My New Zero Tolerance Craigslist Attitude.

[Mister Boh]

That's funny because I never have a problem selling things quickly for a fair price. The people who buy from me know they're getting a good deal. They might still ask, but they don't walk away when they know there's nothing better out there.

Well if it works it works. At least you don't throw a fit if people lowball.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

And here is likely the crux of it. I'm an introvert by nature, so 'getting out and meeting people, and engaging' is really not my thing.

I get it. I used to be that way until I realized that unless I made some deep changes inside, I would forever be the mark that got thrown over the wall, taken to the cleaners, etc.

I recall an ad for a business seminar in one of those in-flight magazines. The pic was of a snooty looking businessman with his nose in the air. Dr. Karris PhD, with the headline of “In life, you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate”. So I made my first haggle. I turned down that offer for his $xxx seminar, and began my own journey to engage in ‘The Haggle’ wherever it made sense.

However, I am not a cheapskate. I tip my barista, server, bartender, all handsomely.

 

[LBS-bass]

Well if it works it works. At least you don't throw a fit if people lowball.

Nope, I would never do that. I just make it clear in the ad that my price is firm and I've researched the value. And if people ask, I reiterate that in greater detail so they know I'm not trying to mess with them. It usually works out and everyone walks away with their dignity intact.

 

[LBS-bass]

FYI, you can’t not haggle when it comes to buying a car or a house.

Carmax does a pretty good amount of business with their no-haggle policy.

 

[DirtDog]

I'm just shy of 60 years old. I've always been a bit of a gypsy buying, selling or trading a wide variety of things ranging from ridiculously expensive audio gear to classic British auto parts to musical instruments. I see threads like this everywhere with people complaining about buyers on CL or sellers on eBay or everyone on Facebook. We have more ways than ever to connect with potential buyers or sellers and yet it seems now, more than ever, we have this angry zero sum interactions over what many would consider to be a part of normal negotiations.

How did so much of what we do as people devolve into this zero sum thinking? Is it really surprising that the art of negotiation, on just about all levels ranging from dating to politics, seems to be dying? I used to love making deals but now it seems like the level of intransigence is overwhelming, relegating the act of selling into a horrible chore. People need to lighten up and realize that the notion 'a deal isn't a deal unless I stole the thing,' is not really healthy, on many levels.

A transaction such as this is the exact definition of a zero sum game. But I'll agree that the game does not need to be angry.

 

[bassplayer9512]

Last week, a guy drove up from about an hour + away to check out my bass. I had it listed for $650.00 which I could have gotten all day. But I made a mistake and was thinking of another bass and told the guy six hundred instead of $650 and even though I made a mistake, that I would still honor $600 because I said it, even mistakenly.

On the drive up the guy texted me this:

Buyer: "Would you consider $550? Haha thinking about turning around this traffic is horrible."

Me: Turn around then. You responded at full price, and then because of my mistake which I honored, you would have gotten $50 off the price, which you agreed to and now you're trying to squeeze me for more?

Buyer: Forget I said anything, I'm almost there. I'll give you $600.

Me: No thanks. I don't want to sell it to you anymore.

Buyer: Mother******.

Me: Go **** yourself.

Feels DAMN GOOD.

If you're going to play the game, be prepared to also lose.

Sounds like you were just mad you made a mistake on price and took it out on the guy. Kind of a dick move and I know I would make it a point to tell people never to deal with you because you have zero people skills. It's craigslist you know what you are getting into when you post it. It's this type of crap that ruin the experience all around.

Maybe I have a way bigger tolerance for it because I worked retail through high school and college but this is just bad salesmanship that was triggered by a mistake on your end.

 

[darwin-bass]

No violation of word at all when the buyer counter offered he rejected to agreed upon price.

The buyer made a poorly-timed price reduction inquiry with the words "would you consider". That is not outright rejecting the agreed upon price, though it does give any seller a bit of a pause. When that inquiry was (rudely) rejected buyer issued a soft apology and immediately confirmed the original price. Taken as a whole, buyer did not reject anything.

OP out-right cancelled the deal. Originally said he'd sell it to the buyer for $600, now says he won't sell it to the buyer for $600.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Carmax does a pretty good amount of business with their no-haggle policy.

Do they ever try to talk you into adding things like extended warranties, rustproofing, scothguarding the seats, enhanced exterior wax, window tinting? What about a roadside protection plan? How about we finance that purchase right here?

 

[LBS-bass]

Do they ever try to talk you into adding things like extended warranties, rustproofing, scothguarding the seats, enhanced exterior wax, window tinting? How about a roadside protection plan?

Don't know, I've never bought a car from them. I've sold cars to them, though. They're pretty straightforward about what they offer and why, and they don't complain about every little scratch and ding and try to lowball based on those things.

 

[BadSanta1281]

Yeah, why give up the opportunity to look like a desperate cheapskate?

A friend was at the swap meet looking at a wrench that the seller was asking $5 for. He offered him 25 cents. Came back two or three times, wrench was still there now asking $4. Offered him 25 cents. Fourth time around guy says okay ONE dollar. Offered him 25 cents. Seller laughed and just gave it to him for free.

Nobody got their knickers in a twist. People gotta have more fun in life.

 

[ZAR14]

You're lucky he didnt drive to your house and give you a punch in the face....
NOW that would feel Damn Good

 

[Ellery]

Last week, a guy drove up from about an hour + away to check out my bass. I had it listed for $650.00 which I could have gotten all day. But I made a mistake and was thinking of another bass and told the guy six hundred instead of $650 and even though I made a mistake, that I would still honor $600 because I said it, even mistakenly.

On the drive up the guy texted me this:

Buyer: "Would you consider $550? Haha thinking about turning around this traffic is horrible."

Me: Turn around then. You responded at full price, and then because of my mistake which I honored, you would have gotten $50 off the price, which you agreed to and now you're trying to squeeze me for more?

Buyer: Forget I said anything, I'm almost there. I'll give you $600.

Me: No thanks. I don't want to sell it to you anymore.

Buyer: Mother******.

Me: Go **** yourself.

Feels DAMN GOOD.

If you're going to play the game, be prepared to also lose.

You know what man, if you want to sell to the public you need to deal with people. That takes some effort. Eager buyers humbly crawling to you and handing you what you want as you want it is an unreasonable expectation. If your ego is that delicate you should not be selling through Craigslist.

 

[Slevage]

Legally, once someone makes a counter-offer, they are rejecting the initial offer. OP was in his rights to walk away. Being called a name, he had the right to respond in kind. Not everyone would have reacted that way, but it was OP who was called the name and it was his call how to respond.

Legally?
We’re talking CL, not New York realestate.

 

[LBS-bass]

A friend was at the swap meet looking at a wrench that the seller was asking $5 for. He offered him 25 cents. Came back two or three times, wrench was still there now asking $4. Offered him 25 cents. Fourth time around guy says okay ONE dollar. Offered him 25 cents. Seller laughed and just gave it to him for free.

Nobody got their knickers in a twist. People gotta have more fun in life.

I was once at a flea market and there was a table there with a big sign that said "everything here, 10 cents." Someone browsing picked up an item and said to the person, "would you take a nickel for this?" I exploded in laughter. Some people just can't help themselves .

 

[TheDayMan]

The buyer lied about traffic and threw out a new price. Once he did that, he backed out of the agreed upon deal and he lost. He played the game and then wanted to unplay the game when he was told “no”. I see nothing wrong.

This!

No one seems to be noticing the passive “I’ll turn around if you don’t sweeten the deal” dude snuck in there. That would have poked me the same as someone showing up and saying “well, I only brought this much, that cool?” I don’t have a problem with OP’s response.

 

[birminghambass]

My last local purchase the guy made it crystal clear he would not take 1 penny less than $500 for his pre-Gibson Tobias. I politely agreed to pay the full amount and everyone was happy. I suppose I could have told him to eff off...

 

[kentiki]

Craigslist is the place where you offer a $100 bill for $80 and you receive 20 offers asking if you'll take $20.

 

[InhumanResource]

This!

No one seems to be noticing the passive “I’ll turn around if you don’t sweeten the deal” dude snuck in there. That would have poked me the same as someone showing up and saying “well, I only brought this much, that cool?” I don’t have a problem with OP’s response.

I noticed it and filed it under "still not a reason to be a dick"

 

[Coolhandjjl]

...Imagine you own a business and interview 10 people for a position... you decide on one and he accepts for $20/hr.... then, 2 weeks later, after the hiring process and some training... he says that he wants $25/hr or he walks...

Was there a signed employment contract before day one of employment? Even if the business doesn’t operate that way, once he’s shown up and put in his time, that’s called contract by conduct. He’s accepted the $20/hr offer merely by showing up those days.

But let’s step it back a bit. Say that during the interviewing process, he stated the posted rate of $20/hr is acceptable. When he gets the bonafide offer for $20/hr, it’s fairly common at that time to counter offer for additional vacation time, an annual stipend if he passes on health coverage, things like that. There is always time to negotiate.

Perhaps it’s a terminology thing. Haggling does sound like a guy is being cheap, but negotiating sounds more sophistcated, more civil.

 

[bassdude51]

Scary thing is that I assume he knows your address.