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Post by johneppstein on Apr 12, 2020 16:46:39 GMT -6
Reverb and eBay show you used sale prices, so if you pick a price in that range it is fair market value. For me , a buyer is supposed to consider your post and make you an offer, asking me my lowest price basically takes haggling out of the process. The guy this morning actually made an offer $500 below my asking price, then emailed me asking me to cancel his offer as he had made a mistake. I said sure and did. Few minutes later he come back with the what is my lowest price. I told him I don’t play that game and for him to make his best offer: silence. Got no time for that and am not in a desperate have to sell situation. Don't play "the game" much, do you? <raises right eyebrow quizzically with slight lopsided grin>
Or watch "Pawn Stars" much?
If I ask you for your lowest price most of the time I'm going to assume that it's not really your lowest price, it's your opening haggle price. To which the correct response for me is to raise my offer a bit, expecting you to lower your asking a bit more. If you actually give me a "lowest price" right off that falls within my "acceptable" range I'll generally take it, but that doesn't happen that often - it usually takes at least two or three rounds. And if you get bent out of shape at my offer(s) I'll assume you're a twit and probably not pursue it because obviously you don't need my money.
In most cases what I'll expect to pay is midway between your asking and my low offer. Most, but not all; each one's different.
So you "don't play that game" but you expect him to?
Really?
It's supposed to be an equal negotiation between two parties. Maybe you can deal like that in the "collector's" market. But normally it's supposed to be a give and take and you meet in the middle, assuming that the initial asking price isn't utterly delusional.
Ebay is fuill of items priced at absurd prices by people waiting for a sucker. I've watched some of those items sit for years.
Sometimes. Sometimes the selling price you see is an outlier. Sometimes there's a fad for something that temporarily elevates its selling price beyond what it's really worth. Beanie Babies, anyone?
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Post by kcatthedog on Apr 12, 2020 17:32:15 GMT -6
I already listed a fair price based on recent historical sales and if someone can’t be bothered to do any research , know that and make me a fair offer and instead just asks for my lowest price, I have no time for that approach.
Cultural differences perhaps, but I am not in a distress situation and don’t have to sell.
Other than that, happy Easter, Passover etc.,be safe and healthy: there are much more important things than gear sales:)
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Post by m03 on Apr 12, 2020 18:08:28 GMT -6
2-3% is reasonable, I laugh when peeps are offering you like 60% of your fair market value ask! The problem there is when people see someone else listing something like (mentioned in another thread) a Gates Dynamote for $14,000 and think that that's the fair market value for their listing. Inevitably leading to a glut of listings that hang around for months or years because everyone thinks their ratty unserviced hulk is a rare treasure, and how dare you offer less. This also suffers when a handful of people have engaged in bidding war over some then-current listings. Once those people have been satiated and move on, asking prices end up staying too high and take years for sellers to come to terms that the potential market at that price had long since been exhausted. Reverb and eBay show you used sale prices, so if you pick a price in that range it is fair market value. This is somewhat incorrect. Reverb often only shows the original list price on sold items, and doesn't necessarily display that the seller may have discounted the item significantly in order to move it. It also doesn't account for local sales which actually occurred at a lower price via in-person cash transaction. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Apr 12, 2020 18:40:58 GMT -6
Fair comment but at least you see price variation . I also know what I can get for it trading it in, so obviously that is a basement price as they are building in room for their margin so you know your item in direct used sale is worth a fair bit more than a trade in price? I find another challenge is non North American sales, it people discounting their offering in effect trying to get you to sort of pay for their shipping. Then comes the request to fudge the value on the shipping docs blah blah blah . I sometimes wonder if they don’t immediately flip it in their home country as if they successfully talk you down enuff they are actually getting the unit into their country at a relatively cheap price compared to retail. I’ve sold a lot of stuff, over the years:, guess I am just getting jaundiced, make me a good offer or stop wasting my time !  |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Apr 13, 2020 8:23:31 GMT -6
Fair comment but at least you see price variation . I also know what I can get for it trading it in, so obviously that is a basement price as they are building in room for their margin so you know your item in direct used sale is worth a fair bit more than a trade in price? I find another challenge is non North American sales, it people discounting their offering in effect trying to get you to sort of pay for their shipping. Then comes the request to fudge the value on the shipping docs blah blah blah . I sometimes wonder if they don’t immediately flip it in their home country as if they successfully talk you down enuff they are actually getting the unit into their country at a relatively cheap price compared to retail. I’ve sold a lot of stuff, over the years:, guess I am just getting jaundiced, make me a good offer or stop wasting my time ! Why not just list without the offer button if you don't want to deal with offers? That will save you some headache. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Apr 13, 2020 8:53:47 GMT -6
Well, I am ok with fair negotiations, does that imply I would only accept my stated selling price ?
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Post by jcoutu1 on Apr 13, 2020 9:29:22 GMT -6
Well, I am ok with fair negotiations, does that imply I would only accept my stated selling price ? Yes, that's what it would mean. Would you rather someone flat out ask your lowest price or offer way below market value. Which would be less offensive to you? I've definitely made lower than market offers, expecting the seller to make a moderate counter offer and had them just accept. |
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Post by bowie on Apr 13, 2020 20:57:01 GMT -6
It's becoming more common because it's built into the system now, with both ebay and reverb including "best offer" in your listing unless you specifically un-check that option. In a classified setting, haggling is pretty standard. It's more or less expected that you will inflate your asking price slightly to allow room for you to compromise with the buyer. That's the way it's worked for the 20+ years I've been using classifieds on the internet. For instance, if I want $1,800 for a used mic, I will list it at $2,000. When people don't give an offer but just ask for a "best price", they're psychologically playing passive and putting you in the driver's seat so take that as them being a weak bargainer, not as in insult or time waster.
Not haggling is perfectly fine and in that case it's expected that you put "Firm" next to your price if you're not open to offers. Some people will ignore it, which is annoying and don't feel obligated to respond to people who disregard your "firm" price.
Now, none of that applies to non-classified sellers though. If you're operating a business (be it studio, builder, luthier, parts, etc) and people approach you with the classified mentality, there's no cultural obligation for you to haggle with them. I sometimes get silly offers and I just politely decline.
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Post by johneppstein on Apr 13, 2020 23:59:33 GMT -6
It's becoming more common because it's built into the system now, with both ebay and reverb including "best offer" in your listing unless you specifically un-check that option. In a classified setting, haggling is pretty standard. It's more or less expected that you will inflate your asking price slightly to allow room for you to compromise with the buyer. That's the way it's worked for the 20+ years I've been using classifieds on the internet. For instance, if I want $1,800 for a used mic, I will list it at $2,000. When people don't give an offer but just ask for a "best price", they're psychologically playing passive and putting you in the driver's seat so take that as them being a weak bargainer, not as in insult or time waster. Not haggling is perfectly fine and in that case it's expected that you put "Firm" next to your price if you're not open to offers. Some people will ignore it, which is annoying and don't feel obligated to respond to people who disregard your "firm" price. Now, none of that applies to non-classified sellers though. If you're operating a business (be it studio, builder, luthier, parts, etc) and people approach you with the classified mentality, there's no cultural obligation for you to haggle with them. I sometimes get silly offers and I just politely decline. In my case if I open by asking for a "best price" I'm more often than not taking the measure of the other person. Also , if the guy wants my first offer I might not want him to accuse me of trying to lowball him when what I'm TRYING to do is start a serious negotiation. If I ask for a "best price" and the other guy offers 2% or 3% off that's a signal that he's really not interested in negotiating. If he knocks off 10% - which is what most professional sellers and stores would do on most items, then we have a dialog going. I may not accept the 10% - after all, that's what stores usually give Joe Schmoe who walks in off the street.
If the price somebody is asking is what I consider to be a really good deal right off the bat I'll usually just give him the money and to hell with the game.
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Post by the other mark williams on Apr 14, 2020 10:32:46 GMT -6
I don’t have any problem at all if somebody asks me what my lowest price would be. I just tell them. I might still consider a couple bucks off that if they offer even lower. No big deal, as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t really like negotiating. It’s the absolute worst part of buying a car.
Having said that, if I list on Reverb and put “Make Offer,” it’s because I’m willing to go lower than the price I listed.
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Post by Tbone81 on Apr 14, 2020 11:32:19 GMT -6
Its interesting to me the various opinions people have expressed on this thread. Its a little eye opening that there's such a variety. I guess I never gave it much thought, that others would see this so different than me. For example, haggling of the price of a car is the best (to me).
I certainly have a line that I don't like when crossed. As I mentioned before, certain people really do throw out ridiculous offers. But when some one asks "whats your lowest price", I don't mind at all. If its not a big item, I may discount it right off the bat for them, a reasonable amount. But if its a serious sale I just throw it back at them and say, "IDK, whats your best offer?". It starts a dialogue that I'm willing to have and when negotiating its usually best if the other guy comes up with a number first. You never know when someone else's number is going to be better than yours...
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Post by jeremygillespie on Apr 14, 2020 21:17:39 GMT -6
Never never never give your number first.
Never!
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ericn
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Posts: 16,086 
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Post by ericn on Apr 15, 2020 12:47:34 GMT -6
Fair comment but at least you see price variation . I also know what I can get for it trading it in, so obviously that is a basement price as they are building in room for their margin so you know your item in direct used sale is worth a fair bit more than a trade in price? I find another challenge is non North American sales, it people discounting their offering in effect trying to get you to sort of pay for their shipping. Then comes the request to fudge the value on the shipping docs blah blah blah . I sometimes wonder if they don’t immediately flip it in their home country as if they successfully talk you down enuff they are actually getting the unit into their country at a relatively cheap price compared to retail. I’ve sold a lot of stuff, over the years:, guess I am just getting jaundiced, make me a good offer or stop wasting my time ! If your willing to sell overseas simply state in the listing all documentation will state the invoiced price & to do otherwise is federal crime that you will not be party to. It’s just like over insuring something, there is a digital and paper trail, all your doing by using an amount other than what’s on the invoice is possibly screwing your self! |
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