People Messaging me with offers

[polybear]

I've been receiving numerous emails lately from people offering lower than the starting price on items I'm selling (often not model railway related).  For example, one guy offered fifteen quid on an item starting at twenty-five.  I don't often respond - if I was prepared to sell for £15 then that's what I'd start it at.

I had one last night on an item I've been relisting for some time now - it's up for four quid start, plus postage.  He's offered five quid plus postage....

Does anyone else get many of these emails? 

[Hal Nail]

Everything Ive listed has sold and I know the market and am getting going rate. The only time I've had offers was when I had listed something at more than I really thought I'd get.

 

Suggests people think you are asking too much perhaps?

 

Edit: or they are chancers so just ignore them!

Edited January 16, 2020 by Hal Nail

[polybear]

Yes, I ignore them.  If they're interested they'll either bid anyway, or wait until the price drops if it's still unsold some weeks later.  I'm in no rush - one of the items being sold has been in the loft for the last 30-40 years, so a few more weeks selling it is lost in the noise.

 

[petethemole]

Do you check your listings when they automatically relist?  Apologies if you do, but this may be helpful to others.  Ebay have a habit of adding "Best Offer" to listings when you haven't opted for it, usually half the start price. I daily check for this and revise the listings back to what they should be.  I sometimes get offers for listing where I have missed this.  I usually counter offer close to the start price; sometimes it's accepted.  I also occasionally get an offer message for a bit less than the start price on non-Best Offer listings.  If I think it's reasonable I'll take it, to get rid of the item. 

[lofty1966]

I offered 20 quid for an Airfix Castle that some chancer had up for £125

I was taking the pee (but so is he)

Edited January 16, 2020 by lofty1966

[Colin_McLeod]

The OP stated that he received an offer that was greater than his start price.  The responses on here relate to offers below the start price..

[PaulRhB]

On 16/01/2020 at 07:30, polybear said:

For example, one guy offered fifteen quid on an item starting at twenty-five.  

He’d mentioned two examples

 

Yes you get emails from chancers, I reply once saying I’ll let it run  

[Colin_McLeod]

On 16/01/2020 at 07:30, polybear said:

 

I had one last night on an item I've been relisting for some time now - it's up for four quid start, plus postage.  He's offered five quid plus postage....

Does anyone else get many of these emails? 

 

Yes. He is offering more in the hope you will accept and thus he avoids paying even more if bidding were to hot up.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Colin_McLeod

[GWR-fan]

I never sell on auction, preferring a "Buy it Now" as the buyer knows exactly how much including postage which is shown when his postcode is input.  I specifically include that no offers are accepted in capital letters due eBay's fee structure,  eBay applying a fee on the postage paid and more importantly the prices I ask are basically half what most others are asking.  I still get numerous messages asking my "best price".  I reply that my best price is my asking price and try find a lower price anywhere.  Usually I never hear from them again.  A friend who used to sell regularly on eBay and I once had a long discussion on eBay bidders/buyers and we reasoned that one could write a PhD on the subject.

 

[laurenceb]

Just do what a dealer I know does-add $50 to the price!

[MarcD]

If the listing says "£xxx or best offer" it looks like the seller is inviting offers under that price. From a legal point of view any price is an invitation to tender. If the seller doesn't want to sell that is their choice.  and if someone offers lower than"£xxx" then they think that the seller's price is to high. And the buyer is possible trying to open a negotiation. In which case both the seller and buyer would be looking for a figure somewhere in the middle.

In Scotland this is slightly different as in the case of selling houses it states offers over £xxx.

So if £xxx is basically a reserve price you need to remove the "best offers" part of your listings.

From a personal point of view I have made offers resently in a bit to start negotiating. Which were low then at the starting price only to be turned down on both occasions. 

Marc

[newbryford]

7 minutes ago, Furness Wagon said:

If the listing says "£xxx or best offer" it looks like the seller is inviting offers under that price. From a legal point of view any price is an invitation to tender. If the seller doesn't want to sell that is their choice.  and if someone offers lower than"£xxx" then they think that the seller's price is to high. And the buyer is possible trying to open a negotiation. In which case both the seller and buyer would be looking for a figure somewhere in the middle.

In Scotland this is slightly different as in the case of selling houses it states offers over £xxx.

So if £xxx is basically a reserve price you need to remove the "best offers" part of your listings.

From a personal point of view I have made offers resently in a bit to start negotiating. Which were low then at the starting price only to be turned down on both occasions. 

Marc

 

 

I know of some sellers that do not accept offers below the bid starting price - in the hope that either the bids will go higher, or an offer decently higher than the start price will come in soon - for a quick sale. 

 

I usually have my start prices a little lower than I would really be happy to sell for, but that's my risk as I want to encourage people to start bidding. 

I do put best offer onto a few odd items - especially if it's a common item that I've listed as BIN

 

Although I had one auction item with best offer last year, with what I considered a low start price as I just wanted to sell it, but obviously hoping for a certain amount.

I then had an email asking what offer I would accept and my reply was "I'll let it run".

The he offered me more than what I actually hoped that it would sell for.

It would have been rude not to accept.

He was happy and so was I.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[polybear]

I've stopped replying to messages with offers below the start price, as I regard my start price as my lowest price.  As time goes on I may drop the start price if things don't sell, but I'm never in a rush to sell - things may well have been sitting doing nothing for years, so a few weeks of repeat listings is lost in the noise.....

In general, I find that sooner or later someone comes along and makes a bid.  Often it's just one bid, sometimes I get a bidding war

[hayfield]

I have have turned off the make me an offer so I can turn it on when I want to use it. Recently I have had to list an item starting at £14.95 two or three times, had two or three offers for £10 which I declined. Just had one for £25 which I gratefully accepted.

 

A couple of times I have added it to an item starting at 99p, both times accepted what I thought were reasonable offers

 

One other time I accepted a chaps third offer, a couple of £'s below the asking price but as not many were watching the item and the chap was persistent I was happy with the deal

 

It does have its uses, but I am selective on the items I use it on

[Crosland]

No need to even reply, just set the threshold below which you automatically reject offers. Set this to the start price or above if that's what you want.

[Re6/6]

I have always added this to all my auctions.......

 

"Please note that there is no 'buy-it-now' price on this item".

 

...... so I've never had an e-mail....

[Allegheny1600]

38 minutes ago, Re6/6 said:

I have always added this to all my auctions.......

 

"Please note that there is no 'buy-it-now' price on this item".

 

...... so I've never had an e-mail....

Blimey!

You mean people actually read what you've written in your description!?!

I find that a lot of people simply don't bother, in fact I've had some that ask exactly what is in the description, or - even worse, what's in the title!

I know the saying is "it takes all sorts" but ebay selling has taught me there are some real thick bu66ers out there!

Cheers,

John.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Allegheny1600
Spelling!

[hayfield]

25 minutes ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Blimey!

You mean people actually read what you've written in your description!?!

I find that a lot of people simply don't bother, in fact I've had some that ask exactly what is in the description, or - even worse, what's in the title!

I know the saying is "it takes all sorts" but ebay selling has taught me there are some real thick bu66ers out there!

Cheers,

John.

 

 

Often its not worth reading the description, either there is nothing there, or it is wrong/misleading. I find that providing the photo's are well taken they are more useful than any description.

 

BUT my best buys are where the photo's are awful and the description just as bad. however I have seen something which whilst is out of focus, its clear enough to tweak a hunch

 

High postage prices also scare folk off, I just work out what the item is worth to me, then deduct the postage off that figure for my maximum bid. More often than not I get the item for far less than my maximum bid.

[Allegheny1600]

Ah, I see! Thanks, John - maybe I actually provide too much information in my description?

I certainly try my best to provide the best pictures I can - in focus, well lit and where necessary, detailed.

Postage is my best guess for actual cost.

 

Anyway - occasionally I also receive offers - if they're realistic and my item has been hanging around I'll consider it, if not I just say "no thanks"!

Cheers,

John.

[hayfield]

30 minutes ago, Allegheny1600 said:

Ah, I see! Thanks, John - maybe I actually provide too much information in my description?

I certainly try my best to provide the best pictures I can - in focus, well lit and where necessary, detailed.

Postage is my best guess for actual cost.

 

Anyway - occasionally I also receive offers - if they're realistic and my item has been hanging around I'll consider it, if not I just say "no thanks"!

Cheers,

John.

 

John

 

What I do find is that items that have good photos and detailed accurate information usually sell for more than I am willing to pay, if you are in this class then keep it up.

Good luck with your selling

 

On the items I sell I explain that the charge is for both the cost of postage and packaging, I also state the service to be used (eg first class recorded small package) estimated on what I expect the item to make, if the item falls into the next postal category, I am happy to pay the difference myself.

[Blandford1969]

I put photos on a £2, but on some have been getting offers of £20, so really don't mind if people want to offer more. It may be others might bid higher in a bidding war, but I would rather just accept the offer. As for lower offers, I'm pragmatic, loco photos struggle to sell more than stations generally, so if someone offers me a little less like 50p less then again, I'd rather sell the item than just ignore it, as I've got thousands to get rid of (the sooner the better my wife says, lol)

[Hal Nail]

6 hours ago, hayfield said:

High postage prices also scare folk off

Equally true when selling anything over 50 quid if you want to send it fully insured. At around 10% it's a bit of a deal breaker.

[GWR-fan]

My listings I suppose are more like one would see in a legal contract "small print".   I have seen too many times where people look at the images, read the listing title and then press "Buy it Now".  If there is a dispute and fortunately for me there never has been,  then I am able to point out details in my description that are there for all to read.    I have heard of many cases where people buy a listing where the seller details that the item is defective in some way,  even including for spares only and yet the buyer raises a dispute because the loco does not run and so is "not as described".  One seller down under even compensated a buyer because he received  negative feedbacks because two locomotives purchased would slip going up his steep grades and were not able to haul any coaches up the grades.  Common sense would dictate that his grades were too steep,  but for the buyer the locomotives were defective.

 

A year or two ago I asked for opinions on a non-runner purchase from a well known store that when received had no motor at all,  obviously explaining the reason for it being a non-runner.  The consensus of opinions received was that I should have anticipated that the motor was missing as a possibility as the item was "as described", a non-runner.  Now if I had listed the same loco on an auction site describing exactly the same as being a "non-runner" and not mentioning the missing motor then I would have had a dispute on my hands.  People make assumptions about a purchase and have expectations.  If your listing description does not fully explain the condition then people feel that they have been conned and want to be compensated for their perceived "loss".   

[polybear]

I've noticed that Ebay have sneakily turned on the "Buy it Now" option on several of my listings when relisting....

 

Another trick that I've heard and to be aware of is buyers collecting an item from a seller at an exhibition etc. (this was from a seller of classic car spares) - the buyer then claims non-delivery and gets a refund from Paypal due to there being no signed for delivery.  Take care.

[GWR-fan]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

I've noticed that Ebay have sneakily turned on the "Buy it Now" option on several of my listings when relisting....

 

Another trick that I've heard and to be aware of is buyers collecting an item from a seller at an exhibition etc. (this was from a seller of classic car spares) - the buyer then claims non-delivery and gets a refund from Paypal due to there being no signed for delivery.  Take care.

 

With personal pickup there is no seller protection when using PayPal should a dispute be raised.  If the buyer pays cash on pickup then I would think that the seller would be similarly disadvantaged in a dispute.