Hi,

I love selling on ebay. For Me, it is so much easier than having a Retail Store.

I love the whole Marketplace feel and view it as a daily mini-stock market. Nowhere is it easier to understand the theory of Supply and Demand than looking at ebay. When demand is high and supply is low, the price goes up. When supply is high and demand is low, the price goes down. If I were a Retail business, I would look to ebay as a guide before buying future inventory.

However, as a Seller, I dislike getting "Best Offers".

When I am listing an item, I never check the option to include the "Best Offer" feature, inviting Buyers to send me a lower offer on my listings.

I find receiving Best Offers insulting. They send a bad message to me, like trouble coming! If the Buyer wants to low ball my price, I just smell trouble. If they pick at the stated Shipping and Handling fee, what next? Asking for a refund, changing their mind and wasting my time?

When someone sends an unsolicited Best Offer to me, I cringe. I take a deep breath and try to find a funny phrase to reply. "Sorry, I am unable to sell at a lower price. I'd lose my shirt!" and include a funny face :=)

On a good day, My goal is respond with dignity.

I have been tempted to respond to a low offer with a higher offer. Say the listed price is $30.00 and I get a very low offer of $20.00. Maybe I will respond by saying, "Sorry, I am unable to sell this item at $20.00, but I will be happy to accept $40.00," hoping they get the message.

On a bad day, I resort to the Magic Button on my computer to respond to the low offer. The button is titled, "Delete" and will instantly remove the message from my screen. It has saved me many times from saying what I really want to say, like "Are you Nuts? Do I look like I like to work for free?"

I follow this response by adding the Buyer to the Blocked Bidder list. Goodbye low ball buyer, back to serious work for me.

I am committed to high quality merchandise, good service and fast shipping. I'm realistic enough to know I will not be able to make everyone happy. To that end, I will protect My Feedback reputation and avoid the pitfalls when I spot them.

So, the next time you are tempted to send a "Best Offer" to an eBay auction that does not request "Best Offers", ask yourself the following question:

"Would I walk into a Department Store and offer the Sales Clerk less than the stated price tag amount?" If the answer is, "No" I would not insult them with a low ball offer, Please resist the temptation to do so when shopping on eBay.

Haggling and low ball Bargaining are best saved for the Swap Meet or shopping in Tijuana where it is expected!