Rejected Offers...what do you think?

[mrmopar]

Ebay is a land of few and far between best offer occasions, but COMC seems to be another story. I have been playing around on COMC quite a bit lately, ever since I got the whole sales tax thing sorted out. It's nice to buy cheap cards there and to think, I was paying full asking price up until recently.

Most sellers seem open to reasonable offers on these cards, even though most of what I have been buying falls between $1-5 and probably would not pique most people's interest. I have been picking up some 90s inserts and certified autos of common players for cheap. It's like working the dollar boxes at a show. I have had a few counteroffers, most of which I accepted. I probably would still pay asking price on most that I offer on, so getting any discount is nice.

There is one seller who I made 2 offers with tonight on very cheap cards.

One was a 2007 SPX Eric Stults Au. The asking price was $1.49, which is pretty cheap for a certified auto. I offered 99 cents. BV was listed at $8.

The other was a 2004 Skybox Koyie Hill Au. The asking price was $1.99, which is also pretty cheap. I offered $1.25. BV was listed at $10.

Now, neither player is much to shout about.

Hill, who was active through 2011 is 32 years old and probably won't be making his run for the HOF anytime soon: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hillko01.shtml

Stults was active through 2011 as well and is 31. He spent all of 2010 and most of 2011 in the minors and he is not on the fast track for the HOF either. He pitched 12 innings in MLB this past year: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stulter01.shtml

Now I understand everyone has their price and the discounts offered on these two cards were already pretty extensive, but we are not talking about hot cards or hot stars. These are common filler autos that are not hard to find by any stretch of the imagination. Isn't one of the main advantages of COMC to dump your cheap cards that are too costly to list on ebay or just don't sell?

My "issue" is that this seller rejected both of my offers w/o any sort of counter offer. Now maybe he doesn't take offers on cards that cheap, but I have seen "warnings" come up when offering, such as seller doesn't discount more than 15% or must make an offer of at least 50%. If he doesn't want to deal, load one of those auto response messages. I am probably OK with paying full price, but I would think the seller would at least offer me a counter. Even if it was for 2 cents off. This sellers reaction made me want to not buy anything from them at all.

Am I overreacting here? Shouldn't a seller make an effort to work a deal? Were my offers insulting? It just left a bad taste in my mouth with this seller and it may affect what (if anything) I buy from them in the future.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[oldmarine0311]

am I overreacting here? Shouldn't a seller make an effort to work a deal? Were my offers insulting? It just left a bad taste in my mouth with this seller and it may affect what (if anything) I buy from them in the future.

Any thoughts on this?

My thoughts Hummm. well alot of guys here will say dont collect to get rich, but also i dont collect to give away better value stuff either. if a store has a sell do you walk in and say hey i will give ya a buck for that 20 dollar item and not be expected to be laughted out of the store. i think it is very much the same here. COMC tells the seller the BV of their cards and the seller decides the price that is "supply and demand" anywayssss.

your questions okay here is my answer Yes. No. Yes. the bad taste is that greed on your behalf? if not then lets see your high priced cards so we can make penny on the dollar offers and then see how you might feel.

much like trading here, i dont do it much for the same reason. people want a "Deal" and that means one person has to literly give away cards for a sucker offer. especially offers on teh first 20 trades if you want to make them.

COMC exists for a place for people who collect or trade in cards to have a different venue for thoes practices. and for the guy who runs the company to make a little money. thats the basic facts.

anyways thats my rant answer.

 

[Jeffo65]

Originally Posted by mrmopar View Post

am I overreacting here? Shouldn't a seller make an effort to work a deal? Were my offers insulting? It just left a bad taste in my mouth with this seller and it may affect what (if anything) I buy from them in the future.

Any thoughts on this?

An offer is an offer. The seller has no obligation to accept the offer or to make a counter offer. The counter offer could have been made by you, the buyer, if you really wanted the card. Since you did not make a counteroffer and did not pay the asking price, it appears that you are in no hurry to buy those two cards.

I really do not see why you wasted your time or the sellers time with the offers. The cards were at such a price that you felt was a good deal to begin with. It appears that you just wanted to play a game and to be able to have a story that you could gripe about.


.

 

[mintman2]

Am I overreacting here? Shouldn't a seller make an effort to work a deal? Were my offers insulting? It just left a bad taste in my mouth with this seller and it may affect what (if anything) I buy from them in the future.

I agree with oldmarine. YES, NO, YES

I've bought and sold stuff for about 20 years now just about any way you can think of (ebay, flea markets, yard sales, craigslist, live auctions, newspaper classifieds, estate sales, set stuff on curb with a tag) so I know both sides of the coin. I absolutely understand "the game" so when I'm selling I mark many many thinga about 50% higher than what I'll accept. I also expect that when I'm buying BUT there's a certain point where both parties know the price is right (marked or negotiated).

As a seller I get that bad taste in my mouth when I offer something for sale at a price as good as one could ever hope to see and someone makes me an "insulting" lowball offer. In person, on a good day, I'll say no thank you and nothing more or maybe "what, you don't think it's worth $2 ?". On a bad day I've been known to ask the person something like "did you forget to take your meds today ?", say nothing at all and turn my back and talk to someone else or just walk away.

Online selling is a little different. Usually I'll make a counter offer but in a situation like you presented I'd just hit the delete button and move on. Why should I waste my time squabbling over what? 25 cents??? Gimme a break ! Especially if I have a bunch of items listed. You said it yourself, $2 was a good deal, take it or leave it.


In case you can't tell, YES, I'm pretty passionate on this issue

 

[brewerfan34]

My personal feeling is that when you start trying to figure out why someone is motivated to either accept or decline an offer it is a no win situation. It is nearly impossible to guess the thought process of someone you have never met.

Each trader has their "hobby history". How long have they been in the hobby? What is there knowledge base? What are their collecting goals? What are the past experiences with other traders/buyers? Are they trying to "flip" the card in question?

Just my thoughts,

Frank

 

[deaconblues63]

It wouldn't bother me in the least. I can't see myself haggling for a fifty cent discount on a card nor nor being upset with a seller for not wanting to do so either.

It just wouldn't seem like a productive use of time or energy for me. To me, this comes across as kind of petty, but to each his own and best of luck in coming across some good deals.


Michael

 

[JamesNevans]

I get this in real estate too, they ask "What is the right amount BELOW asking price to come in at?" It's not that simple, you do your research and see what others have sold for and then see how reasonable the current seller is comparitively, which can be all over the place, and determine what you might do, but it has nothing to do with how the seller will react. The cards were already listed for 20% or less than BV, so the seller probably feels that where he is on price he is not in need of a negotiation, and anyone who is going to have interest in these two players in any rate is likely to come up the few cents.

 

[mrmopar]

Interesting response.

Since when is an $8 or $10 card of a guy who will never be anything more than a common "better value stuff" or "high priced cards"? These days, just about everything has an inflated book value, but it is obvious that cards are typically not sold/purchased at BV. I have a stack of autographed commons that probably book at anywhere from $5-15 that I would be glad to get a dollar for. So, I guess I miss your point. I was not talking about offering pennies on the dollar for Jeter, Pujols, Ichiro, etc. We are talking Eric Stults!

My focus was less on the monetary amount and more on the fact that a seller, who has listed their items in a BIN/BO forum, has chosen to end negotiations without any effort on their part. Fine, that seller may feel that my offers were not worthy of a counter offer because his prices were set to sell, but I feel like this is not a policy that is conducive to selling items that are subject to market fluctuations like flea market or garage sale, not like Walmart or Supermarket goods which are bought and sold as priced.

i dont collect to give away better value stuff either. if a store has a sell do you walk in and say hey i will give ya a buck for that 20 dollar item and not be expected to be laughted out of the store.

your questions okay here is my answer Yes. No. Yes. the bad taste is that greed on your behalf? if not then lets see your high priced cards so we can make penny on the dollar offers and then see how you might feel.

 

[mrmopar]

Sorry folks, I don't know how to respond to multiple posters in one reply...

Yes, the seller has no obligation to barter, but do you go to a flea market or garage sale with the attitude that you won't budge on your prices? COMC is a big garage sale, not a fixed price market place.

And I made an offer. I can't counteroffer again if the seller rejects my offer. I can make another offer, but that is my point here. If the seller doesn't have the courtesy to make his own counter offer, then maybe I don't want to deal with him.

The last point you make really puzzles me though. Wasting out time with an offer? That is what card colelcting is all about. Trades, offers, etc. Negotiating is a game to see how much of a better deal you can get, sure. Did I do it to tell a story and gripe, no. I did it to secure more cards with my money. If I have $10 and want 10 $1.00 cards, then all is well. However, if I can get each seller to shave off 10 cents, then I can afford to buy 11 cards.

The seller has no obligation to accept the offer or to make a counter offer. The counter offer could have been made by you, the buyer, if you really wanted the card. Since you did not make a counteroffer and did not pay the asking price, it appears that you are in no hurry to buy those two cards.

I really do not see why you wasted your time or the sellers time with the offers. The cards were at such a price that you felt was a good deal to begin with. It appears that you just wanted to play a game and to be able to have a story that you could gripe about.


.

 

[mrmopar]

One last thought here before anyone else chimes in. This hobby is based heavily on market demand. New product is sold at as close to fixed rates as you can get (the card makers set a price and sell it to hobby shops and wholesalers until the product dries up), until demand drives those prices up or down. Most of the new product, like a Triple Thread or Marquee will sell out at the manufacturers or wholesalers prices and then market dictates what the boxes will sell for. This is pretty well fixed.

However, once those boxes are opened, it's a market driven carnival. You might have paid $200 for a box, opened it and the BV of everything inside is $100 and you are lucky to get $50 back on it. That is the nature of the business. However, you might get lucky, pay $200, get $1000 BV and actually sell it for $2000.

The majority of the transactions rely on what a party is willing to pay. The guides give us a starting point, but that is all. If we don't barter, very little gets sold, as most fixed prices are set with negotiating in mind. The seller wants as much as they can get. The buyer wants the cheapest price they can get. There are plenty of buyers who don't want to barter and they pay more. There are plenty of sellers who won't barter and they sell less. Somewhere in the middle is everyone else.

Maybe with different examples, my story would be different and perhaps the reactions too. With higher prices and larger gaps, there is going to be more room to move up or down. In this case, I was loading up on cheap, low valued cards so the prices were lower and so were my offers. I purchased 79 cards on this site and only 1 seller completely rejected my offer without a counter offer.

It's not about the prices or the money. This reaction just tells me this guy is not worth dealing with and perhaps he feels the same about me. In the end, he is trying to sell his cards though and there may not be a buyer at his price. If I get the same card from someone else at my price, he is the one losing the sale.

 

[VintageHeros]

Sorry folks, I don't know how to respond to multiple posters in one reply...

Next to "quote" button is another button (" "), hit this button in each post that you would like to quote, and hit the "quote" button on the last one of the group. This brings multiple quote boxes into your reply. When you type your replies just find where one quote ends and insert your comments (usually after "/QUOTE")

As far as COMC goes, it is impossible to understand individual methods for sellers. For me, I offer the price I am willing to pay...if the seller counters I will reconsider but if they reject I just move on, figuring I will just have to wait a little longer for a particular card. I understand your frustration though, I have made offers on cards I needed for sets that include guys who never amounted to anything and Beckett's BVs haven't changed since their rookie years (i.e Matt Bush, although recently downgraded) yet the seller still wants 50-60% of BV...but some cards are just better to find on other sites...

Also, the auto-reject feature you mentioned is a premium feature and not available to all sellers.

 

[mrmopar]

Thanks. That will help in the future. Learn something new every day...it's true!

Next to "quote" button is another button (" "), hit this button in each post that you would like to quote, and hit the "quote" button on the last one of the group. This brings multiple quote boxes into your reply. When you type your replies just find where one quote ends and insert your comments (usually after "/QUOTE")

 

[David K.]

I make offer about 15% of the time...I don't take it personal...when they don't reply or do a counter offer. Best regards, David

 

[37Jetson]

Would you rather the seller of the $1.99 counter with $1.99 if that was his lowest price on that card? I do not get offended when people make offers on my COMC cards, but if it is already a deep discount I am unlikely to budge on the price. The only times my cookies get frosted is when a buyer makes the exact same offer three times or more!! Your still better off buying the $1.99 at full asking price than the half book card seller accepting all offers.

The only way to get the Maximum Offer Accepted Feature is to sign up for an enhanced account starting at $15/month.

If the seller doesn't have the courtesy to make his own counter offer, then maybe I don't want to deal with him.

 

[bonzomoretti]

It is not always that the card is of a player who is not worth the value as a single, but it would be worth a lot more to the person trying to complete the set of autos, a Cubs complete team set etc. and would be worth the price posted. If you thought it was a "deal" to begin with, why not pay it? If I was the seller, I might get pissed at being lowballed for an already cheap product.

 

[mrmopar]

I would actually. That tells me he is interested in my business, but that $1.99 is his lowest price.

I didn't realize that feature was for a fee. Thank you for clearing that up.

Would you rather the seller of the $1.99 counter with $1.99 if that was his lowest price on that card? I do not get offended when people make offers on my COMC cards, but if it is already a deep discount I am unlikely to budge on the price. The only times my cookies get frosted is when a buyer makes the exact same offer three times or more!! Your still better off buying the $1.99 at full asking price than the half book card seller accepting all offers.

The only way to get the Maximum Offer Accepted Feature is to sign up for an enhanced account starting at $15/month.

Anyone who puts cards out for sale, especially those who don't price them or only ask for offers w/o a starting point, need to expect to be lowballed sometimes. It's the same theory if they price something too high. Often potential buyers will be rude and mock the seller for asking too much. That is not cool either. We have all seen joking about ebay sellers who price their items way too high. Sometimes they just don't know any better, sometimes it is intentional. Either way, they become the brunt of a joke. Usually a card priced too high will just be ignored and the seller will either have to adjust his price or keep the card.

I don't sell much, but I certainly don't take offense at low offers on things I do try to sell. More often than sellers think, their prices aren't as fair as they thought they were, even sometimes with deep discounts too.

My last offer came back with a counter today. The seller had listed a card that was serial numbered to 1500, but the first 100 were autographed apparently, so it was really xx/100. This may have been a popular set for set builders, I don't know. I am not familiar with the set itself.

The BV was listed at $15 and he was asking $6.50. The player had a 2 year career in which he was 0-2. He has long since been out of baseball and his autograph is not hard to find on certified issues. I thought I would try to get this one at a deeper discount, because I will take any different cards of players autographs. In this case, the seller was holding closer to BV than I was and I respect that. I was bidding on the price I felt was reasonable for the signature itself. Anyway, he countered and I declined. No big deal and the way I think any of those transactions should go. He could have rejected my offer, but he countered. I had offered my top price, so no need for a counter. I'll buy from this seller again if I find something decent.

 

[theplasticman]

It is not always that the card is of a player who is not worth the value as a single, but it would be worth a lot more to the person trying to complete the set of autos, a Cubs complete team set etc. and would be worth the price posted. If you thought it was a "deal" to begin with, why not pay it? If I was the seller, I might get pissed at being lowballed for an already cheap product.

Generally my feelings as a seller and one who routinely prices his cards at 10% - 40% of BV.

I know I am cheaper than Ebay price AND I cant charge $2.50 SH for my item and pad my earnings. So I'm less likely to bargain when something is already pretty rock bottom already.

I don't find this unreasonable I guess.

As a note... the message saying "seller doesn't accept _____" is a premium feature only available to those willing to pay an extra monthly seller fee (about $50-75 if I recall). If I had a few thousand more cards it would make sense for me to pay this.

 

[37Jetson]

I appreciate this feedback from you. I have usually avoided this because I was afraid that I might offend a potential buyer.

I would actually. That tells me he is interested in my business, but that $1.99 is his lowest price.

I didn't realize that feature was for a fee. Thank you for clearing that up.



Anyone who puts cards out for sale, especially those who don't price them or only ask for offers w/o a starting point, need to expect to be lowballed sometimes. It's the same theory if they price something too high. Often potential buyers will be rude and mock the seller for asking too much. That is not cool either. We have all seen joking about ebay sellers who price their items way too high. Sometimes they just don't know any better, sometimes it is intentional. Either way, they become the brunt of a joke. Usually a card priced too high will just be ignored and the seller will either have to adjust his price or keep the card.

I don't sell much, but I certainly don't take offense at low offers on things I do try to sell. More often than sellers think, their prices aren't as fair as they thought they were, even sometimes with deep discounts too.

My last offer came back with a counter today. The seller had listed a card that was serial numbered to 1500, but the first 100 were autographed apparently, so it was really xx/100. This may have been a popular set for set builders, I don't know. I am not familiar with the set itself.

The BV was listed at $15 and he was asking $6.50. The player had a 2 year career in which he was 0-2. He has long since been out of baseball and his autograph is not hard to find on certified issues. I thought I would try to get this one at a deeper discount, because I will take any different cards of players autographs. In this case, the seller was holding closer to BV than I was and I respect that. I was bidding on the price I felt was reasonable for the signature itself. Anyway, he countered and I declined. No big deal and the way I think any of those transactions should go. He could have rejected my offer, but he countered. I had offered my top price, so no need for a counter. I'll buy from this seller again if I find something decent.

 

[bdink25]

I was reading your post and had a couple of thoughts. I have no idea what COMC is or how they operate. Is there a shipping charge?? Second, can you offer him a two card package deal for a little higher than the sum of the of the two offers you made?? Bigger deals seem to work easier. Butch

 

[mrmopar]

You can offer on multiple cards. I didn't know this when the two separate offers were made though.

COMC is checkoutmycards.com. There is a shipping fee schedule for cards, as all of the different sellers have sent their cards to COMC and they do the packaging and shipping. It's a pretty good place to pick up some singles.