Question about selling on eBay

[LLJsmom]

Can I get your opinions??

I am not a frequent seller on eBay so maybe I am naive. Why do people private message me and offer the lowest bidding price of below and get offended when I say no? Is it common practice to try to sidestep an auction? I never do that when I buy. I always either bid or pay the buy it now price. I am actually offended when they offer half of the starting auction price that I set. What are people trying to accomplish? Would you sell below your auction staring price?

 

[iLander]

Just ignore them, they are bottom-fishing. They are hoping you will also deal outside eBay, or pay their customs fees, or whatever. If a transaction starts badly, it will be bad throughout, in my experience. So ignore it and their protests are just people trying to bully you.

In your description, say "no lower offers will be accepted" or something like that.

The hell with them, I just don't respond.

 

[AGBF]

I haven't sold on eBay in a long time, but I did start to sell on eBay over ten years ago so I am rather an old hand. (I mainly buy.) The only time I offer a price below the asking bid is when the vendor says that he will accept a certain price "or an offer". I then, sometimes, offer a reasonable price that will not insult the seller's intelligence or pride. I agree that you should simply ignore people who make "strange" or "rude" moves on eBay unless those moves flout rules and, therefore, need to be reported.

AGBF

 

[dk168]

I tend to use the "Best Offer" option, and set a minimum price that I would accept, and all offers below that amount will automatically bounced.

I got my fingers burnt when I tried to sell unwanted jewellery about 10 years ago, ended up with a sizeable bill for seller's fees yet I only managed to sell one or two items.

In the end I sold the rest of them to a local jeweller at hugely reduced prices compared to what I had hoped to get via eBay.

Lesson learnt - when selling jewellery, I would be lucky if I get 20% of the price I initially paid for an item, no joke.

Good luck with your sale(s).

DK

 

[baby monster]

You should report those buyers to ebay, especially if they are sending you nasty messages. Taking the sale outside ebay is against ebay rules and they can get suspended/banned. I've been on ebay for 15 years now and circumventing rules is just trouble for sellers.

There's an option on ebay to create a listing with "best offer" so if the listing doesn't show it, I wouldn't try to get a lower price. But I also don't find the price haggling personal or get offended. It's part of ebay.

 

[momhappy]

I don't know how common it is, but it definitely happens. If they respond to your decline in a negative manner, then you may use want to stop answering the requests. Unless someone is messaging you with a legitimate question, then I would probably just delete it and move on.

 

[LLJsmom]

Thank you everyone! I was feeling backed into a corner. Ilander, I see exactly what you are saying. Thank you. I did not have a "best offer" option. I listed the auction start price and a buy it now price. When they kept asking me for my lowest price I thought I had not been clear. Then when I stated the auction start price they said yes and asked me to cancel the auction so they could buy it at this price. Why would I set up an auction if I was just going to sell at the lowest price? I would be willing if that is what the market will bear. But I don't want to get cornered into saying yes. I told them they could bid on it. They they said they needed it for her sister's bday which was before the end of the auction. So I shortened the auction just for these two buyers. No bids. Instead a new buyer put a bid on it. It's so complicated and I feel like I'm going to get tricked. I guess I'm the stupid one. Thanks everyone for your helpful and savvy advice.