If you have spent any time browsing second-hand marketplaces, you may have seen the letters OBO added to the end of a listing.

A seller might write: “Vintage leather jacket – £55 OBO”

But what does OBO actually mean, and should you use it in your own listings? OBO stands for “or best offer.” It tells buyers that the displayed price is not necessarily final and that the seller is willing to consider a reasonable lower offer.

For resellers, however, accepting offers is not simply about knocking a few pounds off an item. Used well, negotiation can help you move older stock, attract hesitant buyers and improve cash flow. Used badly, it can eat into your margins and fill your inbox with unrealistic offers. In this guide, we look at what OBO means, how offers work across popular UK marketplaces and how to negotiate without giving away your profit.

What Does OBO Mean in a Listing?

OBO means that the seller has set an asking price but is open to receiving other offers. For example, if an item is listed for £40 OBO, the seller may be willing to accept £35, £36 or another price close to the original listing price.

It does not mean:

• the seller will accept any amount;
• the item must be sold to the highest person who messages;
• the seller is desperate to sell;
• the listed price is irrelevant.

Think of OBO as an invitation to start a conversation rather than a promise to provide a large discount.

Do UK Resellers Actually Need to Write OBO?

Not always. Many marketplaces already have built-in offer functions, so buyers can negotiate without seeing OBO in the title. eBay allows sellers to add Best Offer to eligible fixed-price listings. Buyers can submit a price, and the seller can accept, decline or counter it. Vinted has a Make an Offer function that allows both buyers and sellers to suggest a different price. Depop also allows buyers to submit offers, while sellers can accept, decline or counter within the available response window. Facebook Marketplace supports offers on some listings, although many negotiations still happen directly through messages.

Because these tools already exist, adding OBO to every title can sometimes be unnecessary. It may also take up valuable title space that could have been used for searchable details such as the brand, style, size, colour or material. Instead of automatically writing OBO everywhere, decide whether actively advertising your flexibility will help that particular item sell.

When Should You Accept Offers?

Offers can be useful, but they should support your pricing strategy rather than replace it.

1. When an item has been sitting for too long

An item that has received views or favourites but no purchase may be priced slightly above what buyers are prepared to pay. Before reducing the public price, you could test a private offer or accept a reasonable buyer offer. This gives you a chance to make the sale without immediately showing every future buyer that the item has been discounted.

2. When you have room in your profit margin

Suppose you sourced an item for £8 and listed it for £35. After considering any marketplace costs, packaging and postage contribution, you might decide that £27 is the lowest price that still gives you an acceptable return. In that case, accepting an offer between £27 and £32 may make sense. But if you bought the item for £22, accepting the same offer could leave very little profit. The decision should come from your numbers, not from the excitement of receiving an offer.

3. When a buyer wants more than one item

Bundles are one of the best times to negotiate. A small discount may be worthwhile if it allows you to sell several items, save on packaging and clear more inventory in one transaction. Vinted allows buyers to create bundles and negotiate the bundle price, while Depop sellers can set bundle-based discounts or shipping incentives.

For example:

• one item listed at £25;
• another item listed at £20;
• combined asking price of £45;
• bundle offer of £40.

Losing £5 from the total may be a good trade-off if it secures two sales at once.

4. When you need to release money from old stock

Inventory that does not sell still costs your business money. The original sourcing cost remains tied up in the item, and the stock continues taking up physical space. Sometimes accepting a slightly lower margin is better than storing an item for another six months, especially if the money can be reinvested into stock with stronger demand.

When Should You Decline an Offer?

Not every offer deserves a counteroffer.

It may be better to decline when:

• the item has just been listed;
• it is already competitively priced;
• several buyers are showing interest;
• the offer would leave almost no profit;
• the item is rare or difficult to replace;
• the buyer wants an additional discount after agreeing on a price;
• the message appears suspicious or asks you to move payment outside the platform.

Newly listed, desirable items often need time to find the right buyer. Accepting the first low offer simply because it arrives quickly can mean missing a full-price sale later that day.

How Much Lower Should You Accept?

There is no single percentage that works for every product. A £5 reduction on a £20 item is very different from a £5 reduction on a £150 item. Instead, calculate three prices before listing:

Your ideal price

This is the amount you would be happy to receive if the item sells without negotiation.

Your realistic offer price

This is a slightly lower amount that still provides a good return and could help close the sale.

Your absolute minimum

This is the lowest amount you are prepared to accept after accounting for:

• the cost of the item;
• marketplace fees, where applicable;
• packaging;
• postage costs you cover;
• cleaning or repair costs;
• your time;
• the profit you want to make.

For example: Pricing pointAmountListing price£45Good offer£40Lowest acceptable price £35 Once you have these numbers, negotiations become much easier. You no longer need to decide emotionally every time an offer arrives.

Should You Price Higher to Leave Room for Offers?

A small pricing buffer can be sensible because buyers on resale platforms often expect some flexibility.

For example, if you want to receive at least £30, you might list an item for £34 or £35. However, avoid adding an unrealistic amount simply because you expect negotiation. If similar items regularly sell for £30, listing yours for £45 may prevent buyers from clicking on it at all. They cannot negotiate with a listing they never open.

Start by researching genuinely comparable items:

• the same brand;
• a similar style or model;
• the same size;
• a similar condition;
• the same marketplace;
• ideally, completed or sold listings rather than only active ones.

eBay recommends researching similar products when deciding what to charge, and its Product Research tools include historical sales and price information. Zipsale’s own pricing guides also recommend starting slightly above your minimum acceptable price while still staying close to the market.

How Offers Work on Different Marketplaces

Negotiation may look similar from the outside, but each marketplace handles it differently.

eBay Best Offer

On eligible Buy It Now listings, sellers can enable Best Offer and invite buyers to suggest a different price.

The seller can:

• accept the offer;
• decline it;
• send a counteroffer;
• send offers to interested buyers;
• use offer settings to reduce repetitive manual negotiation.

This can be particularly useful for larger inventories because the negotiation happens through a structured system rather than through long message threads. A good eBay approach is to use Best Offer selectively on fixed-price items where you have enough margin to negotiate. For rare, newly listed or highly searched items, you may prefer to wait for the asking price.

Vinted Offers

On Vinted, buyers can press Make an Offer from the listing or conversation. Sellers can also approach interested buyers with a lower price after they favourite an item or ask a question. Vinted itself suggests that sending an offer to an interested member may help them make a decision. This works especially well when someone has shown clear interest but has not purchased.

Rather than immediately offering your lowest price, try a modest reduction first. For example:

“Hi! Thanks for favouriting this. I could do £28 instead of £32 if you’re still interested.” It feels personal, creates a small sense of urgency and still leaves your margin protected.

Depop Offers

Depop allows buyers to make an offer from a listing. Sellers can accept, decline or counter the offer, and unanswered offers expire after the specified window.Depop has also introduced tools that allow sellers to set a lowest acceptable price for automatic offer responses on eligible listings. Offers at or above that amount can be accepted automatically, while lower ones can receive a counteroffer.

This can save time if you receive frequent offers, but your minimum price should still be reviewed whenever costs or market demand change.

Facebook Marketplace Offers

Facebook Marketplace negotiations often feel less structured. Some buyers use the Make an Offer feature, while others simply send messages such as:

“Lowest?”

“Would you take £20?”

“Can collect today for £15.”

Fast local collection can make a slightly lower offer attractive, particularly for large or awkward items. However, do not let the promise of immediate collection pressure you into accepting a price that does not work for you. Agree on the price, payment method and collection details clearly before sharing more information than necessary.

How to Respond to Low Offers Without Losing the Buyer

A low offer does not always mean the buyer is unserious. Some buyers start low because they expect a counteroffer.

Instead of becoming frustrated, respond with a clear number: “Thanks for the offer. I couldn’t do £20, but I could meet you at £27.” This is more effective than simply replying “no” because it gives the buyer a next step. Here are several replies you can adapt.

When the offer is slightly too low

“Thanks for the offer! I could do £32, but that would be my lowest.”

When the item is newly listed

“Thanks for your interest. I’ve only just listed it, so I’m staying close to the asking price for now. I could do £38.”

When you are open to a bundle

“I couldn’t reduce this one that far on its own, but I can offer a better price if you’d like to bundle it with another item.”

When the price is firm

“Thanks for checking. The item is already priced at my lowest, so I’m keeping the price firm.”

When the offer is far too low

“Thanks, but I wouldn’t be able to accept that amount.”

You do not need to justify your entire cost structure to the buyer. Keep the response friendly, short and confident.

Common Offer Mistakes Resellers Make

Accepting offers without calculating profit

A sale is not automatically a successful sale. An item sold for £30 may look positive until you subtract sourcing, packaging, platform costs and postage. Track your real net profit before deciding which offers are worth accepting.

Pricing every item with negotiation in mind

Not every buyer wants to negotiate. Some shoppers want to see a fair price and buy immediately. If every item is visibly overpriced to create room for offers, you may lose those buyers. Use a pricing buffer carefully rather than building a large imaginary discount into every listing.

Sending your lowest price immediately

When a buyer asks, “What’s your lowest?”, you do not have to reveal your absolute floor. You can reply with a smaller reduction and see whether they engage. For example, if an item is listed at £50 and your minimum is £38, you might initially offer £45 or £43 rather than jumping straight to £38.

Ignoring interested buyers

A favourite, watcher or message shows that someone has already noticed the item. Sending a sensible offer can convert that interest into a sale. Both eBay and Vinted provide ways for sellers to send offers to interested buyers.

Forgetting to update prices across marketplaces

An item may be listed at different prices on eBay, Depop, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace because of different audiences or costs. That is not necessarily a problem. The problem appears when you change one listing, forget the others and lose track of your real minimum. The more marketplaces you use, the harder it becomes to manage prices, offers and sold stock manually.

Using Offers When Crosslisting

Crosslisting helps you expose the same item to different audiences. A jacket that attracts only low offers on one platform may sell at full price on another. Different marketplaces attract different buyers, and an item’s perceived value can change depending on where it appears. This is why you should not automatically accept a poor offer just because one marketplace has been slow.

Before accepting, check:

• how long the item has been listed;
• whether it has interest elsewhere;
• whether similar stock is selling;
• how much profit the offer leaves;
• whether you need the space or cash immediately.

There is also another risk: while you are negotiating with one buyer, the item could sell on another platform. Zipsale helps resellers manage listings across multiple marketplaces from one place. You can create or import a listing, publish it across connected marketplaces and keep your inventory organised without manually copying every detail. When an item sells, automated delisting helps remove it from your other connected marketplaces, reducing the risk of accidentally selling the same one-off item twice. Zipsale’s blog focuses strongly on centralised inventory, crosslisting and preventing overselling for UK-based sellers.

OBO, Offers or a Price Reduction: Which Is Better?

Use OBO or Best Offer when:

• you want buyers to start a negotiation;
• the item has enough margin;
• you are uncertain about the exact market price;
• you are willing to consider different amounts.

Send a private offer when:

• someone has favourited or watched the item;
• a buyer has asked a question;
• you want to create urgency without lowering the public price;
• you want to reward a bundle buyer.

Make a public price reduction when:

• the current price is clearly above the market;
• the item has had little interest;
• you want all potential buyers to see the new price;
• you are running a clearance or seasonal promotion.

Keep the price firm when:

• the item is already at your minimum;
• it is newly listed;
• demand is strong;
• the item is rare;
• accepting less would make the sale unprofitable.

Final Thoughts

OBO simply means “or best offer,” but for resellers, the more important question is not what the letters stand for. It is whether accepting an offer supports your business. The strongest sellers know their numbers before a buyer messages them. They understand their ideal price, their realistic negotiation price and the point below which a sale is no longer worthwhile.

Be flexible where it helps you release old stock or secure a valuable bundle. Stay firm when the demand and margin justify it. And remember: a buyer making an offer is showing interest. You do not always need to accept their number, but a quick and reasonable counteroffer could be enough to turn that interest into a sale.

With Zipsale, you can list and manage your inventory across multiple marketplaces without spending your day copying listings, updating stock and checking whether sold items are still live elsewhere. Create one listing, reach more buyers and spend less time managing the repetitive side of reselling.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OBO mean?

OBO stands for “or best offer.” It means the seller is willing to consider offers below the displayed asking price.

Does OBO mean the seller must accept the highest offer?

No. The seller can accept, decline or counter any offer. They are not required to sell simply because someone has submitted a price.

Should I write OBO in my eBay listing?

You usually do not need to write it in the title if Best Offer is already enabled. Use your title space for searchable product details instead.

How should I respond to a low offer?

Stay polite and send a clear counteroffer. For example: “Thanks for the offer. I couldn’t do £20, but I could accept £27.”

Should I accept an offer on a newly listed item?

Usually, it is worth waiting unless the offer is close to your asking price. New listings may still attract a full-price buyer.

Is it better to reduce the price or send an offer?

A private offer is useful when a buyer has already shown interest. A public reduction is more suitable when the item is overpriced or has received very little attention.

How can I manage offers across several marketplaces?

Set a minimum price for every item and keep your inventory in one central system. Crosslisting software such as Zipsale can help you manage listings and reduce the risk of overselling.