No, in both cases the answer is NO. When the starting bid is $400 there is NO WAY the seller will drop the price for you. They will not even take you serious if you bid $50 so be careful.
A few other tips I can give you since I am very known with Ebay:
1.
Always check if the item can be found for cheaper
Sometimes a seller wants to make you believe the item is rare and you can never get it. This is NOT true. Often the items are plenty available and you really must do a good search
2.
Always check the seller's feedback
There is nothing MORE IMPORTANT than this! It sounds weird but don't do business with sellers who have 98% feedback or lower. It might sound good to you but trust me, it is not. Of course there are exceptions. Sometimes a seller has been into trouble and things can get out of hand but most of the time do business with sellers who have a 99,5 - 100% feedback range
3.
Check when a seller received their latest negative feedback
You can check this in their profiles at the feedback pages. If a seller had their latest negative feedback longer than 3-6 months ago and has a 98 - 99% feedback rate it means they are improving. If they have like 6 or 7 or even more negative feedback in the last month till 3 months forget it. This is internet and you should NOT take risks
4.
Always use a secure paying system like Paypal
Paypal is really safe and you can get your money back in case things are not going as planned
5.
Contact the seller if you have any questions
If you doubt about an item and if it is really worth the money or if there are concerns or things not clear use the "Ask seller a question" option before you even place a bid. You should be smart enough to figure out if her/his answer is a good one and in case of any doubts ask somebody else you can trust
6.
Wait till the last moment before you place a bit to be sure you will have it
This doesn't always work because sometimes sellers are smart and use second accounts to overbid you in case you make a bid in the final seconds. Then they go up and later you will be informed the original buyer (their dup) has withdrawn for some reason and you got the item offered to you. But this is fortunately not always the case. I had some very good items for only half of the price it would have been in the local store
7.
Use the Make an offer option
In your case, if you see an item you like to buy and it is a bit expensive look if the auction has the make seller an offer option. If that's the case use it and tell them you want to buy the item for cheaper. But don't expect a seller who sells something for $400 to sell it to you for $50. Because that would be a loss for them, with more than a half if they agree
I hope this helps a bit
