Classified Section "Or Best Offer"

[skooter65]

There have been a few classified threads lately (inlcuding one of my own) where members have commented that "O.B.O. or ""Or Best Offer" must be removed from the ad in order to comply with the forum selling rules. It has always been my understanding that the "best offer" rule only applied to ad's that did not have a fixed price and were soliciting an auction style sale; essentially looking for the highest offer or highest "bidder". To me, "or best offer" merely indicates that you are not firm on the asking price, giving a bit of wiggle room for negotiations.

Could someone please clarify; I for one would be very interested as I have been using O.B.O for years.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!!!:thumbup:

 

[Randomchaos]

I always thought it was allowed if you list a price, that the rule is there to keep people from posting stuff without a price and just taking the best offer they get. Maybe say negotiable instead of obo?

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[motojoe122]

*There will be no "auction-style" selling here.*
If you post an item for sale and it says anything like "I will take the highest offer" it will be removed. If you want to run an auction, take it to*eBay.

I copied this from the "For Sale" section. I'm under the impression that "highest offer" is the same as "best offer".

 

[LERecords]

look.. there is nothing to stop someone from messaging you for a lower price.. great.. it will happen even if we say do not do that. but you can't advertise that you will take a best offer. It is part of the rules so that the forum does not turn into an auction house... believe me, even if you dont put best offer, you'll always have a few people that will try....

 

[Randomchaos]

I think you guys are missing the point here. The rules state no auction style selling, meaning the seller states no price and simply says "best offer gets it!". When you list a price, and then say obo, it basically means you will consider prices lower than what you listed. Obo is not the same as auctioning.

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[LERecords]

yea .. i went and look at the rules and it doesnt say anything about or best offer.. so i suppose you are correct.. its all in the wording i guess..

 

[beatle]

I suppose people would have issue if the price of the item being sold is significantly below market value and "obo" is used. That would lead you to believe the person was looking for a bidding war.

As LERecords said, people will usually try to offer less anyway, regardless of the wording.

 

[skooter65]

I just wanted to follow-up on this as there seems to be some more scuttle on the classified boards.

I had recently received a request from a moderator to remove all instances of "O.B.O." from my classified ad's; the following blurb was the final e-mail after a number of Mod's convened:

"General consensus is that OBO should not be in there like the following clause indicates:
There will be no "auction-style" selling here.
If you post an item for sale and it says anything like "I will take the highest offer" it will be removed. If you want to run an auction, take it to eBay.
"

While I do not necessarily agree with the outcome; I will abide by their rules. I am actually surprised that the formal rules in the classified section has not been updated to clarify this point.

Hopefully this provides some clarity so we can stop cluttering up people's classified threads.

Thank you!:thumbup:

 

[FinalImpact]

I think you guys are missing the point here. The rules state no auction style selling, meaning the seller states no price and simply says "best offer gets it!". When you list a price, and then say obo, it basically means you will consider prices lower than what you listed. Obo is not the same as auctioning.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

Personally I fully agree with this as it amounts to exactly the same thing. ^^

If something is listed for $100 and NO ONE offers to buy said item; then I guess it will NEVER SELL!!
However, should someone make an offer of say $75 and I say yes - IT's the SAME THING!!! $100 or OBO!!!

:shakehead: :shakehead: :shakehead:
Am I missing something - it is not an auction its an offer. Accept or reject the asking price.

 

[Pope Mobile]

Personally I fully agree with this as it amounts to exactly the same thing. ^^

If something is listed for $100 and NO ONE offers to buy said item; then I guess it will NEVER SELL!!
However, should someone make an offer of say $75 and I say yes - IT's the SAME THING!!! $100 or OBO!!!

:shakehead: :shakehead: :shakehead:
Am I missing something - it is not an auction its an offer. Accept or reject the asking price.

Yeah, OBO is basically the exact opposite of auctioning an item.

 

[LERecords]

skooter65 - i think the moderator that is telling you that needs to at least update the rules then. If there is new information to reflect, then update.

I can see the point of adding OBO. i would still think if anyone wants to haggle on price, just private message and not put it all over the post/thread.

I would think that the rule should be written in a way that says "look, you can put in OBO on the post, but YOU HAVE TO PUT A PRICE". and again, OBO should be done through private message and not back and forth on the post. If there is no price, post will get deleted.

has anyone tried to talk to this moderator or bring this to the Admin's attention??

 

[skooter65]

has anyone tried to talk to this moderator or bring this to the Admin's attention??

I did; The quote that I put in Post #8 is directly from the moderator after his discussion with other Mod's and, I can only assume, the Admin.

Again; he was clear that there was to be no "O.B.O" in any classified threads. I think the reason that the rules have not been updated is that the staff feels that this rule is already covered in the current wording; i.e. "Or Best Offer" = Auction Style Sale.

Like I said, i don't agree, but I am just going to go with the flow. Easier not to take the 5-Extra key strikes than it is to argue the point which is highly subjective!

 

[SweaterDude]

just list a price. if a member wants it, they'll let you know and usually they'll let you know if the price is fair. if it doesnt sell, bump the thread and lower the price. no big deal.

or put it on ebay as well.

generally i would sell something cheaper to a forum member because they at least care enough about their bike to take the time to sign up for a bank of information to troubleshoot for their specific ride.

 

[Motogiro]

I think OBO is a very commonly used today like "No worries", "No problem", "That being said", etc.

Bidding can have a starting price. I perceive this as what the intent of the rule by the maker of the rule intended. In this case we have a rule against auction type bidding.
All of us see ads in the paper with OBO and I've always perceived that as the seller saying, This my starting price but I'll take less.

Auction type bidding might be, Hey, Bob will give me $90 for this item but if someone really wants it I'll take more for it than Bob is offering. Bob ends up with bad feelings. I don't think that's how OBO is intended to be used and I think it's a very loosely used suffix on just about everything that's used that's sold.

I don't interpret OBO as saying, "I open the bidding at $90 do I hear more?"
I interpret it as saying, "I'd like to get $90 but I'll take a lesser offer"

 

[Nelly]

There have been a few classified threads lately (inlcuding one of my own) where members have commented that "O.B.O. or ""Or Best Offer" must be removed from the ad in order to comply with the forum selling rules. It has always been my understanding that the "best offer" rule only applied to ad's that did not have a fixed price and were soliciting an auction style sale; essentially looking for the highest offer or highest "bidder". To me, "or best offer" merely indicates that you are not firm on the asking price, giving a bit of wiggle room for negotiations.

Could someone please clarify; I for one would be very interested as I have been using O.B.O for years.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!!!:thumbup:

This issue is currently being discussed by the Admin team and clarification on the matter will be submitted in the next few days.
Thanks for highlighting the issue.

Neil
Admin Team

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I totally agree with Skooter65.

There is indeed a price listed. Its NOT a BIDDING WAR. Putting OBO means, you'll take the highest offer under that.

Craigslist does it, its really not a big deal, your just letting folks know your NOT DEAD SET on the listed price and WILL go lower..

I, as most here abide by the rules and like to contribute information, sell/ buy FZ goodies and like a good deal too, naturally.

I have been politly asked to remove OBO on a F/S item, which I did, but IMHO, its really quite un-necessary...


NOW, if someone DID NOT set a price and listed the item as BEST OFFER, I agree totally, that's a bidding war (E-bay style) in the making and should not be allowed..

 

[Water Bear]

I probably shouldn't stick my neck in here, but to be honest this has always kind of confused me, too. It sounds like the intent of the rule is to prevent lots of public posts containing best offers. That could, for obvious reasons, very naturally turn into an auction of sorts.

It seems that PM'ing offers, where there is no public competition such as in an auction, might be OK. I guess the rule is there because if you allow best offers in PM only, lots and lots of people would be confused when their publicly posted best offer get deleted by a mod.

Essentially, allowing only PM best offers might be a hard rule to enforce, so they just say don't do it at all, and then don't regulate PMs?

 

[jspansel]

Not sure why the confusion. That is not how we do it on the FZ8 or the FZ6R site. OBO is absolutely fine. I am an Admin on the 8 and a super mod on the 6R site and this has NEVER been questioned before.

You list your asking price and OBO or FIRM usually. If someone does not like your asking price they can offer you less. You take it or you decline. We do not see that as "auctioning".

Like previously stated, we do not allow UP bidding best offers. Those are auctions. Low or no starting price and then bidding UP.

 

[JONJONsocal]

bidding war (E-bay style) in the making and should not be allowed..

Funny, I've been selling on ebay for quite a while now and I have never listed an item for action.. I do only BUY IT NOW with the option to MAKE AN OFFER... Auction style listing is when you start super low and people bid up on the item now down, OBO is basically going down on the price not up like an auction..

Good luck. I got asked to take my OBOs out too..

Jon

Im not trying to be a rebel but bottom line is...

Auctions = People bidding UP.
OBO = seller willing to go DOWN.