EBay Best Offer Game Playing

[calvindog]

Not everyone obsesses over a $100 card or even a $10,000 card when selling it. Sometimes people are just really busy. I don't think you should read much into it.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Not everyone obsesses over a $100 card or even a $10,000 card when selling it. Sometimes people are just really busy. I don't think you should read much into it.

I realize people are busy, but if you are selling a lot of cards, and are not an occasional seller, I'm guessing this is an important source of income to you, and you pay more than passing attention to an item that's listed for sale for a few thousand dollars.

As far as a negotiating strategy, sure that's fine. I'm a busy guy too, and I don't have two days to wait for you to get off your touchas to respond.

And I'm talking about a card that has been listed for many months.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I realize people are busy, but if you are selling a lot of cards, and are not an occasional seller, I'm guessing this is an important source of income to you, and you pay more than passing attention to an item that's listed for sale for a few thousand dollars.

As far as a negotiating strategy, sure that's fine. I'm a busy guy too, and I don't have two days to wait for you to get off your touchas to respond.

And I'm talking about a card that has been listed for many months.

So retract your offer and move on, why get worked up about it? Bitching about it is as wasteful as bitching about high BINs.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

So retract your offer and move on, why get worked up about it? Bitching about it is as wasteful as bitching about high BINs.

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

Sort of like saying to someone who enters you store "I will be right with you." Sure, someone can decide for some reason that they don't care to do it, but curious to me why they would.

[mintacular]

I think you are projecting what you would do. At the end of the day, there is a policy and that is what you should follow. The seller has 48 hours? to respond or whatever, if it takes them to that point to counter, than so be it...

[vintagerookies51]

Why would this be a negotiating strategy? I think people just don't go on eBay multiple times a day and you're overthinking it...

[swarmee]

Why would they leave your offer sitting there? Because if there are a lot of watchers or page views, and there are open offers on the item, the odds are better that one of those watchers or viewers is going to click "Buy it Now" for full price. Or at least make a strong offer knowing one is already out there and the item could be bought at any time.
I respond very quickly to offers, but I completely understand why not everyone does.

[obcbobd]

Originally Posted by vintagerookies51

Why would this be a negotiating strategy? I think people just don't go on eBay multiple times a day and you're overthinking it...

+1

[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.

[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.

[Gradedcardman]

I agree. Yea I get an email but I get over a hundred a day and have a life outside of cards and work. I try to respond quickly but if the person makes it personal then they can retract or buy it now. I really don't care to be honest. Just like there's always another card there always another buyer.


=calvindog;1664117]Not everyone obsesses over a $100 card or even a $10,000 card when selling it. Sometimes people are just really busy. I don't think you should read much into it.[/QUOTE]

[Stonepony]

Steve....come on...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=219656
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=228798
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=23185
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233940
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=232511
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=235406
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=238638

Here's a very close paraphrase of a conversation on card on EBay I very much wanted. It was listed at $950 and I feel it's a $500-$600 card.
Me- Hi, I'm very interested in this card. Would you take $650? That's as high as I can go. Thanks for considering.
Seller- Sorry Dave I can't go that low
Me- ok, thank you
Seller- You're welcome

No one flipping out, ranting or wadding up panties for Christ sake.

[Luke]

I agree with what everyone else is saying. My first thought was if you're really offering $1000 on a card listed at $3000, the seller might see it, chuckle or sigh and then quickly forget about it.

I don't use "best offer" when I sell on ebay, but I'll sometimes get an ebay message with someone asking me if I can take $150 for a card I have listed at $300. I get these alerts right away and often I am in line at a store or something when I see them. For an offer like that, I'm not going to drop everything and reply "no thanks" to them, so it will sit until I'm at home on my desktop and see it again.

[steve B]

I think the internet in general has given positive reinforcement to a lot of impatience.

Steve B

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by steve B

I think the internet in general has given positive reinforcement to a lot of impatience.

Steve B

Yep. Instant gratification world.

[ALR-bishop]

Couple of questions. If you make an offer can you put your own time limit on it in a note to seller that eBay will recognize, as someone suggested above ? Also, I think eBay gives you the option to retract your offer before the seller responds, right ? If you do that, does it show up as a bid retraction on your eBay record, the same as retracting a bid on an auction ?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Couple of questions. If you make an offer can you put your own time limit on it in a note to seller that eBay will recognize, as someone suggested above ? Also, I think eBay gives you the option to retract your offer before the seller responds, right ? If you do that, does it show up as a bid retraction on your eBay record, the same as retracting a bid on an auction ?

No, it's not the same as a bid retraction.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

Steve....come on...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=219656
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=228798
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=23185
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233940
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=232511
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=235406
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=238638

Here's a very close paraphrase of a conversation on card on EBay I very much wanted. It was listed at $950 and I feel it's a $500-$600 card.
Me- Hi, I'm very interested in this card. Would you take $650? That's as high as I can go. Thanks for considering.
Seller- Sorry Dave I can't go that low
Me- ok, thank you
Seller- You're welcome

No one flipping out, ranting or wadding up panties for Christ sake.

Agreed. This isn't difficult, but people sure can try to make it seem so.

[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

Steve....come on...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=219656
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=228798
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=23185
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=233940
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=232511
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=235406
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=238638

Here's a very close paraphrase of a conversation on card on EBay I very much wanted. It was listed at $950 and I feel it's a $500-$600 card.
Me- Hi, I'm very interested in this card. Would you take $650? That's as high as I can go. Thanks for considering.
Seller- Sorry Dave I can't go that low
Me- ok, thank you
Seller- You're welcome

No one flipping out, ranting or wadding up panties for Christ sake.

awesome post

[JasonD08]

If you make a stupid lowball offer I will not even respond. People that are reasonable get a reasonable response. Simple. I buy and sell and treat respect with respect. If you do not like it you can always move on. I treat my purchasing the same way. If a seller is grossly overpriced and will not deal I simply move on without bitching about it.