So a seller had a shining card listed for $899. I messaged him what’s the least he would take he said $700. I liked that price but I always like to see if they would take less, so I said $650 and I can buy now but I never got a response. This happens sometimes when I do this with sellers. Is that insulting/annoying or lowballing in your opinion? I would have did the $700 if he would have just said no to the $650. Also does it add to the fire when I ask about the condition of the slab or more pics etc.
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I don’t sell a ton on eBay but if someone asked what the lowest I’d go is and then offered less, I’d probably not answer either. I’ve said the best I can do, if I could go lower I would have said so.
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There are probably two reasons for this.
First, asking “what’s the lowest you’ll take”, usually is a sign that the buyer won’t buy the card. I have offer options on all my cards, but I still get many messages asking what’s the lowest I’ll take. It’s noncommittal. If you make an offer, you’ll be taken more seriously. Second, the seller gave you the lowest price of $700. If the lowest price is $700, offering $650 is below that and clearly won’t be accepted.
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I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask but I guess that was too low.
You asked for his lowest, he told u and u went lower. I blocked the person who did that to me yesterday actually.
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I’ve never sold but I’m pretty sure y’all get a lot of BS offers and messages but It doesn’t take much time to shoot a potential customer a message saying no. But then again he didn’t have a or best offer and time is valuable.
I’d say if you’re going to ask for lowest price then that’s it. Don’t try to low-ball them anymore. The other option is not asking what the lowest price is. Offer the 650 you were willing to pay and see if they counter offer. Play ball till you meet near the middle and a number you feel comfortable with.
On the topic of insulting a seller:
I think I insulted a seller not long ago when I saw their listing. They had 6 vintage packs listed of something and in the ad it clearly stated the packs weren’t in mint condition and if you’re looking for mint those weren’t it. So I reached out and was willing to pay the asking price. I just asked if the packs were bent or had any major damage and if a pic of the 6 packs could be taken. I genuinely thought he had only 6 packs because that’s the exact amount listed on eBay and I was fine with them not being mint for grading the packs but I also didn’t want to buy bent up packs cause I didn’t want bent cards.
Well I got a response basically saying look I have a 100% rating and I’m not going to sit here and take pictures of every pack in a booster box just to sell you 6. I responded kindly saying hey sorry I didn’t mean to offend I seriously thought you only had 6 packs.
Despite the rude response I was going to buy the packs and wouldn’t you know it he lost out on not just this one sale but several others. I’m blocked from buying from this individual. 
I guess some people simply lack customer service skills.
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We all understand about saving money but offering less than what their lowest is, is a slap in the face. I am sure you wouldn’t want the same done to you. At least it wasn’t absurdly lower but…
I just hate if I’m selling something already quite a bit lower and some turd offers me way less. Just an example, I was selling my EVO X for 5k lower than the average price for my year, miles, and condition. Let’s say $15k and someone offers me $9k. I understand shaving maybe 1k max. I can’t stand when I see these horrible offers some people make in the Pokemon community, it’s a huge slap in the face to the seller and the Pokemon community. Not you specifically, just in general.
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Was it a best offer listing or buy it now?
You should open with an offer, not by asking what their “lowest” price is. To be honest that’s one of the most annoying questions you could have started with. You should have started by offering a number below what you’re willing to pay and go from there.
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That’s what I’m saying I’m just trying to save money, the card had been listed awhile, and the card is a little above market value. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal to go a little lower.
Couple of things:
1.) The seller did not have a make offer option, so you probably shouldn’t have been asking what was the lowest they would take to begin with;
2.) The seller DID message you back. You asked what was the lowest price they would take, and they said $700. You then came back with $650, on a card that was listed at $899 without a make offer option. So, yes; it was kind of a waste of their time.
Asking “what’s the lowest you’ll take” is generally a turn off as it is. Proceeding to come back with a figure even lower than what they explicitly stated was the lowest they would go is even worse and is a waste of everybody’s time.
It’s also not really “insulting”; it’s more of an annoyance, and it gives off the vibe that you’re trying to take advantage of the person even if it’s not your intention.
Plus, keep in mind that, depending on the seller, you could lose the potential of doing business of someone in the future by doing this type of thing.
Not trying to make you feel bad or pile on by any means. Just giving my two cents.
You obviously didn’t mean any harm, but next time, you would be far better off just paying the $700.
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I understand responses like yours are what I was looking for.
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If there is no “best offer” option, and you’d like to make an offer. Just politely send them a message of what you could offer. Either they say accept or they don’t. At least you aren’t wasting their time by having to message you back and forth.
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Most serious sellers take zero chances with buyers that may potentially be difficult. It is not remotely worth the hassle, possible loss of cards/money, negative feedback, and stress. I have blocked a lot of buyers with zero hesitation after they messaged me asking questions that raised any kind of red flag. To be honest there is a good chance this seller just blocked you after feeling insulted. That’s what I would of done.
Exactly, u don’t know the answer if you don’t ask. I’m not trying trying to sound demeaning, just an opinion.
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Here is your eBay etiquette score:
Ask seller what is the lowest they would take on a buy it now listing -2
Counter the initial response -0.5 (score is higher the further away from the price they quote)
Ask seller for condition pictures of PSA graded cards -1
Seller gets a -1 etiquette score for the non response but is downgraded to -0.5 given your -3.5 score.
There’s nothing wrong with anything you did but just know you are leaving a trail of mildly annoyed sellers in your path and I would have no doubt you have paid more over time because nobody is going to give you a deal with negative etiquette scores. Personally if my lowest was $700 in your scenario I would have said $800 was my lowest etc.
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If you has done that to one of my listing the following would have occurred:
First you would have been told the listing price because it wasn’t a best offer.
If instead you asked me on a listing with a best offer, I would have asked what your best offer was.
When you told me $650, I would have said no thank you.
When you then offered $700, I would have responded with, I thought $650 was your best?
At that point probably no deal would have been made. As I don’t get many responses back.
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Yeah, no offense intended here but if you did that to me you would not get a response either. “What’s the lowest you’ll take” is just a really bad way of negotiating with sellers and is practically a meme here. When they entertain you nonetheless and you still offer lower, you are not worth anyone’s time. In my opinion sellers should provide detailed pictures of PSA graded cards so buyers can make purchasing decisions themselves. If they’ve got a blurry photo then I think it’s fair to ask for additional pictures, but if they have clear front and back pictures then you should go off that and not be overly picky.
Obviously we all want to get things at the lowest price. Negotiating isn’t a problem but if you do it in the wrong way it quickly becomes one.
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I dont think you did anything wrong. After all, it is a free market and let’s be honest here, your offer was still worth many hundreds of dollars. I think it was foolish on his part to disregard you during this negotiation window that you tried to keep open. Nothing wrong with him ultimately saying no, but he should respect you AND any potential you have for future business by replying last. Bad business on his part. Who knows what these things will be trading for in 5, 10, or 15 years as younger generations begin to move up in salaries and start earning real income like the 90s youth of today. There is the real possibility that older wotc cards tank outside of base set… which is where the real nostalgia can be felt by most. Just my 2 cents… he should’ve taken your offer of 650 dollars for that piece of cardboard.
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