Making offers on non OBO items
 

What are your thoughts on making an offer (via message) for BIN items that do not have the best offer option? I've done it twice, and both times the seller accepted, so obviously some sellers are willing to lower their price. There's an item for $40 BIN that normally sells for $20, thinking of offering $25 via message but reconsidering if this is poor etiquette to some people.

I don't see an issue with it. I don't recall ever doing it but I have had people do it to me. Sometimes I lower the BIN price for them, sometimes their offer is too low and I politely decline.

Do it all the time. Usually accepted.

If it's fair, no problem.

Lowball offers through messages can be annoying, but I usually price my cards high, so I guess I get it. If an offer comes in at a fair price, I will usually accept. I'm generally not a fan of the guys who give me a paragraph stating what the last cards sold for, etc.

It is just that in my experience, someone will come along and pay over market value for the card. If you list something up on eBay or COMC long enough, somebody will come along and buy it. Generally I find that this happens during the season, when casual buyers with money to burn come along and pay top dollar for a player who just had a monster game.

It's a fair thing to do, but be reasonable about it as well. The items I sell on EBay are not sportscards, but something else. I always do BIN and my prices are very fair (for example I listed 3 items on Wednesday night and they all sold by Friday morning). I have had buyers message me with a lower offer, and I will consider it if reasonable but some just throw offers out there without knowing the value of something.

I like it. It also prevents the most annoying question when you have Best Offer

ERRRRRRR "What's the lowest you will take for this?" (And of course They don't bother sending an offer, which is why you freakin have it available in the first place. To avoid that dumb question.

UHHHHH I don't know what's the most you are willing to pay?

At least with a straight BIN they pretty much know where you stand so they can't get too ridiculous or maybe just save a little and go direct

It happened so much that ebay put in that feature to send an offer through email. 90% of the time I get offers in this way they are fair as opposed with the OBO feature where I get mostly lowball offers from people who are only interested if the item a "steal".

Everything in this world is available for a price, and all those prices are negotiable, whether it says best offer or not. The worst they can say is no.

I do this all the time. I usually will do it with things that have been listed for atleast 30 days. I always offer a fair price and 90% of the time the offer gets accepted

I was going to let this thread end but there's an update to my story that's too good not to post. The card I was interested in had no completed sales but an extremely similar (and probably slightly better) card had 3 completions, all between $18 and $21. He was asking $40 BIN and there is another available for $32 BIN. I sent the message offering $25 to the guy with the $40 card, figuring that he'd search eBay and lower his price when he realized there was a cheaper one available. Nope, he responded that 40 was his lowest price, then relisted it today for $50. And the $32 one is still sitting there... Makes no sense

[QUOTE=Metsfan1121;10566627]I was going to let this thread end but there's an update to my story that's too good not to post. The card I was interested in had no completed sales but an extremely similar (and probably slightly better) card had 3 completions, all between $18 and $21. He was asking $40 BIN and there is another available for $32 BIN. I sent the message offering $25 to the guy with the $40 card, figuring that he'd search eBay and lower his price when he realized there was a cheaper one available. Nope, he responded that 40 was his lowest price, then relisted it today for $50. And the $32 one is still sitting there... Makes no sense[/QUOTE]

Why not just buy the $32 one? Makes no sense.

I offer on non offer items when necessary. I see people listing /299 autos for 80 when you can get /10 for 20. They either jack it up or they're just clueless.

[QUOTE=jbrandonw;10566643]Why not just buy the $32 one? Makes no sense.[/QUOTE]

This card is worth $25 tops, and I'm in no position to overpay for it at this point? I did offer him $25 as well but no response

I just tell them "Let me think about it" but never do.

Let me cover my own ass a bit...WHEN I'm on Blowoutcards and you get that message from me, I DO think about it.

For eBay people, I am lying to them and never think about it.

I get message from people asking me to turn my auction to BIN when it already have bids on it...WTF.

Yup lowball requests get no response. Hell, with all of these free listings that eBay provides, I just put cards up that I normally would not move at a high price just for s/g.

I've had luck with this in the past. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Just depends on the seller and the card you are asking about. It never hurts to ask though, the worst the seller can say is no.

I've also won auction listings before by messaging the seller and offering him a set amount for a card. For example, a card is listed as an auction for $0.99 and I offer $10 for the card, and the seller sells it to me for that amount.

A buyer on ebay messaged me about a card, which already has a sizable auction price (up to $80), asking what price i'm looking for it. I don't feel comfortable canceling an auction after bids have been placed.

i have done it several times usually only when the card is so overpriced just to see what the seller says. i'd say 9 times out of 10 i can reach a fair deal and in most cases end up paying a little more than wanted. my last time didn't go as well. buyer had a lower end plate auto card for sale at $50 and contenders plate auto went for $13ish dlvd but the seller wouldn't budge. I got the "i'm in no hurry to move it" response. item ended with no takers and was relisted a little lower. i ended up overpaying as i didn't want to miss out just in case someone else decided they wanted it more.

This just happened to me after this thread was created -a guy asked me would I consider an offer on a lot of 2 Harper's I had selling. I said sure I raise my price on them for the best offer option for him- and we were able to make a good deal. actually probably going to turn out to be a really good contact - so definitely worth it for me