kellyb1
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posted on May 2, 2001 08:13:54 PM
Hi everyone,
I have an item that is currently running on Ebay. The current bid is over $60.00. A bidder just sent a question asking me what the BIN price was! I would love to send an email back that says, "Since it is no longer an option, the BIN price is irrelevent." or "$100,000.00 was the BIN price." At the moment I don't remember what it was, but it was probably under the current bid.
How should I respond to the question? If I resond then the bidder has my email address.
Oh, and the addy is AOL.
Any suggestions?
Kelly 
ps sorry about my spelling
[ edited by kellyb1 on May 2, 2001 08:14 PM ]
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redskinfan
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posted on May 2, 2001 08:17:20 PM
don't answer
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ashlandtrader
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posted on May 2, 2001 08:18:23 PM
Maybe I am just in a cranky mood this evening, but you are not obligated to tell them what your BIN price was. Maybe it isn't the most honest thing to do but how about waiting until the end of the auction to answer that one email and then just say something like "I apologize for not being able to respond sooner, but this auction ended." Or something like that?
Not a complete lie since you are on AW and not available to answer questions. Just one idea. :0) You dind't mention when it ends-- I was assuming it ends soon?
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kellyb1
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posted on May 2, 2001 09:05:45 PM
Maybe I would feel differently if this person was one of the bidders for this auction, but they are not.
Maybe I could say, "Because the BIN is no longer an option, why do you ask?"
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rapid1688
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posted on May 2, 2001 09:13:06 PM
I use BIN price as the maximum bid for snipe, most of the time it works, I don't know if this is the case.
[ edited by rapid1688 on May 2, 2001 09:13 PM ]
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kittykittykitty
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posted on May 2, 2001 10:44:32 PM
i'd probably just tell them, and remind them that the bin price is gone now that there are bids on it. and, i think i'd ask why they wanted to know, because it does seem like an odd question!
maybe rapid's right. who knows. just in case they are planning on bidding/sniping, may as well answer 'em.
kittyx3
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laptopper
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posted on May 2, 2001 10:53:38 PM
Geeeez. The paranoia is flowing tonight!!
I have contacted sellers to ask what the BIN price was (during a still-running auction).
Why?
I was simply curious to know what the price was that someone gambled against by bidding.
That's all. Sometimes bidders AREN'T up to anything.
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kellyb1
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:02:31 PM
Maybe I'm cranky tonight, but if a bidder asks a question, it would be nice if it was relevant to the auction running.
I would never use a BIN as a reference for sniping since I have seen the BIN price run very high and very low for the same item. This is just my opinion, as there is nothing wrong for using the BIN as a reference.
It turns out that the bidder won an auction from me it the past. I decided to answer, then realized that I didn't remember! I checked the listing confirm from ebay, and it didn't list it either. I told them this and gave them my best guess.
Kelly
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abacaxi
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posted on May 3, 2001 05:25:35 AM
Tell them the truth ... you forgot what it was, and it is gone and there is no way to retrieve it.
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punkinhed
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posted on May 3, 2001 06:12:14 AM
What is the big deal about recieving a email?
Go ahead and give a flippant reply to an innocent question and see if you ever get this bidder on your items again.
Who cares why the bidder wants to know, is it that much of a secret that they deserve any or all of the snotty answers above?
Your an online dealer and you recieved a question, OMG if I respond he'll have my email address!! LOL, thats like having a store and being afraid customers might find out where it is.
Give him hell, that way you can come back a start another thread titled "look at this nasty email" and we can all agree with what an attitude the buyer has.
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mrlatenite
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posted on May 3, 2001 06:34:35 AM
[message removed at the mods request]
[ edited by mrlatenite on May 3, 2001 01:51 PM ]
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bobarrett
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posted on May 3, 2001 07:04:02 AM
I too am interested in knowing what a BIN price might have been had I viewed an auction earlier.A vintage tin came on a few weeks ago from a seller that has been civil,no,cordial to me in the past when I've asked a question.
He had a 200 BIN price on his item,which was verrrry cheap.I bid enough to take the BIN away and then let the auction run its course.
It ended up making the seller 170.00 above his BIN price.
And there are people who doubt that kindness
pays.
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kellyb1
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posted on May 3, 2001 12:50:38 PM
Punkinhed, and Mrlatenite,
Did you miss the part where I said I answered the question???
Mrlatenite, I think you are missing the point of why I posted the question. It was to get feedback from people before I dealt with the question, so that I could handle it in a professional way.
It's too bad that you feel that this is a small non-important thing. I think how I deal with and respond to bidders is always an important issue.
Kelly
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computerboy
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posted on May 3, 2001 12:57:30 PM
Some questions are better unanswered.
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jbooks
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posted on May 3, 2001 01:35:28 PM
It could be that this potential bidder doesn't realize that the bidding is aleady above the BIN. You know AOL users do not have the reputation of being the most computer savvy people around.
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mrlatenite
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posted on May 3, 2001 01:41:46 PM
[message removed at the mods request]
[ edited by mrlatenite on May 3, 2001 01:51 PM ]
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kellyb1
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posted on May 3, 2001 01:49:29 PM
My apologies, Mrlatenite. It was I who missed your point.
Kelly
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Microbes
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posted on May 3, 2001 03:52:27 PM
laptopper:
>I was simply curious to know what the price was that someone gambled against by bidding.
I just love getting emails from people who are "simply curious". (do you call people you don't know and ask questions for the same reason?)
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kellyb1
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posted on May 3, 2001 04:02:02 PM
I like your point Microbes.
These "curious" people can be found in other places. These people who have no intention of buying but are just "curious" are everywhere. In real estate they call them "Looky Loos," and in retail stores every sales person has run into them, in jewelery stores, car sales, department stores, you name it. Some people would say it's just part of doing business. I'm talking about people who are "looking" and may buy later; I'm talking about the curious folk who have no intention of buying at all.
A good sales person knows how to get rid of them without being rude or offending them.
Why shouldn't it be the same with online auctions?
Kelly
[ edited by kellyb1 on May 3, 2001 04:02 PM ]
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Twelvepole
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posted on May 3, 2001 04:09:13 PM
I just love getting emails from people who are "simply curious". (do you call people you don't know and ask questions for the same reason?)
No, but then they aren't selling on ebay. 
Ain't Life Grand... 
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Microbes
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posted on May 3, 2001 05:08:25 PM
>No, but then they aren't selling on ebay
So if someone sells on ebay everyone that is "simply curious" about something ought to email them and ask questions with no intent of buying anything? How many registered users does eBay Have? 18.9 million. Great...
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