Have you run into problems with 'or best offer'

This week I had 3 different items with different sellers go south.
All were listed with a price or best offer.
First one was $1.98 plus shipping. I put in lower offer and they came back with counter offer over $3.00!

Second was $21 plus shipping. I put offer lower and they came back with $21.

Third was $9.99 plus shipping or best offer. I offered lower price and was declined. So I offered $9.99. was declined because someone hours later bid $9.99.

Don't sellers have any ethics any more.
Has anyone had similar problems?

Seems like three separate things going on here.

It sounds like the first seller was insulted by your offer and responded badly. I've been on that end of things when I offered a fair market price on an over-priced item.

In the second instance, it could be a problem with eBay itself. Earlier this year eBay started occasionally adding best offers to listings without sellers' consent. If a seller isn't paying close attention, it might be a couple of days before they get around to removing the offer option that eBay added.

The third one's a head scratcher. I can't figure that out.

Thanks for the response. That makes sense. You are spot on with number 2. I called eBay for clarification and that is what they said about them adding it automatically.

Months ago I put in an offer on razors from Japan. The seller was kind enough to contact me and tell me it was a mistake. He was willing to stick to the sale but asked if I was willing to retract the bid. Because he was a gentleman I retracted the bid and we both walked away happy.

I agree that the issue you are having for the most part is Ebay adding the "Make an Offer" thing when the seller doesn't really want that.

I am unclear on your #3. If the price of the item was $9.99 and you offered $9.99 that would be an automatic sale wouldn't it? I'm guessing that you mean you offered less than $9.99 so that with shipping it would add up to $9.99.

The seller didn't accept your offer and later someone offered that and the seller changed his mind and decided to accept that.

I don't see anything here about ethics though. If you offer full asked price, you will immediately get that item. If you offered less than full price, it's up to the seller to decide to accept it or not.

I rarely use "Make an Offer" because any price I list, with that option, I know that no one will pay that. If you use that option you need to make your listed price about 20% higher because that is the discount most people will ask for.

Someone responding with $3 for a $1.99 item is not being unethical but they are being unprofessional. The "make an offer" was probably automatically inserted by Ebay and they were pissed off that someone would try to negotiate a $1.99 item.

I don't know if they were a seller with a lot of prior sales or not. Most people with a lot of experience selling on Ebay know the system well and will (usually) respond professionally.

Sorry if I was unclear. On the $9.99 I did make an offer of $9.99 plus shipping. I thought like you I won the item. The seller declined the offer even though it was the price he listed.
I did send him a message to that and called eBay. eBay said the same as you that hey sometimes add best offer automatically. His response was rather a "I don't give a dam and can do what I want to", but not in those words. I put his screen name in my 'Do not buy from' log.

I am just disappointed in seller attitudes. I sell myself. I have made errors in listing prices but stood behind it and honored the sale even though I lost money on it.

Chalk it up to experience. Thanks for the responses. Guess I just needed to vent.

Could be either someone offered him more than you but came after yours or he thought he could do better by letting the auction run.

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Originally Posted by bouschie

Sorry if I was unclear. On the $9.99 I did make an offer of $9.99 plus shipping. I thought like you I won the item. The seller declined the offer even though it was the price he listed.
I did send him a message to that and called eBay. eBay said the same as you that hey sometimes add best offer automatically. His response was rather a "I don't give a dam and can do what I want to", but not in those words. I put his screen name in my 'Do not buy from' log.

I am just disappointed in seller attitudes. I sell myself. I have made errors in listing prices but stood behind it and honored the sale even though I lost money on it.

Chalk it up to experience. Thanks for the responses. Guess I just needed to vent.

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Yeah, that guy does sound like a jerk. I also agree that once you have a good reputation on Ebay you shouldn't want to mess that up. I err on the side of the customer as well even when I lose money. I just consider it a learning experience and try not to do that again.

The only thing I have learned that might help in your scenario is to try to stay away from sellers who don't have a 100% rating with a lot of sales.

Sorry to hear you ended up with a not so great seller.

I ran into a big jerk last summer. It wasn't a razor though but a vintage metal gas can. He had "make an offer" tab on there so I did, a few dollars less than what he had listed. He came back with a counter-offer, all of THREE CENTS LESS than the listed price. I tried again, coming up a bit, and he does the same thing.

Ironically but timely, the same can in better condition for less comes up on Ebay and I buy that, sending Mr. Jerk an email telling him about it. He replies with clearly a very angry email, to which I reply again, to the effect that "thank you for the silly and insulting behavior because it helped me to find a much better deal."

I thought about going the same route with a nasty reply but bit my tongue. He still has not gotten a bid higher than my offer. I hope it sells for exactly what I offered. That would be justice for the greedy pig.

Ive tried the offers a couple times. They normally come back with more than i want to spend. So i just auit doing it. Ive had a couple that just never replied. Oh well. Good luck on you buying.

The last time I made an offer on Ebay though (week or so ago) the guy accepted it and I got a "deal."

My experience on eBay with "Make and Offer" has been dismal

I find myself saying "Why did you even ask if you don't want an offer"

I have had exactly 1 success in over 10 years, the company even honored it on arriving stock, contacted me said they were out and that they would accept my offer if I would wait 10 days for their new stock to come in..

But other than that it is usually .50 cents at best

I don't use ebay anymore, ever since they decided that in order to sell on ebay.com you need to fulfill a number of requirements such as having a number of sales before you're allowed to list international. On Belgian second hand sites, the format is much simpler (your bid is what you will pay, so not like ebay where you make a maximum bid) and best offer is more or less the norm.

JMO
If the auction is by a person or an offshore 'catalog' seller with a great many items or sales, it is usually put up by ebay and not honored.
YMMV
~Richard

I tried to sell a car part on ebay once but Ebay's rules made it impossible to complete the sale. I now have even more car parts I can never use (Isuzu Trooper 2 parts) and it looks like I'll have to try Ebay again....ugh.

It could be worse....Ebay could become very political like some of the other large websites and exclude based on one's opinions. With personal info being bought and sold they could look up an ISP address, figure out one's belief system, and refuse to list or allow sales. It might even be legal.

I like how Gunbroker works.....if you bid within 15 minutes of auction close, another 15 minutes is added. This prevents "auction sniping."

Myself, I prefer a face-to-face buy or just sending someone a check and they shipping it to me. Those method only work well with honest people though.

I had to bring this one back up. Yesterday I listed 6 items for auction on eBay. Radio stuff I had laying around taking up space. Tonight I had two people send me offers. I didn't set up my items with the offer option. Auto eBay thing I guess. I replied to the offers as no thanks as I will let them go for the opening bid price or more, or I will just keep them. I was nice about it. Then I went and looked at my items and all 6 are "or best offer". Figured out how to fix this and now the items don't have that option. Damn eBay. I guess they want to get some money and hope I will settle for a lower price. It ain't gonna happen eBay!

Lately I've had pretty good luck finding things I want and making an offer. What's different is I've been explaining why my offer is not only fair, but why it's likely the only chance the seller has to unload the razor. Things like pitting on the bevel, pitting so deep the blade width would have to be reduced substantially and other (what seem like) logical observations.

I was looking for a Torrey with a MOP covered tang really only for the pre-cut MOP and the set I found had a trashed blade. Wrote the seller that the blade was trashed but I wanted the MOP and made an offer accordingly ($10 I think) - and got it. So far in the last 4 weeks I'm 3 for 3 making offers.

On the selling side, I haven't yet seen the forced "Make an Offer" thing. I have a few Ducks up there right now and just checked them - no Make an Offer buttons - yet.

Go back and edit your listing. There is a box you check for receiving best offer.
Also, you can predetermine the least you will take if you like.
You also have an option to turn down offers under a predetermined threshold.

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Go back and edit your listing. There is a box you check for receiving best offer.
Also, you can predetermine the least you will take if you like.
You also have an option to turn down offers under a predetermined threshold.

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Done. I found them and changed it. The offers have stopped.

Best offers can be miserable as a seller as well. You get any number of people behaving with zero class. I usually use the opportunity to add them to the blocked list.

There's a whole class of buyers on Eboy who are basically "bottom feeders" hoping to profit on another person's misfortune. You see it more with expensive items where the buyer hopes to get the item for way under market and turn a quick profit. Nothing wrong with that I guess but when one of these guys makes their low ball off, personally I take it as an insult.

I blocked a guy yesterday. He started with the lowball bit then made ok offers with nasty comments and insinuations about padded shipping when I lose cash on shipping... I don't want business from people like that...

I just woke up to find it had happened to me. I had listed some non-shaving stuff on eBay with a starting bid of 28.99 and a buy it now of 34.99, and I wake up to an offer of $15?!?

I check my listing and darn if eBay hadn't slipped in "make an offer" on me.

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Originally Posted by kcb5150

I blocked a guy yesterday. He started with the lowball bit then made ok offers with nasty comments and insinuations about padded shipping when I lose cash on shipping... I don't want business from people like that...

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I still have that guy bothering me on shipping prices on other things now. And he is blocked... I wish ebay allowed targeted blocking of messages vs blanket blocking of all blocked bidders from sending one.

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Originally Posted by Haroldg48

I just woke up to find it had happened to me. I had listed some no shaving stuff on eBay with a starting bid of 18.99 and a buy it now of 24.99, and I wake up to an offer of $15?!?

I check my listing and darn if eBay hadn't slipped in "make an offer" on me.

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If he needs that extra $3.99 so badly he shouldn't be wasting his cash on ebay at all....

Sorry, I edited my nmbers...It was 28.99 with a buy it now of 34.99, so he was essentialy "offering" half of the opening bid sthat I set. My bad though for letting eBay slip the "make an offer" past me when I listed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kcb5150

If he needs that extra $3.99 so badly he shouldn't be wasting his cash on ebay at all....

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Honestly, unless they are being nasty on top of the offer I tend to just delete the message. If someone is acting with no class or respect towards a total stranger I block them from bidding on my stuff. If they have that little regard for others in that phase, what's to say they are so classless as to open claims on items thay were delivered as described to get their cash back, or not paying if they see something else they like more? Being a seller on ebay is an attacking game. It's like destroying the weapons facility before they have a way to hurt you

The fees on ebay have gotten so high that it just hardly seems worth it anymore.

I've had mixed experiences with the fleabay.
But I'll tell ya, those wheeler-dealer jerks with no class, they definitely leave an impression.
I block them as soon as I see them.
No response.
Never communicate with a fool, otherwise you might start speaking their language!
Simply disengage. Stay vigilant!
Hehehe :)