Amazon comes over all eBay with new ‘make an offer’ facility Amazon is making a bid to steal customers from online marketplaces such as eBay with a new option to “make an offer” on items. The firm is introducing the option on Amazon.com for folks to offer a lower price for products in the fine arts and collectibles sections initially, and will then be expanding the service to other …
While I'll counter, if you seriously lowball me the second time, my counter is usually above my initial asking price. I feel I've wasted enough time on you and really don't want your business when you come in that low. OTH I'm just selling used and one off deals I find so it is a hobby more than a living.
The one that bugs me is when I'm selling something such as a car and I use the local paper or whatever - some people ring, and ask on the phone "what's the lowest you'll take for it?"
Silly question. If I've advertised the thing at £x, and answer that question with £y, if they see the vehicle they'll try knocking me down from £y - expecting me to go lower than the figure I'll have said is the lowest I'd take.
So instead, I answer with "What's the highest you'll pay for it?"
This usually confuses them.
I had someone win my car on an eBay auction, and the day they'd arranged to pick it up they emailed and said "my brother hijacked my account so I won't be buying the car" - after I'd made the journey 30 miles to meet them. So he then offered me 65% of the price agreed. I took it because it was only £40 loss and they seemed too scary to risk suing, and they knew my mum's address. But if it was anyone else I would resell the car and sue the buyer for the difference. Suing is good.
So you double your prices and then keep your customers happy by letting them negotiate a huge reduction of 40% .
Most likely. Just like many of the Black Friday offers this year which seem to go along the lines "Look here! 50% off!" ...when really the offer was 10% or less off usual selling price. Calculating percentage from RRP and ignoring the usual selling price makes it look better deal than it is.
It works both ways, with sellers taking the piss too.
For example, offer say 90% the BIN price to be told "sorry mate the BIN is the lowest I can go" ..WTF
Submit a (very reasonable) offer that reduces the price by a few quid, get a counter offer in the few pence saving range (one was 4p IIRC although that was a low value item).
In many cases the BIN price on such items is a joke anyway.
I have had some good deals using it but a lot of sellers just seem to use it as hook bait.
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