eBay offer etiquette

mybestbretts · #1 04-15-2021, 07:06 PM

I quit "make an offer" on ebay because I got really low offers, like $10 on a $50 dollar card. I price my cards fairly and have no make an offers. I still get emails with offers and if its reasonable I will take it, but again most times its not, so I think them for the offer but tell them I'm not taking offers at this time

The best one is the person that tells me that PSA shows the value of the card as >>>>> PSA should take down the auction values down it is so far behind the market.

Another is when you get a message questioning the price you have placed on a card. I explain to them why based on being only 1 of 2 graded PSA 10, etc.
I usually get a think you.

jchcollins · #2 04-16-2021, 09:44 AM

Interesting conversation. On the whole, I hate selling cards - but looking back at my history over the past two years, I've actually done quite a lot of it given the boom, my ability to make profit, and then to turn that profit into more / different cardboard that I still want / "need" for my various collecting endeavors.

I quit selling on eBay probably sometime in early 2019. The numerous hassles there just got quickly outweighed by other venues to sell which had none of the same problems. On eBay you have to deal with their fees; elsewhere such as FB groups and the BST here (an option I will admit I forget about way too often...) you of course don't. eBay also especially in recent years is notorious for standing behind buyers no matter what on disputes and problems, and rarely backing up the seller. The "DND" Deal No Deal format groups on Facebook got a hold of me about a year ago, and I made some strong sales there. The format has its downsides though, and lowball bidders exist there in droves just as they do on eBay. No, I will not take $150 delivered for my EX-MT+ and nicely centered Reggie Jackson RC; thank you for playing. "We don't do eBay prices here, buddy" I was once told by a lowball surfer who apparently expected me to gift a HOF RC to him. Amusing, as my LCS dealer has been known to quip that he "cannot compete" with eBay prices. I guess every type of collector has a perception. But I digress.

As to the offer format on eBay, when I sold there regularly I would set a floor, below which the platform would auto reject offers. When making offers myself, my policy was to offer in combination what I thought was fair with what I could pay, and not to get offended when I was rejected. eBay really pushes the Offer format now; it's a default. So if you don't turn it off, it will be on, and sometimes if your item has not sold for a few days or a week, they will turn it on FOR you without your permission, which to me was super annoying and another reason I grew to hate selling on eBay. The point however is that some sellers who rush through listings don't even KNOW they have offers enabled, and are therefore offended when you send them what they perceive as a lowball offer, even though it may be 85% of their asking price.

The Offer format for buyers can be great if you are patient and don't get offended. Before the real start of the boom, I made what was admittedly a lowball offer for a PSA 8 '65 Topps Richie Allen rookie cup card. The card is a short print in the semi-high number series. To my utter surprise, the seller accepted. He had had the card out there forever, and it was overpriced to begin with, so my assumption was that he was frustrated and washing his hands of it. So that was cool, and then maybe 18 months later I sold the card at close to $200 profit after everyone had been stuck at home in pandemic mode for months and were pouring cash without regard into nice vintage like that.

Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. At least I'm mostly past my old habit of busting slabbed cards that I was considering PC for life, only to change my mind and sell later at a loss - of course because they were no longer graded.

Exhibitman · #3 04-16-2021, 12:22 PM

When I make offers I do my research first then offer a good % of what I believe is the FMV of the items, leaving some room for counters. Sometimes you get a weirdly favorable result. I recall one card I saw that had a $2K ask and a history of around $1500-$1800 in sales. I offered $1K assuming we would go a a few rounds and the seller took the first offer. I was very pleasantly surprised.

jchcollins · #4 04-16-2021, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Sometimes you get a weirdly favorable result.

Yes, sometimes you are calling someone's rather large bluff and don't know it.

nwobhm · #5 04-16-2021, 02:28 PM

Last week on ebay..... seller asking $89, offered $40 autodeclined, sent seller email.... offered $65, seller counter at $79, countered back with $65 and explanation of value and this is my max. Seller accepted. 27% reduction on an overpriced listing. Still a little overvalued but I am happy.

Today on ebay..... seller asking $17, offered $7.50, seller countered $14, countered back with $7.50 and explanation of value and this is my max. Seller declined. Seller is so overvalued that they refuse to admit it even though the ad has been running for 4yrs.

Bought another card with nicer signature for $7 less shipped within minutes.

Frankish · #6 04-16-2021, 02:40 PM

I will offer as low as 50% of the BIN price if I want a listed item and think it is overpriced. Usually I shoot for closer to 60%, as it seems to get more interest. Never really offer an explanation or try to argue why the BIN is too high. It's a marketplace, so I figure if someone is open to offer, why not just make my offer and see. At less than 50% of BIN, it just seems the chances of getting a deal done are so low that I'd rather spend my time elsewhere. That said, I hadn't know that ebay automatically added offers even if sellers didn't ask.

Really, I've only started making these lower offers in the last few years. Ebay has changed so much since I started there around 1997 or so....

profholt82 · #7 04-19-2021, 09:38 AM

Interesting discussion. Now that ebay has dropped ebay bucks completely, I find myself shopping there less. I was already perturbed when they lowered the percentage. But I digress.

For me, when the listed price is just stupidly above market value, I won't even bother making an offer. Because what's the point? In cases like that, I assume that the seller has no intention of selling unless some clueless buyer comes along and overpays. For all collectables, not just cards, I find that many sellers tend to do this. I think they're trying to influence the market. As in if people see the high asking price, they'll assume the item is worth more than the actual market value and the market for the item will go up. Surely, this has actually happened in some cases.

I generally prefer buying from forums, as it's easier to develop relationships that way. I do find it annoying when guys post ebay prices on forums though. They want to get the full ebay value without paying the fees. It's understandable from their perspecive, but if I'm going to pay ebay prices, I'll do so on ebay or at a brick and mortar shop. That way I'll get some buyer protection/piece of mind.

Also, as has been mentioned somewhat, when I see an item on ebay that I like (generally with pricier items), I often check if the seller sells outside of ebay. Many ebay sellers have online stores that they sell on for a bit cheaper than their Ebay price. And some guys who sell a lot here on net54 do the same thing. Posted on ebay, but also here for a bit cheaper. It's smart to ask the seller or at least check around the net a bit before pulling the trigger on the full ebay price.

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