I have been selling online for a long time well over 12 years now on eBay, and every time I list something on the site, I get that buzz, will it sell or will it just sit there. And if we are all honest no matter how long we have been selling on eBay we get that buzz. But over time I have changed from using the auction format to using Buy it Now with Best Offer. There are many reasons why I have done this, but the main reason why I use the system is because I seem to get higher finishing prices.

We all know when we sell at an auction we need to list the item at a low starting price, but we also know we could end up selling that item for a low price too. As they say we win some and we loose some. But here enters the Best Offer format.

Let’s say we are selling a plush bear and our research shows they sell for 75.00. Now we also know if we list it on auction with a high starting price no one will buy. So we put it on at 75.00 with a best offer on as well. Two things can happen. The first is someone will come and buy it at 75.00, we are happy and our customer is happy.

But the other thing that can happen is our customer wants to have a haggle with us and sends in a Best Offer of say 50.00, now depending on what we paid we may except the offer or we can respond by sending a counter offer of say 60.00. The customer will either buy at that point or send one back for 55.00. If this was me I would except the offer (Unless it was still below my profit margin). The customer had shown me what they were willing to pay for the item.

Best offers can mean extra profits for your business as you can list items at proper prices, but you can allow your customers to haggle on on the sale if they so wish. So next time you list something online why not try and use the Best Offer and see what happens.

Andrew Milburn is an eBay consultant based in Lichfield Staffordshire