Any type of selling, Craigslist or other, is always a bit stressful. Sometimes the price is so "reasonable" that no further haggling is necessary. Several years ago (before the days of Craigslist) I sold a one year old snowmobile that was in perfect condition with just over 400 miles. I listed it in the local newspaper with an accurate description of the sled and a price that was about $400 under book value.
A potential buyer called within about 2 hours of the posting in the newspaper stating he was very interested but would not be able to come out until the next day. He asked if I would hold it for him as he was working late. I told him I would but that I was firm on the price and that if he decided to purchase the sled I would need cash. He thanked me for agreeing to hold the sled and that cash payment would be fine.
He arrived the next day with a pickup and trailer and generally seemed like a pleasant man. His wife was with him and both test drove the sled extensively around my property. At the end of the test drive he said he would take the sled but for about $500 less than my price. I reminded him of the day's previous conversation about the price and that the sled had only been listed for a day and I was unwilling to move on the price given the condition.
The man became belligerent and insulting because I wouldn't accept his offer. He said he had never dealt with some one unwilling to "haggle" over the price. I told him that perhaps I should have started at the book price and then "haggled" to get to my asking price but that it seemed foolish to do that and why not just get to the selling price quickly. He huddled with the wife and came back with some cash but still wasn't prepared to meet my price.
I finally had to tell him that the process was becoming too painful for both him and me and that he might want to look for another sled. He said that his wife loved the sled and wanted it. I again stated my price. He reached back into his pocket and found the remaining money. But, his hostility intensified. He started the sled and started to drive it up his tilt snowmobile trailer only to overshoot front of the trailer and drive the skis into the end gate of his pickup. He began to call me every name he could think of, none too complimentary, as he pulled the sled back and tied it down on the trailer. His wife was shaking her head the entire time.
So, I learned a valuable lesson that day. As ridiculous as it may seem, one must always build in some wiggle room when selling. I would prefer to get to a price quickly and either it is a price I am willing to pay or it is not. But I now realize that I am alone with this concept.
I remember in the old days of buying a car or truck when you would spend the entire day at the dealership (in his little cubicle) as the salesman went back and forth with the sales manager "haggling" over the price. It was a torturous ****. The entire goal of the sales people was to make it as uncomfortable as possible so that we agree to their price just to get out of the place. I actually like to the process today much better where the dealerships list their selling price up front. There can still be a little "haggling" if a trade-in is involved but nothing like the old days.
But, since I am the only one who doesn't enjoy "haggling" I will continue the practice of building in some fake money into my asking price so that the buyer feels he got me. If that's what it takes to sell the item then so be it. The buyer gets the joy of "beating up the seller" and the seller moves the item. It's a win-win scenario.
