Best Offer Beta - A new way to buy with Best Offer. Make offers • Compare • Buy

Usually, when you make an offer to a seller, you commit to buy the item as soon as the seller accepts the offer, and you enter a legally binding contract with the seller for the item. This means that you need to wait for a response from a seller before considering making other offers, to avoid being committed to buy similar items from different sellers.

With the changes we're making to Best Offer, you can make offers just as you do now, but you'll also be able to submit multiple offers for similar items to different sellers at the same time, even if you intend to purchase only one item.

This change gives you the freedom to make and compare several offers at once to get the best deal for you.

From May 2013, this change applies to all items listed on eBay.co.uk with Best Offer in these categories:

• Computers, Tablets & Networking
• Jewellery & Watches
• Art

This change may be rolled out to more categories later.

No. Buyers and sellers using eBay mobile/tablet apps won’t immediately see this new experience. However, any offers sent from eBay mobile/tablet apps will behave the same way as those offers sent from the eBay main site.

Even if a seller accepts your offer, the item won't be considered sold until you commit to buy the item. This is true regardless of whether the mobile/tablet app is used to send, accept, or counter any Best Offers.

Usually, when you receive an offer, the buyer is committed to buy the item as soon as you, the seller, accept the offer. This also means that you have to put items on hold while waiting for buyers to pay.

Now, you can accept several offers for the same item from several buyers, with the understanding that items are not reserved for a buyer until the buyer commits to the item (and in most instances, pays for it).

This change to Best Offer allows you to keep your items available to more buyers, without the need to hold items while waiting for payment. This also helps avoid unpaid item cases.

After you agree an offer or counter-offer from a buyer, the buyer will be informed of your agreement, but also reminded that the item won’t be considered "theirs" until they commit to buy and/or pay immediately.

Until the buyer commits to the item (and in most instances, pays for it), the item will still be available for purchase by other buyers.

From May 2013, this change applies to all items listed on eBay.co.uk with Best Offer in these categories:

• Computers, Tablets, & Networking
• Jewellery & Watches
• Art

This change may be rolled out to more categories later.

Yes, for items in the Computers & Tablets, Jewellery & Watches, or Art categories.

If you've accepted multiple offers on a single-quantity listing, the first buyer to commit will win the item, and other offers will automatically expire if no quantity remains. If you accept multiple offers on a multi-quantity listing, other offers will not automatically expire until all the quantity has been committed to and, in most cases, paid for.

Immediate payment will be required for eligible Best Offer transactions that:

• Are less than £200 in value.
• Are paid for with PayPal.
• Include specified postage costs.

In the future, we’ll extend this immediate payment requirement to include items up to £1,000, as well as internet merchant credit card transactions).

No, all Best Offer transactions in the Computers, Tablets & Networking, Jewellery & Watches, and Art categories will follow this process automatically.

Although it isn't required, we recommend that you set up rules to automatically accept or decline Best Offers when you receive offers within your preferred price range. This will save time for both you and your buyers, because they'll get an immediate response to their offers, and you won't need to respond to offers individually.

The item won't be sold until a buyer commits to the item (and in most instances, pays for it). Buyers will be informed that they may not get the item if they wait too long to commit to buy and if the item is purchased by another buyer in the meantime.

If and when this happens, all offers waiting for buyer confirmation will automatically expire unless there is additional quantity available for purchase from the listing.

Other buyers are free to purchase the item through Buy it now – or submit another Best Offer – while you're waiting for a buyer to confirm their offer.

The item remains available for sale until a buyer confirms their Best Offer purchase. If this happens, all other offers waiting for buyer confirmation will automatically expire.

No. Buyers and sellers using eBay mobile/tablet applications won't immediately see this new experience. However, any offers sent or accepted from the eBay mobile/tablet applications will behave the same way as those offers sent or accepted from the eBay web site.

Even if you accept an offer from a buyer, the item will not be considered sold until the buyer commits to buy (and in most cases, pays for it). This is true regardless of whether the mobile/tablet application is used to send, accept, or counter any Best Offers.

Yes. From May, international buyers will also see these changes in Best Offer listings on eBay.co.uk in the Computers, Tablets, and Networking, Jewellery & Watches, and Art categories and other categories as they are added later.

International buyers will be required to commit to buy the items once the seller agrees to their offer. Eventually, international buyers will also be required to make an immediate payment as part of their Best Offer commitment, if the transaction meets all three eligibility requirements:

• The value of the transaction is less than £200.
• The purchase is paid for with PayPal.
• The cost of postage to the buyer's country is specified in the listing.