Previously, , Oliver Keating
dipped their finger in oil and
wrote:
Anyway someone asked me for a "buy-it-now", so I told them they could have
it for £150. They then told me know they were thinking more like £75, so I
decided there was no point continueing. I let the auction complete and it
fnished at £145

Just beware of the "buy-it-now" brigade

I wouldn't dismiss them entirely. I've done that before, but I offer a
fair price, as I'll only do it if I need something in a hurry. Examples
would be some sunglasses I wanted which were £10, I offered £40, and
completed items were usually £31 but I wanted them /now/. Another good
one was a Pioneer PX7, I offered him £50, he declined, and I was the
high bidder at the end at under £40.

The only 'bargain' I've got that way - and with a happy seller - was a
Korg synth. I emailed him at the beginning of the auction offering £200
and I would collect (it was a big synth), the description of the synth
made it sound a lot worse than it actually was, but it was still bad
enough that some buyers would have baulked at it. By the time he'd
replied to my email the auction was actually over £300, but he cancelled
the high bidder, being happy with my offer.

If someone is clearly taking the ****, then by all means, reject the
offer. But if you get a good offer and quick payment, it can be better
than waiting only to find the high bidder doesn't want the item after
all.

OTOH, I'm usually looking for specialised items. I'll email a good offer
because it's something I want and haven't seen advertised elsewhere, not
because I'm after a bargain. If I want a bargain I'll wait for a badly
listed item.

Richard
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