I would guess that just about everyone who sells on Ebay will have been approached by a potential purchaser asking whether the seller has a reserve or what would the seller accept to end the listing early - or would the seller accept a Buy It Now for an amount of money.  Ebay are quite clear that this is an infringement of their rules since it does circumnavigate their seller fees, although Ebay goes on to say that the seller is also unprotected from the safety net they provide through dispute resolution should there be a problem with a transaction.  This, in the main is very thorough and given the extra compensation Paypal offers, Ebay is a very safe place to sell, if we all stick to the rules and guidelines, put there for our enjoyment and protection.

However it's not Ebay that I wish to discuss here but the way in which these offers arrive, why they arrive and the motivation behind them.  I would think you will agree that there are no knights on white horses out there, or those who really want to make you an offer that no one else could better.

Unfortunately, with the range of people and the variety of items available for sale on Ebay, unless the seller is an expert in a particular field, they will usually list the item they intend to sell with a low figure in the hope that the market will find the correct value for the item offered, which of course it usually does.  However, with so many people using sniping bids, some items offered for sale do not reach a fair price until the end of the auction is only minutes away.  Indeed many auctions can have no bids until the last few seconds, where the price will go sky high until the real value of the item is reached, or the figure someone wishes to own the item for, which really has nothing to do with value.  The latter situation can never be taken into account or even guessed at.  However one thing is clear, you will never find out how much your item is truly worth if you accept offers to buy it now or to close your auction early for an agreed sum.

The beauty of Ebay is in the knowledge that everyone has the same chance to win an item.  Using a snipe tool is also a choice buyers make, however they pay for this and if potential buyers enter the maximum amount they wish to pay for an item, then I feel sniping has no real value.  There is also no value in disclosing a reserve to potential buyers for if you are willing to do this, why not just set the auction price at the figure you have just disclosed and be done with it!

Listing a Buy it Now item is exactly what it is, the seller has an idea of the value of the item and the price they are prepared to sell it for and the buyers have the opportunity of purchasing without waiting for a conventional auction to end to find out whether they have won it or not.  So the ethos behind this is really quite simple - you pays your money and you takes your chances. 

Now on to the potential buyer who asks the auction seller for the price they would sell their item for?  This is really irritating for if I knew what I wanted for an item, I would have listed it with a buy it now!  Quite simply a rogue hoping to make a killing through the sellers lack of knowledge of the item they are offering for sale.

This form of approach is definitely breaking Ebay rules and is also highly dangerous since the seller may be giving away something of value at a fraction of its true value.  If you are concerned about your expected valuation, you could list it with a Buy it Now and include a best offer feature, allowing potential buyers the chance to make their offer giving you the flexibility and choice whether to accept or not.

Since any approach by a potential buyer to a seller asking them to consider an offer outside of Ebay is so frowned upon by Ebay, and potentially dangerous for sellers, there would appear to be a move afoot to circumvent these laws by unscrupulous buyers asking sellers if they would be prepared to add a Buy it Now to their auction for an agreed amount of money, thus should the seller report this approach to Ebay, the potential buyer can hide behind the fact that they were not asking the seller to break any rules at all, simply asking if they were prepared to add a Buy it Now.  This approach is usually made to sellers with a low feedback and who are new to Ebay and because of this, are not as knowledgeable as the more experienced Ebayer and therefore is unsure of how to add a Buy it Now to their auction, accepting the buyers offer and cancelling the auction.  It has also been noted that some sellers are adding text to their auction saying the item is now not for sale, clearly indicating the seller is unaware of how to cancel their auction.

It is quite possible that the auction item offered could have been sourced for very little money and the thought of a quick sale for a profit is very appealing - but please remember there are no knights in shining armour out there ready to pay silly money for junk.  If they don't want it themselves, you can guarantee they know someone who does and where they are guaranteed a profit.  The only looser here is the seller, each and every time.

Many people make a living from Ebay and even purchase on Ebay to sell them in the same format on Ebay some time later, with a more interesting description accompanied by better quality photographs.  I have even seen the same photographs from a previous listing used by a new seller - and good luck to them if the goods are purchased from a fair and open market price or through legitimate Buy it Now sales and not at the expense of those who are not as knowledgeable or vulnerable to offers that appear to be too good to turn down.

If in doubt regarding the value of your action item, why not make a search for a similar item and within the search criteria, ask for the responses to be for completed items only, where you can get a feel to the a true value of the item you have for sale - you could also expand your search to cover the whole world or any particular country or indeed any currency you fancied. 

There are many superb buys here within Ebay and sometimes we all get that bargain but on the same hand we have all purchased what we thought was a bargain that turns out to be less than desired.  That's the wonder and beauty of any form of auction and why so many of us come back time and time again. 

No matter what you are selling, make your choice of how you are going to offer your item for sale and stick to that format, for no one will ever offer you more for something than it is really worth!