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Make me an offer...

I put prices on my cl ads. Very often get people offering less than half my asking. I already price low, around 50% of ebay. I usually respond with a no thanks and will often not respond to further emails from them.
 
I rarely respond to those 'make an offer' ads. If I can tell that the person has no real idea of what they have, I may make a reasonable offer that is likely less than what I'd ask if I was selling it, but I don't typically insult them. If it's a seller who wants to do a Craigslist auction, I tend to pass on them. The last one was for a 'mint working SX-939' that had never been serviced and a pair of ADS L300e's. When I asked what he'd like to get for them, I was told to make an offer. I really don't like to make an offer without seeing the item or being convinced that it works, so I offered $100 as is without testing. He rejected it. Last time I looked at that ad months later, it had been reposted again with the same wording. He was in a rural area in the desert, so it's not like it's a sellers' market in his area. On the other hand, if somebody sees something of mine that they want that's not for sale, they can make an offer on it. The one who makes an offer first needs to do so with a price, regardless of if it's a buyer or seller.
When I sell something, I list a price and often have OBO. However, I actually like a potential buyer to tell me why the item should be less, when he makes that offer. If I'm selling something for $500, I have likely already done so knowing that people like to offer less, so I'd actually be OK with $450. If I'm offered $400, I'd then ask tor a justification of why it should be less than the $500. If there are legitimate reasons that it should be cheaper I didn't think of, I definitely do take that into consideration. If I'm offered full price on something that I've already bumped up, I often / usually accept less than the offer, but I only do that in person with a person who's ready to buy.
Example: a 1990 Ford Temp that I sold in '09 with around 30K miles. I can't remember the details, but one guy kept insisting it was worth $400 even as I had 2 buyers offering me my full price. I gave the buyer back some cash since she didn't haggle and was prepared to pay more than the price I wanted for it. Plus, it was an old car she was buying for her son, and I asked that she take the difference and put into new tires for it, as a couple were pretty worn.
 
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I only have "made an offer" on a CL ad. When I e-mailed the seller, I told him I was making an educated offer, and hoped it would not insult him/her. The sell was polite with their response, but the items were sold. A day or two latter, while looking at the Altec Hostboard, the seller had posted inquiring what they were worth. I guess he was more educated than I.
 
It doesn't matter how the seller post the for sale ad. The buyers objective is to get the seller to commit to a price the buyer "might" pay. The "true" negotiations don't begin until time of inspection.
In the case of Ebay that's when the item arrives NOT AS DESCRIBED, that's when "both" parties know what's "really" going on.
 
quiet said:
It doesn't matter how the seller post the for sale ad. The buyers objective is to get the seller to commit to a price the buyer "might" pay. The "true" negotiations don't begin until time of inspection.
In the case of Ebay that's when the item arrives NOT AS DESCRIBED, that's when "both" parties know what's "really" going on.
Click to expand...

Sad but true all too often.
 
quiet said:
It doesn't matter how the seller post the for sale ad. The buyers objective is to get the seller to commit to a price the buyer "might" pay. The "true" negotiations don't begin until time of inspection.
In the case of Ebay that's when the item arrives NOT AS DESCRIBED, that's when "both" parties know what's "really" going on.
Click to expand...
Can’t tell you how many times sellers have gotten mad when my original offer goes down because of a condition or working issue. I just don’t get it. I had someone insist I pay the full amount on a Marantz even though I could not test it and I had to believe his word and a picture of it lighted up.
 
The seller was mad because you wouldn’t pay his price. Oh my :yikes:

I simply tell sellers that if I can’t test it out, I have to assume something’s broken. So my offer will reflect that. Most of them are understanding. As for the few that aren’t, well I then have to assume that they knew there was a problem and that’s why we can’t test it. Very simple. Very easy. I walk away.

If I really wanted it, I might bring accessories to help me test it out. Only then, I am defeating my own goal of getting it for as cheap as possible and feeding into the sellers goal of getting the most.
 
Back when we went to yard sales that “make me an offer” was irritating.

I decided to just go with ”OK, $1!”

Then look them in the eye and smile.

A price usually turned up and it was either doable/workable, or not.

Not sure how to play that game online.
 
Basically the same way. Only I tell a buyer that once the price is settled, that’s it unless it isn’t as I had described.
 
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