An Idea to save eBay...

[mcadams]

The title of your thread was "An Idea to Save Ebay"... I find your suggestion to be creative and potentially useful, however your suggestion isn't addressing the root problem. Buyers don't want BINS or BINS with best offer. Your suggestion of the checklist is attempting to make that sales format better. The sales format that buyers want is the original auction format. Otherwise, Ebay is just an online card shop priced via Beckett Monthly. The BIN format is the problem, not the ease at which buyers and sellers communicate on Ebay. Just my 2 cents. Edited for sp.

[mintacular]

I agree, the title is bad. I do think the psychological "rush" of winning an auction could also be satisfied w "winning" a negotiation via a bulk listing "best offer" option. Okay, now I'm going to contradict myself and say that also the appeal of eBay is the perception of getting things below market $ and my idea provides a gateway "get a good deal". Isn't that why people go to flea markets? Isn't that what made eBay the original "online flea market" a success--i.e. not just the rush of the auction but getting a deal?

[mcadams]

I completely agree with last post. If the checklist brought back the idea that deals were possible, that would be a positive for buyers. But it would only really be a positive if sellers were receptive and transaction volume increased. I am suggesting that buyers are not part of the current problem (at all).

I'm not sure sellers would care about receiving discount offers on bulk lots. I feel like the bulk discount that used to be the norm has faded away at least somewhat. Sellers on Ebay would seemingly prefer to wait on the dumb money to come hit all their bins individually, rather than give you a discount on a large lot. Ebay sellers believe that there is 1 guy out there who will always pay them 20% above market, and they are willing to wait an eternity for that 1 guy to find thier BIN.

[thadd]

Minty, I've wished for a long time that eBay had a way to bid on the same sellers items at once instead of having to bid individually every time. I never gave the offer idea any thought, but that would be even better. I like to buy multiple items from the same seller just to combine the shipping and save that way, so your idea would make that much easier, the offer part would be really cool too at least for BIN auctions with the Make Offer option.

I wish they would come up with something, although I'd probably regret it later on after spending twice as much as I already do if it was easier to buy that way.

[dabigyankeeman]

Minty, i think thats a great idea, something very usefull, and something i might like to use myself.

[CowboysGuide]

I've both been the 'offerer' and 'seller to receive offers' on a few occasions. I'm strictly talking about mulitple listed items here. I've been successful working it out both ways with a single email. It all depends on the seller, and if he/she feels like taking the time to work with the customer.