I have not consummated a deal with someone on this board for a card listed on this board. I have tried twice. I have bought and sold to many members of this board over the years on EBay. I recognized many names and handles once I joined this board about four weeks ago.

Listing a card without a price is fine in my opionion, but, the seller opens himself up to a lot of work, and as long as him lives up to that responsibility, I have no issue with the present format of allowing someone to list cards without prices. One of my attempts to purchase "make offer" card(s) not only lacked the price but did not have a picture, as well. So of course I wanted a picture first. I e-mailed him rather rapidly to send a picture/scan ... I HEARD NOTHING. Then a post mid-week, within the seller's B/S/T thread, that he wouldn't be able to respond until the weekend. On Friday (before the weekend), the seller posts within the thread that "Cards Sold." It just didn't seem straight up. If you are going to ask for offers...let people offer. If you are going to give preference to someone who you have dealt with in the past... then state that. If you are going to give preference to someone that buys the entire lot... then state that. If you are going to give preference to someone that buys them sight/unseen... then state that. If you close it off at a certain time for offers then come back on the board and state that or return e-mails that indicate it's closed. I personally believe that the sellers have been pretty sloppy. A few ground rules might be in order.

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Posted By: quan

all sales thread should have a price attached...i usually don't inquire about open-ended items as i don't really know where i or the seller stand price-wise. of course trading is different.

also i feel the b/s/t is for items being bought, sold, or trade within the board. i don't personally link my ebay auctions on it...but i can see where once in awhile it ok to do, but keeping us updated on the item(s) and bumping it before, during, the day it ends on ebay is annoying.

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Posted By: JudgeDred (Fred)

I've put up material for TRADE in the B/S/T and people have inquired about a sale price. Basically I tell people that the material is for trade and that I really wasn't looking for cash offers (unless it was obscene). I like trading for material because it's fun to do and you can always get dollars for stuff on ebay.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

I second Quan's thought about the Ebay listing. Threads that are only trying to B/S/T on Net 54 get bumped to the bottom because of these "Notifications". I think 99% of us watching ebay, I believe what we are hoping for with the B/S/T thread is to be able to buy a card straight out and not have to worry about getting sniped.

I say to leave all auction "notifications" off the B/S/T thread.

Lee

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

offers, both high and low, on the things I offered on B/S/T/ WITH a price stated. In those cases, I sold to the person first with the price stated.

Honest Abem, they call me.

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Posted By: Anonymous

i would encourage folks to avoid using teasers for thier b/s/t headers..like.."so make me an offer!"...or "world's best card for sale.." and the always popular "more cards added"....

otherwise i feel the post is like those unwanted pop-ups and spam mails we all love so much.

personally i think phishing for offers is gonna clog up and ruin the b/s/t by burying items that may actually be for available.

....maybe make a separate section for phishing.

I might even put my whole damn collection on there card by card...retire early..or not...or maybe just think about it.

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Posted By: Bill Stone

As a buyer I would have no problem at all making an offer for a card I am looking for but I would not want it to be an open end offer to purchase --I usually offer the highest price I am willing to pay --but I don't want it to become the starting point in a bidding war --so yes it is fine if there is a quick accept or reject and we are done. I have been very pleased with the B/S/T feature and have made a number of purchases using that service and I see this as one more option for securing the cards I am seeking.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I think this falls under the category of "listing in good faith." If you list an item without a price asking for offers, it is implied that you are willing to sell it for a fair offer. If you have no intention of selling but are just trying to find out what the market will bear, then you are not listing in good faith. When someone asks me to make him an offer, I usually say "it's your item, you should put a price on it." You should only list in this manner if you genuinely wish to sell something.

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Posted By: pete ullman

i agree barry...i personally do not like "make me an offer" ads. It's up to the seller to name his/her price. I usually expect "make an offer" prices to be high because it seems as if seller isn't that motivated otherwise he'd state his price!!!

pete in mn

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Posted By: pete

since so many responded but i think that if someone puts "make an offer" it must have a listed price this way the offers are somewhere in the ball park....if i list a card for $1k and you are the only one to offer me $800, i might take it whether its over priced or a good deal...

i think some people here list kinda high and then threaten to list on ebay if not sold to a member...as i recall there was a card listed for $600 and the guy wouldnt take the $535 i offered...guess what, he got $490 on ebay

and since im venting a little bit...lets not be "whores" when people list 7 or 8 cards in the b/s/t...let others get some of the action on good hard to find cards instead of just stating "i'll take the whole lot!"...just my 2 cents

pete-

my best pitch was the one that made it to the plate!

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Posted By: Brian Daniels

Peter,Lee Barry for Prez and Quan on this one for reasons noted.

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Posted By: JudgeDred (Fred)

There was a person that wasn't a regular poster to this board that tried selling a card in the B/S/T. He had a rather high price on it. I countered with a more than reasonable offer and it was rejected. The card was on ebay a week or so later and I got it for about $100 less than my offer on the B/S/T. As much as I wanted to say something to the seller about taking my first offer I didn't.

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Posted By: DJ

You have to attach some kind of price to your card, or best offer works for me. I.E $1000 or BO. So I can counter offer with $800 and lose out to $900. That's fine.

A person who simply wants offers doesn't give me or anyone a ball park of any sorts on what that seller is thinking, especially the high four figure prices.

While we are venting, over the last couple months, I have responded to several Sell threads on "lists available via e-mail" and not one list was sent to me.

Threads soon fill with people wondering why their e-mails aren't answered and that's simply poor business management. Marry yourself to your sale no matter how busy you are and reply to a potential customer --with scans or vice versa when a scan is sent to you, take the time to thank them for taking the time to send you a scan.

Also, we all want to see scans and threads often get filled with people who simply want scans. Why not simply scan the photo on the thread?

That's all! The B/S/T is great!

DJ

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Posted By: pete

i have never and will never buy a card without seeing it first, whether the seller says its a psa 8, 9, or 10...i want to at least see the card...so you might as well add the photo...then again, some people just trust the sellers judgement that the card is VG or EX+...some guys are really good about sending scans and emails dont get me wrong...there are some good business people here...but finishing off a deal or even a "nah, i'll pass" is better than leaving the seller or buyer hanging...

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Seems like everything I post results in offers.