What is a lowball offer?
Also: Best Offer · Lowball · OBO
An offer is a buyer's proposed price below the listed asking price, enabled by features like eBay Best Offer or Poshmark's offer button; “OBO” (or best offer) invites them. A lowball is an offer far below fair value that sellers usually decline or counter. Offers are negotiation, not condition — though a lower grade justifies accepting less.
How it's used in a listing
A seller who lists “$40 OBO” is inviting offers, and might complain that a “$10 lowball” came in far under a fair price.
How it maps to the grade scale
Offers aren't a condition grade, but grade anchors them: a documented GradeThread 1.0–10.0 grade gives a seller a defensible reason to hold firm on a high-grade item or to accept a lower offer on a flawed one, keeping negotiation grounded in condition.
See where every condition sits on the GradeThread condition grading scale.
Offer — frequently asked
- What is a lowball offer?
- A lowball is an offer far below an item's fair or listed value — for example, offering $10 on a $40 item in good condition. Sellers typically decline or counter lowballs. Reasonable offers near comps and condition are more likely to be accepted.
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