Ebay changing " Best Offer " with New Best Offer Beta

[mjlalt]

Ebay is experimenting with the Best Offer system.
Currently the New Best Offer Beta available in a few categories right now

eBay: Best Offer Beta


Basically it works like this

1. Offer is made (buyer is not required to follow though with offer )
2. Offer accepted ( or denied of course)
3. Item remains listed until paid for.
4. Other offers can be accepted (first one that pays for item gets it)



I don't really care for it . What are you thoughts?

 

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[vpnavy]

My only problem is Number 4 (Other offers can be accepted - first one that pays for item gets it). I pay via PayPal but can't pay until I find out if the offer was accepted I don't get to my mail until later in the day. If I am reading this correctly, I can make an offer - it is accepted but I won't know until later. In the meantime, someone else comes in behind me and makes an offer - it is accepted - he (or she) see's the acceptance and PayPal's - I lose? That really sucks big time.

 

[Lafitte Deux]

Interesting. I could see the benefits.
However, I see one big red flag: Allowing buyers to bid on multiple items.
What if buyer gets 2 or more accepted and can't decide. Items sit in limbo if the buyer doesn't commit.
There doesn't appear to be any time limit in this situation, nor any recourse if they just never hit the "pay" button.

 

[Iron Patch]

Sounds to me like a lot more interaction for near the same end result. It's very straight forward now so I really don't understand what the point is to change it... But if I had to guess, many more sellers are probably listing fixed price with best offer these days and ebay is trying to push the buyers into offering, trying to make it seem as normal as bidding.

 

[Iron Patch]

My only problem is Number 4 (Other offers can be accepted - first one that pays for item gets it). I pay via PayPal but can't pay until I find out if the offer was accepted I don't get to my mail until later in the day. If I am reading this correctly, I can make an offer - it is accepted but I won't know until later. In the meantime, someone else comes in behind me and makes an offer - it is accepted - he (or she) see's the acceptance and PayPal's - I lose? That really sucks big time.

The point is to make you offer higher to ensure you get it.

 

[Baltimore]

So many changes... Has anyone else lost the ability to easily look at sold and completed listings? My active/sold/completed bar has disappeared on ebay, and been replaced by a bar to sort auctions by all/auction-style/buy it now. Has this happened to anyone else?

(Not meaning to hijack the thread, I figured it was on a similar "changes to ebay" subject)

 

[jerseyben]

So if I am reading this correctly:

You can make offers on multiple items and you are only obligated to purchase an item if you actually pay for it - even if your offer was accepted by the seller?

You used to be obligated to pay for an item if your offer was accepted.

Please correct me if I am reading this wrong.

If this is indeed correct, then that made ebay bargain hunting much easier for a lot more people.

 

[diggummup]

So many changes... Has anyone else lost the ability to easily look at sold and completed listings? My active/sold/completed bar has disappeared on ebay, and been replaced by a bar to sort auctions by all/auction-style/buy it now. Has this happened to anyone else?

(Not meaning to hijack the thread, I figured it was on a similar "changes to ebay" subject)

Yes and I don't like it. I hope it's just them "experimenting again and it will go away soon. I hate having to scroll through 100 overpriced items that didn't sell just to find the ones that did.

So if I am reading this correctly:

You can make offers on multiple items and you are only obligated to purchase an item if you actually pay for it - even if your offer was accepted by the seller?

You used to be obligated to pay for an item if your offer was accepted.

Please correct me if I am reading this wrong.

If this is indeed correct, then that made ebay bargain hunting much easier for a lot more people.

And ditto what Ben said.

 

[isabella1]

It's a horrible idea. Stupid.

 

[jerseyben]

I dont know about you guys but I will now spend hours trolling "make an offer" postings and just throw as many offers out there and see what sticks. With no obligation to complete the purchase, what do we have to lose?

 

[diggummup]

I dont know about you guys but I will now spend hours trolling "make an offer" postings and just throw as many offers out there and see what sticks. With no obligation to complete the purchase, what do we have to lose?

Yeah right. And this is supposed to reduce unpaid item cases? I guess ebay thinks if a seller has multiple offers on an item, that it will compel a buyer to pay for it quicker, before someone else gets it? Am I thinking correctly?

 

[Iron Patch]

I dont know about you guys but I will now spend hours trolling "make an offer" postings and just throw as many offers out there and see what sticks. With no obligation to complete the purchase, what do we have to lose?

How is the current system any different if you just want to throw a bunch of lowball offers? Only a very small %, if any, would be accepted.... so there's no difference.

 

[jerseyben]

How is the current system any different if you just want to throw a bunch of lowball offers? Only a very small %, if any, would be accepted.... so there's no difference.

If you lowball $100 on a $300 item and it gets accepted then you just spent $100 on 1 item. That is a different story than sending out 100 offers of $1 on a $3 item because if they all got accepted, then you have 100 items - but it still cost $100.

I am having a hard time explaining my thinking but I think you get the point, no?

Ultimately you can make multiple lowball offers on higher priced items is the point.

 

[Iron Patch]

Yeah right. And this is supposed to reduce unpaid item cases? I guess ebay thinks if a seller has multiple offers on an item, that it will compel a buyer to pay for it quicker, before someone else gets it? Am I thinking correctly?

Don't think it has anything to do with how fast, more just making offering more mainstream. I also think they believe with no obligation to the buyer it will make them more likely to step one foot in the door, and once one is in, the 2nd will often follow. As a seller I don't like it because you wake up thinking you have a great offer on a large ticket item, and then nothing happens. I assume the 48 hours will still be in place to at least put some pressure on making a deal happen. I really don't see any advantage for buyer or seller with this, just puts the transaction in no mans land for a while. It almost makes you think that maybe ebay is thinking of a way to stick their nose in the middle to make more money.

 

[Iron Patch]

If you lowball $100 on a $300 item and it gets accepted then you just spent $100 on 1 item. That is a different story than sending out 100 offers of $1 on a $3 item because if they all got accepted, then you have 100 items.

I am having a hard time explaining my thinking but I think you get the point, no?

But how does the new system give you an advantage over the current way of doing things? I think it's quite a hypothetical stretch that your going to find many lowball deals, period. Usually the people who price things have a good idea of value, and if they don't, chances are you'll just buy it and not mess with offers. I have bought a lot of ebay, thousands of items and fail to see an advantage.... unless many more buyers start making offers and that creates more sales. Other than that, I can definitely do without.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I don't care for it. If you make an offer & it's accepted you should be obligated to buy.

 

[diggummup]

Don't think it has anything to do with how fast, more just making offering more mainstream. I also think they believe with no obligation to the buyer it will make them more likely to step one foot in the door, and once one is in, the 2nd will often follow. As a seller I don't like it because you wake up thinking you have a great offer on a large ticket item, and then nothing happens. I assume the 48 hours will still be in place to at least put some pressure on making a deal happen. I really don't see any advantage for buyer or seller with this, just puts the transaction in no mans land for a while. It almost makes you think that maybe ebay is thinking of a way to stick their nose in the middle to make more money.

Yeah but besides increasing the amount of offers received it's supposed to reduce the number of unpaid item cases. Personally, I've never had someone make an offer on something and then not pay after I accepted it. They are the ones that usually DO pay. So their logic doesn't compute. It seems they can't ever leave well enough alone. It doesn't make sense that you can now make an offer on something without ever having any intentions of paying for the item if the offer is accepted. All it does is create more bs for sellers. Another prime example of ebay not giving a crap about sellers. They need to remember that without sellers, they won't have buyers.


I guess I won't be using the make an offer feature at all anymore in the categories listed. That way I don't have to worry about it.

Here are some interesting comments about the new feature-

New "Best Offer Beta " is buggy: Community Help Boards: eBay Discussion Boards

Is there any way we can Opt Out of the New "Best Offer Beta"?: Answer Center: eBay Answer Center

 

[Fletch88]

I think it's great! I've had to pay eBay many dollars on items that didn't sell here I may have taken an offer slightly less than reserve. At least you have options!

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[diggummup]

I think it's great! I've had to pay eBay Manu dollars on items that didn't sell here I may have taken an offer slightly less than reserve. At least you have options!

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Uh, they've always had a "make offer" option/feature on BIN items. So, you've lost me completely with that statement. Also, by "reserve" do you mean your starting price?

 

[Fletch88]

Didn't realize we were only talking BIN categories. And by reserve I mean in an auction item.

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