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How to Negotiate Prices on eBay (Make Offer Strategy)

October 5, 2026 · QuickDeals

Most eBay buyers never negotiate. They see a price, they pay it. But roughly 40% of Buy It Now listings on eBay accept offers, and sellers expect to negotiate — they've already padded their price by 10-20% to leave room. Here's how to use eBay's Make Offer feature to consistently pay less.

How "Make Offer" Works

When a listing has the "Make Offer" button (also called "Best Offer"), you can submit a price lower than the asking price. The seller can:

• Accept your offer — you buy it at your price immediately
• Decline your offer — nothing happens, you can try again
• Counter-offer — they come back with a price between yours and their asking price. You can accept, decline, or counter back
• Let it expire — offers expire after 48 hours if the seller doesn't respond

You get up to 3 offers per listing. Don't waste them — your first offer is the one that matters most.

The Ideal First Offer

Your first offer should be 75-80% of the asking price. Here's why:

• Below 70% and most sellers won't engage — it feels disrespectful and they'll just decline without countering
• At 75-80%, you signal that you're a serious buyer who's done your homework
• After a counter-offer, you'll typically settle around 85-90% of the original price — which is genuinely below market

Example: A MacBook Air M1 is listed at $500. Your first offer: $385 (77%). The seller counters at $450. You counter back at $420. They accept. You just saved $80.

When Negotiating Works Best

• Listings older than 7 days: The longer an item sits, the more motivated the seller becomes. Items listed 14+ days are prime negotiation targets
• Multiple quantity listings: Sellers with 5+ of the same item are running a business and will take a smaller margin to move inventory
• Slow categories: Laptops, monitors, and audio equipment sit longer than phones and game consoles. More negotiation room
• Holiday weekends: eBay traffic drops on long weekends. Sellers get anxious and accept lower offers
• End of month: Some sellers have monthly volume targets or storage fees (if selling through eBay's managed payments). They're more flexible around the 25th-31st

When NOT to Negotiate

• Already below market: If the listing is 10%+ below recent sold prices, buy it immediately. Someone else will if you don't
• Auction format: You can't make offers on auctions. If the listing has a "Place bid" button instead of "Make Offer," the price is set by bidders
• New sellers (<50 feedback): New sellers often price aggressively because they need early sales. They're also more likely to be offended by low offers and cancel the listing entirely
• Items with watchers: If you can see "10+ watchers" on a listing, other buyers are interested. The seller has less incentive to negotiate

The Counter-Offer Strategy

When a seller counters your offer, here's how to respond:

1. Split the difference. If you offered $380 and they countered at $440, offer $410 (midpoint). This is the most common pattern and usually gets accepted
2. Add a time pressure. Include a message like "I'm ready to pay right now if we can agree on $410." Sellers love instant payment because it eliminates the risk of a non-paying buyer
3. Bundle for a discount. If the seller has other items, ask about a combined deal: "Would you do $400 if I also buy the charger from your other listing?" Sellers save on shipping and often agree

Advanced Tactics

• Watch and wait. Add the item to your watchlist. If no one buys it in 5-7 days, the seller may send you a private offer (eBay prompts them to offer discounts to watchers)
• Check the seller's other listings. If they have 50+ items and everything is priced 15% above market, they're expecting offers on everything. Negotiate aggressively
• Use sold comps in your message. Mentioning specific recent sold prices ("I see three of these sold for $350-375 in the last week") gives your offer credibility
• Avoid round numbers. Offering $387 instead of $400 makes it look like you've calculated a specific budget rather than just throwing out a number. Psychological, but sellers take it more seriously