eBay offer etiquette

[Exhibitman]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Exhibitman]

Sure, I will knock 10% off my eBay price for a buyer here. 13% if the buyer pays via a method that doesn't ding me for a transaction fee. I usually pay the shipping as a courtesy too.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by profholt82

Interesting discussion. Now that ebay has dropped ebay bucks completely,

When did this happen? I got a 5% EBucks offer yesterday.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Jim65

When did this happen? I got a 5% EBucks offer yesterday.

They haven't dropped them completely. What they dropped was a certain miniscule percentage on every single thing you buy - which is how collectors like me usually wound up with an extra $20-30 to spend every quarter as kind of a little bonus. But if there are specific promotions that pay bucks, my understanding is that those are still in place. You just have to wait for them and participate in them.