Has haggling died?

   / Has haggling died? #61  
It's the age-old supply-and-demand situation.

Building supplies are up 50-200% in the last year. Finally trickling down to finish-grade hardwoods - Hard Maple and Poplar went up 50-100% in 2 weeks.

Thankfully, I had confirmed POs in November for 5 T/Ls of HM at 2150. More thankfully, the mill is honoring those even though current pricing is at 3500 or even more.
Some have not been fortunate to deal with honorable suppliers..

Builders are really caught and some are saying they cannot deliver...

I'm sure contracts are already written with escape or escalation clauses...
 
   / Has haggling died? #62  
I think here in North FL, most of the stuff on Market Place, even very used, people ask above new price. Looking at drill presses, people ask $150 for the same model HF sells for $99, and its rusted and beat up. They know people will counter low. Jon Boats for $1400, 25 years old, and Academy sells the same boat for $999 new. Problem is, I dont want to even contact them, cause you don't know if is someone delusional about what somethings worth, or if they are heavily padding price for haggle.

I have some stuff I need to sell, including a 5x10 trailer, Kubota L285, and probably more, but I hate dealing with the BS. All you see is the asking prices, not sales prices, so the trailer listed at $800 very well might be selling for $400.

When I was shopping for a 6'4"×16 ft trailer, I saw tons of beat up old trailers for $2500, and brand new i think I paid $2800.
 
   / Has haggling died? #63  
If you have tons of time, you could probably go in person and look at half a dozen of item A, but if I go in person, I've pretty much already decided to buy it. I normally ask if they can take $50 off, or whatever, but thats about it.

Haggling or negotiating probably comes in more if you can work trade or partial trade for something you have that they need. You could probably trade an old gun or something and cash for a tractor thats just sitting, ect.
 
   / Has haggling died?
  • Thread Starter
#64  
I think here in North FL, most of the stuff on Market Place, even very used, people ask above new price. Looking at drill presses, people ask $150 for the same model HF sells for $99, and its rusted and beat up. They know people will counter low. Jon Boats for $1400, 25 years old, and Academy sells the same boat for $999 new. Problem is, I dont want to even contact them, cause you don't know if is someone delusional about what somethings worth, or if they are heavily padding price for haggle.

I have some stuff I need to sell, including a 5x10 trailer, Kubota L285, and probably more, but I hate dealing with the BS. All you see is the asking prices, not sales prices, so the trailer listed at $800 very well might be selling for $400.

When I was shopping for a 6'4"×16 ft trailer, I saw tons of beat up old trailers for $2500, and brand new i think I paid $2800.

yep, market place is a joke honestly. tree's growing through box blades for 500 dollars (600 new at TSC) Trailers are the same. I am buying it new, 20 year old, with everything broken is 500 less. not even remotely worth the time. I never thought i would go to dealers, now it seems that's the only people I am looking to buy from.
 
   / Has haggling died? #65  
I don't really haggle. When I'm buying something, like when I got my tractor I told the dealer to give me a price and it was in my budget and also what I expected to here. I'm not going to haggle over $500 when I'm spending this kind of money. When I need something, I need it and I plan a budget that will cover the cost.

I sorta haggled when I bought my last car. I went to truecar, I found a dealer I could get to that had the car I wanted for the price I wanted to pay. I printed it out. I drove to the dealer and asked him about the car. He said, "Let's see what we can find for you." I showed him the print out and told him that he either had that car for that price or I was out the door. I went home that day with that car at that price. I don't really call that haggling.

When I'm selling something, well... When I buy something I don't intend on selling it. When I'm done using something it is generally used up. I drive cars until the only thing I can do with them is two them to the junk yard. But on occasion I have sold things because I either thought they might still have some life in them that someone else could use or and probably, I didn't want to find a way to get it to the dump. For example, last year I sold the snow blower off my old tractor. It was well cared for and someone could get several more years out of it. I put a price on it and someone came to look at it and they offered me significantly less than I was asking. I just said yes, take it away. Why, because I just wanted it gone so I didn't need to deal with it. Frankly, I would have given it to him for free if he asked just to get it off my property. Getting a few bucks out of it was a bonus.
 
   / Has haggling died? #66  
I don't know that haggling is dead or gone.
I just traded for a newer used pickup,
it took almost an hour to agree on the prices for my trade in and the newer one,
We ended over $3000 closer to what I wanted to pay and what they initially asked for.
 
   / Has haggling died? #67  
I say it depends on the circumstances. Cash discounts or x.x% financing is generally known in advance. Do the math. At 0% or 0.9% an auto or tractor dealer isn’t making money on financing. I ask for their best price, try to haggle a little, then ask the cash price. Shopping the monthly payment is asking to get burned. Price, financing, insurance and any trade-in are separate items, don’t let the salesperson mix them.
Another option, if you have the cash, is to do the financing at any percentage to get the best rebate, then pay the loan off the day after you drive off the lot. Sure, they may get you for a few days' interest, but even at an outrageous 8%, a full weeks' worth of interest is only about $75 on 50,000. You could sometimes get a rebate of a couple thousand for taking the financing. And I haven't seen a pre-payment penalty once in my lifetime (granted, I'm only 57).
 
   / Has haggling died? #68  
in the past couple years, im noticing a trend with used stuff, where the seller refuses to budge even a dollar, I bought a van over 21k used, that the sales guy even said they couldn't move for 2 years, yet only after showing up and walking out door, got 200 dollars off.

I am now actively trying to buy a tractor. this is now the 3rd tractor where the seller, doesn't even counter, its simply a NO. 14,250 on a 15k tractor was my offer.

I don't know if this is a new thing, but i have always in the past at least saw some attempt at haggling. Am i a relic?

Here is my six-year-old rant about the lack of professionalism in the business I wrote after trying and trying to buy a tractor.

That said, is haggling dead? I don't do business with people who cannot compromise. Last fall I bought a used 4-in-1 bucket for $775 that was advertised for $2500 over the phone because I pointed out the very limited applications it could pin onto and that I only had that day to drive down and get it. On the other hand, I've been business to business outside sales forever and am currently a real estate broker here in Minnesota and so everything I do involves haggling both for higher and lower prices--which for me, is fun!

 
   / Has haggling died? #69  
I don't remember all the exact numbers, but.

Last year we decided that it was time to "trade in" our 15 year old box truck. We had had several multi-thousand dollar repair bills over the previous 2-3 years.

After a lot of searching and researching we found what seemed to be what we were looking for. Or, at least, 98% of the way there. It was brand new, but 2 years old, and in WI - 1200 miles away. But it was somewhere in the vicinity of $15k less than ordering a brand new one. The new one had an upgraded engine, but was not available for 2-4 months.

So I ended up sending my son out there to ostensibly buy it, after personally examining and test driving it. He did parts A & B and then video-called me as he showed me around the various parts and pieces of the truck. I told him he was authorized to pay asking price, but first to make a counter, since there were several places where there was some surface rust on unprotected areas (you think? after 2 years in WI?). He tried, but they said no. Fine. Even with airfare out, fuel, meals and hotels back, it saved us well over $10,000. So I didn't really care. Then again, even just $500 in my pocket is way better than $500 in theirs. So I always try.
 
 
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