Best Offer: What percent do you offer?

mlle chance

mlle chance

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Nov 3, 2008
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#1
Hi,
I'm hoping someone could please advise on what the best approach to a Best Offer listing on Ebay is. Do sellers generally list their Best Offers expecting the offers to come in at 10 or 20 per cent off or is their another magic number?
Thank you!
 
#3
alot of the bigger sellers add this option but let them expire or will only take a few bucks off. some will take a good chunk just depends. i start around half with smaller items. if they decline w/o a counter offer i may message asking what they will take to see if its in my price range. if so ill make a new offer. for bags i dont go too too much lower than what they want if its already a good deal.
 
#4
I think this is a well known seller, as I've seen her mentioned on this forum before. I wonder if that would make a difference? I'd hate to insult her.
 
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#5
Check what the comparable item sells for generally, and offer in that range--the lower end of it if it's not in great demand, higher if it is. So, not really based on a specific percentage off but on your best guess of what would motivate the seller, based on similar past sales.

Few if any sellers would seriously entertain an offer of 50% less.
 
#6
jellyv said:
Check what the comparable item sells for generally, and offer in that range--the lower end of it if it's not in great demand, higher if it is. So, not really based on a specific percentage off but on your best guess of what would motivate the seller, based on similar past sales.

Few if any sellers would seriously entertain an offer of 50% less.
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agree.

usually i'd go for 10-20%, depends on whether i know this person (have brought off the internet before, met in person, paid cash so he saved fees and i got it for less) and how long that item has been up

if you search ebay regularly for that brand you'd see some that get relisted again and again, usually those are more likely to grab at your offer.
 
#7
Thank you all. I have never seen this particular bag before and there are no other listings like it that I can see. I like it, but don't HAVE to have it, so maybe I'll just keep my eye on it for a while.
Thanks again!
 
#8
IMO, 50% is insulting, and as a seller I won't even entertain such offers. I usually accept up to around 25% off an item - I price accordingly. :biggrin: Good luck getting your item!
 
#9
As a buyer, I don't have a "rule" really. I decide what I want to pay for that item, and if it's less than 50% of asking price, I don't bother. If it's at least that, I will, because often sellers will counter. If I think it's already a good deal and it's on BIN, I might offer 10-20% lower just to see how low they'll go.

As a seller, I typically set my "auto decline" to less than what I'd accept as a minimum offer, that way if someone makes me an offer, I can counter. I also feel like it wastes less time on both ends if I just auto decline offers I'm not willing to entertain.
 
#10
Schientist said:
As a buyer, I don't have a "rule" really. I decide what I want to pay for that item, and if it's less than 50% of asking price, I don't bother. If it's at least that, I will, because often sellers will counter. If I think it's already a good deal and it's on BIN, I might offer 10-20% lower just to see how low they'll go.

As a seller, I typically set my "auto decline" to less than what I'd accept as a minimum offer, that way if someone makes me an offer, I can counter. I also feel like it wastes less time on both ends if I just auto decline offers I'm not willing to entertain.
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Doesn't Ebay let you know if you have an offer that is automatically declined so you can counter offer instead? I thought the automatic decline didn't prevent you for making a counter offer.
 
#12
NITE_FOXX said:
no i dont think it does. i have had to go into the listing itself to see if any have been made. the auto declines just dont do a thing. no message or anything.
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That's good to know because I thought they let you know given Ebay's help page says:

If you get an offer below your lower limit, the system automatically sends an email to the buyer declining the offer. The buyer may submit a higher offer, or you can send a counteroffer.

I emphasized the "or." Confusing.
 
#14
I offer 20% off the list price. Once I made an offer and then realized there was another offer pending, so I hit BIN because I REALLY wanted the shoes and knew it would make me crazy if I lost.:P
 
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