the.golden.ax Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 What is the deal with sellers who offer a "best offer" option on eBay and then won't haggle. I think Beep4Me and SweetStuff4U and others like them are JERKS. Today I made a $100 offer on Meteorites CIB for 5200. With the knowledge that it was a low offer and not going to be accepted. So after Beep rejected it I wrote, reminding him that the great part of best offer is that you get to haggle over the price and counter offer on it. He informed me that he doesn't repond to what he condsiders 'unreasonable' offers, so I offered $1 and asked him to block me. $250 for CIB meteorites is too high... everyone here knows that. $100 isn't spitting in his face... a counter of $200, followed by a counter of $150 would have been ideal (and what I hoped for) but apparently he is looking for $249. Why bother with "best offer"!? Most of his stuff stays up for MONTHS without a sale. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianrtcv Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I just leave myself notes so that I don't bother with these sellers. This way I keep my rage levels at optimum levels, not maxed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProvenHuman Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've yet to have a "best offer" accepted on ebay, and I generally make a first offer that's a little uncomfortably high for me. Most of the time I just watch them expire with no contact of any kind from the seller. Seems completely pointless to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sargon Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've had the same experience with Best Offer. I make what I think are reasonable offers fairly close to the Buy It Now price, yet sellers always seem to decline them. It really doesn't seem like it serves much purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brojamfootball Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've made what I thought were fair offers, a bit below the asking price but not too awfully much. I mean, the seller asked for offers so what's the harm right? Say the buy it now price was $25(overpriced item) and I offered $17 or 18, hoping to eventually agree to a price of $20 or so. The seller, if responding at all(someone else mentioned regular lack of response on offers and I have found the same), usually counters with something smartass like $24.75 --lame. Gee, thanks! You mean if I go back and forth with four or five messages I can maybe get you to discount it a WHOLE dollar, like four whole percent off? IF ONE DOLLAR OFF IS ALL YOU'LL MAKE A 'BARGAIN' FOR DON'T ASK FOR OFFERS! I have retired from making offers for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 Wow, no wonder I hardly get offers. I usually go 10 - 20% less. I do look the stuff up to see if I'm cheapest, and beat others. The only time I decline without a counter is internationals that are below half. If it's domestic or at least half I play along. I'm usualy good for at least free shipping on a good value item ($25 game down to $20, even if the cheapest is $24ish)... guess there are few others as sellers/buyers like me willing to play the game. Odd too how sh*tty they are, since I value money, I always assume they would too. Most of them don't want business. How did buyers become the enemy? AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 @Sargon, Is that MLB for NES? I loved that game! I think the Best offer option should be used for best offers, not offensive offers. If I was asking $250 for an item and received a $100 offer, I probably wouldn't bother to counter. Call me lazy or old fashioned or whatever, but if I decline it, you can try again or go somewhere else. If you made a closer offer to start, say $175, and I thought that was too low still, maybe I would come back with $200. Likewise if you felt like spending $150 and sent an offer of $150 maybe he would have accepted?? Instead he gets insulted with the lowball offer and decides not to play games.. Regardless, this game is not worth $250, and your offer of $100 was not a slap in the face, only far off the mark of the asking price, so probably all a mute point. Also I would like to add I've used the best offer both as a seller & buyer and like it alot. I don't play games though, if I see something I want, I offer what I would be willing to pay straight up and either I win it or I don't. As a seller I often use preset auto approve/decline figures give or take a few bucks between that I can decide upon based on how I'm feeling right then. I've had alot of success with the best offer option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sargon Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 @Sargon, Is that MLB for NES? I loved that game! Close... RBI Baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjb Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I hear you Ax, I've had the same experience the vast majority of the time. I am happy to report a few sellers in recent memory who do consider offers and will counter. tjb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) Well I dunno about in general maybe it is worth more than I think... but I've seen a boxed Meteorites go for $128 in the past... not as nice, but I think $250 is a bloated price point. Am I wrong here? Saying $100 offer is offencive on something that is $250, but worth perhaps $150, is like saying a seller with a $100 Pac-Man CIB... something that will sell under $10 every day of the year.... should be insulted by an $8 offer. Yeah, $100 is less than half his asking price if you go by percentage... but $175 would have been more than I've personally witnessed it sell for prior to my collecting for 5200. He doesn't have to take my offer, he doesn't have to counter offer, but getting rude... simply does not make sence. Why you ask? Well, one day I may consider that or another item at his asking price, being the known collector that I am. Now, he will not get my business, ever. Simply put. If I'm worthless and stupid to Beep4me I'll find another person who wants my business. I made the mistake of thinking after a year of not seeing any 7800 Tank Commands that I had to go high on the first one that came up... paid $350... then a year later there are over a dozen listings one after another until I see them sub $100 CIB. Same thing with the Voice for Odyssey in the box I just bought for $60ish. Couple years ago saw one for $41... It was a while between (more than a year) the last time I had seen any. Then, recently there was a string of them listed starting with one for $9.99 regular auction... I offered the seller to put a 'BIN' on the item for $41... the most I'd seen to that point. He declined, I bid and it got well over $100... I bid it up to that $100 mark and then let it go, because another was listed a day before the first listing ended. The next one made it to nearly $100 but less than the first in the string of listings... then another for $80ish, then another, and I got it for $60ish. You don't see something for a year and eventually there is a bunch. Kinda side tracked there, but the point is man, he isn't special just because he has that game, there will be others. The other sellers won't all be jerks who want to talk down to me. $100 isn't free, or like offering a $1. It's still several hours work for the common man. You can ask what you want for an item... it doesn't mean you are going to get it... but if your going to put 'best offer' on your listings you should at least play along with the process... not get ticked off. AX Edited July 25, 2009 by the.golden.ax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninermaniac Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Yeah. They have had BBSB up for over two years. I think they use it as a marketing ploy anyway. Items they don't intend to get rid of they price really high to bring business in. With this cat though, everything is high and you are right. They don't haggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holygrailvideogames.com Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Lee (Beep4Me) is a nice guy. If I had to guess I would bet that he paid more than $100 for Meteorites. I wouldn't be surprised if he paid $150-$200. I am sure this is why doesn't want to deal with a $100 offer. Meteorites used to sell for $100+ loose. There was a time when it sold for several hundred dollars boxed. Some new ones were found and the price went down. I would expect the price of Meteorites to start going up again when the economy improves as it still is a tough title to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianoid Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 The offer function is almost useless. Sellers don't get it. I've made 20 offers for every 1 accepted. One thing to be aware of is that you can set an auto-accept price. If you are a seller and you use make an offer and have no auto-accept price, you are probably not going to accept 20% less, let alone a steeper discount. In summary, I hate people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Smeghead Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I just leave myself notes so that I don't bother with these sellers. This way I keep my rage levels at optimum levels, not maxed out. Ya know, there is a way to block sellers from a search, so you don't even see their auctions. I do that with all of SS4U's auctions. Lee (Beep4Me) is a nice guy. If I had to guess I would bet that he paid more than $100 for Meteorites. I wouldn't be surprised if he paid $150-$200. I am sure this is why doesn't want to deal with a $100 offer. I don't know anything about this seller, but frankly if it were me, I would never ignore a potential customer, especially in this economy. Whenever I had an item up and someone emailed me about a possible Buy it Now (I've never sold anything with a BIN or a Best Offer) no matter how "lowball" I thought the offer was, I'd still respond. Most times, nothing ever came of it. But I have made a few nice sales all becuase I took a minute to legitimize someone's inquiry. Only takes a minute, after all. Just my 2 cents. Cheers, Smeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+poobah Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I don't know anything about this seller, but frankly if it were me, I would never ignore a potential customer, especially in this economy. Whenever I had an item up and someone emailed me about a possible Buy it Now (I've never sold anything with a BIN or a Best Offer) no matter how "lowball" I thought the offer was, I'd still respond. Most times, nothing ever came of it. But I have made a few nice sales all becuase I took a minute to legitimize someone's inquiry. Only takes a minute, after all. Exactly. At least acknowledge that a bid was made. (Politely, I've had some 'unfriendly' replies from people with pie-in-the-sky dreams) Sometimes a low ball can be brought up enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookt Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I made an offer on a complete SCRAM for the 800. It was up for £49.99 (GBP) or best offer. I offered £10 thinking the guy would haggle (it's a cassette title) but I just got a flat refusal. Well it didn't sell and a couple of weeks later he re-listed it as an auction starting at £4.99. It eventually went for ... £10.50. Hope he enjoyed his extra 50p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frizo Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I have had a few encounters with these jerks... but i cant really remember ALL of them, but there were atleast 3. Why bother to put up best offer if you wont accept these "best offers"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 I just leave myself notes so that I don't bother with these sellers. This way I keep my rage levels at optimum levels, not maxed out. Ya know, there is a way to block sellers from a search, so you don't even see their auctions. I do that with all of SS4U's auctions. Lee (Beep4Me) is a nice guy. If I had to guess I would bet that he paid more than $100 for Meteorites. I wouldn't be surprised if he paid $150-$200. I am sure this is why doesn't want to deal with a $100 offer. I don't know anything about this seller, but frankly if it were me, I would never ignore a potential customer, especially in this economy. Whenever I had an item up and someone emailed me about a possible Buy it Now (I've never sold anything with a BIN or a Best Offer) no matter how "lowball" I thought the offer was, I'd still respond. Most times, nothing ever came of it. But I have made a few nice sales all becuase I took a minute to legitimize someone's inquiry. Only takes a minute, after all. Just my 2 cents. Cheers, Smeg I'd love to hear more about blocking sellers. I did not know that. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProvenHuman Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I guess I should never say never. After complaining that I've never had a 'best offer' accepted (and rarely even acknowledged) I just won a pretty descent boxed system & games on a bid that was 35% under his buy it now price, which wasn't a bad price to begin with. No haggling, just accepted my lowball offer. He didn't really take long to consider it, and I don't think it was an 'auto accept' because the guy sent me a personal message right away. Of course, I should probably reserve final judgment for after the stuff arrives. Could be that he was feeling guilty about something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari Smeghead Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I'd love to hear more about blocking sellers. I did not know that. AX It's actually surprisingly simple. First, type in a search (or bring up a saved one). After the search is displayed, look on the left. The first item is Refine Search. At the bottom of the Refine Search box, Click on Specify Sellers. Click the box for "Show Only Items From," change "Include" to "Exclude," type in the seller name, and BANG, no more SS4U or whoever. Cheers, Smeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 I just did a $50 offer on a $65 N64 in a suit case after the lady confirmed it has the N64 logo on it, and she took it. It's not shown in the photo, but I have a thing for hard plastic system cases... Have one for Genesis and Atari (would love a Jag). But see... it does work sometimes. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I just did a $50 offer on a $65 N64 in a suit case after the lady confirmed it has the N64 logo on it, and she took it. It's not shown in the photo, but I have a thing for hard plastic system cases... Have one for Genesis and Atari (would love a Jag). But see... it does work sometimes. AX Speaking of which, I saw a N64 game storage drawer with the official logo on it at a SA. Is something like that worth picking up or are they generally worthless? Temepst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) I love those drawers. I saw two little ones (holds 12) and a big one (holds 24) at a game store. I offered them $50 for the three, and they couldn't do it (though they tried) because they were holding up part of their counter and monitor for the video cameras. I went home and found a 24 on eBay with a $23 BIN... the seller shipped a 12 by accident. Upon informing them of the error, they told me to keep it as a gift, and they would send the 24. So now I have one of each and couldn't be happier. I keep the few carts I need for loading on the Z64 in the 12 and controllers in the 24. My boxed games stay in the boxes (that's my main deal with the love of flash cart type stuff... use your games without wearing the packages out). This is almost turning into another thread AX Edited July 27, 2009 by the.golden.ax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I love those drawers. I saw to little ones (holds 12) and a big one (holds 24) at a game store. I offered them $50 for the three, and they couldn't do it (though they tried) because they were holding up part of their counter and monitor for the video cameras. I went home and found a 24 on eBay with a $23 BIN... the seller shipped a 12 by accident. Upon informing them of the error, they told me to keep it as a gift, and they would send the 24. So now I have one of each and couldn't be happier. I keep the few carts I need for loading on the Z64 in the 12 and controllers in the 24. My boxed games stay in the boxes (that's my main deal with the love of flash cart type stuff... use your games without wearing the packages out). This is almost turning into another thread AX Hmm... I might go pick it up next time I'm in the area. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricDeLee Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 ah... SS4U. You know... in Smeg's signature I recognized the initials but could not remember much about the person. Now that this thread pops up and I can rad the entire name, I get flashbacks of dealing with that crap way back when I had my Jaguar and other items. Just block the guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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