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Posted by pashmina on 11-Jun-2011 13:49 Report
QUICKSALES TECH/ADMIN PLEASE RE-THINK THE MAKE AN OFFER SYSTEM....YOU TOO ARE MISSING OUT
Hello fellow Quicksale Sellers and Buyers

Firstly, I love being a member of QS

I make about 20-25% of my sales through Make An Offer

Over the past month, I have lost approx 4-5 sales through MAO for a variety of reasons.  The main one is this ongoing issue about the EXPIRY TIMES. 

Not only am I missing out on Sales...but QS are also missing out on the fees accrued from these lost sales.

I also believe many newer members/buyers are use to the system over 'yonder' and do not realise that we cannot contact them.

I realise that this topic has been discussed quite a bit, however I really would like to hear your opinions.

I have emailed QS in the past, about re thinking the MAO system, or at least tweaking it.  But so far nothing has changed. I am hopeful if get a collective response, they might take a bit more notice.

I will be contacting Admin on Monday with a link to this thread... and I am hopeful that they will at least have a read of it and take on board our suggestions.

I would like to hear from both Buyers and Sellers, newly joined and 'old timers'

I am happy for ALL opinions, to be discussed...those for and against tweaking the current MAO system. 

All I ask is you stay on topic, no squabbles... and please note I will be monitoring this thread and deleting inappropriate posts,  as I want to present it to Admin

Thank You



 
Replied by richbartim on 11-Jun-2011 13:52 (Ref 2298683) Report
I don't offer MAO.
I have my prices at clearance prices I have no room to drop lower.
Replied by chelsearenae on 11-Jun-2011 13:53 (Ref 2298684) Report
I think it would be good to be able to comment on why you are declining an offer
Replied by pashmina on 11-Jun-2011 13:53 (Ref 2298685) Report
Hi Rich, how are you...how cold is it...brrrr ...lol

No worries, I realise MAO is not for everybody
Replied by pashmina on 11-Jun-2011 13:55 (Ref 2298686) Report
Hello Chelsea...you are able to make a Counter Offer...but yes it would be good to have a communications box, so we can write a short msg
Replied by kiwiroo1212 on 11-Jun-2011 13:58 (Ref 2298687) Report

Hi Pash :-)

I would like to see the maximum wait time with make an offer drop from 70+hours to a max waiting period for the buyer of 24 hours. As it stands at the moment the items with 70+ hours is too long for a buyer to wait, especially when some sellers dont even make any contact.


Also see an automatic roll over of offers  i.e.  if an item is due to end in say 20 mins but would be relisted, that offer also rolls over to a Max of a 24 hour period.


Kiwi
-x-
Replied by marian-48 on 11-Jun-2011 14:16 (Ref 2298692) Report
Make An Offer was not working earlier on, so I contacted QS and its working now.
I dont mind the option if buyers are fair in their offer, but some are just ridiculous!
I just accepted 2  and happy to do so. Marian
Replied by issabella10 on 11-Jun-2011 14:21 (Ref 2298697) Report
Would like to see the same changes made here as there are elsewhere whereby the seller can put a limit in so that the offer is declined or accepted immediately.

This topic has been discussed since MAO's invention so my guess is that qs is happy with loosing out on sales and not interested in listening to members.
Replied by lois on 11-Jun-2011 14:22 (Ref 2298698) Report
If somebody would make me an offer, they wouldn't have to wait 24hrs let alone 70 for me to respond!!!!


hehehehehe

Huggles
Lois

add on :  I would't have a clue how ebays system works, I've never seen it on anything I've looked at!!!!!
Replied by sheila-bloke47 on 11-Jun-2011 14:22 (Ref 2298700) Report

I use and like MAO so here are my suggestions for tweaking it.

1.  Give the buyer making the offer the choice of remaining invisable or being visible.
     EG.  Tick box to let seller know your id.

2.  Give the seller the same message box that the buyer has.

3. Leave the current time as it is.  Not everyone is on the computer every hour of every day. 

4.  Too much to ask but.  If an item receives an offer within the last 12 hours of the auction ending.
     Then that offer re-issues if the item in question is relisted, what ever way, within 24 hours.
     That way buyers are not left thinking the seller is ignoring them and the seller has a second
     chance of accepting or declining the offer.
Replied by richbartim on 11-Jun-2011 14:30 (Ref 2298705) Report
hi Pash, yeah I'm good thx. yes it is cold we are so lucky we don't live any closer to the south. we are in a better position the other temp wise so we can't complain.
Replied by cezm on 11-Jun-2011 14:50 (Ref 2298711) Report
As a buyer I am happy to have my offers remain anonymous until the seller accepts them (unless I choose to disclose my ID)  ... I think too often in the forum sellers complain about not being able to see the potential buyers ID and assume buyers haven't made a deliberate choice not to be identified ... many buyers may deliberately leave their IDs out because they don't want to be hounded with follow up emails from sellers ....

Secondly, as  a buyer I wouldn't want my offer to roll over. I am capable of reading the message from quicksales that tells me how long my offer has left and when the auction will finish. If I am really keen on the item I can resubmit the offer when the item relists ...

If they have to make buyers visible, please make it opt in NOT opt out - the watch system they have at the moment where I have to untick a box everytime annoys me!


As a seller perhaps it would be good to to have a system as they do on Ebay where sellers have the  choice to set up auto acceptances although I wouldn't use it as I have many listings to go through.

It would be good to have a comment box where the seller could leave a note for the person making the offer but I'm not sure if it really necessary as the seller has the option to leave a counter offer.

The most important thing for me would be to raise the minimum a buyer could offer from 40% to, say, 50% but others will have different ideas of what a reasonable discount is ...

JMHO
Replied by chloecat on 11-Jun-2011 15:47 (Ref 2298718) Report
 I agree with SB and cezm - user id should be optional - some buyers would rather not show who they are and I would say there would be sellers that would knock back offers from members they didn't like or accept offers from those that they did like.  Offers made with 12 hours of the auction ending rolling over is a good idea too.

But in the end if a buyer really wants an item and they submit an offer in the last few hours/minutes they would either make the offer again when the item was relisted or put their user id in the box - well I would anyway
Replied by nara120 on 11-Jun-2011 16:39 (Ref 2298744) Report
As a seller, I've just turned MAO back on.  In general, the system seems to work ok. We can amend a listing to either add or remove them from MAO and we can counter offer.  It would be nice to be able to write a small message to buyers if needed.
Perhaps if offers couldn't be made in the last 12 hrs?

As a buyer, I'm happy that we have the choice to remain anonymous.  My last MAO with days to go wasn't responded to at all. In my watch list the item was suddenly ended early!  The item had aparently been sold as had my last bid on an item. My bid was rejected saying item sold!  Arghhhhhhhhhhhh  My point, sellers, please do a stocktake on your items.
Replied by bratsnthings on 11-Jun-2011 20:27 (Ref 2298811) Report
Hi everyone, waves to you all. Hope you are all having a great long weekend?? Hi Nara hows things going? Hope your mum is doing alright too?

I think it would be good to be able to comment on why you are declining an offer  and I think it would be good to have the buyer's id instead of buyer's no...which will help with communication between buyer and seller. cheers marie
Replied by nara120 on 11-Jun-2011 22:49 (Ref 2298833) Report
Hi Marie.  Kids & I are heading up to see Mum in a couple of weeks. Think she'll enjoy that as it must be pretty lonely ATM.
Replied by bratsnthings on 11-Jun-2011 22:52 (Ref 2298834) Report
Nara, your poor mum. Hope she moves closer to you soon. xxx
Replied by boo512 on 12-Jun-2011 08:27 (Ref 2298848) Report
IMO the system works fine as it is. Buyers have the benefit of anonymity if they want it and that ensures equity. If you are prepared to accept an amount offered from any member, you should be prepared to accept that amount from all members; it shouldn't matter who is making the offer. After all if they were purchasing a BN item you wouldn't know who they
were until they had bought.

From a buyers point of view, there are plenty of warnings given about life span of offers and resubmitting if the item ends before a response is received. It's a bit insulting to suggest they need to be spoon fed. If they want to be contacted they can leave their ID.
Replied by pisces-oztion on 12-Jun-2011 08:50 (Ref 2298850) Report

A buyer is told how long it will be before the item ends so if they don't make the offer again after re-listing then it's probably because the offer was on the spur of the moment wanted thing and they decided later they didn't really need it. 

If they really truely want it badly enough they will make the offer again.

And if they can't differentiate between Quicksales and Ebay, they may not be able to work out other things as well, like going to the PO to pick up their parcel.
Replied by likewhatyousee on 12-Jun-2011 17:31 (Ref 2298957) Report
In a perfect world I'd like to be able to choose what items I want to have MAO on.
Having to have either all or nothing is a bit of a pain.
My prices are as low as I'll go but there may be a time when I'm broke and I'll consider a discount just to get some $$ flowing through the coffers.
I like the idea of 24 hours rather than 72. ( Coming from an impatient Buyer's point of view )
Also the idea of making the offer carry forward with the relisting of item for the 24 hours.
Replied by tiny-stitches on 12-Jun-2011 17:35 (Ref 2298961) Report
I agree with sheila-bloke.
Replied by pashmina on 12-Jun-2011 17:49 (Ref 2298969) Report
Thank you VERY much for all the replies and ideas

There's some good one's I hadn't thought of




Replied by cezm on 12-Jun-2011 17:54 (Ref 2298974) Report
I'm not keen on the idea that  MAO rolls over if the listing ends and is valid for 24 hours (or any other timeframe).

That assumes that a buyer will read and understand an explanation that says the MAO is valid for 24 hours but only if the item is relisted ... although it may not be relisted straight away ... How will that work if, apparently, the assumption is that buyers don't understand the current very clear messages that tell them the MAO is valid for x number of minutes/ hours?

It also leaves a buyer sitting waiting with baited breath to see if an item is relisted in the 24 hour period before they can go off and purchase something else ... not a good feature for buyers, I wouldn't think.
Replied by dutchmiranda on 12-Jun-2011 18:25 (Ref 2298978) Report
I offer it but not many use it. Maybe they like my prices lol.
Replied by straybooksoz on 12-Jun-2011 22:03 (Ref 2299032) Report
The OP is complaining that the main problem is expiry times. Which presumably means offerers are offering within minutes of the item ending.

A fair dinkum offerer would give the seller time to reply. Assuming the item had an auction price they could always place a bid.

In my experience, most offers that are made within a few minutes of the item ending are not offers I would accept.

I suggest that QS Admin lift the base WAY above 40% of the BN. I wouldn't accept any offers at that level, and doubt many sellers would.
Replied by pashmina on 12-Jun-2011 22:03 (Ref 2299031) Report
Miranda it all depends on each item.  Sometimes the buyer asks for $1-$3 off...sometimes a bit more. 

If it's a line I am trying to clear...then I'm happy to sell it a bit less.  To be honest, I will take a lot less on most of my items. 

A sale is a sale....

Today I was offered $25 LESS for an item.  I was happy to sell it at the reduced price as it was a one off and both myself and the buyer are very happy




Replied by kserar on 14-Jun-2011 20:33 (Ref 2299391) Report
hi..

thanks for posting this .. i have just recd an offer on an item & wanted to post something here about the dilema i find myself in .. only because i consider rejecting someones kind offer difficult & rude to do WITHOUT an explanation..

thing is the offer will cover oz fee .. but .. if the person pays with paypal it wont be enough .
i have always considered qs options of member contact to be extremely friendly & safe .. from the beginning we were able to see IDs of people watching our items & contact them with any relevant info ..

this alone has put qs on a higher level of continuing to make this a friendly environment to me.

so the fact that we cant contact members making offers is right offbase for qs.

we should be able to respond to someone with an explanation of why an offer is rejected. to me this is polite & makes for a happier relationship with the member.

i dont care that it is just the offer that is being rejected .. humans do take things personally.

sellers could be seen as greedy etc if we arent permitted to say why we have decided against it.

so my dilema , yes i realise no big deal to some but as i say .. to me i feel impolite .. remains ..

thanks K :)
Replied by pisces-oztion on 14-Jun-2011 20:38 (Ref 2299392) Report

"thing is the offer will cover oz fee .. but .. if the person pays with paypal it wont be enough ."

Personally, unless the item is listed for sale at about 50cents, I feel that an offer that low (to only cover the Quicksales' fee) would be bad manners so I wouldn't think twice about declining the offer.
Replied by pashmina on 14-Jun-2011 23:37 (Ref 2299414) Report
Just an update to let you all know, that an email was sent to Admin this morning...


I am confident they will at least read this topic and hopefully get back to me

I will let you know the outcome
Replied by pisces-oztion on 15-Jun-2011 08:58 (Ref 2299442) Report

Did you also ask them to up the ante?

I reckon 40% of the asking price is way too low and if I was a seller wouldn't accept it.

But then, if sellers are accepting 40% of the price maybe the item was only worth that much to begin with so it would be hard for Admin to make a judgement on how low can the offer go.
Replied by pashmina on 15-Jun-2011 11:26 (Ref 2299461) Report
Hi Pisces no I made sure to keep the email in line with post. I wanted to let them read for themselves the varieties of problems. I just told them that myself and others had lost a few sales with the current MAO system and could they please review it.
Replied by cezm on 15-Jun-2011 14:50 (Ref 2299506) Report
It will be interesting to see what admin do.

If they take the anonymity away for buyers, I wonder if sellers will be coming to the forums saying they aren't getting any offers ....
Replied by pashmina on 16-Jun-2011 18:50 (Ref 2299716) Report
This is just an update to let you know I recieved a personal email back from Admin. 

They wanted to let me know they were going to be reading the thread today and would get back to me soon.
Replied by Jaylie on 16-Jun-2011 20:07 (Ref 2299727) Report
It just happened to me and I've lost a sale 

I missed it by about 2 minutes - spewing!
Replied by manuteapearls on 26-Jun-2011 01:42 (Ref 2301114) Report
I don't have it because of the All or None policy.

I would very much like to be able to apply it to just a few of my items.

Manu  :-)
Replied by feelin-couture on 06-Aug-2011 19:39 (Ref 2307082) Report
Think i finally get what everyone is whinging about with the make an offer system.  Missed out on 50 buck sale coz of it tonight but then again who really sends an offer on something thats been up for ages when theres only 1 hour to go.  I guess our only hope is that they re-send the offer.
Replied by pashmina on 06-Aug-2011 19:53 (Ref 2307083) Report
$50...ouch...that's horrible

Thanks for reminding me, I must get back onto Admin about this.  They emailed me and said they had been snowed under and would look at the thread and get back to me. 

I usually have great communication with them...so I will drop them a line, to remind them to please get back to all of us, with their thoughts on this thread
Replied by feelin-couture on 07-Aug-2011 11:34 (Ref 2307141) Report
Sounds good!  It hurts them more than us as they could have pocketed heaps of fees from these missed sales.
Replied by kiwiroo1212 on 07-Aug-2011 14:22 (Ref 2307168) Report

Hi feelin in answer to your question someone who was just browsing may do just that. If im browsing see an item i like i will make an offer often on impulse lol- I also dont like making offers as mentioned up there^^ if you have to wait 72 hours far too long imo.

I hope (from a buyers view here) that the buyer can continue to choose if they want to remain annonomous- I choose to purely because i want it to be based on the actual sale.

Im fine if an offer is declined,if it is which is rare but if it is a seller can counter offer which leaves both parties happy :-)


Kiwi
-x-
Replied by pashmina on 08-Aug-2011 16:48 (Ref 2307321) Report
I have now received a reply from Admin... the thread and it's contents have been passed onto Management for their perusal.

Here's hoping they have a look at our suggestions and tweak the MAO system, to benefit both themselves and us


If anybody from QS is reading this...can you please let us know your decision...thank you




Replied by cardspark on 25-Aug-2011 21:50 (Ref 2309882) Report
Hi..
as I have just had an offer for multiple items placed 32 minutes before close of auction, and not been aware of offer so therefore I miss out on sales,
and as to members saying reduce your price, that is not a option..I can only offer reduced price on multple purchase not singular items or go to the "bay" where I have no problems selling (but that would be my last resort)

WANTED>>>A realistic offer program that does not allow offers to be placed when item is in last let's say 20 hours of auction..
I don't care about seeing buyer's ID..
Replied by bitemycrankshaft on 26-Aug-2011 07:42 (Ref 2309897) Report
Any offer received that close to the listing ending is almost certainly NOT genuine... and more than likely just somebody playing games.

Any genuine buyer would;
  1. be literate enough to realise that the items only had half an hour to go (they are given notification in red font)
  2. watch the items to see if their offer is accepted or declined (can be done through My quicksales "Watching", or "My Offers" section)
  3. re-submit their offer if the item ended prior to the seller responding (unless they didn't want the item to begin with)

Personally, I'm glad the system operates in the fashion it currently does... as I see the number of ridiculous offers nearing listing completion increase... the number of time wasters and non-payers has decreased proportionately. Rather than going through the steps to obtain a Sale Fee refund... I much prefer to look at a laughable last minute offer and simply delete it... but whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

IMHO, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the MAO system as it stands... so, since it's not broken, don't bother trying to fix it.


 
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so
 long at the closed door, we do not see the one which has opened for us.
Replied by pkmelb on 26-Aug-2011 18:33 (Ref 2310010) Report
In my opinion the minimum acceptable offer of 40% is set too low, minimum should be set at no less than 60% or 75% of the listed price.
Replied by bitemycrankshaft on 26-Aug-2011 20:13 (Ref 2310022) Report
I still don't think any of it needs changing... but, if anything... the minimum offer percentage should be lowered to say 5%, rather than raised to 60%.

As an example... it is ridiculous (and quite frustrating) to see certain products on the shelves in big chain B&M stores for $5.00ea... and sellers having the identical items listed here for $100.00ea... this means the minimum offer amount on such an item would be $40.00 (waaay over the top)... when in actual fact it would be much more realistic if a buyer were able to offer $5.00 for an item worth $5.00 


 
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so
 long at the closed door, we do not see the one which has opened for us.
Replied by pashmina on 27-Aug-2011 17:28 (Ref 2310138) Report
Hello TechA...I am not able to email you, as you have a grey name...


I had to remove your post, as it was not on topic.  Please keep in mind, this Thread is now in Managements hands...and they are monitoring all replies, for feedback etc....
Replied by techA on 27-Aug-2011 18:05 (Ref 2310143) Report
That's ok Pashmina. I sort of thought it was a little of the left field( ran out of time to elaborate further), but was also making a point that just because one person thinks MAO is ok the way it is, doesn't mean that it is.

Example BMC pointed out how some NEW items are cheaper in BM stores and that the mark up here is too high,therefor is happy with the %, yet there are members here who buy their goods at op shops( which is fine), but then mark those items up by 200%, which is fine too, as long as you're not pointing the finger at others. Just because a BM store is selling it at dirt cheap price, doesn't mean that's how much a seller has sourced their items for.
I do think the % needs to be upped, sometimes the offers made on certain items is beyond a joke, the system also needs to allow sellers to choose what items they want to put MAO on, the way it is now invites offers that are far to low to be made .
Replied by pashmina on 27-Aug-2011 18:17 (Ref 2310144) Report
Hello TechA....and thank you for your excellent reply...it makes a lot more sense now

Sometimes we sellers get some great deals...and are able to pass it on to our buyers...and other times not so much of a deal.

I've been caught out a few times...on both ends of the stick

I try my best to keep my items as low as possible...but of course, we need to also make a profit as well, or what is the point of listing anything.
Replied by techA on 27-Aug-2011 19:34 (Ref 2310151) Report
Exactly Pash and it all takes time and effort and that is also worth $$$.
You're welcome, i was just pushed for time before and did mean to come back to it.
Off now to have a small dinner.
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