"Best Offer" ... What is YOUR opinion?

[Artismia]

Hello fellow bidStart users!

I'm quite the newbie and have been wondering about the "Best Offer" option. What do you think about it?
As a seller:
• is there an advantage?
• offering it may lose customers?
• more work than what it is worth?
As a buyer:
• is it confusing?
• does it make you think the seller is "wishy washy" and not committed to the value of the item?
• is it more trouble than what it is worth?

I noticed someone else's post stating that it was hard to KNOW when someone makes an offer. Does bidStart automatically send an email with the buyer's Best Offer?

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to this post!

Hoping to get some feedback from all of you about this.

Cheers!

Clyde

[arnonl]

Hello Clyde,

best offers work for my store. Most of the offers I get are reasonable and just a very small number are not. Collectors are decent people.

I offer at fixed price and sometimes I'm not sure about the price or actual marketvalue of the item(s) when there is little or no comparison.

I have set the accept offers option for my entire store, a one-minute job.

In the notifications bar (lower right) it shows you have a sale or a best offer.

[bennettoons]

Auctions are the only way I offer items here on BidStart, so as a seller I have never used 'Best Offer'.

But I have used it several times over the years as a buyer of fixed-price items, and I think my offers have always been accepted.

So, to answer your queries as a buyer:

• is it confusing? -- not in the least

• does it make you think the seller is "wishy washy" and not committed to the value of the item? -- not at all. In the instances where I have used it, I had a fixed price in my mind that I would be willing to pay for the item and let the seller decide if that was reasonable. It could have possibly been an item that the seller was not totally familiar with, and was setting the price based on a catalog value and not a real marketplace value.

• is it more trouble than what it is worth? -- nope - takes less than 30 seconds to make an offer and gives a great deal of satisfaction to me that I have paid exactly what I want!

[noernberg]

Hi Clyde! I like the best offer feature. It has helped me move some items that have sat in the store a while. It was really annoying when people would low-ball bid, but the relatively new feature to set a minimum percent you would accept has really helped with that. There are some times, however, that someone will give best offers on 50+ items. Seems like a waste of time to me, I would rather give a negotiated percent of discount off the whole order, but that takes good communication.

Regarding notifications if you get a best offer, there are a couple different ways you get notified. First is the email. An email does get sent to you when there is a best offer made. I don't have one handy, so I don't remember if the details of the offer are in the email, but at least you know to go look. Also, the "notifications" in the lower right part of your screen shows activity with a red number indicating something has happened, and you can scroll and see this history. This is good if you keep up with them and reset the counter by clicking on it and checking what's happened. A third way you are notified is that, in the bidStart::Selling screen (a VERY powerful "dashboard of sorts"), you see a red number in the left hand column next to "Seller Best Offers". That's an indicator that you have a new one pending.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the red notification numbers (whether on the Selling screen, or in the lower right hand corner) disappear once you click on them the first time, so if you decide not to act on them right away, there is nothing to remind you to come back and deal with them. Also, if one is color-blind and can't pick out the red text, that may be difficult, but the numbers are bolded a bit to help in that regard.

-Doug

[cocollectibles]

Hi Clyde. I have best offer enabled on my store items too, but I limit the discount a buyer can request. That is because I have had some offers that are very low, such as $1 for a $50 item. It is a waste of time for me even to respond to that. That's because when sellers get an email notice that an offer has been made it does not say what the offer is or who made it (wish that would be true!). So I have to loin, go to the offer page, see the ridiculous offer, and reject it or ignore it. But because I set a limit, I will more likely than not accept any offer made, or I might counter offer in some cases.

I don't think having best offer conveys the image that the seller is uncertain of their price; as a buyer, I look forward to seeing best offer options on items I want to buy. I set my store price about 25% to 50% of the catalog value (usually 2009 Scott); I'm trying to edit older items that listed at higher prices to be consistent with this now. But a buyer might see the same item offered for less elsewhere, so if I enable best offer, it might help them to decide to buy this if they can lower the price and shop for other items. I can't see how this is a turn off, other than having to do the actual offer.

Another note, I sometimes get messages with offers; one buyer stated an interest in over 100 items and asked if I woudl be willing to do a discount on the lot. That would be a pain to do best offer on all of them, and we don't have a "bulk best offer" option (another thing I'd like to see!), so if I accept the messaged offer, I ask them to buy the items and I adjust the invoice to reflect the discount.

Hope this helps.

[richd4549]

I also use the feature and have accepted almost all the offers made. Everything has been said about it advantages so I will be quiet.

[Henpatch]

Hi Clyde (Fellow "Newbie"!!)

I too am a rather "Newbie" - perhaps not from the time-frame I have been in Bidstart.....but from my abilities as a computer person and a seller of stamps!

I DO use the Best Offer on some sale items.....
For example.....if I have 5-6 of the same stamp and the catalogue value is roughly 40c.....I use the same price for all BUT if some of the stamps have heavy postmarks, minor perforation damage or whatever....I put a Best Offer. Some buyers seem to not just like the cheaper price but the choice of good or excellent!

No-one can hope to guess exactly WHY a buyer buys what they do.....so any thing to attract a sale is a good idea in my opinion!
SO I guess in answer to your query.....whatever you think works for YOU!!

As a seller I hope to tempt lots of buyers into my store....so I will do all sorts of things in my listings to help me!

As a buyer - it is not exactly confusing....rather a better deal....if someone puts on a Best Offer - I am certainly NOT going to buy it at full price! Of course as "collectibles" said - putting in a totally ridiculous offer is just plain stupid and the seller of course is not going to accept $1 for a $50 item! Realistically a few cents off or whatever depending on the top price is good for the buyer and clears out the sellers store!

Just my 5c worth......happy to offer my advice for less!!!

[bennettoons]

Clyde --- I like the artistic way you left me feedback!

[naomiclark]

Hello fellow bidStart users!


As a seller:
• is there an advantage?
• offering it may lose customers?
• more work than what it is worth?
As a buyer:
• is it confusing?
• does it make you think the seller is "wishy washy" and not committed to the value of the item?
• is it more trouble than what it is worth?

Clyde

From my opinion, there is no harm for the seller and you may just be the same. You dont lose your customer if you make a really good products. On the other hand, i dont think it would be confusing to buyer. They get more information eventhough just a sales talk.

[Artismia]

Clyde --- I like the artistic way you left me feedback!

Here's some more if you'd like to use them!

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[bennettoons]

Pretty neat! Thanks!