EBay Auctions with Best Offer

[5429]

What is the point of this?

Has anyone had experience submitting an offer lower than the starting Auction price if the card if the starting price is way too high?

[CardPadre]

I did it just the other day. Too high starting price of $5K+, I made a $2K+ offer and we ended up working a deal. I would say results totally depend on if you're dealing with a seller who actually wants to move the card or someone who is just fishing for a sucker and not really motivated at all to sell.

[salthill]

Sometimes it’s set at a price just enough above the auction start that it tempts a buyer to just get it done and not risk it getting away from them.

[Joshi City]

I am a big fan of BIN, both selling and buying. When I sell, I usually set a price at maybe 5% higher than the most recent comp in case someone is out there dying to get it, then listen to any offers that are "realistic." Of all the BIN auctions I post, at least 80% I end up taking a Best Offer. Another advantage is it allows me to choose my buyer, if I am selling a real expensive item and the offer is from someone with a brand new account/no feedback it at least gives me a chance to decide if I want to risk it or sell to someone with more eBay history (don't really care for lower priced items).

For buying, if someone has it, I always use it. Otherwise it wouldn't be there as an option. But I don't lowball just to see if they are 'desperate,' I give what I believe is a fair price and if they want to counter, we go from there.

[DynaEtch]

I've had success with having a BO accepted less than start price, but it's not common. It's more likely if the start price is high, and it's well into the auction and no bids, and the seller just wants to sell it. It's less likely if the auction just started.

Obviously the most common use is to make a fair offer above the start price close to market price. I've had awkward situations like the following:

Auction start price: $100

I offer $250, seller declines

I then win the item for like $150 at auction.

To the sellers credit, they havent cancelled in such situations, and honored the sale. But it creates an awkward situation.

[longhornjunkie]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

I've had success with having a BO accepted less than start price, but it's not common. It's more likely if the start price is high, and it's well into the auction and no bids, and the seller just wants to sell it. It's less likely if the auction just started.

Obviously the most common use is to make a fair offer above the start price close to market price. I've had awkward situations like the following:

Auction start price: $100

I offer $250, seller declines

I then win the item for like $150 at auction.

To the sellers credit, they havent cancelled in such situations, and honored the sale. But it creates an awkward situation.

Awkward maybe, but I like getting the last laugh in those situations, if I'm being honest.

To answer OP's question I've had some luck having an item on my watch list for a couple of cycles and then throwing an offer out hoping they want to move on from the card. I assume if it's on an auction they're more willing to move it than if it was just in a BIN listing fishing for someone to overpay. Kind of a gamble, obviously, as you're hoping nobody else will snipe it at the end of the auction.