[crazyfrenchman27]

There is a distinct difference between "FS" posts and "IC" posts that needs to be highlighted here.

If it is a "FS" post, you do not offer them a value below what they suggested. You might bring up the notion that you'd be willing to buy it for less...and ask if the seller would be willing to lower the price in order to accommodate you. But offering $100 for a "FS: $200" item is just rude.

For "IC" posts, any offer is fair game.

That is the difference.

-Matt

 

[skyline889]

I don't have a problem with hagglers but I do have problems with people who want to pay unrealistic prices. I recently had some headphones up for sale and the common going price for them used, is about $260-270 however, I was selling mine for only $230. The headphones were mint with only three tiny nicks total on the grills and all the pms I got had the buyers get interested up to the point where they had me checking quotes etc, then backing out because they did not come with a box even though they were listed as not having the box. I had six buyers contact me back and say they weren't interested, after having me do all the leg work because the box isn't included, I mean for $40 less than the going price for used, they expected everything that came with them brand new. A little frustrating but what can you do? Luckily I found a buyer who actually read the whole listing. I appreciate those who contacted me expressing interest but I feel, and maybe it's just me, that people should do their homework first and research current prices then read the entire listing before actually pm'ing the seller, that way no time is lost on either side and no bad feelings are left either way as well.

 

[archosman]

I don't respond when it's a lowballer. I've had someone offer me less than half of what I was asking... and I did my research on what it was going for. Fortunately I've pretty much got what I've asked for on everything I've sold.

My personal best was selling an amp in 46 minutes after I first listed it.

 

[grawk]

I generally offer what I'm willing to pay for an item, whether it's listed as FS, IC, or FT. Sometimes I offer a trade for something for sale. Sometimes I offer MORE than someone is asking when it's FS. Sometimes I offer less. If the seller wants to do the deal, the deal happens, if not, it doesn't.

The reverse is also true. I ask usually on the high side of what I think is fair, and expect to negotiate if I'm willing to wait. If I want to sell in a hurry, I price things below market rate. Either way, I don't get upset if someone offers less than I was expecting. If someone is way off, I'll reply with an equally rediculous counter offer or ignore it.

 

[fewtch]

I agree that asking $10-$20 less is haggling, offering 50% of the asking price is lowballing. If an item is in low demand I tend to haggle, but if high demand I will just meet the asking price (even if it's beyond what I want to pay -- if I really want it).

I understand that haggling (like shaving off just a few bucks) is annoying to some people, but you gotta understand that some of us may be stretching the very limits of our budgets in purchasing your item. Please understand, and help us feel better about our purchases... this hobby is painful to the wallet.

For those wondering about the mentality of lowballers, I think it just makes them feel better. I.E. "I really wanted this item and couldn't afford it, but I tried anyway." If you understand that, it's less insulting and can be laughed off. Few lowballers actually expect someone to agree with the price, it's more the feeling they gave it a shot I think.

 

[Jasper994]

Do all you guys who are pitching a fit in this thread about haggling and lowballing pay 2nd sticker for your cars when you buy one? Or if you only buy used cars, do you pay whatever the person or dealership is asking?

Do you automatically agree to the asking price when you buy a home?


...somehow I kinda doubt it. If you guys do, you are getting SCREWED!

BTW, yes, I agree that making stupid lowball offers like in Ed's example of offering $100 for a $1k item is just rude (of course there is the random chance that the seller is that far over priced...). The other thing that you guys have to remember is that in the retail environment, 50-70% off is not unheard of....

 

[jagorev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994 Do all you guys who are pitching a fit in this thread about haggling and lowballing pay 2nd sticker for your cars when you buy one? Or if you only buy used cars, do you pay whatever the person or dealership is asking? Do you automatically agree to the asking price when you buy a home? ...somehow I kinda doubt it. If you guys do, you are getting SCREWED!

The thing is...I don't want to see the head-fi community as resembling a car dealership. You know a car salesman will try to screw you. My experience here has been that most of the things for sale are priced pretty fairly. People are usually pretty honest about the condition of their gear, and I see no reason to haggle with someone who's only doing this as a hobby.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev The thing is...I don't want to see the head-fi community as resembling a car dealership. You know a car salesman will try to screw you. My experience here has been that most of the things for sale are priced pretty fairly. People are usually pretty honest about the condition of their gear, and I see no reason to haggle with someone who's only doing this as a hobby.

With that as a qualifier, I'd agree. If you think the price is fair, pay it. If you don't think it's fair, it's not rude to haggle (including the use of a somewhat lowball offer) to get a fair price.

I'd also agree that haggling over $5-10 on a high priced item is silly.

 

[RYCeT]

I want to know how do you guys consider these two example:

Item is not high demand, brand new sell for $1100.00, seller ask for a used one, 1 year old, good condition, $720. It's been sitting on FS forum for more than 5 days. Now, if someone put an offer for $580, is this lowballing or haggling? If it's lowballing what price point will you consider haggling? Keep in mind that item is not on high demand and been sitting on FS forum for more than 5 days.

Brand new sold for $350, buyer just bought 2 weeks ago, put 70 hours into it, excellent condition, asking for $310. Is $280 offer lowballing or haggling? what price point will you consider haggling?

 

[jjcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994 If you don't think it's fair, it's not rude to haggle (including the use of a somewhat lowball offer) to get a fair price.

Lol. That's the thing. Many people as buyers think they know what a fair price is. For example, is $1900 "fair" for a mint PS-1? I bet you don't think it's fair. But what you think is fair is irrelevant. Because I know there are buyers out there who are willing to pay that much for a PS-1. And so long as I'm able to find one of those people, that's the "fair" price that's relevant to me as a seller.

Man, I remember one guy said he'd "eat his shirt" if I got more than $1600 for the PS-1 I put up for sale. I gotta admit, I was tempted to go back to him and ask him to send picts of him eating said shirt.

This is why I find lowballers to be annoying. They're irrelevant and waste my time as I have to respond to their PMs to be polite. I guess I could just ignore such PMs, but that just seems rude as, like I said, most people who bid low are just doing so because they can't honestly afford more or are unaware of what market prices are.

-Jason

 

[nabwong]

To me, asking $10-20 less is simply negotiating. Haggling is persistent negotiating. Why is it so hard to say no if you don't like it? I've not had problems with haggling cos i either accept the negotiated rate or i say no. If the buyer is a teen who could use that extra $20 on something else and i can afford the lost, sure, i'd sell it.

When the situation is reversed, for example, someone is selling product X at $420 and all i have in my bank account is $400, is it illegal to ask? If the guy says no, then it ends there.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Lol. That's the thing. Many people as buyers think they know what a fair price is. For example, is $1900 "fair" for a mint PS-1? I bet you don't think it's fair. But what you think is fair is irrelevant. Because I know there are buyers out there who are willing to pay that much for a PS-1. And so long as I'm able to find one of those people, that's the "fair" price that's relevant to me as a seller. Man, I remember one guy said he'd "eat his shirt" if I got more than $1600 for the PS-1 I put up for sale. I gotta admit, I was tempted to go back to him and ask him to send picts of him eating said shirt. This is why I find lowballers to be annoying. They're irrelevant and waste my time as I have to respond to their PMs to be polite. I guess I could just ignore such PMs, but that just seems rude as, like I said, most people who bid low are just doing so because they can't honestly afford more or are unaware of what market prices are. -Jason

That is the thing, if they're offering what they honestly think it's worth, there's nothing wrong with that. If you are absolutely set on the price you are offering an item for, you should say so in your thread. If you do state that the price is fixed and you will not be accepting any offers below it, then yes, it would be rude for someone to offer you less.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYCeT I want to know how do you guys consider these two example: Item is not high demand, brand new sell for $1100.00, seller ask for a used one, 1 year old, good condition, $720. It's been sitting on FS forum for more than 5 days. Now, if someone put an offer for $580, is this lowballing or haggling? If it's lowballing what price point will you consider haggling? Keep in mind that item is not on high demand and been sitting on FS forum for more than 5 days. Brand new sold for $350, buyer just bought 2 weeks ago, put 70 hours into it, excellent condition, asking for $310. Is $280 offer lowballing or haggling? what price point will you consider haggling?

It's all haggling. A lowball offer is just a particularly low offer made in effort to haggle or jerk someone's chain.

In your first example, if the general market price is in the neighborhood of $800 and the guy is offering it up for $720 so it sells fast, then yes $580 would seem like a lowball offer. That doesn't mean, however, that it's necessarily unreasonable. Offering $300 would be getting into the silly offer range and should come with an appology for why it's so low. Something like "I'm sorry this is such a low offer, please feel free to ignore it, but if you'd sell it for $300 I'd make sure they were well taken care of. I'd offer more but, this is all I can afford. If you don't find another buyer and/or this price is acceptable, please PM me back."

In your second example that seems like a reasonable offer considering it's not that much lower than the new price and buying used isn't the same as buying new. If it was a car, offering that close to the original selling price (as a percentage) would be insanely high (cars depreciate something like 30% the moment you drive them off the lot).

 

[kugino]

sorry to revive an old thread...but i've gotten a couple of these lately (rude, lowball offers, that is).

lowballing itself doesn't bother me all that much...it's the rudeness that gets me. i just got an offer from a newbie (1 post, just joined today probably) just stating, "i'll give you $xxx for it." nevermind that my post doesn't have an "OBO" in it.

i understand haggling...but i think it's fair to ask that when someone does it to qualify the offer with, "hey, would you sell it for..." or "would you sell it for..." or anything that's remotely polite. some of these PMs i get sound as if they're doing me a favor by selling it to them for their asking price.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Lol. That's the thing. Many people as buyers think they know what a fair price is. For example, is $1900 "fair" for a mint PS-1? I bet you don't think it's fair. But what you think is fair is irrelevant. Because I know there are buyers out there who are willing to pay that much for a PS-1. And so long as I'm able to find one of those people, that's the "fair" price that's relevant to me as a seller. Man, I remember one guy said he'd "eat his shirt" if I got more than $1600 for the PS-1 I put up for sale. I gotta admit, I was tempted to go back to him and ask him to send picts of him eating said shirt. This is why I find lowballers to be annoying. They're irrelevant and waste my time as I have to respond to their PMs to be polite. I guess I could just ignore such PMs, but that just seems rude as, like I said, most people who bid low are just doing so because they can't honestly afford more or are unaware of what market prices are. -Jason

i got one of these a couple months ago...some guy saying, "believe me, you'll NEVER get anyone to buy it at your asking price." my response from now on will be to respond to their PMs with a link to this thread