Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by Stiletto Socialite
Lowballers exists across reselling platforms and the only person less desirable than a lowballer is an internet troll. However, no matter what mechanisms you put into place to discourage low ballers they still persist and perhaps will always exist because here is the reality that most resellers won’t admit that many of them including me have accepted a lowball offer at one time or another and for the lowballer they have nothing to lose by submitting their ridiculously low offer.
There are several tactful ways to handle a lowball offer but before you stab the screen with your butcher knife at the lowballer’s avatar who just tried you with a $2 offer on an $35 item find out here how to deal with them without loosing your mind. To find out the best way to handle a low baller we will take a look at the different types of lowballers on the various reselling platforms such as Depop, Ebay, Poshmark, etc.
What constitutes a lowball offer as a reseller?
For resellers, low ball offers are offers that are so below your asking price that they may be deemed offensive and often times will lead to a rejection of an offer or may discontinue negotiations. This is due to the perception that the buyer is not taking the sale seriously. A lot of what makes a low ball offer a low ball offer is the perception of the person receiving the offer. For example, If I spend $1 on an unicorn find of authentic Gucci sneakers and I list them for $150, but you offer me $75 which is 50% of the selling price, that offer is on its face a low ball offer. However, I am still making mad profit so whereas you might be offended another seller might be like I got bills to pay I am going to take this money now! And then the buyer who did get the $75 Gucci sneakers at half the listed price are more than likely more apt to try it again with another seller and the low balling cycle continues. Herein, lies the problem that keeps low balling forever in effect.
There are those reasonable offer/low baller charts that it seems like no one pays attention to and even when you try to call people out in your shop listing warning people to not low ball sometimes the reality is that you might prevent a decent offer coming through. There are many people who don’t want to make an offer for fear of low balling and being an undesirable customer. So it is a fine balance of being inviting enough so that a person feels comfortable making a decent offer without opening the door to low ball offers.
I’ve noticed no matter how many times I put warning messages such as “no lowballer, etc” it doesn’t work that is why I don’t even bother. I may put a “reasonable offers will be considered” message but that is about it. There will always be that person to hit you up with a $2 offer on your $50 item, some people are wired that way to try you. We all know that ONE obnoxious person that get’s on everybody nerves and nobody can’t stand. Those same people are the types who get off blowing up peoples shops with stupid offers plus they have the internet to hide behind, and they just don’t care!
How to Deal with Low Ball Offers on Depop
On Depop my number #1 tip for dealing with lowballers is to not negotiate via the comments. If things get testy you don’t want other customers seeing those messages as you want future customers to feel comfortable making offers. Since I don’t negotiate via the comments, when I receive an offer via the comments section I delete the comment and then reply via DM or I just reply in the comment section to check the DM. They are some people who will lowball you and then end up paying at or around asking price, so for that reason I caution you to ignore and disregard a lowballer automatically, but I am human and there have been times that an offer is too ridiculous I won’t even respond! Overall I find that on Depop that I generally get fair to good offers but I definitely get my share of lowballers as well. However, even if someone is going to low ball me on Depop they typically will soft low ball me like “Hi sweetie…I like your closet but I am on a budget but can you take $25 for these fabulous jacket [jacket is listed for $65]. What I like about Depop messaging system is that it doesn’t allow users to hide behind their offers. Therefore, you are having a one to one conversation with the customer so to me that appears to make a difference overall in the quantity of low balls I receive.
How to Deal with Low Ball Offers on Ebay
I love Ebay’s way of dealing with lowballing customers the best, they have the simplest system you can literally set the lowest amount you are going to take on an item and the system will auto reject the unfavorable offer. I love this method and I wish that Poshmark will take a cue from Ebay and get their ish together with the making an offer feature because I hate when Poshmark sends you that “Yay New Offer” email on a lowball offer. Honestly, it can feel like a slap in the face and be a little insulting.
How to Deal with Low Ball Offers on Poshmark
A low ball offer on Poshmark is when the offer is so ridiculous that it is not even worth the time to package and ship the item. This is especially the case due to Poshmark fees which are pretty steep. Poshmark to me has the worst lowballers, some of the offers are beyond absurd. Poshmark shoppers will think nothing of sending you a $13 offer on a $65 pair of jeans #TRUE STORY! The make an offer feature needs a revamp especially because the “Yay New Offer” is very insulting to a lot of sellers, that is not something we feel like high fiving at ALL. At one time, I stayed “eye rolling” when I would get those emails because it was a constant barrage of one low ball offer after another. The best way to deal with Poshmark lowballers is to stand by your pricing if you need to, but be prepared to walk away from offers that are not worth it. Counter offer whenever you can, instead of rejecting, because you just never know the person may significantly increase their offer to be closer to your bottom line price. If you believe in Poshmark’s almighty algorithm I read on a Poshmark Guru’s Instagram to be cautioned with too many rejections as Poshmark is sending customers for shopping and not to be constantly rejected. I don’t know if this true or not, but its worth noting.
What makes lowballing especially more damaging to your bottom line is that Poshmark fee is 20% and this is the reason I will take offers on Depop that I can’t take on Poshmark because of the higher fee. I’ve seen in the comments where some Poshers will instruct their customers that they will sell on Mercari for a potentially lower price PayPal, etc and consider a lower offer but this goes against the terms of service of Poshmark, if Poshmark brought you the customer then you are supposed to stay within the app for the purchase.
How to Deal with Low Ball Offers on Etsy
What I always liked about Etsy is that because it is perceived as e-commerce site vs. a site where you trying to get a price hook up, Etsy customers would not typically ask for any price considerations they just purchase outright. However, I have noticed a change recently wherein Etsy customers are starting to ask me will I accept less than the listed price on my item. Often times, when I look at the profile it appears to be the similar Poshmark/Depop user Millennial to Gen Z, who want the vintage items I sell at a lower price. So basically it appears that they are just conditioned from Poshmark and Depop to make an offer instead of buying outright. I hope this trend doesn’t continue, Etsy was my one safe haven wherein I would get a “notification” and I was sure it was a sell! Now I’ve started to get “will you take $35 for those jeans?” or “what’s you lowest?” and “can you try on?” sort of questions that reek of a Poshmark and Depop customer. Any offers received on Etsy for a lower price comes through their messaging system so my advice is similar to that of Depop or Poshmark stand firm on your pricing if you need to. If you want to negotiate then do, whatever final price you come up with can be between both you and the seller because with Etsy you can hide your sales.
Don’t lose your cool…it ain’t that serious!
All in all don’t let low ballers get you down, if need be, block anyone that keeps pestering you if its gets ridiculous or out of hand. Many apps prefer that you accept your share of offers as they don’t want you just constantly rejecting fair offers either. Whenever you make a counter offer you have to be ready to walk away from the sale, because you may not get another offer for several months and three months from now when the item is still in your closet you may regret not accepting the offer you previously received! Don’t walk over dollars to pick up pennies. So ask yourself how much time am I willing to invest in sharing this item, promoting this item, will my time be better served with selling and moving on? Lowballs offers will inevitably will occur on any platform as people are looking for the best deals. As such, it is imperative that you a plan to deal with them so they don’t drive you crazy with their shenanigans and games.
