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  1. wsfarrell Jun 7, 2021

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    A dealer on eBay (empiretimenyc) has a Rolex 1680 for sale at $11,495. It's a 4.4 million serial, signifying a service case. I offered $11,000. They declined the offer, saying "$11,450 is our best price." $45 off of $11,495 is a 0.3% discount. Why have a "best offer"?

    I believe it's similar to dealers outside of eBay who don't show prices: "Please inquire." They think that if they get the potential buyer to engage in any way, they have a better chance of making the sale. They're probably right. But not this time...
     
  2. mjb Jun 7, 2021

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    Absolutely, I agree, that's what it all is. Getting you engaged, invested in the process to make the sale. After a few emails or calls, you might find that the best price is really closer to 10, especially if they've had it a while and there's no other interest.
     
    tikkathree and wsfarrell like this.
  3. Dan S Jun 7, 2021

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    Offer $11,100. Or $11,050 if you really want to get your point across.
     
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  4. jaguar11 Jun 7, 2021

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    It does make you wonder......
     
  5. S.H. Jun 7, 2021

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    What irks me even more are the automatically rejected offers... I don't bother after a try or two. Their loss.

    Also, sometimes, asking nicely does wonders. I shaved 200eur off 2000 recently, even if the price was advertised as firm.
     
    noelekal likes this.
  6. ATWG Jun 7, 2021

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    I find these pretty funny and don't even bother any more for this exact reason.

    If you're looking for a really nice fully serviced 1680, LMK, I might know someone who's looking to sell ;-)
     
  7. wsfarrell Jun 7, 2021

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    I was thinking of $11,001. :)
     
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  8. Tony C. Ωf Jury member Jun 7, 2021

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    Better yet, now that the seller has revealed his rigidity, and you have decided to walk away, offer him $9,000. :D
     
  9. myatt Jun 7, 2021

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    Honestly, I would go $10,500 on it!
     
    wsfarrell likes this.
  10. keepsonticking Jun 7, 2021

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    That is a frustrating ebay practice, agreed. I have all but stopped even looking on ebay since the sales tax collection, but the real thing that torques me about ebay is how the vast majority of listings are not auctions at all. I'm sure many of you have been around long enough (1998) to remember an ebay that was actually a place for auctions, where people listed items and sold them to the highest bidder. It's mostly a retail platform now. Check to see the percentage of listings that are BIN only these days. You might be surprised.
     
    Rochete, Edward53, cristos71 and 2 others like this.
  11. applebook Jun 7, 2021

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    Maybe the seller is getting offers really close to the asking price? Your offer is pretty reasonable.
     
    Jkbenn02 likes this.
  12. Jkbenn02 Jun 7, 2021

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    I guess so too
     
  13. Dgercp Jun 8, 2021

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    I hear ya, but who is the loser here?
     
    eugeneandresson likes this.
  14. wsfarrell Jun 8, 2021

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    I may be misinterpreting, but you seem to be saying I'm the loser because I missed out on a great watch for stupid reasons. (a) If I had really wanted the watch, I would have just bought it at BIN. (b) Since the seller had "best offer," I made an offer. (c) The seller revealed himself to be an asshole, and I don't deal with assholes.
     
  15. Dgercp Jun 8, 2021

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    I have no idea if the watch was great, but if I really was hot on this, I might not let $450 get in my way. Yes, silly to list it best offer if he doesn't mean it, but there are at least a million stupid things done on ebay every day. The seller may not actually be an asshole just because he has a price in his head that he wants. I am glad you do not feel that you lost out on this one.
     
  16. Edward53 Jun 9, 2021

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    Sometimes ebay will "sneak in" the option for a best offer by default, ie you have to untick it. I've made offers before and been told by the seller that they never intended to include that option. Perhaps that's what happened here and the seller can't be bothered to amend the listing.