Get the camera gear you want for a better price on Amazon
I must admit that I have bid on camera equipment on eBay in the past. I went so far as getting some bidding software. I’ll probably post an article on that at some point in the future.
This Tuesday Amazon announced they will now offer Bidding on equipment that cost over $100. Looks like Amazon is taking on eBay.
SAN FRANCISCO — Shoppers in some corners of Amazon can now haggle with sellers, turning parts of the world’s biggest store into the world’s largest bazaar.
The online marketing giant officially announced its new “Make An Offer” functionality Tuesday.
This allows them to easily negotiate with their customers, said Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon’s Marketplace.
“These types of stores are already doing this in the physical world,” he said.
The functionality is different from the auction model of eBay because instead of starting at a base price and going up, it starts at a base price and goes down.
Currently more than 150,000 items are available with the Make An Offer option
This allows them to easily negotiate with their customers, said Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon’s Marketplace.
Only things priced over $100 are eligible. “We don’t want people haggling over a $5 item,” Faricy said.
It’s by no means a slam dunk for the buyer. Only about a quarter of customer offers are accepted, Amazon has found in its early tests.
Still, “we’ve already seen it create sales for us,” said Brent Holcum, manager of Mill Creek Sports, a sports memorabilia store in Mill Creek, Wash. His store was a test site for the new functionality.
His Amazon storefront recently had a 1979 NY Yankee Team Autographed Baseball that was listed for $1,695. The customer offered $1,200. Holcum countered and the baseball finally sold for $1,450.
Source: USA Today
Image source: RichardBH
