[slick]

I was trying to sell my Rolex Sea Dweller (Its sold, sorry guys). I tried the TimeZone forums, but no bites. I don't have any friends that can afford it, so eBay was my next bet.
I put it up for sale, made the price slightly higher than what it should be, and allow people to shoot me offers.
So a watch that is being sold for, lets say, $4000, what would be your first reasonable offer? I had offers of $3300-$3800. Not bad at all. They were reasonable, and of course, I am sure that they were just trying to haggle it out to get the best price, no low balling here.

Anyways, I get a new offer from someone........$700!!! Are you kidding me? This is from a legit member that has 100+ feedback. I replied back to him that I do not appreciate the blatant low ball offer and that if it was a mistake (maybe he meant $3700?), then I apologize. He replied back that it wasn't a mistake, but that he apologizes for giving a low ball offer.

So he tries again........$900!!! Thats like going to a BMW dealership, looking at a new M5, and offering them your 2001 Honda Accord LX "Straight Up", even trade for a $100k+ car.

I ended up selling the SD for a very reasonable price, but this dude just got to me. I can't believe that someone with such a decent feedback rating can be such a moron.

Sorry to waste time, needed to rant.


/rant

 

[spraggih]

you know how somebody people feel, "nothing ventured nothing gained"- so he/she probably thought maybe you would accept $1200-- if you/the seller were worn down.

Of course it did not work but given we are in the "e"/digital age you can do things you would probably never do in person-- for example offer $3000+ less for a watch than its reasonable price.

Think about it-- in person if you offered $700 for $3700 item - you might get hollered at, or smacked (if it is a bad part of town)-- certainly frowned on.

So yes ebay/internet brings out the dumb in people/ a lot of us.

 

[kramer5150]

if you don't specify a minimum amount you can expect to be low-balled.

 

[Gaara]

But even if you do give a minimum price then people expect it for that amount, at least from my experience.

 

[Mrvile]

Don't let low-ballers get you down. In any situation where something is being sold without a set price, there are going to be people who low-ball you. It's as simple as that. If I'm selling something and I'm getting enough decent offers, I just ignore the low-ball ones. Or I reply with something like, "No."

 

[slick]

I just wonder whats going on in the heads of these low ballers. Do they really think I was going to take over 80% off of a near mint Rolex? I mean, I get bored sometimes, I never think to waste time on eBay, low balling people, hoping to get something for nothing. I'm really just in awe over this, never happened to me before.

 

[Agnostic]

How exactly is it dumb to offer 3000 bucks less for something than its actual value (actual value being a relative term anyway)?
If you don't get the item, nothing lost, if you do, great! The fact that you got annoyed by a low offer doesn't mean it was stupid. The whole incentive of ebay is finding bargains isn't it?

 

[lmilhan]

Yes

 

[slick]

Finding a bargain, yes. Hunting down stuff you want and presenting the seller with annoying low offers, probably not.

You go to a local Rolex dealer, you see that Sea Dweller that you wanted, you try it on and love it. You don't realize it sells for $5375 retail. Dealer is not willing to budge on the price since its a hot selling item. You want it but, but don't want to spend quite that much, eBay to the rescue. You search for a similar SD. You see my auction, its the watch you are looking for at a much lower price. This watch is now in your price range. But, you figure you can probably get a little extra taken off the price, and save some money for a watch winder also. So you offer the seller a reasonable price of........$700.

Why does it seem like I am the only one that feels comfortable calling the above buyer stupid?

 

[Gaara]

Because they could do it and 9/10 they get rejected or ignored, but there may be that one time that a seller needs the money quick or doesn't know better and accepts. For the time put in (minimal) to send the offers if every once in a while someone accepts it would be well worth it.

They may also be doing it to see how low you will go, for ex. you may have responded with "that is way to low, the lowest I would be willing to sell for is $3000", to which they would respond "I will take it for $3000". In this case they didn't get it for the low ball amount, but got it for 25% your asking price.

 

[J-Pak]

I've done it quite a bit, and once the seller did accept an offer on a record that normally sells for six times more. I would be the stupid one if I paid $200 for that record today.

ebay is about finding those deals. I've sold quite a few items using "or best offer" auctions and have got some really low offers, I just hit the no button, move on and forget about it a minute later.

 

[spraggih]

See - the buyer is thinking, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" i.e., it does not hurt to try.

But I do think if there were no Internet and all these deals were done face to face or on the phone then a different dynamic would play out.

"$700!"

"What did you say?!"

"Umm. Well I thought I try... I mean... umm... You know you never know... maybe you need the money quick."

"What?!"

"Sorry. Talk to you later."

// Then the buyer would really think differently about his/her next lowball

// Not that there is anything wrong with low-balling. I would love to pick up a R10 for $700.

 

[necropimp]

my experience with ebay bringing out the dumb is when people bid way beyond the item's value... i hate when it happens but pray for it when i sell something on ebay

 

[will75]

That's the worst. I've also had the opposite happen. I was buying some motorcross pants and the seller had a BIN for like $90 as well as a Make an Offer. The seller denied any offer below like $95 or $96. That, to me, eliminates the point of make an offer.

 

[bhd812]

Was it a 2004 or up model with no lug holes?

Man this sucks..another Seadweller just gone..could of been mine...but noooo

I would of asked about the watch more then say $3500 is about what i am looking to spending if it had no lug holes,box,papers,and serial numbers on the side intact. of course thats a low price but hopfully you would of came back with a yes on all the requirements and a price of $3600 shipped and paypaled (just funds transfers, no CC). then i would of said yes..

that would be considered in my eyes a nice deal on a Sea dweller i want..

When i had my Raymond Weil on ebay I wanted $1000.00 but i had no feedback (selling under my company name..trying to build that one up) so i got these offers at like $300. i mean I would take maybe $900 but these people expect me to take a loss of $1600.00+ for a watch under a year old?
no thanks at that point i rather just throw her back in the winder and keep her..

people are scumheads man..esp the resellers looking to get these for nothing. they firgure why not and send a offer.