Would you like the OPTION of "Best Offer" available on eBid?

[TiasTreasures]

Actually the original post makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is rife with contradictions. For example...

Huh? The seller has no idea of value but knows this particular example's market price starts at $100? Bad example, I guess.

If the seller doesn't know the value and accepts $25, who is to say $40 is not a fair and realistic price? Moreover, if the buyer who made the offer looked at the item when the price was $40, who can say for sure that the buyer would not have paid the full asking price of $40? There's no way to say with absolute certainty that having the haggling feature made the sale a success. If there was any chance of selling the item at $40, then accepting $25 was a failure. Some buyers are really smart and will realize that items listed at bargain prices will not sell despite being priced low, so offering even less and waiting for the seller's response will incur only a small chance that another buyer will jump in and take the item at the full asking price. If you doubt this, make a 1-week auction listing for an item worth at least $20 and make the start price $2 and see for yourself how much competition ensues.

Ditto. How do you know $75 wasn't enough of a bargain and would have been snapped up right away on another auction site?

How can you decide if an offer is ridiculous if you have absolutely no idea what an item is worth? Makes no sense.

I envy people who can always find a catalog, or other sellers offering the same item, or price lists, for all the items they sell.

Regarding the candy dish: I was able to find many candy dishes by Royal Crown Derby being offered, but not any in the same pattern. If they were in pristine condition, the prices being asked started at $100 and went up from there. Although ours had several flaws, it was a pretty pattern, and judging by the style it was made in the 1920's or 1930's. We let it run at $40 for about six months, then added the "Make an Offer" option. If $40 had been a fair price, someone would have bought it by then. $25 was not a ridiculously low offer, so we accepted it. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Regarding the WWI gas mask: We found some being offered for $300 and more, but they were in very good condition. Ours was in terrible condition. We did the same thing, guessed at $75 and let it run for a few months. Lots of views, no buyer. Again, we added the "Make an Offer" option, $50 was not unreasonable, we accepted. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research.

[sidthelamp]

"Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research"

i take it you buy items to sell on ie vintage items, do you not have a standard mark up price eg i buy for $50.00 sell for $100 or i buy for $50.00 sell for $80.00 working on a % basis removes the need to know the retail $ price in fact its more inportant to know the value of a item before you buy it so you know if the % bracket you work too .can stand the market, this hold true for new goods you buy at A amount sell at X amount the X amount allows for your % and costs if you buy this way i can not see why anyone would need to offer "best offer" if you want a best price or best offer simply reduce your BIN price,

as far as antiques and collectables go if your in the trade and want to move large amounts, theres no such thing as haggling you buy at a set amount and sell for a small margin [per item] and move a van full or container full in one go, thats basicly how shippers work they know the whole sale price they have no regard for the retail price, there after whole sale trade prices, so even if the whole sale price drops they acomadate this with out dropping there margins, thats how the antique trade works and has worked for hundreds of years,

if you work on a % basis and get your percentage on a item does it really matter if the buyer gets a bargin because you dident know the top retail price! any proper business knows there market and knows there market and should price accordingly without the need for "best offer"

[TiasTreasures]

"Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research"

i take it you buy items to sell on ie vintage items, do you not have a standard mark up price eg i buy for $50.00 sell for $100 or i buy for $50.00 sell for $80.00 working on a % basis removes the need to know the retail $ price in fact its more inportant to know the value of a item before you buy it so you know if the % bracket you work too .can stand the market, this hold true for new goods you buy at A amount sell at X amount the X amount allows for your % and costs if you buy this way i can not see why anyone would need to offer "best offer" if you want a best price or best offer simply reduce your BIN price,

as far as antiques and collectables go if your in the trade and want to move large amounts, theres no such thing as haggling you buy at a set amount and sell for a small margin [per item] and move a van full or container full in one go, thats basicly how shippers work they know the whole sale price they have no regard for the retail price, there after whole sale trade prices, so even if the whole sale price drops they acomadate this with out dropping there margins, thats how the antique trade works and has worked for hundreds of years,

if you work on a % basis and get your percentage on a item does it really matter if the buyer gets a bargin because you dident know the top retail price! any proper business knows there market and knows there market and should price accordingly without the need for "best offer"

As we say clearly on our "All About the Seller" page . . . we inherited thousands of items from both sides of our family. We cleared out two huge old farmhouses in Minnesota and Wisconsin with heated and dry attics and basements, so almost everything is in good condition. We knew many of the items had value, but they were collected by many different people over the past 100 years, so we knew nothing about them. It seems people on both sides of the family would start collecting something, then get bored, pack them away, and move on to something new. Also, a lot of them are now valuable simply because of their age.

We kept many things, either because they had sentimental value, or because one of us just happened to like it. We're selling everything else online. We don't want to be greedy, but we also don't want to give things away for a ridiculous price.

[marschenegger]

I envy people who can always find a catalog, or other sellers offering the same item, or price lists, for all the items they sell.

Regarding the candy dish: I was able to find many candy dishes by Royal Crown Derby being offered, but not any in the same pattern. If they were in pristine condition, the prices being asked started at $100 and went up from there. Although ours had several flaws, it was a pretty pattern, and judging by the style it was made in the 1920's or 1930's. We let it run at $40 for about six months, then added the "Make an Offer" option. If $40 had been a fair price, someone would have bought it by then. $25 was not a ridiculously low offer, so we accepted it. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Regarding the WWI gas mask: We found some being offered for $300 and more, but they were in very good condition. Ours was in terrible condition. We did the same thing, guessed at $75 and let it run for a few months. Lots of views, no buyer. Again, we added the "Make an Offer" option, $50 was not unreasonable, we accepted. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research.

So what is the crux of your argument in support of a haggling option? Are you trying to say that your candy dish would sell for $25 only if you asked $40, and not if you had offered it for $25? I don't see why the haggling option would be absolutely necessary unless you think your buyers are all so fickle that they will only buy from you if you show them a grossly-inflated retail price and give them a discounted wholesale price. Instead of listing items month after month after month at one price, why not drop that price slowly over time, in effect running a classical Dutch auction where your price goes down until someone jumps in and buys the item? Oh, wait, I know what you'll say: you'll sing the same sad anthem of many volume sellers who say they don't have time to manage their inventory. My response to that is to play the tiny violin and say Too Bad. I'm not a volume seller, and even I know that I have to spend time to get my listings right and update them when needed. Those sellers who want to turn their stores into garage sales where they basically sit on the hands and wait for customers to come up to them and hand them money will get little sympathy from me. Selling on eBid was meant to be cheap and NOT meant to be easy. Sellers that need dozens of tools to help them do their jobs can go to a site that charges a fortune in fees to provide every little service possible. FleeBay is perfect for the volume seller. That site is running off the little sellers, so I'd rather not see eBid make the same mistakes and turn this into another FleeBay.

[marschenegger]

Sorry Mark,
Just trying to have a friendly chat,
and give you some encouragement to improve your financies.

I forgot, in your opinion, your the only one alowed an opinion.

Ron,
You know perfectly well that you and everyone else are entitled to have opinions. It is your right to be totally wrong, and often you are.

[TiasTreasures]

So what is the crux of your argument in support of a haggling option? Are you trying to say that your candy dish would sell for $25 only if you asked $40, and not if you had offered it for $25? I don't see why the haggling option would be absolutely necessary unless you think your buyers are all so fickle that they will only buy from you if you show them a grossly-inflated retail price and give them a discounted wholesale price. Instead of listing items month after month after month at one price, why not drop that price slowly over time, in effect running a classical Dutch auction where your price goes down until someone jumps in and buys the item? Oh, wait, I know what you'll say: you'll sing the same sad anthem of many volume sellers who say they don't have time to manage their inventory. My response to that is to play the tiny violin and say Too Bad. I'm not a volume seller, and even I know that I have to spend time to get my listings right and update them when needed. Those sellers who want to turn their stores into garage sales where they basically sit on the hands and wait for customers to come up to them and hand them money will get little sympathy from me. Selling on eBid was meant to be cheap and NOT meant to be easy. Sellers that need dozens of tools to help them do their jobs can go to a site that charges a fortune in fees to provide every little service possible. FleeBay is perfect for the volume seller. That site is running off the little sellers, so I'd rather not see eBid make the same mistakes and turn this into another FleeBay.

Hmmm. How long would it take to lower the price on 2,600 items? While we continue to add more listings. And continue with our day jobs.

We were on ***Bay for a year and sold about 300 items altogether, so I don't think you can say we're a "volume seller". I think a more accurate description would be a "volume lister". Some items have sold within days after we listed them. Others may be collected by only a handful of people, who may not be browsing online for the specific item we're offering. They'll sell when the right person finds our listing.

Also, I have never said the "Make an Offer" was absolutely necessary. I said we would use it for a few (problem) items. Please don't put words in my mouth, I can do that quite well by myself.

And, we have never complained about slow sales. We came here knowing it would be slower, and we're prepared to wait.

eBid is providing a site for both business and personal sellers, large and small, so of course we'll have different agendas. That's hardly a reason to attack someone who has a different viewpoint from yours.

[RonOne]

Ron,
You know perfectly well that you and everyone else are entitled to have opinions. It is your right to be totally wrong, and often you are.

Your not much good at this either are you Mark,
you still can't get me to lose my cool.

Which just goes to prove how wrong you've always been.
And how wrong you'll always be.

Now if you don't mind, we want to improve ebid,
you just go and stagnate in the corner and talk to youself.

[rethreads]

I envy people who can always find a catalog, or other sellers offering the same item, or price lists, for all the items they sell.

Regarding the candy dish: I was able to find many candy dishes by Royal Crown Derby being offered, but not any in the same pattern. If they were in pristine condition, the prices being asked started at $100 and went up from there. Although ours had several flaws, it was a pretty pattern, and judging by the style it was made in the 1920's or 1930's. We let it run at $40 for about six months, then added the "Make an Offer" option. If $40 had been a fair price, someone would have bought it by then. $25 was not a ridiculously low offer, so we accepted it. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Regarding the WWI gas mask: We found some being offered for $300 and more, but they were in very good condition. Ours was in terrible condition. We did the same thing, guessed at $75 and let it run for a few months. Lots of views, no buyer. Again, we added the "Make an Offer" option, $50 was not unreasonable, we accepted. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research.

You moved some items that had been sitting for prices you were content with, and your buyers were satisfied. I don't imagine it's anybody else's business. Well done you.

[sidthelamp]

You moved some items that had been sitting for prices you were content with, and your buyers were satisfied. I don't imagine it's anybody else's business. Well done you.

when some one posts on a thread with ? marks in the text it becomes anyones business who cares to answer the questions directly or in your case a comment of the post.

[rethreads]

when some one posts on a thread with ? marks in the text it becomes anyones business who cares to answer the questions directly or in your case a comment of the post.

The last time I checked, this site was still comprised of individual sellers free to run their businesses as they see fit. But to clarify, she made a business decision that was between her and her buyers, and as such, was nobody else's business. Were you involved? I wasn't.