Amazon make an offer - The highly rated virtual marketplace run by Seattle-based Amazon is set to get even more competitive as buyers can now negotiate for the prices of certain goods with sellers.

On Tuesday, the new Amazon 'Make an Offer' pricing feature was launched. Currently, about 150,000 items are listed under the Make an Offer category. They include fine art, historical and political items of special significance, collectible coins, as well as sport and entertainment collectibles.

The Vice President of Amazon Marketplace Peter Faricy has described the new 'Make an Offer' pricing feature as a 'game-changer.' He said the idea is to allow buyers communicate and negotiate directly with sellers as they would do in a brick and mortar store.

"In a recent survey of our sellers, nearly half of the respondents told us that the ability to negotiate prices with customers would be important to drive more sales on Amazon. 'Make an Offer' delivers that functionality and makes customers feel confident they are getting an item they want at the lowest price possible," Faricy said.

The new Amazon 'Make an Offer' button is displayed next to the prices of all items that are eligible for the pricing feature. A buyer simply has to click the button to be directed to a page where you can type in your desired price of the item concerned. This would then be forwarded to the seller, who can decide to accept or reject the offer. The buyer and seller can continue to exchange messages until they reach a deal.

"The negotiation experience will hopefully get more communication between us and our customers to help us better gauge the price for certain items. We love the 'Make an Offer' program, and it is only going to get bigger. Once customers know this is an available feature more offers will come, leading to more sales," the Executive Vice President of Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Inc., Steven Costello said.

The new Amazon 'Make an Offer' pricing feature has been applauded by many. The company says hundreds of thousands of items will be brought under the pricing program next year.

But critics say the new Amazon 'Make an Offer' pricing scheme is questionable. Some have questioned how the company plans to stop sellers from overpricing their products, since they know buyers would bargain for a price reduction.