eBay Best Offer: How to Get Your Offer Accepted Every Time

October 7, 2026 · QuickDeals

eBay’s Best Offer feature lets you name your own price on millions of listings. Most buyers either lowball and get rejected or offer too close to asking price and leave money on the table. Here’s how to consistently get offers accepted at the lowest price the seller will take.

How Best Offer Actually Works

When a seller enables Best Offer on their listing, buyers can submit a price below the Buy It Now amount. The seller has 48 hours to accept, decline, or counter. Here’s what most buyers don’t know:

• Auto-accept threshold: Sellers can set a minimum price they’ll automatically accept. If your offer hits this number, it’s accepted instantly
• Auto-decline threshold: Sellers can also set a floor below which offers are automatically rejected. You’ll get an instant decline with no counter
• You get 3 offers per listing: If your first offer is declined, you can try twice more. Use them wisely
• Offers are binding: If the seller accepts, you’re committed to buy. Don’t offer on 5 listings for the same item unless you want 5 of them

What Percentage to Offer

The right starting offer depends on the item category, listing age, and seller type:

Electronics (Phones, Laptops, Consoles)

• Start at 75–80% of asking price
• Electronics sellers know their market value. Going below 70% usually triggers auto-decline
• Exception: listings over 30 days old — drop to 70–75%

Accessories (Cases, Chargers, Cables)

• Start at 60–70% — margins are higher on accessories, so sellers have more room
• Bundle offers (“I’ll buy the case and charger together for $X”) get accepted more often

Collectibles and Niche Items

• Start at 70–80% — unique items have less price transparency, but sellers often have an emotional attachment to their price
• If the item has been listed for 60+ days, you can go lower (60–70%)

Reading Seller Motivation

The seller’s situation determines how much room you have to negotiate:

Signs the Seller Is Motivated (Offer Lower)

• Listing has been active 30+ days — check the “listed” date in the item details
• Seller has relisted multiple times — check their sold items to see if similar items haven’t sold
• Price has been reduced — eBay shows “Price reduced” on listings where the seller dropped the BIN price
• Seller is clearing inventory — look at their other listings. If they’re selling lots of similar items, they want volume
• Item is seasonal — selling a snow blower in April? They’re motivated

Signs the Seller Won’t Budge (Offer Higher)

• Just listed (under 7 days) — sellers are optimistic early. Don’t waste your offers
• Price is already competitive — if the listing is priced below other identical items, there’s less room
• Professional seller with high volume — they have pricing algorithms and tight margins
• Limited supply item — if it’s the only one available, the seller knows they have leverage

Counter-Offer Strategy

When a seller counters, it’s a signal they want to sell — they just want more money. Here’s how to handle it:

1. Don’t accept the first counter immediately. You have 48 hours. Let it sit for 6–12 hours. Urgency favors the seller
2. Counter their counter. Split the difference between your offer and their counter. If you offered $200 and they countered $240, come back at $215–220
3. Include a message. “This is my max budget for this item” or “I can pay right now at this price” — gives the seller a reason to accept
4. Know when to accept. If the counter is within 5% of your target price, just take it. Losing the item over $8 to save another $3 isn’t worth it

Messaging With Your Offer

eBay lets you include a short message with your offer. Most buyers leave it blank. Don’t. A brief, respectful message increases acceptance rates:

• Good: “Interested in this for my daughter’s birthday. This is my budget — hope we can work something out.”
• Good: “Ready to pay immediately. Offering based on recent sold prices for this model.”
• Bad: “I can get this cheaper on Amazon.” (Then go buy it on Amazon.)
• Bad: “$100 take it or leave it.” (They’ll leave it.)

Timing Your Offers

• Sunday night / Monday morning: sellers check eBay most on Mondays and are more likely to respond quickly
• End of month: sellers with storage fees or sales targets are more motivated
• After a price drop: if a seller just reduced their price, they’re signaling willingness to negotiate further
• Holiday weekends: eBay activity drops, which makes sellers more willing to accept what’s in front of them

When NOT to Use Best Offer

Best Offer isn’t always the smartest move:

• Item is already a great price — if it’s 20%+ below recent sold prices, just buy it before someone else does
• Multiple watchers — if 10+ people are watching, your lowball offer might get declined while someone else buys at full price
• Auction-style listings — Best Offer isn’t available on auctions (use sniping strategy instead)
• High-demand items — new releases, limited editions, and trending items sell at or above asking price. Best Offer is a waste of time