eBay/Craigslist wow- ****** out there

[joshuabardwell]

If you are selling do your research so you know what similar items are selling for, set your price there and stick to it. I had a Honda 50 for sale, 5 years old but with maybe 10 hours on it. I priced it at the high end of what I saw others selling for on CL. The first buyer looked at it and offered me 2/3 of what I was asking, cash. I told him I had priced the bike fairly, the price was firm and if he could find another at a better price he should buy it. He was back 2 days later and paid what I was asking.

I had a similar experience selling a Dodge Ram 1500. I had it listed at $4500, which I thought was a little high (room for haggling), and I had my absolute bottom price decided at $4000, which I thought was fair. The first person showed up, took a look at it, and offered me $3k. I rolled my eyes and said, thanks, but no thanks. He said, "Here's my card. Think of me as your ace in the hole. If you end up needing to come down give me a call." Now, I don't know if there is some weird interpretation of the phrase, "ace in the hole," but usually that means something good, not some terrible, low-ball offer that is 25% of what you would like to get paid. Anyway, I think he makes a habit of low-balling people and occasionally gets lucky. I bet if I had sold him the truck, it would have been re-listed for $4k the next day.

The second person ended up buying it for $4k. He seemed like a nice guy--a kid, and I think it was "his" first truck "all his own." He seemed to really want the truck so I said to him, "Look. I know you're going to try to talk me down, so I'll cut to the chase. $4k is my current bottom offer. I think it's a fair price, and if you don't like it, no hard feelings. I'm going to leave the truck listed at that price for a while, and if I don't sell it, I'll come down another few hundred, and you're welcome to take another stab at it." He tried to offer me $3800 and I said sorry, and he gave me $4000 and that was that.

I wanted to call up that first guy and laugh in his face, but I restrained myself.

I think that's the beauty of CL for sellers. You don't really have to haggle if you don't want to, as long as you can afford to wait. Just keep the item listed and drop the price a tad every week or two. Eventually, you'll hit the sweet spot and the phone will start ringing. It really lets you dial in the right price for your item. Oh, and if you list the item and get twenty calls in the first five minutes, it's priced too low!

 

[IndyIan]

I've dealt with both types, sometimes you can see it on their face, when they walk up on you...Sometimes it make me very uneasy, but I never make an outragious cut to a man's price. If it is way too high, i just shrug and wallk off....no need to insult a guy...

+1 I stopped to see a MF 216gtx lawn tractor on the side of the road. It was old and sort of beat up so but it had a front blower, so I was thinking ~$1000. The old fellow says he wants $2500 frim! Well, at that point I made my exit. I didn't want it at $1500 so nothing good was going to happen by offering him $800.

 

[Looking4new]

I really like the people that try to shove PayPal down my throat. The ad says cash and they try to get you to go with paypal. I had one guy email me 5 times trying to convince me to take his money via paypal. The final time I returned his email I told him that the ad clearly states cash and that means cash only, no checks or any other form of payment. I blocked his email addy after that. I have sat on this stuff for 10 years and I can sit on it for another 10 or I can call the scrapper to come and get it.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I'll play devils advocate here.

I negotiate for everything, I'm not afraid in any way to offer someone less than what they are asking. I did have a guy last month tell me I insulted him on an offer I made him for a used post hole digger, but that was the first time I ever got that attitude. For the most part it's just sorry can't sell it for that much or let me think about it, sometimes they call me back.

No reason for you to get upset, just tell him to check back in a week, after all the other interested parties have a chance to look at it. that will force him to crap or get off the pot. Make him aware he's competing with serious buyers.

I had a guy try low balling me on a super clean full size Chevy Blazer I had for sale. We were standing in the front yard and he was acting out his best poker play. Then another guy pulled in the driveway, I politely even encouragingly told the low baller that maybe if this other guy doesn't buy it we could talk. Before the other guy could get out of the car he reached in his pocket and pulled a wad of cash out, said he would pay the asking price. It was perfect timing

40someyrs ago I was looking for a motorcycle. Responded to an ad 1st thing in the morning, gave the guy my name and said Id be right over. When I got there about 45minutes later a guy was trying to give the seller more than the asking price. Seller said to me "Are you Larry?" Youve got 1st dibs. Class act. ... I bought the bike.
larry

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have bought a lot of stuff from Craiglist ads and never got bit. Most of them I bought from 6-7000 miles away via photos and emails. It seems I find my best deals when I am out of the country. Right now I have a deal on two Items that I havent seen other than photos. I am buying a new 12k GVW bumper pull trailer that only my daughter has seen when she put down a down payment that was required to order one per my specs. THe reason I needed a 12K trailer was to haul the new to me B26 TLB that I have a deal on with a fellow TBNer that I have not talked to on the phone but have emailed a bunch. Deal made, certified check setting in my safe at home awaiting my return to go pick it up. MissingTexas told me the whole story about how the dealer low balled him on the price and what he wants which is a good deal for him, good deal for me as it is about 7 grand less than even the cheapest advertised one but he doesnt use it much, is not in a hurry to sell it and agreed to hold it for me till I come in June to pick it up. We have a mutual trust that I dont know many sellers would go for, and am just glad that we found each other thanks to another TBNer who wanted it too but couldnt sell his B21. Now I agreed to wait for him to see if he could get his money and all three of us had gentlemans agreement. Andy wouldnt think of trying to make it into a bidding war, which really showed me what kind of honest guy he is and even agreed to get a dealer inspection and service done on it prior to me picking it up. Dealer to email me his findings prior to pick up also so I have a chance to review and make final decision. When this deal is closed, I have to say that it will have been the best transaction I believe I have ever had and I am really looking forward to meeting Andy in person. This is a win/win for both of us and we both know about the higher prices on the net, lower price offering from dealers and as the old song goes we both gained alot of ground but meet in the middle.

 

[EE_Bota]

i had a 1990 jeep grand wagoneer for sale on CL all rusted out. we called it the heap-O- jeep. i was asking $2000. caller lowballs me at $500. then gets pushy. caller has only seen pics on net. when they asked me again on price i responded " I am more than willing to take more" after a small laugh they low ball me again (some nerve) so i told them i would now need $3000. they stammered then hung up : )

If I wanted one, but didn't want one (any of them) $2000 worth, I might have done you the very same way...except I would not get pushy. I'd say..."I hope you get out of it what you are asking and more, but if you get impatient, or tired of the calls, my offer of $750 is good until I call you to retract it. So, think of that is the minimum you will get, and top that by as much as possible."

I make it clear what is about condition and what is about me, and my needs, and how much I value that need. Having a "digger" may only be worth $4000 to me, but a guy may have one for sale for $5000. I don't tell him his is only worth $4000. I tell him I want a digger only $4000 worth, and his looks like a good one, so keep me in mind as a last resort.

 

[EE_Bota]

I had a similar experience selling a Dodge Ram 1500. I had it listed at $4500, which I thought was a little high (room for haggling), and I had my absolute bottom price decided at $4000, which I thought was fair. The first person showed up, took a look at it, and offered me $3k. I rolled my eyes and said, thanks, but no thanks. He said, "Here's my card. Think of me as your ace in the hole. If you end up needing to come down give me a call." Now, I don't know if there is some weird interpretation of the phrase, "ace in the hole," but usually that means something good, not some terrible, low-ball offer that is 25% of what you would like to get paid. Anyway, I think he makes a habit of low-balling people and occasionally gets lucky. I bet if I had sold him the truck, it would have been re-listed for $4k the next day.

This sounds like what I do, but in fact is quite a bit different. He is throwing a net in the water. He sounds like a reseller to me. I see nothing wrong with that...I consider folks like that "market makers."

When I show up, I expect things to be as described and I expect to make the deal that day. I think of it less as going to buy it as actually going to get it. Obviously, I am assuming it will be found in the condition described.


The only evidence I have that what I do is fair and reasonable is so far: sellers have tried to best my offer for at least three weeks, and I have wound up with everything I placed an offer for, but one. The one, a month passed, so I retracted the offer. Three months after that, he called and offered it at the price I retracted, but I had already purchased new.

The above paragraph suggests I, in fact, overpay, but I don't care. I am not in business, and all I want is a deal that we can both live with.

 

[crashz]

I buy and sell very few things on CL, but I take the same stance I do on anything. I buy and sell at a price that I feel is worth to me.

What this means is that after I get my old 1 ton dump fixed up, its going up for sale at a price that I feel is unreasonable, but is actually worth to me. So while I bought it at $1800, and will have about $3000 in parts, I will sell at $6000.

I'm mentally preparing for the wild backlash from potential buyers: $6K for a 25 yr old former city plow truck? Are you crazy?

Well - yes, but thats beside the point. $6000 is my personal breaking point, where I feel its a good sum of money for the loss of a very useful vehicle. Below that price, I can find work for the truck that will earn that sum, or save my other vehicles by using that for rough tasks around our land. I'm in no need to sell, and its not currently registerd, so it does not cost me anything to keep it.

A realistic value of the truck would be $3500 or so. I would definately lose money at that price. A break-even price is about $5K, for just the price the truck and parts alone. Many hours of my labor not inlcuded. Nobody would buy it for that. And if I sold it at that price I would prove to myself that I could buy, fix and re-sell vehicles at an incredible loss. But a $1000 to account for profit and many hours of labor (that works out to be < $5.00/hr at this point and its not done yet) seems like a very small success.

When I get low-balled on the price I will politely explain my veiw. The next step is up to the buyer. If its acceptable, I'll sell. If they offer an amount above $5K, I may consider it (depending if I'm feeling generous that day or not) and go from there. Still below $5K, gets a waive and "Have a pleasant day!".

 

[foggy1111]

When selling my JD 790 I had discussed it on the phone with the buyer....and he came 100 miles to look at it with a truck and his trailer. THEN...he tried to negotiate (chizzel) the price.

I told him I wuddn't take a penny MORE than the price we had decided on over the phone. He knew he was had....and he paid my number. :thumbsup:

 

[garacuda]

I really like the people that try to shove PayPal down my throat. The ad says cash and they try to get you to go with paypal. I had one guy email me 5 times trying to convince me to take his money via paypal. The final time I returned his email I told him that the ad clearly states cash and that means cash only, no checks or any other form of payment. I blocked his email addy after that. I have sat on this stuff for 10 years and I can sit on it for another 10 or I can call the scrapper to come and get it.

That happened to me once before too. Guy was pushing for me to take a payment that way. I finally asked him what was his hang up with PayPal........found out he could put it on his credit card that way......didn't have the cash. By the way, PayPal charges you to get your money from them, so you should "raise" the price if you ever go that route.