offer was declined, the auction still has a week to go, have been ignoring it in case we decide to offer more nearer the close date (offer was a little less than our decided maximum), but just ended up there by not paying attention where I was clicking in "My Ebay" -the seller has raised the buy-it-now price by 20%! They're clearly playing ninja mind games that've gone straight over my head. Oh well, if it was meant to be, another will show up somewhere sometime, it certainly isn't worth messing about with, but I find it a little weird. meanwhile we got batteries for Thor's remote control spider and a replica civil war working padlock for Hector's rusty treasure chest at great prices :)

maybe should go back and offer less :lol:

just found the list of all the revisions seller has made to the item. This price change is the first one in 10 days, but there were a lot prior to that. Maybe they have nothing better to do. like me ;)

Sounds like the seller is a professional, playing the game full time.

Well I'm an amateur and just not into this crap. :/

I'm with you, no games, just tell me what you want and I'll decide if I want to pay it.

I don't know how much this applies to ebay's "make an offer" situation, but in more traditional haggling situations, there are usually (at least) two transactions going on simultaneously.

The first transaction is the clear-cut negotiated exchange of one item for another.

The second is an egotistical "battle" between the buyer and the seller, which not everyone is always playing. This manifests as one party trying to get the item for less (or trying to sell it for more) just for the sake of getting a concession from the other party.

Being strategic about the second transaction can have useful impact on the first transaction: Leave yourself room to go up (or down, if selling) in price, even if it's a trifling amount. This satisfies the ego of the person who "wanted a good deal."

How many completed transactions does the seller have?

I've not found anything on eBay that I wanted bad enough to appease someone's ego. I doubt I ever will. If I did; however, after making an offer that's declined, the seller would have to make a counter offer to get me in the ballpark. Under no circumstance would I blindly make a second offer just to have some control freak string me along.

That's why my offer, for something I really want (not an impulse or frivolous purchase) will be the maximum I'm wiling to pay and I'll politely, almost apologetically, let the seller know it in a message. If I offer anything less and it's declined, it could be that for a nickel more I would have met the seller's rock bottom price and got the item by not insulting them (if we're talking fragile egos here).

There also a point where a seller in good financial condition won't sell to a potential buyer who tries to lowball them for fear that the buyer will give the seller a bad review out of spite for making them haggle to the extent there's buyer's remorse. EBay isn't a flea market: there's no interpersonal communication (no real time face to face exchange, no body language, no art of persuasion to speak of), just online bickering. If a seller wants to turn THAT into a game, I blow them off.

Bid what you are willing to pay.

It's that goddamn simple.

Sheesh.

We're past that. Monster's entertaining the idea of raising her offer nearer the close date. The seller obviously thinks she'll cave.

what I think I'm willing to pay is a little more that what I offered. What I want to do is time my next (and final) offer to maximize the chance of it being accepted. If I can be bothered to play. I really do not enjoy this and honestly wish I'd never stumbled across the item. except it's pretty cool. sadly this is the time of year when the idea of spare cash is the funniest joke around the Beestmonster household. oh well

Maybe you can sweeten the deal by adding membership in an exclusive online community. We'll create a Social Group just for eBay sellers who take you up on it. :yesnod:

heh. the B-I-N price was reduced by $4 some time today and now there is another watcher. So maybe their best offer was even less than mine.

I don't effin care 'cause I scored at the thrift shop today :D a TI89 graphing calculator that works for under 4 bucks. Which we needed/wanted. The oldest two have them and are reluctant to share with the newest algebra victim. Well we needed a lower model but it'll do. ;) It was a gamble, because it wasn't working in the shop, but for 4 bucks and looking clean as a whistle, wasn't even worth going to get some batteries and come back and test it.

Damn, That's good. I picked up a TI 84 graphing calculator on ebay last year for about $60, and thought I was doing well. They retail for around $100-$120.

$4 is outstanding.

yeah that's what we paid for the first one we bought -same model off ebay. Second time around we had to get a new one but got one of the special 'back to school deal so paid about 80 for the same but color screen. Was baulking at the idea of buying a third, but apparently they can't share and karma agreed that was a little harsh on my pocketbook ;)