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I've had a couple strange buying attempts lately here and on CL:

An item is listed for a price that is OBO or Make Offer. I make an offer that is in the range of what I would consider a "best offer"
and the buyer responds by saying "ok, I am going to wait and see if I get any higher offers!". No counter offer is suggested.

I don't think some folks are grasping the OBO concept. I am issuing my best offer at that very moment, of which it is assumed you will
accept, counter with a higher offer or just say no. We are not in an auction setting. I also am not going to drive another 50 miles
because you call me in a week and say that you will accept my offer now!

So maybe if you have a minimum amount you require you should put it in an auction with a reserve or not list as OBO, since you really
aren't accepting offers.
 
Interesting question. Surely when people sell cars OBO they take some time to "collect offers," and then call back the best offerer to see if he's still interested.

If/when you do get the callback, you're not under any obligation to honor your original offer. That's the way I see it, anyway.

Maybe a "silent auction" approach is best, where the seller states the date on which the item will sell - like a week in the future, maybe? - and then collects offers by PM until that time.

Me, I don't generally jump on new listings, which tend to be priced at full retail. I'd rather let them age awhile until the seller gets the idea that he's going to have to yield a little if he wants the cash.

It's a buyer's market right now, and it'll only become more so as rising daily expenses squeeze us.
 
I guess maybe I'm old-fashioned cuz I always thought negotiations should be in "real time".
That is true when you are working face to face. But that isn't what a forum is, or does. It isn't like you have 20 people right there at any one moment and you can get their input right away. It takes a bit of time.
 
Really? On this forum et. al. I was beginning to think that "or best offer" meant "submit lowball offer in hopes that I'm stupid or desperate and will accept it."
 
If I don't think the price is what I want to pay/what the item is worth I calculate what I feel it is worth to me and add 10% of the difference in prices. If the seller asks me to wait pending further offers then I don't expect to be getting the item. They've pretty much said that they don't think I've made a deal sealing offer.
 
Quote from the forum rules:
For Sale Ads (a.k.a. WTS)
All for sale ads are required to have a price listed. If you don't know what it's worth, list what you'll take for it.

This is not an auction site, list your price as per the rules. It says nothing about OBO. If you don't want lowball offers don't put OBO in your ad. You might as well say lowball offers accepted. It seems quite clear to me.
 
I believe that the counter offer is implied when they put up the asking price. OBO does not mean "your best offer..." It means the best offer given for the item that is being sold. Also the seller does reserve the right to not sell the item if they do not get a reasonable offer in thier mind. So OBO means give me an offer and I will consider it as well as any other offers that I get and let the "best offer" know they get the item at the price they offered. Next time you want to buy an item in the OBO fashion think of it as a bidding process(auction). With a buy it now at the asking price.
 
Most people don't give much thought to what OBO means. It seems to mean they will consider an offer or not firm on price. I tend not to make offers on this forum because of low baller complaining. I don't really see that elsewhere.
 
As a buyer I read: "I will take any bid lower than my asking price as a slap in the face and an insult to my manhood. I shall respond in poor grammer throwing insults at you, your mother and project all my homoerotic fantasies onto you."

As a seller I think: "Really? Do I want to deal with a circus full of clowns that will send me an ultralow bid in a message with poor grammar and start throwing insults at me, my mother while projecting their homoerotic fantasies onto me? Sure why not!"


Haven't sold here yet, but this seems to be the way things work with me. Maybe I just invite certain responses. :)
 
When I see OBO it means to me the price isn't set in stone. If interested, I make an offer. If they don't accept right away, the offer is null and void.

When I post a for sale, I always say "reasonable offers considered" rather than use OBO.
 
Time again for the "WTFs up with the sellers on here" I see

When I put OBO in an ad,it means I will take reasonable offers.Doesn't mean I will except the first offer I get,even if it's pretty close to what I expect.
Heck there may be someone who sees the ad in a couple days that will pay full price! I often say " not right now"
But as stated above,as time goes on,I may listen closer to those offers.Depends how bad I want to sell the gun.
Right now,all the guns I have for sale,will be just fine if they don't go away.I just will have to wait to get my 45 colt.
Main thing is,don't get offended by the people selling stuff on these sites.If you don't like how they do business,don't buy from them.
 
If you really want an item offer the asking price. It's up to the seller to determine if your "best offer" is in the range of what they would consider a "best offer." It's nice to have an offer considered but it doesn't automatically entitle you to a one-on-one negotiation until both parties agree upon a price.
 
It doesn't matter if you OBO or not, people still make offers less than asking price. I never put OBO, but I always get people offering me less, or other items in trade. I always ask a reasonable price that I expect to get and that's why I don't put OBO. If it doesn't sell then I will just not sell it or lower the price. FRom what I have seen on here most people are asking close to retail for their guns. Buyers have to remember that there is a premium on FTF sales due to no background check, transfer fees and no paperwork trail of ownership. So you get to have a gun that the government doesn't know you have. Most people are willing to pay a little more for that. Before anyone chimes in and says that the government doesn't get unfettered access to FFL gun transfers, remember what happens to the FFL's transfer records when they decide to give up their FFL; They have to send it all to the BATFE. DO you really think they are just going to shred it?
 
Do people honestly need to have OBO explained to them? Isn't is pretty much self explanatory? If you're old enough to own a firearm then you're an adult at least on some level. Pay the price listed. Or make an "offer" less than the price listed, but don't get your diapers all twisted if they don't take your price.

Honestly, I don't know what all the whining is about. If someone offers you less than what you're asking and you don't want to sell it for that then simply say, "No Thanks". And if you get a "No Thanks" to an offer you made, then simply move along.

Every time I read a "sellers/buyers aren't being fair" thread I feel like I'm listening to my kids.

Pay the price listed. Or don't. How hard is that?

I've bought and sold off this forum. I've offered lower than listed prices and been rejected, and accepted. I've listened to lower than listed prices and have rejected some and accepted some as well. And I've never encountered anyone that was not mature and mutually respectful.
 
what gets me are the people who accessorize their vehicle and expect to get ALL of the money back that they dumped into it. about a month ago, i saw an ad on CL for a subaru sti impreza for $35,500. it was a 2010 model. it looked like a slick car! the owner had all kinds of aftermarket bells and whistles done to it. the seller's justification for the price was due to the amount he owed on the vehicle, plus what he had put into it to give it more "umph." he was open to haggling/OBO. i called him. i made an offer of $20,000. he yelled and said he wouldn't take any less than what is currently listed. while yelling at me, i could hear his mother in the background (go figure), and hung up the phone after his tirade. he was stereotypical lake oswego, spoiled rotten brat trash. i bet his mother owns and pays for that cell phone. anyway, he obviously doesn't know what "OBO" means. why did he bother putting it in the ad? if had his priorities in the right place, he wouldn't be looking to sell a vehicle he obviously owes lots of money on. i'm pretty sure that subaru ended up being repossessed.
 

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