Off eBay sales
AwfulBits
Posts: 191
Both as a seller and a buyer I’ve done deals off eBay for item listed on eBay. Mostly because I already knew the people or they knew me. And mostly as the seller.
My question is, when you sell or buy off eBay an item listed on ebay do you give/expect a 10% discount off the eBay asking price? (Because you're avoid the eBay fees) I’ve always given it and I think I’ve always received it. To me the seller nets the amount of money they wanted and the buyer gets the item. Everyone wins. (Well, not eBay I guess.)
I recently was referred to someone for items I was looking for and they already had them listed on eBay as a buy it now with best offer. I asked what they’d sell it off eBay for and they came back with a price that would have netted them 8.5% MORE then if I bought the item at their asking price on eBay. I understand it’s their item and they can do whatever they want. But it really felt like they were being greedy and trying to hose me on the deal.
Just wanted to see what others thought on the customary discount for such a transactions.
Mike
My question is, when you sell or buy off eBay an item listed on ebay do you give/expect a 10% discount off the eBay asking price? (Because you're avoid the eBay fees) I’ve always given it and I think I’ve always received it. To me the seller nets the amount of money they wanted and the buyer gets the item. Everyone wins. (Well, not eBay I guess.)
I recently was referred to someone for items I was looking for and they already had them listed on eBay as a buy it now with best offer. I asked what they’d sell it off eBay for and they came back with a price that would have netted them 8.5% MORE then if I bought the item at their asking price on eBay. I understand it’s their item and they can do whatever they want. But it really felt like they were being greedy and trying to hose me on the deal.
Just wanted to see what others thought on the customary discount for such a transactions.
Mike
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Comments
I did have a seller once change the price to DOUBLE and relisted it on Ebay at that new price.
One of my least favorite sayings when I have something listed for sale on a message board is "give me 10% off, I'm saving you ebay fees". That couldn't be farther from the truth. They are not saving you the fees. They are using Ebay fees to get themselves a discount. Instead of paying Ebay 10% for the exposure, you are giving the buyer the 10% discount. No savings at all.
EDIT: Just wanted to add, why should the buyer be the only one that comes out ahead in this deal? If the seller didn't want to do the deal off ebay and the buyer really wanted the card, they would have to pay full price.
<< <i>If we are going back and forth with offers and counteroffers and the buyer says "how about $100 direct" and I'm asking $110, then I do it. For me, its just the idea of the buyer telling me that they are somehow saving me ebay fees that gets under my skin. If they bring in that line, no discount for them. >>
I do this all the time as a buyer. But I do say paypal gift (no fees). Because you would be surprised that some sellers have no clue what ebay gift means.
<< <i>Let's assume the seller is paying 10% in Ebay fees. I think the parties should split the difference, 5% discount. This way the seller is getting more than they would if it sold on ebay, and the buyer is getting a discount. If I have a card listed for $200 and that's the typical sale price on Ebay, I will usually do $185-$190 (would have only received $180 after ebay fees).
One of my least favorite sayings when I have something listed for sale on a message board is "give me 10% off, I'm saving you ebay fees". That couldn't be farther from the truth. They are not saving you the fees. They are using Ebay fees to get themselves a discount. Instead of paying Ebay 10% for the exposure, you are giving the buyer the 10% discount. No savings at all.
EDIT: Just wanted to add, why should the buyer be the only one that comes out ahead in this deal? If the seller didn't want to do the deal off ebay and the buyer really wanted the card, they would have to pay full price. >>
I completely agree with this. The discount should be a two way street if you're selling something off line.
Plus ebay will still get their cut of the action with their paypal monopoly.
Some of my customers will pay a premium for this as well.
Eric
<< <i>Let's assume the seller is paying 10% in Ebay fees. I think the parties should split the difference, 5% discount. This way the seller is getting more than they would if it sold on ebay, and the buyer is getting a discount. If I have a card listed for $200 and that's the typical sale price on Ebay, I will usually do $185-$190 (would have only received $180 after ebay fees).
One of my least favorite sayings when I have something listed for sale on a message board is "give me 10% off, I'm saving you ebay fees". That couldn't be farther from the truth. They are not saving you the fees. They are using Ebay fees to get themselves a discount. Instead of paying Ebay 10% for the exposure, you are giving the buyer the 10% discount. No savings at all.
EDIT: Just wanted to add, why should the buyer be the only one that comes out ahead in this deal? If the seller didn't want to do the deal off ebay and the buyer really wanted the card, they would have to pay full price. >>
I agree with this also. I had a potential buyer argue with me about my profit margin in potential off-ebay deal, when all he should have been concerned with was how much of a discount in the selling price I was offering. What does it matter to someone how my profits are determined? Ebay sometimes offers bonus Ebay bucks for selling, discounts on fees, paying ebay invoices with a credit card can get you 1-2% cash back or miles, etc. All of that should not matter to someone who wants to buy a card from me, I am offering a discount to the buyer from the price listed on ebay. Just buy the card or don't.
As a buyer I know eBay is going to take 10% of your items selling price. So I assume you are going to be happy with the 90% of the selling price, otherwise you would have priced it higher. Now I want to buy it and all of a sudden your aren't happy with 90% anymore you want 95%.
To me, just as "give me 10% off, i'm saving you ebay fees." comes across as crass. Basically saying to a buyer that for anyone else I'll take 90% of my selling price, but form YOU, I want 95% comes across as greedy and not a way to win over buyers. It would be a little like going into a store where they have an item for $100 but you have a coupon for 10%. you get up to the register to buy it and now all of a sudden they want to raise the price of the item to $105, because why should the buyer get all the benefit of the coupon.
The other thing that Dave brought up is while Ebay/Paypal aren't perfect, they do offer the buyer some protection. As a seller to say you want half the fee savings seems like a lot when the buyer is assuming more of the risk.
In my situation the item was also listed on eBay with a best offer, so I assumed the seller would have taken less then the full asking price to start with. So It was a double slap in the face that ultimately in the end they only wanted to give me barely any discount at all.
Mike
EDITED FOR ME BAD ENGLISH
<< <i>I guess I view it differently.
As a buyer I know eBay is going to take 10% of your items selling price. So I assume you are going to be happy with the 90% of the selling price, otherwise you would have priced it higher. Now I want to buy it and all of a sudden your aren't happy with 90% anymore you want 95%.
To me, just as "give me 10% off, i'm saving you ebay fees." comes across as crass. Basically saying to a buyer that for anyone else I'll take 90% of my selling price, but form YOU, I want 95% comes across as greedy and not a way to win over buyers. It would be a little like going into a store where they have an item for $100 but you have a coupon for 10%. you get up to the register to buy it and now all of a sudden they want to raise the price of the item to $105, because why should the buyer get all the benefit of the coupon.
The other thing that Dave brought up is while Ebay/Paypal aren't perfect, they do offer the buyer some protection. As a seller to say you want half the fee savings seems like a lot when the buyer is assuming more of the risk.
In my situation the item was also listed on eBay with a best offer, so I assumed the seller would have taken less then the full asking price to start with. So It was a double slap in the face that ultimately in the end they only wanted to give me barely any discount at all.
Mike
EDITED FOR ME BAD ENGLISH >>
Ok, in your scenario, where is the benefit to the seller to sell to you off ebay to "give" you the 10% discount? You don't have a coupon, you are trying to make a deal with a seller. If you're not offering to split the savings, then there's really no incentive to deal with you.
<< <i>
<< <i>I guess I view it differently.
As a buyer I know eBay is going to take 10% of your items selling price. So I assume you are going to be happy with the 90% of the selling price, otherwise you would have priced it higher. Now I want to buy it and all of a sudden your aren't happy with 90% anymore you want 95%.
To me, just as "give me 10% off, i'm saving you ebay fees." comes across as crass. Basically saying to a buyer that for anyone else I'll take 90% of my selling price, but form YOU, I want 95% comes across as greedy and not a way to win over buyers. It would be a little like going into a store where they have an item for $100 but you have a coupon for 10%. you get up to the register to buy it and now all of a sudden they want to raise the price of the item to $105, because why should the buyer get all the benefit of the coupon.
The other thing that Dave brought up is while Ebay/Paypal aren't perfect, they do offer the buyer some protection. As a seller to say you want half the fee savings seems like a lot when the buyer is assuming more of the risk.
In my situation the item was also listed on eBay with a best offer, so I assumed the seller would have taken less then the full asking price to start with. So It was a double slap in the face that ultimately in the end they only wanted to give me barely any discount at all.
Mike
EDITED FOR ME BAD ENGLISH >>
Ok, in your scenario, where is the benefit to the seller to sell to you off ebay to "give" you the 10% discount? You don't have a coupon, you are trying to make a deal with a seller. If you're not offering to split the savings, then there's really no incentive to deal with you. >>
Agree. Bad example with the coupon. Some buyers act like they are doing us a favor by buying the item. Clearly they want the item too. It's a 2 way street.
As far as the buyer protection goes...you can always pay w/ a credit card and be protected. I don't expect people to pay via gift (if they do its a bonus) since I would never pay via gift.
<< <i>Ok, in your scenario, where is the benefit to the seller to sell to you off ebay to "give" you the 10% discount? You don't have a coupon, you are trying to make a deal with a seller. If you're not offering to split the savings, then there's really no incentive to deal with you. >>
The incentive for you is:
You sell your item now, not later or maybe never. And two, you get exactly what you wanted to sell it for.
Plus you build some goodwill with your customers and hopefully repeat customers. Because in your splitting of the 10% savings, your basically telling a buyer you 'd rather give ebay they 10% then give it to the buyer.
All three or any one of them seem like pretty good incentives to me.
Mike
<< <i>You sell your item now, not later or maybe never. >>
+1. That's what you want, right? As a seller, I am happy to conduct off eBay deals and offer a 10% discount for doing so, even though it doesn't save me money and is sometimes more work with shipping (eBay's system is pretty slick--especially to Canada). Why? Because it sell an item. That's what I'm out to do ...
I don't go to shows anymore. Mostly due to where I live now. But I wonder if it happens there as well? Someone goes to a show see an item the dealer has on eBay and is asking the same price at the show and then asks for at least a 10% discount?
Mike
At a show, you are also getting the benefit of seeing the card in person. The seller now has an additional cost of a show fee. So 10% may be out of the question if its priced fairly.
To me if I am selling a $50 jersey card that is likely to not sell, then off ebay I would throw the discount to the buyer. If I am selling a fast selling item, I would split the benefit as the buyer is getting a discount and so am I, otherwise, I would wait and sell it when I get what I wanted.
The item in question is just as important as the discount of ebay fees.
As a seller, I don't mind going off eBay to make the sale and I generally will offer the 10% to my buyers - I'm going to get the same net either way, so if that's what it takes to sell it then what do I really care?
As far as Paypal goes, I absolutely HATE the gift payments, and generally refuse to make them or take them. I've done it a few times, but it's pretty rare and I don't know that I would agree to it again. I feel like anyone who is making a sale and can't pay the 2.9% is probably someone I don't want the headache of dealing with, especially if something were to go wrong - as noted in a previous post. If that's $3 per hundred is what sinks the deal, then to me that a BIG RED WARNING SIGN!
I get it from the seller's perspective of accepting the gift payment and having no real worries, but that's not how I want to operate which is why I don't ask for it. I'd prefer to have return buyers, so I'm content paying the Paypal fee, if for no other reason than it gives the buyer peace of mind.
That's my 2 cents anyway
when you rich, you pay cash!
<< <i>Bounce, you sound like a very reasonable seller. What is your eBay handle? >>
try bounce
So what's the 2.9% fee? Is that if u go off ebay and use paypal? I know the gift doesnt give the buyer protection. Does that 2.9 get the buyer complete protection? Or else how do u go off eBay and get protection?
Thx
Selling an item off ebay is a pain in the balls for a well-streamlined seller. I sell 200-300 items a week and use ebay's bulk shipping to print labels. It takes me 5-10 minutes to stop everything I'm doing, log into paypal and print one label. I know that means nothing to most of you but it can be an annoyance when trying to maximize efficiency. And I always reject off ebay offers on cards less than $100 b/c it's not worth it for me to alter my routine in order to save $5 or whatever.
And as was said earlier, the seller is putting his entire business at risk. If at some point ebay decides to have humans digging into sellers' outgoing messages then we are all in trouble.
Lee
<< <i>Something nobody is considering:
Selling an item off ebay is a pain in the balls for a well-streamlined seller.
And as was said earlier, the seller is putting his entire business at risk. If at some point ebay decides to have humans digging into sellers' outgoing messages then we are all on trouble.
Lee >>
that's fair - i don't sell that much so it's not a huge issue for me, and usually i'm the one asking as the buyer anyway
the 2.9% is the standard fee paypal charges sellers, for goods it should give the buyer protection against non-delivery or broken/damaged items
This is especially true when shipping to Canada. PayPal doesn't offer the First Class International Package service that eBay does, so I have to go through the USPS website, manually enter in info, then upload tracking to PP. Time consuming.
But, hey, anything for the $$, right?
<< <i>^^
This is especially true when shipping to Canada. >>
great point - i won't ship to canada any more unless it goes through UPS, which is usually so expensive anyway that it kills most deals for me
last time i shipped to canada through US postal service, it got stuck in customs and paypal forced me to refund for non-delivery - thus NEVER again
~WalterSobchak
That said, of course I will work offline with anyone who emails me or contacts me through here. Best of all worlds. Instead, I often wind up replying nicely that I can't go offline, but I'll take a best offer in the middle. Now I have the sellers email and they have mine, so offline is good to go.
ebay id Duffs_Dugout
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Eric