Another selling rant...when a lowball is annoying...

[shoot-r]

Something I don't think has been mentioned.

Due to inflation on everything you buy, I think the sellers are going to see more and more negotiations and concessions having to be made to the buyer to make the sale for non-essential/luxury items like musical equipment.

True, some buyers just want to low-ball, some just love the bargaining challenge, some maybe totally scammers, but some may still want the item but the only way they can make it happen is to get it at the lowest price they can and still make the necessary investment when they go to the grocery store.

When you put a add on the open, public market, you expose yourself to everything and anything. Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no, have a set number for your bottom number buyer while realizing you may not make the sale at that number.

 

[buldog5151bass]

If you don't want to deal with the heat, don't go in the kitchen. He/she could just as easily have said you were asking too much, and were unreasonable in not taking their offer.

 

[Micha84]

I am in general not a great fan of this kind of "negotiation". I am offering something for a certain price because that is what it is worth to me. If you want to pay less you have to offer me something else in return or at least give me a valid reason why my pricing might be off.
People these days seem to feel entitled to pay less and get offended when an offer is rejected.

 

[Bag of Lazers]

I just got lowballed for a pedal. I listed a Geddy DI-2112 in excellent condition for $260, which is under Reverb's best price. I said "prices firm". Dude really did offer $100. Waiting on his response for possible comedic screenshots.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I sell bass stuff pretty routinely, both on TB and on Reverb. Selling a pretty expensive (for me) bass at the good price of $1,400. Guy lowballed me at $1,190. No problem, I was not offended, but I declined the offer. He offered again at $1,220. Ok, maybe we aren't too far apart. I countered at $1,300, saying it was as low as I can go. I still think I can get $1,400, but figured it was fine for the quick sale. Then he counters at $1,280. WTAF. I look at this as just trying to eke out every $ he can, and decline the offer. It really annoyed me. He could have just paid the $1,300 but had to try to suck every last $20 bill from the sale. I guess what I am saying is that I understand lowballs. I do it myself from time to time. But when you are so close to a deal, to try to get $20 off just seems like poor decorum to me. Ok, /rant. Hopefully someone buys the bass at a decent price so I don't rue declining him lol.

The buyer always set the selling price by agreeing to the asking price or walking away. If $20 is too much, it’t the buyers decision. It’s also the sellers right to turn down the offer, but the buyer is alway in the drivers seat. Econ 101.

 

[deepestend]

I think he was more into the chase than the actual purchase. If he "really" wanted the bass, the $20 wouldn't have been an issue. This is all very annoying, but you possibly dodged a bullet in not having to deal with him further.

 

[Gunga Din]

Counter with $1299 if you want to be as annoying to him

I did that on ebay, years ago. Guy wasn't happy about me not accepting his offers and he DMd me over it. I then retracted my counter-offer to him. I then put him on my block list.

 

[turf3]

I am in general not a great fan of this kind of "negotiation". I am offering something for a certain price because that is what it is worth to me. If you want to pay less you have to offer me something else in return or at least give me a valid reason why my pricing might be off.
People these days seem to feel entitled to pay less and get offended when an offer is rejected.

What do you mean "people these days"?

Dickering over price on a person-to-person sale goes back thousands and thousands of years.

What's "these days" is the new sense amongst people selling stuff taht the asking price is the one and only price and that making offers is somehow "insulting". Frankly, I never saw this in my life till I went up North to the land of no-customer-service which appears to have spread to private sellers as well. But I guess that in this world where every cultural phenomenon is spread at light speed by social media, it's now infected the whole country. I can't speak to other nations.

 

[djmay]

I've got a buddy who automatically counters lowballs with higher than original prices. Cracks me up. He has a blast trying to irritate lowballers... his first response would've been $1,425! Next one, $1475, then $1600!!! LOL!!

I say that in jest for frivolous items, this is a different situation if someone actually needs funds for living.

I do similar in any kind of negotiation, especially if I do not trust the other party.

 

[OneNut]

So the initial offer of $1190 was 85% of the ask price - not too bad of an offer and not what I would consider a lowball.

What I tend to do when selling stuff it plan for the offer - I add 15% to my ask price so I can go down to what I truly want to get.

I've got a buddy who automatically counters lowballs with higher than original prices. Cracks me up. He has a blast trying to irritate lowballers... his first response would've been $1,425! Next one, $1475, then $1600!!! LOL!!

I say that in jest for frivolous items, this is a different situation if someone actually needs funds for living.

I do something similar to true lowballers - if you lowball me (say offer 50% of my published ask), I take the difference and add it as a counter-offer. So if my ask were $1400, and you offer me $900, my counter-offer is $1900 ($1400-$900 = $500 plus $1400 = $1900). Tend to shut them up quite quickly.

 

[Jason Sypher]

I sell bass stuff pretty routinely, both on TB and on Reverb. Selling a pretty expensive (for me) bass at the good price of $1,400. Guy lowballed me at $1,190. No problem, I was not offended, but I declined the offer. He offered again at $1,220. Ok, maybe we aren't too far apart. I countered at $1,300, saying it was as low as I can go. I still think I can get $1,400, but figured it was fine for the quick sale. Then he counters at $1,280. WTAF. I look at this as just trying to eke out every $ he can, and decline the offer. It really annoyed me. He could have just paid the $1,300 but had to try to suck every last $20 bill from the sale. I guess what I am saying is that I understand lowballs. I do it myself from time to time. But when you are so close to a deal, to try to get $20 off just seems like poor decorum to me. Ok, /rant. Hopefully someone buys the bass at a decent price so I don't rue declining him lol.

I just don’t respond if things get petty. Easy.

 

[Brian Patterson]

Yes, our used gear is only worth what it will sell for - the more desirable, the better the potential price.

Buy quality to sell quality. People respect available quality for less than retail. Commodty merchandise is a loss anyway you look at it.

State your terms clearly and factor in an acceptable discount. Be ready to stop the negotiation when the sale value is reached. Most people will pay it - the lowballers are scum. Don't give tem the satisfaction...

 

[ghiggin1079]

There was a point in reverb history when you could set a % and it'll auto decline it for you, but the offer-er could still send a lowball under the percentage. Well I was selling some mooer pedal that dont remember and I saw that I had an offer went to respond and there were at least 15 from one individual that started at 50% off and went up 50cent till I saw the one that got thru.

 

[WG Plum]

I just reject any offer I wouldn't consider, I don't bother with counter offers. I tend to underprice what I sell, however, so it's not often that I get lowballed anyway. Unless something is exceedingly rare I very, very, rarely price anything above what I paid for it initially. This isn't a profit-generating thing for me.

 

[pbassnut]

I sell bass stuff pretty routinely, both on TB and on Reverb. Selling a pretty expensive (for me) bass at the good price of $1,400. Guy lowballed me at $1,190. No problem, I was not offended, but I declined the offer. He offered again at $1,220. Ok, maybe we aren't too far apart. I countered at $1,300, saying it was as low as I can go. I still think I can get $1,400, but figured it was fine for the quick sale. Then he counters at $1,280. WTAF. I look at this as just trying to eek out every $ he can, and decline the offer. It really annoyed me. He could have just paid the $1,300 but had to try to suck every last $20 bill from the sale. I guess what I am saying is that I understand lowballs. I do it myself from time to time. But when you are so close to a deal, to try to get $20 off just seems like poor decorum to me. Ok, /rant. Hopefully someone buys the bass at a decent price so I don't rue declining him lol.

Yeah, some people can get awfully silly/tacky with nickel and diming you in price negotiations. One time a buddy of mine asked me if I could help him out with a garage sale he was having. He had a lot of his merchandise marked at almost giveaway prices and yet people would still try to bargain him down. He told me a negotiating tactic that he employs when a buyer starts getting disrespectful with him during a price negotiation. At the point that the buyer has crossed the line and he knows that he's not going to do bizniz with them, he'll raise the price on each iteration of the negotiations until the buyer realizes that the sale is not going to happen and that's the end of that.

 

[jim777]

Odd story, once I bid $40 on a hockey jersey on eBay, where the jersey's BIN was something like 125. The guy complained it was a special jersey, and I responded it was obviously a Chinese knockoff because the colors were off. So he told me to go **** myself, then the next day accepted my offer! I still have it! (2011 Habs Heritage Classic Gionta C jersey)

 

[lermgalieu]

If you don't want to deal with the heat, don't go in the kitchen. He/she could just as easily have said you were asking too much, and were unreasonable in not taking their offer.

I did deal with the heat. Not sure of your point here. I didn't want to sell to this guy and didn't.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

It's honestly a two way street. Had my grief with lowballers too, but I also see used gear going for way more than it should... And far more frequently than it should.

Though I do agree that penny pinchers are annoying. Anyone trying to haggle <$50 just isn't serious, I wouldn't even bother replying.

When I see used gear priced way more than it should be, I won't even bother making an offer. It it's within a reasonable range, that's when I might starting a negotiation as a buyer.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I did deal with the heat. Not sure of your point here. I didn't want to sell to this guy and didn't.

My point is isn't (to me) an issue. For some people, it's not worth getting unless they "win the negotiation ", no matter how good the price. When I buy or sell, I don't take any communication personally. I follow each thred to its conclusion, regardless lf where it ends. I've closed deals on the first communication, I've lost deals on the fifth.

 

[friskinator]

I recently sold a Fender CS Pino on Reverb. Got what I was asking for it, but before that, I got several offers that were $1000-1500 below my asking price. I replied to one of them and said “you know what these typically sell for on the used market, right?” They said “yes.” Did they really think they were going to buy the bass for $1500 under the typical used selling price?