UK Best Offers missing the point

by Mark Timberlake

This post was written in October 2007; specific information contained within it may be out of date.

Many of you are probably aware that on eBay.com the Best Offer function has counter offers available. This basically means that you can negotiate a price with a customer who is interested, if there first offer is a little low.

Now in the Antiques Trade this is so inherent in the culture that to not have it is like setting out a stall at a fair with a big sign saying:

“PLEASE DO NOT NEGOTIATE MORE THAN ONCE WITH US, IF YOUR FIRST OFFER ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH, THEN PLEASE LEAVE THIS STALL, WE WILL NOT NEGOTIATE WITH YOU OR DISCUSS OUR DECISION, SO GOOD BYE!”

Now that makes no sense does it? Yet eBay UK have adopted this sales strategy with their version of Best Offer.

It seems to us that not allowing counter offers is madness of the most incredible kind, the sales leverage they give us on .com is astounding, the results fantastic. This is one reason why eBay.com is so much better than eBay.uk is for selling Antiques and Collectables on.

It is a shame that eBay UK have been so determinedly head stuck in the sand with this one. Is it because they do not really believe that “People are basically good”, and that to allow this would allow back door transactions offsite? If that is the case, the only thing that a buyer needs to do is send an email, and the off-eBay sale occurs. If this is the reason for eBay UK’s rationale, it seems a shame that their mistrust of their customer base, over-rides a negotiating feature that is second to none on the Internet.

Is this a case of eBay UK’s not seeing the wood for the trees?

So well done eBay.com, for providing such a fantastic feature. A big round of applause!

Thumbs down for eBay UK, (mild booing would be acceptable and probably beneficial at this point).

Tags for this post: ,
Author: Mark Timberlake
Posted at: Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Filed Under Uncategorized
 

Comments

14 Responses to “UK Best Offers missing the point”

  1. Mark (V) on October 23rd, 2007 8:04 pm

    I was unknowingly giving US buyers (which , being an Irish seller, are bloody hard to come by in the first place..) the hump by refusing their best offers until one of them had the suss to mail and ask why I had simply cut her dead, and whether “Non USA” Ebays could counter offer.

    I explained, Clever lady made an email offer, and I made a sale. All fees directly to me. Yay stupid ebay!

  2. Chris Dawson on October 23rd, 2007 11:04 pm

    It’s high time the UK upped their Best Offer features and enabled counter offers and multiple offers in all categories. There is absolutely no reason for not doing this and it should be done within days ready for the Christmas sales.

    In my frank opinion they’re losing sales and giving a crap buyer experience by not doing so!

  3. Sue Bailey on October 23rd, 2007 11:24 pm

    The thing that I find especially annoying is the limit on the number of offers per listing, which in my biggest categories is one. I have Best Offer on some of my shop listings: now you try explaining to nice bead buyers why you accepted their offer last time, but eBay won’t let them have the same deal again. I am not in the slightest bit ashamed to say that they get sent to my website where they can have the special offers as often as they like. They are certainly losing money by not sorting this out.

  4. chipseo on October 24th, 2007 1:32 am

    Thanks for the post, I wasn’t actually aware that there was an issue with the best offer in the UK over the US version, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

  5. northumbrian on October 24th, 2007 7:43 am

    cany understand what the problem is
    I get a buyers best offer every time with no fuss or complications, ebay even ups the offer on behalf of the buyer if needs be

    I list auction only

  6. Mark on October 24th, 2007 11:51 am

    It would be nice if they could see the incostincey of this choice.

    I am not sure they have ever given one reason why it would be detrimental.

    Maybe they just need to talk to some people who can share the benefits to them through the increased FVF’s.

    Maybe Ebay UK don’t need any more profit?

    :-)

    Mark

  7. Sue Bailey on October 24th, 2007 12:22 pm

    Mark, why would you expect consistency? This is, after all, the company that bought Skype and then didn’t want to allow sellers to put Skype buttons on their listings in case buyers used them to do off-eBay deals :-D

  8. Mark on October 24th, 2007 12:51 pm

    That is true Sue :-)

  9. Chris Dawson on October 25th, 2007 8:13 pm

    Great news, regarding best offers, eBay have sent a message for TameBay readers:- “We hear you and there are moves afoot to replicate much of the Best Offer options you see on eBay US”

    Hopefully it’ll be done this side of Christmas :D

  10. Josordoni on October 25th, 2007 9:08 pm

    Brilliant! Goes to show how much you are watched from the inside as well as the outside.

  11. Steve H on October 25th, 2007 9:20 pm

    On several occasions I have received a ‘Best Offer’ which I would have accepted if it were not sent in the final seconds of a BIN listing and so I have not been able to.

    After a couple of minutes searching via the buyer’s previous feedback and Google it has been quite easy to find out who they are and let them know their offer is acceptable. Most have have been regular website customers since :-;

  12. Sue Bailey on October 25th, 2007 9:53 pm

    Steve, that came up on Town Hall some months ago: Bill Cobb was rather receptive to the idea that Best Offers should outlast the end of the listing.

  13. Mark on October 26th, 2007 7:40 am

    That is fantastic news Chris :-)

  14. Best Offer gets new features : TameBay on November 2nd, 2007 2:25 pm

    [...] You begged, pleaded and cajoled, and eBay listened! Today they’ve revealed that Best Offers will be upgraded in the UK with all the features that the US have had, and then some! The US Best Offers are getting an overhaul too. [...]

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