How much do you discount when you "make an offer" on E*bay?

[Llewellyn]

Presumably you have an idea of the final amount that you're prepared to pay for an item that has a "make an offer" option, but it's all part of the game to see if you can offer a lower price that the seller might accept without being downright insulting. What sort of discount do you deduct for your first offer - 10%, 20%.....50%?

[Cicli]

Depends on the asking price. I offer what I am willing to pay minus about 10%. I will counter with that 10% added back if needed. At that point I will decline any counter offer recieved with an explination to the seller. Sometimes I will leave it open to further negotiations but not usually. I just move on.

[velotrack]

Originally Posted by Cicli

Depends on the asking price. I offer what I am willing to pay minus about 10%. I will counter with that 10% added back if needed. At that point I will decline any counter offer recieved with an explination to the seller. Sometimes I will leave it open to further negotiations but not usually. I just move on.

About the same here.

[oliver1850]

Depends on what it is and what the asking price is. I don't usually bother to make an offer if I don't want to pay at least 75% of the asking price. Last night I was looking for stems and made an $11 offer on a $15 stem, which was instantly accepted.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Llewellyn

Presumably you have an idea of the final amount that you're prepared to pay for an item that has a "make an offer" option, but it's all part of the game to see if you can offer a lower price that the seller might accept without being downright insulting. What sort of discount do you deduct for your first offer - 10%, 20%.....50%?

Why is a low offer 'insulting'? So it's low, the guy says no, you don't know the guy..you move on. Confused.

BUT I offer something low, assuming the seller will counter offer something in the middle. If it isn't what you want to pay, don't.

What irks me is when I have a 'make offer' sale, somebody does 'make an offer', and I accept, then they back out.

[Bentley]

if im going to make an offer, even on an item that does not offer that option i generally contact the seller directly and make the offer based on what i think is fair and I am willing to pay. I would offer that it could be 10% or even as much as 25% lower than the asking price. I generally look at the price plus shipping, most of the time the problem is the pad in the shipping so that gives some flex.

i also find that sending the email before the offer generally results in a good dialogue and a final result as opposed to just making blind offers.

I can offer that i have had some folks make offers to me that were insulting. The issue was never the price but the way the offer was tended, I think a little dialogue helps when you are making an offer that is lowef than the seller is asking.

My 2 cents

Ray

[AngryScientist]

absolutely depends.

if it's an item that has been sitting on ebay for months unsold with an unrealistically high BIN price, i may make an offer that is 50% or less of the BIN;

on the other hand if it's something that it priced right that i want, or know is likely to sell quickly, i'll disregard the offer and just buy at asking price.

and anywhere in between.

[Hilltopperny]

If the item has been sitting for a while I will open up the conversation with a complement of the item and then an explanation as to what it's worth to me and why. This usually gets the seller thinking. If they are receptive I make an honest offer and we negotiate from there. I find the more positive dialogue the better the result.

If it's a fresh listing, the item is in large demand and the price is under the perceived value I will just buy it now. No sense in dickering in these cases as they almost always end up gone before you come to the realization that you should have just bought it.

[tuscanyswe]

I dont sell alot but usually i sell with best offer option.

If someone offers me 50% of buy it now i dont respond with a counteroffer. I just decline. So i think possibly you ruin your chances of getting say 20% off on an item if you start out with to low an offer.

I could ofc send offers to the "low bidders" as well but i just figure they are more out to make a deal than they want the actual item so why bother with them, my time is more valuable than that. To me at least..

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by Cicli

Depends on the asking price. I offer what I am willing to pay minus about 10%. I will counter with that 10% added back if needed. At that point I will decline any counter offer recieved with an explination to the seller. Sometimes I will leave it open to further negotiations but not usually. I just move on.

yeah, about the same for me as well.

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

What irks me is when I have a 'make offer' sale, somebody does 'make an offer', and I accept, then they back out.

that's about as annoying as when people hit "Buy It Now", or have a bidding war with someone at auction closing, but then take a week to pay. it's like, dude, you wanted it enough to fight hard for it, but not enough to pay immediately and get it quickly? (yes, I get that some people use the eBay payment grace period to wait for a paycheck to come in or something. but in my opinion if you're not ready to pay, don't bid. but I digress...)

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

absolutely depends.

if it's an item that has been sitting on ebay for months unsold with an unrealistically high BIN price, i may make an offer that is 50% or less of the BIN;

on the other hand if it's something that it priced right that i want, or know is likely to sell quickly, i'll disregard the offer and just buy at asking price.

and anywhere in between.

this. i've likewise made crazy-low offers that were accepted, simply because the seller was trying to move inventory (liquidation) and any reasonable $$$ would be well received.

if something is priced appropriately there isnt room for a low offer, as it'll sell. but if there are complicating factors affecting an items market price or sell-ability, then its a whole 'nuther ballgame -- it's very situation dependent.

[CampyorBust]

Whatever I feel like!

It is a business transaction not a courtship worthy of thought and delicacy, though some may treat it that way. Like my offer great, no likey very much fine make a counter, I may except or I may say nah and look else wheres.

Once had a bad xperience with a very popular ebay seller, I would wager most of us have bought something from. Bought from said seller many times with great results and feed back both ways. I like utilizing the best offer feature, and had done so in the past with the seller with little success. Made another best offer on a item with a question attached. In hind sight this is a bad idear never again. Seller accepted without answering the question. Sent me the wrong spec. Seller refused to pay for shipping. Lots of back and forth, bad vibes a plenty, tried to give the seller many chances to do the right thing. Finally opened up a claim against the seller and had to apply egg to face, the correct spec was noted in the original ad and my question simply double checking was warranted. In the end I got my refund, and yet another lesson in the passive aggressive vindictive doosh baggery that is so prevalent amongst the mouth breathers.

[ultraman6970]

What i do (when i have money that pretty much never) if its something I like and is expensive I send an email to guy asking whats the lowest he can go, in that way I dont waste my time even sending an offer or wasting that 3 times chance ebay gives you, obviously if still too high i let the stuff go, usually those items sit there for months, even years in some cases.

[R3awak3n]

another one that goes with depends. My offer is a combination of what I think it should cost mixed with maybe he will take it.

Low offers are fine on ebay imo.


I have got some sweet deals, got a brand new pair of giro empire AAC that were marked at like 180 and offered 100, the guy took it.

[jtbadge]

Best offer on eBay is weird. Usually it will be no problem, and easy to negotiate a middle ground between where the buyer and seller want. Other times the seller has a hard line, and that's cool - but why not just make that your listing price?

Recently I tried to buy a used crank with best offer, and the seller refused to go lower than new UK price. Good luck, dude!