Common Best Offer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Introduction

Best Offer can be a powerful tool, but it's also easy to misuse. Whether you're a buyer or seller new to negotiation features on marketplaces, being aware of common mistakes helps you save time, protect margins, and maintain good relationships.

Mistake 1 — Unrealistic lowballing

Problem: Buyers sometimes send offers that are far below what anyone would reasonably accept. This offends sellers and wastes both parties' time.

Avoidance: Do quick benchmarking. Look at completed sales and similar listings. Start with a reasonable offer (often 10–25% below asking, depending on context) and include a short, polite note explaining your price.

Mistake 2 — Ignoring offers

Problem: Sellers who repeatedly ignore Best Offers miss potential sales and create a poor customer experience.

Avoidance: Set aside short intervals to review offers, or use platform notifications and automated responses. A quick decline is better than no reply.

Mistake 3 — Not calculating net proceeds

Problem: Accepting an offer without factoring in platform fees, payment processing fees, and shipping can lead to a loss.

Avoidance: Use a simple spreadsheet or calculator to estimate net proceeds before accepting offers. Consider the total cost including packaging and shipping materials.

Mistake 4 — Emotional negotiating

Problem: Sellers sometimes react emotionally to low offers and respond with harsh messages or unreasonable counters; buyers might resent a counter that feels unfair and walk away.

Avoidance: Treat the process like business. Keep messages professional and stick to predefined minimums. Remember most buyers are testing price, not insulting the item.

Mistake 5 — Over-countering or indecisiveness

Problem: Issuing multiple, slightly adjusted counter-offers prolongs negotiation and can frustrate buyers, who may simply abandon the transaction.

Avoidance: Make thoughtful counters. If you counter, present your best reasonable price or add value (free shipping, faster handling). Timely decisive responses close deals faster.

Mistake 6 — Poor timing

Problem: Sending a counter or accepting an offer too slowly can cause buyers to lose interest or accept a different offer elsewhere.

Avoidance: Monitor offers and set response windows. If you must delay, send a brief message acknowledging the offer and provide an expected time to follow up.

Mistake 7 — Not documenting negotiated terms

Problem: Misunderstandings occur when a buyer assumes shipping is included or when a seller adds conditions that were not agreed upon in writing.

Avoidance: Confirm all terms clearly in the platform's messaging system: price, shipping cost and method, handling time, returns, and payment terms. Keep records of the conversation.

Mistake 8 — Accepting suspicious offers

Problem: Scammers sometimes propose strange payment methods or ask to transact outside of the platform to avoid fees or scrutiny.

Avoidance: Always use platform-approved payment and shipping options. Report suspicious behavior and decline requests to communicate or pay off-platform.

Mistake 9 — Applying Best Offer inconsistently

Problem: Sellers who allow offers on some listings but not others without a clear policy can confuse buyers and damage credibility.

Avoidance: Have a simple, consistent policy. For example, enable Best Offer on items older than 30 days or on listings above a certain price threshold. Display a short shop policy explaining how you handle offers.

Mistake 10 — Failing to analyze results

Problem: Treating Best Offer as guesswork without tracking results prevents improvement.

Avoidance: Track conversion rates for listings with Best Offer enabled, average accepted discounts, and time to sale. Use this data to refine pricing and decide when to accept offers automatically.

Quick mitigation checklist

• Set a realistic floor price accounting for costs and fees.
• Respond quickly with clear, polite messages.
• Use a small set of templates for common responses to save time.
• Keep all negotiation on-platform and use protected payment methods.
• Log and analyze offers to refine strategy.

Final thoughts

Avoiding these common mistakes makes Best Offer a low-friction path to more sales and better deals. The feature rewards preparation and professionalism: set clear rules, communicate courteously, and always consider the full cost picture before accepting or making an offer. With a few simple practices in place, Best Offer becomes a reliable part of a seller's toolkit and a helpful way for buyers to get fair prices without conflict.