My theory on Low Ballers

[CinderSchnauzer]

If I think somebody is asking way too much I state "What's the least you will take?

My response to that is "Sorry I don't negotiate with myself - make me an offer and we can go from there."

Why should I lead with my rock bottom price before the potential buyer has even made an offer?

 

[Taylortractornut]

I was at the farmers market earlier today and Leon the man that has a stand under the bridge came by to buy some squash for his stand. I have a sign up 75 cents a pound and he offers 35. I look at him in front of the other venders and tell him I feed em to the friggin chickens before he gets them at that. About that time a lady wit h a cafe came and bought four 5 gallon buckets of them for her cafe at 75 cents. Leon chargers a 1.29 a pound for squash. It just agravates me that he likes to knit pick things.

I dont have time to haggle usually. I dont mind a reasonable offer but a to just shoot a ridiculously low offer just gets me hot.

 

[swick1]

My response to that is "Sorry I don't negotiate with myself - make me an offer and we can go from there."

Why should I lead with my rock bottom price before the potential buyer has even made an offer?

Lol, I always tell buyers to make me an offer too. Craigslist is the worst for that! That's why I stopped advertising my excavation business on it. All I got were people who wanted 1hr of work or folks that wanted me to show them how to do it for free.

 

[dstig1]

I have been on both sides of the equations, as has most everybody here. If I don't really want to sell it, I ask above market and if I don't really need it I make a low offer.
The best deals are when I meet someone half way between what they want and what I think it is worth.
However, I remember when I made a guy a great deal, delivered it and his side kick started picking it apart. It made me so mad that I told him that since his partner was insinuating that I was trying to F him that I would just keep it.
As I started to load, the money started flowing...

Bingo. Same here. When you know what an item is worth, and you know what it is worth to you - buying or selling - then you can deal with confidence and accept what comes of it.

But some people are clueless. The insane lowballers can really just tick you off. The other end is the "I'm selling gold here" types. I have tried to reason with a couple of guys who were overpriced in the past. They got PO'd because I was "lowballing" them, but the reality is I knew the range it should sell for, and it was a LOT less than they were asking. After a couple tries at that, I decided it wasn't worth the hassle as it will only cause strife and waste my time. I watched those items sit on CL for months, and eventually the price got dropped down to near what I was offering. Since then I just watch those sort of overpriced items sit forever and just shake my head...

 

[RollingsFarms]

If you REALLY want to get your feelings hurt about your stuff and what it's worth go sell it to a pawn shop. That item you thought was worth $800 and they offered you $200 and not a penny more, is now being sold for $1000. When you owned it, it was the biggest piece of crap and they were doing you a favor. However when the pawn shop sells it it's a one of a kind rare antique and he would be out of business and living on the street with his starving family if he sold it to you for $1 less then $1000. What he didn't tell you is he ripped off someone for $200 and if he sold it for $300 he'd make money but he's going for the homerun.

 

[MikeA57]

Since we're on the subject, can someone help me with something? I hope this is not taken as hijacking the OPs thread, I'm looking at it as it's just a continuation of the conversation.

Several years ago I bought my youngest son one of those cheap Chinese ATVs for kids for Christmas. I really wanted to get him a Honda or a Yamaha but the money just wasn't there at the time. What this one cost though, I could handle.

Now several years later, I'd like to sell the thing but it's been so abused I'd feel bad asking what it should be worth. It still runs but it's very tempermental. The body is cracked on it because his older brother and his freinds would double up and ride on it. The pushbutton ignition quit working a year after we got it so you have to start it with the wireless remote that came with it. I paid $650 for it, but I'd feel like a thief for taking $200 for it in the condition it's in. And I definitely don't want to sell it to someone I know because I'd always feel like they felt like I had ripped them off.

I guess the question is, how do you put a value on an item that isn't in pristine or even good condition?

 

[RollingsFarms]

Since we're on the subject, can someone help me with something? I hope this is not taken as hijacking the OPs thread, I'm looking at it as it's just a continuation of the conversation.

Several years ago I bought my youngest son one of those cheap Chinese ATVs for kids for Christmas. I really wanted to get him a Honda or a Yamaha but the money just wasn't there at the time. What this one cost though, I could handle.

Now several years later, I'd like to sell the thing but it's been so abused I'd feel bad asking what it should be worth. It still runs but it's very tempermental. The body is cracked on it because his older brother and his freinds would double up and ride on it. The pushbutton ignition quit working a year after we got it so you have to start it with the wireless remote that came with it. I paid $650 for it, but I'd feel like a thief for taking $200 for it in the condition it's in. And I definitely don't want to sell it to someone I know because I'd always feel like they felt like I had ripped them off.

I guess the question is, how do you put a value on an item that isn't in pristine or even good condition?

Honestly you take the first monetary offer that comes your way when it comes to selling a Chinese atv. If you can get 200 for it I would take it in a heartbeat but most likely you're looking at around 150 and begging them to take it from you.

 

[LMan1967]

Honestly you take the first monetary offer that comes your way when it comes to selling a Chinese atv. If you can get 200 for it I would take it in a heartbeat but most likely you're looking at around 150 and begging them to take it from you.

Agreed - if you got several years of use out of a Chinese ATV, call it good and move on..you were playing with house money after a year... :thumbsup:

 

[JoeBuyer]

I have bought 10s and 10s of thousands of dollars worth of equipment off of craigslist or classified adds and only one time did I offer less than what the seller was asking. In that case the seller told me the engine ran and it obviously hadn't in years and he could not get it to start. I never engage if the seller is asking a price I won't honor, it is that simple. I prefer to shop and shop and look for a bargain than insult someone.

The standard protocol is for the seller to offer the sale to the first buyer and pass on other buyers (or ask them to wait). If the initial buyer indicates they will buy and the seller waits for any significant amount of time (could be days), and then the buyer offers 50%, it is not right. The seller could have sold the item to other prospective buyers. I know I have been called up by sellers after they told me they had a buyer and they got low balled. Unfortunately for both of us, I had found what I wanted elsewhere. I can understand if there are conditions not equal to the description, but if not, the low ballers are wasting the seller's time and potential sale.

I did have a seller raise the price on me the other day (a first). I was the one that walked from that deal. He was wasting my time.

 

[Cat_Driver]

It doesn't cost the buyer anthing to offer a lower price. Sometimes you can get it, and if not, you're not out anything. If it was something I really wanted, I might make an offer close to the asking price if it was a deal, but if it was something that there where plenty to chose from, then I'm going to try and get it for as little as possible. Nothing personal, but the less I spend, the more I have for something else.

Eddie

Eddie, I think it does cost the buyer something to low ball. A lower price is normal - I understand, but when low balling what it costs the buyer is the rapport with the seller. The rapport is also a commodity in my opinion. Once the low ballers insults the seller then that rapport is broken, and the seller then ( at least in this transaction with this guy ) froze negotiation.

The buyer spent his collateral with me. So it cost this particular buyer everything. Right off the bat it cost him a few hundred dollars that normally I would have lowered to, but refused to.