Haggling / aka Lowballing???

[husker]

OBO can mean a lot of things too. I have secured some really great deals by paying MORE than the asking price. I bought some Wilton vises one time that where listed on Craigslist for $300. One of the three was a 8" machinist vise that has a new retail price of $3500. I called the lady and she said already had someone coming to look at them. I said "its Or best offer right" she said yeah but he is willing to pay full price. I told her I would pay $400, I got the vises. I sold one of three for $800 and kept the other two. I onetime bought a Bridgeport mill for $300 that was listed for $200 OBO. If its a great deal it pays to offer more than the asking price just to make sure you get the deal. There are often many replies, yours needs to stand out.

In my book that is wrong. I understand most people want to get the best price they can and if you offer more
and they accept that is cool.
I am not saying you are wrong to offer more, but If I tell someone I will sell an item for a certain price it is a done deal. That is the way I am. My word is my bond just as a hand shake is. I may have got myself screwed a few times but in the end I know I did the right thing.
That does not fall on you as the buyer. It falls on the seller. Just like everything else it all comes down to each person.
I have no problem with people asking anything it is just talk but when a deal is made it should be done.
I have had sellers remorse.

 

[Jdclvlnd]

Ok if you are selling something at a loss or a better than market value price and your ad says firm, or no low ball offers and some jackass offers you a $200 less why not get offended. Why not call them out on the board away from private message?

 

[RVTECH]

some jackass offers you a $200 less why not get offended.

Because it's not going to accomplish anything other than leave the person unwilling to deal with you - at any price. Also consider this - some people read over things or skim the ad so fast they miss the details - heck I have done it myself many times and have been corrected by the author of the ad. So maybe the person missed your 'firm, or no low ball' statement. SO like I said before - be the 'bigger' person - take it in stride and let the person know you are firm on that price and leave the 'ball in his court' - but always leave with a smile on your face and never without "well what do you have to throw in on trade?" There is never a 'firm' in my dealings.

 

[IronMonster]

In my book that is wrong. I understand most people want to get the best price they can and if you offer more
and they accept that is cool.
I am not saying you are wrong to offer more, but If I tell someone I will sell an item for a certain price it is a done deal. That is the way I am. My word is my bond just as a hand shake is. I may have got myself screwed a few times but in the end I know I did the right thing.
That does not fall on you as the buyer. It falls on the seller. Just like everything else it all comes down to each person.
I have no problem with people asking anything it is just talk but when a deal is made it should be done.
I have had sellers remorse.

Im not sure I understand. The listing is Or best offer, Best offer is just that, the best offer. There is no ceiling established by the listing price. Everyone assumes it means less but when someone puts "OBO" there is no shame in taking the best offer.

I don't weasel something out from under someone once a deal has been made. Just like the deal on the vises. I said I'll come take a look, She said someone else was already coming to look. I ask if he had committed to buy them, she said no he said he would come down and look. I said its or best offer right? I'll commit now to $100 over your asking price.

If the guy would have said "I'll take them" that's a whole different ball game. When someone says " Id like to come look" that is not a done deal.

I have been snaked out of stuff, I don't like it. I had made a deal on a whole shop full of equipment, I had made a handshake deal to buy the whole shop. Some of the stuff was smoking deals and as far as I was concerned we had agreed I would take the whole lot. I even tried to give them some money and they refused saying I could pay for everything when I picked it up the following day. I showed up the next morning with the truck to start loading and a bunch of the stuff was gone. When I ask about it they just said "oh well some other people came by and I sold it" I walked away from the whole deal. It cost them several grand because I would have taken everything in one shot including all the hard to move bits.

One time I bought a table from a guy on Craigslist that was listed for $250. I went and looked at it, told him I would take it and would have to come back for it the next day with a trailer. The following day I called on the way to his shop to give him a heads up. He said it would be $400 because he had someone else offering more money. I threw a fit, and long story short I made the statement "Your the guy who is going to have to live with yourself knowing what you did, If you are ok with being the kind of jackwagon thats word isnt worth spit then sell it to the other guy but Im not paying $400... We had a deal" And I hung up on him. I was mad because I had had to borrow a trailer and run about 80 miles round trip to gather the thing up. About 15 minutes later he called me back up and said "Your right, Im sorry... Come get the table"

 

[IronMonster]

I should also clarify that on my vise deal the person with the listing was a business. It was not like the guy had an appointment with some guy at his house where he was going to "come take a look" If that was the case I still would have offered more money but would have said "Well when the guy gets there tell him you have a $400 offer, it was OBO, If he will match it sell them to him. Other words call me and I'll come pay you"

I still stand by that. Or best offer can squeeze you into a good deal by paying a bit more than asking price. I have made lots of buys on craigslist by in my first email offering an extra $50. When something thats worth $1500 and priced at $250 shows up on craigslist you know there are going to be 20 responses at least the first day, hell maybe the first hour. Offering $300 from the get go, right in the subject line, might put you at the top of the list of replies and its still a smoking deal.

 

[IronMonster]

I have taken on the sale of dead friends estates so I know what you are saying. People accumulate way too much stuff and leave it for their families to be rid of. Basically a garage sale is giving away what you have worked for. Low prices and the time you have to sit there you would be better off donating and taking a tax deduction. Plus no matter how low the price you have the hagglers who just have to get that better deal.

What is fair, guess that's up to the man in the mirror

A lot of times when I ask what something costs and they give me a price that is way too low ( Like $10 on a $200 item lets say) I'll make a big production out of it and say "Hell no! that's not fair... No way Id pay you $10 for that! That's just ridiculous.... How about $30?" Most of the time it takes them a minute to figure out what happened. Makes them happy, Im able to sleep at night and its still a great deal.

 

[husker]

I don't get mad. Some guys don't read the ad. They look at the pretty picture and look for a price and they are off with a pm. I just send a pm back and say ( Did you not read the ad) . Sometimes I hear back saying sorry and sometime not. No big deal.

 

[coop44]

when you know what something is worth and what you are looking at is priced accordingly, why be a dick?

 

[IronMonster]

when you know what something is worth and what you are looking at is priced accordingly, why be a dick?

If that is directed at me relating to the above post, please explain.

Not sure how offering to pay three times the asking price is being a dick. The fact I am having a little fun making a production out of it does not change the fact I am paying extra because I know they have under priced it. I have yet to have someone offended at me paying more than they want, sometimes I have to explain that its a really great deal and I'd just feel better if they took what I offered.

 

[husker]

I am not getting on you Monsermetal. I am saying if the seller has made a deal with someone and then someone else offers more and the seller takes the higher offer after the deal was made I feel that is wrong but I don't have a problem with someone saying they will pay a higher price as long as a deal has not been made yet.
Hope that makes sense.
I need a break now. I am confused. LOL

 

[IronMonster]

I am not getting on you Monsermetal. I am saying if the seller has made a deal with someone and then someone else offers more and the seller takes the higher offer after the deal was made I feel that is wrong but I don't have a problem with someone saying they will pay a higher price as long as a deal has not been made yet.
Hope that makes sense.
I need a break now. I am confused. LOL

No I totally agree..... If a deal is done, its a done deal. I would not try and buy something out from under someone once they commit and I have no respect for someone who backs out of a deal for more dough from someone else.

Thats a scumbag move if there ever was one.

My word is good, I expect yours to be and there are no second chances.

 

[coop44]

just a general statement monstermetal, not specifically directed at anyone but dicks

 

[The Heretic]

I have this funny philosophy; I price things at the price I want to sell it for.

That is probably stupid of me because there are people who, if you offered to sell them a $20 bill for $15, would try to beat you down to $10.

 

[IronMonster]

I think there is a lot more frustration with the guys who are trying to sell there $20 bill for $27.50 (Its like NEW! Firm! No trades, Unless you have a $50 I like)

 

[RVTECH]

If money is all you are looking to get for a used item then you have already lost the best deal ever.

A forgotten Author

 

[Sgt Nambu]

When I see a piece in the classifieds, if offered at a fair price that's what I pay. If I see an OBO on a fair/reasonable Price I'll still pay the asking price. When I run into an asking price that I think is too high I'll just move along.
I very rarely sell a gun. When I do I price it at what I want to get out of it and add firm. So....I guess I just don't haggle although I am good at it, master of the garage sales! LOL!!!
Interesting thread, OP!

 

[U201494]

If as a seller I should not be offended by a low ball offer, the low baller should not be insulted by my insulting reply.
Example: I list a Kimber stainless Pro Carry, LNIB condition for $800 (this retails for $875 to $925) and an ignoramus sends me an offer of $650. My reply informs him that I can not sell him the gun at any price because my personal constitution prevents me from providing anything dangerous to someone with an imbecile level I.Q. If I'm having a bad day I may simply tell him he is stupid and to go away and not come back.
Maybe not your cup of tea but it has worked well for me.

 

[Just Jim]

If as a seller I should not be offended by a low ball offer, the low baller should not be insulted by my insulting reply.
Example: I list a Kimber stainless Pro Carry, LNIB condition for $800 (this retails for $875 to $925) and an ignoramus sends me an offer of $650. My reply informs him that I can not sell him the gun at any price because my personal constitution prevents me from providing anything dangerous to someone with an imbecile level I.Q. If I'm having a bad day I may simply tell him he is stupid and to go away and not come back.
Maybe not you cup of tea but it has worked well for me.

Few times I have been offered far less than what the gun was worth I just laughed at them, never needed to make insults. You would be surprised what effect loud laughter has at a gunshow.

 

[IronMonster]

In my experience the last person you want to call stupid is someone who is in fact stupid. Often a trait shared with incompetence is violent outbursts and fits of unreasonable behavior. I try not to poke armed imbeciles for personal enjoyment. If I am feeling frisky and like living on the edge I can always go out back and pester the badger with a spoon. They put up a pretty good fight but are unlikely to be packin

 

[erudne]

This is my 2 cents, I do not buy with the intent to re-sell so when I do I sell used items, I price according to my market research, not according what I want to get. Often I will price $20 above what my research tells me I should expect so that if someone wants to bid lower I can accommodate them by lowering the price and close the deal.
When I buy I do not buy from retail dealers because their pricing is set at the corporate level which is concealed from the consumer and occasionally bumped-up by store managers (Sportsmans Warehouse Vanc. selling 22LR @.23 a rnd seven days ago). Again knowing the Mkt value and individual item is key to making an offer. I always offer below the asking price but not to such a discounted price that I insult the seller. If the item is used I will offer my reasoning behind my offer and I only make offers on items I am serious about buying.
To me PPL that make ridiculously low offers are displaying a form of immature envy and covetousness but that's their problem, not mine.