Had a cello on Craigslist for $1500. Someone offered $750 with a long story about their budget. I have had those before. Another offered $1200 with snark about how I would not get my price. After one counter offer I ignored them. A month later someone paid full price, no questions asked.
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Lowballers
- Thread starter Minimalist
- Start date
I’ve pretty much given up on selling anything these days. Low ballers, tire kickers, no shows, sob stories, rude jerks… I thankfully dont need the money so it just not worth the frustration.
I had $500 on the Carvin, and it had all the bells and whistles (and OHSC)
....and I agree with you about upgrades: I personally buy used basses based on their average used value; "upgrades" mean nothing to me (because an upograde for one person can be a detriment to another) and I wont pay extra for those
Lol. That’s quite an example but I usually just reply with my “best” price and tell them to let me know if they change their mind. They’re just negotiating, don’t take it personally.
I had someone contact me on FaceBook Marketplace to tell me that I would never get the price I was asking. No offer, no interest in buying it, just being a Richard Cranium. I responded with something that would get me banned here. About 3 months later I sold it for full price.
I don’t low ball, but whenever I make an offer, I respectfully tell them how I arrived at the price. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I always respond to all offers, even the ridiculously low-ball offers. Who knows, they just might be trying to get a feel for the amount that you are willing to negotiate. Everybody wants a bargain. Heck, we even get threads here now and then about some remarkable scores. My standard reply to low-ballers is "Thanks for the offer, but that is it much lower than I am willing to go. Enjoy." If it is an offer reasonably close to my lowest acceptable price then I will include a counter offer. I have never experienced any argumentative, nor rationalized responses and most definitely have not had folks hurl profanities. But I do only sell locally and I'm certain that has a lot to do with the type of responses I receive.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Yup. There is a thread about someone who got an MB200 and an Ampeg 610 for $150 Canadian.
Had a 5 strings NTB Peavey for sale for 4 years on Kijiji and marketplace for 400$, was asking a fair price in my opinion, but was getting constantly low ball offers that I was simply not even replying to. Your financial situation is not my problem and I fortunately don't need that money. Took the ad down and up once in a while during these years until last summer; when it sold for 500$ this time (inflation you know). A guy came did not try to negotiate at all and poof it went for 100$ more than I was asking even couple months before.
Patience is key and silence is the best answer to stupid lowballing
Patience is key and silence is the best answer to stupid lowballing
I am one to try to make a “deal” with a lower than asking offer but that type of offer is ridiculously low and I would ignore.
I had a Squier fretless for sale and a kid about 13-14 years old low balled me. You could just tell that he was trolling and being a clown. I declined his ridiculously low offer, but offered to teach him how to play and told him that he could use my bass. I blew his mind and he said he would think about it. Obviously, he got caught and was embarrassed. So, moral of the story; I like my coffee, like I like my women...Big jugs.
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I look for comps prior to selling and price my items accordingly. Sometimes there are a lot and sometimes very few, but, based on what I find, I set my price to be fair to both me as the seller and to the buyer. Any low ball offers I get are clearly based on looking for a score so I simply don't respond.
If time proves that my price is too high, I'll lower it. But I still won't entertain obvious lowball offers.
If time proves that my price is too high, I'll lower it. But I still won't entertain obvious lowball offers.
I've always priced things at the low end of going prices, just to make it go quicker and easier. Usually a reasonable buyer will take it for my asking price and everybody is happy. Any offer well below my very fair price gets "No, I can't do that". It leaves the door open for a real offer if they are so inclined.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Read the thread - it was an "inside job".
I did. The point is, deals are out there. Who knows if the seller is desperate for money, doesn't really care and just wants to clear closet space, or what?
Oh, ansmd we also have plenty of threads with sellers complaining how they can't sell (and posters telling them they are asking too much).
I don’t. They are hoping you need money, and in some cases they are right.
My real problem with them is that they're just trying to shift where the "middle ground" is.
My favorite is when they make that offer the day the listing goes live. I can't tell you how many times someone came in with a lowball offer, only to have someone buy the item at full price an hour later.
I just Decline them without comment on Reverb, or ignore them on other forums.
I had one recently where I decided a person like that is not who I want to sell my bass to. (They don't deserve a bass that nice.) And I have been tempted to come back with higher than original asking price counteroffers.
But lately on the internet, I always ask myself, "What is the upside?" of any posting I make. Usually, there isn't any, so I decline to participate.
My favorite is when they make that offer the day the listing goes live. I can't tell you how many times someone came in with a lowball offer, only to have someone buy the item at full price an hour later.
I just Decline them without comment on Reverb, or ignore them on other forums.
I had one recently where I decided a person like that is not who I want to sell my bass to. (They don't deserve a bass that nice.) And I have been tempted to come back with higher than original asking price counteroffers.
But lately on the internet, I always ask myself, "What is the upside?" of any posting I make. Usually, there isn't any, so I decline to participate.
Don't waste more time by responding to people who are already wasting your time.
I think of it like grades in school.
90%+ is A. Usually Acceptable.
80%+ is B. Bargain price. Maybe if I like the person.
70%+ is C. Consider. or Counter-offer.
60%+ is D. Don't sell, but Do engage. Demand a better offer.
Less than 60% is F. F&#K off and stop wasting my time @-hole
I think of it like grades in school.
90%+ is A. Usually Acceptable.
80%+ is B. Bargain price. Maybe if I like the person.
70%+ is C. Consider. or Counter-offer.
60%+ is D. Don't sell, but Do engage. Demand a better offer.
Less than 60% is F. F&#K off and stop wasting my time @-hole
I have noticed that communications can really snowball the amount of work it takes to sell stuff - if you let it.
I actually got burned out, running my ETSY store precisely because I was too communicative. I used to send thank you notes for every order & get bogged down, composing articulate replies every time a customer would tug on my sleeve about something.
Getting back in the game with eBay now, I notice it's less personal and that's a good thing. Someone just returned an item, which is always lame. But at least the system handled all the back & forth so I wasn't out on too much extra time. (My fee dollars at work...)
I used to stress when someone won an auction & didn't pay right away. Now I literally don't waste one single minute, fussing or trying to contact them; I just relist or send an offer to a legit bidder, as soon as the system allows.
The same goes for hostile offers: the less energy spent, the better. Clicking: "reject" in eBay or Reverb would be a total courtesy on my part.
If you want to mention in your listings that lowball offers will be ignored, you can... or just have it go without saying.
I actually got burned out, running my ETSY store precisely because I was too communicative. I used to send thank you notes for every order & get bogged down, composing articulate replies every time a customer would tug on my sleeve about something.
Getting back in the game with eBay now, I notice it's less personal and that's a good thing. Someone just returned an item, which is always lame. But at least the system handled all the back & forth so I wasn't out on too much extra time. (My fee dollars at work...)
I used to stress when someone won an auction & didn't pay right away. Now I literally don't waste one single minute, fussing or trying to contact them; I just relist or send an offer to a legit bidder, as soon as the system allows.
The same goes for hostile offers: the less energy spent, the better. Clicking: "reject" in eBay or Reverb would be a total courtesy on my part.
If you want to mention in your listings that lowball offers will be ignored, you can... or just have it go without saying.
