Low Ball Offers

Bob Woodbury

I make a significant number of offers on stamps. Most of the time they are accepted. Generally right away. Sometimes is takes a round or two of negotiation.

What I don’t understand is that sometimes the seller will increase their offer as time goes on. I get that they are not happy with me. But I really don’t get the increase. If you don’t want to play then don’t.

Peter Vlassopoulos

I have never had a seller increase their offer during the make an offer process. I have, however, had sellers repeat their previous offer obviously indicating an unwillingness to go any lower. I also have had several sellers not respond to my offer at all. I suppose they perceived my offer too be offensive.

john o'neil

If I get a low ball offer (ie more than 40% or so), I respond with $1 less than my original asking price. I think this gets the message across......ie submit a reasonable counter or go away.

William Sandrik

I keep getting low-ball offers from someone in Lima, Peru, and I do not ship to South America. How is this person even allowed to send an offer since I don't ship there. There is no way for me to tell the person this fact. We should be able to send a message to buyers explaining why I am not accepting their offer. 99% of the time they never arrive in South & Central America or Mexico because of poor postal services or theft in the mails.

Greg Doll

William, I get these too occasionally. I have learned to check the location of the offering party and if I know they are not located in a place that I ship to, I just decline the offer and move on. Never hear from them again. I think I've even had the same person came back months later and try again....declined again. One click and done.

I do think there is a loophole on the HipStamp platform that allows folks you don't ship to, to make offers. Kind of irritating and I have brought this issue to the attention of HS but nothing has changed on that front.

Bill O'Malley

Greg,

Yes it is a problem but they do not care at all it seems like.

Greg Doll

Well....there is that. Keep sending them messages about these issues. Maybe they will get tired of hearing the complaints and move forward to remedy them. We shall see shall we.

Bill O'Malley

Yes but don't get your hopes up.

Scott Payton

Admittedly, I have done this... when people offer my 50% of the value of the stamp, and then I counter, and they increase like $1 - $5, then I will increase the offer just as a way of saying "Don't waste my time". Usually on days that I'm cranky, and I should probably not do that. ><

Michael Dodd

just to add a story :-) - I don't usually make offers I just pay asking unless silly asking price ....but I did make an offer recently on a nice set of aviation stamps I did not have I saw two more in the sellers store and told the seller i would buy the extra two at asking price but they had to reduce the price on the first set from 3 times cat to cat. lost out ... so did they!! :-) well I will get it one day for cat I am sure. :-)

Scott Payton

Let me clarify when I say "Offer 50% of value" what I mean is 50% of my asking price, which unless I know that they are undervalued in Scott, is usually lower than catalog value to start with. So when someone wants to take 50% off of that, and then make virtually no move to improve it...
In reality, if they made that offer, I usually just decline it without making counters. Overall, it's rare that I make a counter offer. I either accept or decline 95% of the time.

Bonaparte Moore

When i started I did list with accepting offers, I just got tired of all the negative replies I got when I decline someones offer. So now I don't accept offers and I am Happy.

Scott Payton

Interesting. I've never had any negativity come from declining an offer....

Greg Doll

Not once, never. And almost all of my listings above about $1 allow offers. It's just business.

Phil Merrill_

Speaking for myself, I just don't make offers, I don't like to. There is just a part of me that does not want to insult your intelligence or effort by making a lower offer. I can always buy something else from someone else. Rather than ask for a lower price, I'll let you wait for the guy with the money.

Robert Maddox

A way to eliminate pesky low ball offers. Set your best offer minimum option at the lowest price you would consider. Thus you get a chance to transact at the minimum to get business going with a new customer or clear out an item that has been on the shelf too long. Of course you can always negotiate if that is your wont.

The problem with using best offer minimums is that there appears to be no limit to the number of best offers someone can make. I am always amazed how many customers can just miraculously "guess" the minimum B.O. Uncanny really.

Bob

George DeKornfeld

I never offer the ability to make an offer and, in all honesty, don't 'get' those that do (nothing personal). As a buyer, if there's a stamp I see that I want to take a swing at, OF COURSE I'll make an offer lower than the one listed if that option exists. Saving a little coin for the next purchase seems like a smart move.
From a seller's perspective, allowing offers seems, I dunno, a little creepy (for lack of a better word) to me. Why not just list at competitive prices? Items I sell are already priced at as low as I would go and, in many cases, are already lower than similar items offered by other sellers. It just feels like you're telling the buyer, here's my price for stamp 'x' but its not really my price as I'll accept a lower offer (maybe).

Greg Doll

There are many factors for me that go into whether an item I list will allow offers. But the fundamental reasons are (1) I believe that my pricing is quite competitive and fair; (2) as with a brick and mortar store or selling at a show, I believe in the ability for the dealer and customer to negotiate over a transaction; (3) the listing aging of a given item that entertains offers may help move "stale" inventory better; (4) while I will entertain offers, I reserve the right to decline any given offer for any reason; (5) I have developed a really good repeat customer base who have learned that if they tender a fair offer, it will be seriously considered and, in many cases, accepted thus developing trust and understanding between myself and the customer as to what offer may be appropriate and what is unreasonable; and (6) I have found that if and when a customer tenders a fair offer which I accept, that customer often purchases additional items at asking price thus helping me move more items and, again, developing a good relationship between us going forward.

Lowball offers....not interested. Decline and move on.

Every dealer/customer relationship is different and there is not one overarching correct answer to the question of whether to entertain offer or not. Whatever one feels is best for themselves is what they should do.

My 2c on the offer question.

George DeKornfeld

Just to play devil's advocate...

"5) I have developed a really good repeat customer base who have learned that if they tender a fair offer, it will be seriously considered and, in many cases, accepted thus developing trust and understanding between myself and the customer as to what offer may be appropriate and what is unreasonable."

Cleary, trust and a repeat customer base are critically important for a store to be successful as yours obviously is. I think I've managed to do the same, but without including the make yer offer option. What your statement kinda tells me is that you've trained your customer base not to pay your asking prices...

Greg Doll

Perhaps some, but those are the folks who keep coming back and are often the ones who will offer on one or two things then buy ten or fifteen more at asking. It works for me and it may not be for everyone. I guess, to me, my goal is to sell stamps fundamentally. If it costs me 10% less than I'm asking to move a $2 stamp, I'm happy with that. But I'm not going to sell that same stamp at 50% or more of asking price. That would be basically giving it away and missing the whole point of this endeavor.