Ever get tired of it?

[Bennettjh]

I'm not gonna keep lowering my price just to make the buyer happy. If I'm selling something for $1000 and they ask "bottom dollar" I'm not gonna say $750. If I got offered $750 then I would accept or decline the offer. You can't haggle with yourself...

 

[Bunnykid68]

I will always list an item for more than I am willing to take because people are weird, but if you ask me what my bottom dollar is, I will tell you. Haggling is horse ****. Ignore me if you will, that's awesome, I do not want to haggle.

Everyone has a bottom dollar, do you want me starting $100 less than what you want just so we can get back to what you want or so you can hold out for someone that wants it more?

 

[citizenkane]

Stuff like this is why I hate selling in the classifieds. If I can fit it in a box and ship without too much hassle it goes on gunbroker. No fuss no mess. I can only think of one or two times I didn't get what I wanted or more. Sometimes much more.

 

[churchmouse]

I have offered to purchase items from WTT threads but only if the OP could not get the deal he was looking for. I have made some nice deals for both sides and some friends this way.
Haggling is part of the deal but really....if I PM that I will pay listed price at least respond in a timely manner.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

So... Seriously. What's your bottom dollar?

The other side of the conversation is thus.
That older gentleman on the south side of HC declined a Sig 238 SAS in trade on the old cat boat that was sitting out on SR 3, just because he was sure in his heart that I would come UP to his price. As far as I know, he still owns an old boat.

 

[Rbadger]

If questions like this annoy you then you may just want to sell to friends. And by friends I mean the guy down the road that doesn't ask questions. Seriously. I have asked this question many times to people in the past. (not on here but still applies) And this is why, You and I both know you are overpricing your item to fish for the dummies willing to pay that price. I, however AM NOT willing to pay your premium price and therefore will ask you "What is your bottom dollar on this?" What it means is "What is a reasonable price to you that you will still make money and is a more acceptable price to me." If it is still to high then I "might" haggle a little bit and maybe offer some trades or whatnot to come to a fair agreement. Now I'm not making a personal attack so don't take it that way but if you get that upset with people asking a common question then maybe you really should just not sell things.

 

[jLr]

I agree with the OP.

My grandfather has always been an expert "haggler" if that is what you call it, and I have learned a lot from him. If he wants to buy something, he knows how much he is willing to pay for it. That is how much he offers. If the seller is not willing to take that, no deal.

Here is the scenario I hate:
Item priced at $1000
Buyer: I will give you $500
Seller: Best I can do is $900
Buyer: I can only give you $700
Seller: OK, I will take $800
Buyer: OK, $800

The buyer should have offered $800 to begin with, if he was willing to pay that much. If the seller wouldn't take it, buyer should walk away. The seller in this scenario should have given a simple "No, thanks" on the $500 offer. This is what I call haggling. What I learned from my grandpa is something different (I know another term for it which some might find offensive).

 

[jLr]

If questions like this annoy you then you may just want to sell to friends. And by friends I mean the guy down the road that doesn't ask questions. Seriously. I have asked this question many times to people in the past. (not on here but still applies) And this is why, You and I both know you are overpricing your item to fish for the dummies willing to pay that price. I, however AM NOT willing to pay your premium price and therefore will ask you "What is your bottom dollar on this?" What it means is "What is a reasonable price to you that you will still make money and is a more acceptable price to me." If it is still to high then I "might" haggle a little bit and maybe offer some trades or whatnot to come to a fair agreement. Now I'm not making a personal attack so don't take it that way but if you get that upset with people asking a common question then maybe you really should just not sell things.

I understand your reasoning, and it makes sense. But, why not just offer the seller the most you are willing to pay? Only you know what a "reasonable price" is to you.

 

[thumperdogg]

If questions like this annoy you then you may just want to sell to friends. And by friends I mean the guy down the road that doesn't ask questions. Seriously. I have asked this question many times to people in the past. (not on here but still applies) And this is why, You and I both know you are overpricing your item to fish for the dummies willing to pay that price. I, however AM NOT willing to pay your premium price and therefore will ask you "What is your bottom dollar on this?" What it means is "What is a reasonable price to you that you will still make money and is a more acceptable price to me." If it is still to high then I "might" haggle a little bit and maybe offer some trades or whatnot to come to a fair agreement. Now I'm not making a personal attack so don't take it that way but if you get that upset with people asking a common question then maybe you really should just not sell things.

Not fishing for dummies. I price it at the high end of what it is worth. Although , I may be willing to take a little less than what it's worth, or maybe not. I don't think I have ever exceeded retail when listing something. I get frustrated because I already know I am not going to sell it as soon as they ask the question.

 

[Rbadger]

I agree with the OP.

My grandfather has always been an expert "haggler" if that is what you call it, and I have learned a lot from him. If he wants to buy something, he knows how much he is willing to pay for it. That is how much he offers. If the seller is not willing to take that, no deal.

Here is the scenario I hate:
Item priced at $1000
Buyer: I will give you $500
Seller: Best I can do is $900
Buyer: I can only give you $700
Seller: OK, I will take $800
Buyer: OK, $800

The buyer should have offered $800 to begin with, if he was willing to pay that much. If the seller wouldn't take it, buyer should walk away. The seller in this scenario should have given a simple "No, thanks" on the $500 offer. This is what I call haggling. What I learned from my grandpa is something different (I know another term for it which some might find offensive).

You say the buyer should have offered $800 to start? Why? If that is the final price he is looking for then starting at that price is just room for the seller to go up on the price. Obviously by your example then the seller should have initially listed his item at $800. Right? I mean he did end up taking that much for the item. By listing it higher he either was willing to haggle or was dead set on seeing exactly how much money some fool was willing to pay. If you are firm on the price of something that's one thing but if you offer to haggle then why get mad when someone uses the same tactics you are using? I honestly don't understand that mentality.

 

[Rbadger]

Not fishing for dummies. I price it at the high end of what it is worth.
Although , I may be willing to take a little less than what it's worth, or maybe
not. I don't think I have ever exceeded retail when listing something. I get
frustrated because I already know I am not going to sell it as soon as they ask
the question.

Usually when I ask this question I have the amount of money that the original price quote is. BUT that doesn't mean that if I can get the item for less i'm not going to try. If someone says the list price is my bottom dollar thats fine. It doesn't hurt my feelings. Now it will just depend on whether I think that the list price is worth the cost. Or I may have asked because I think the price is high and want to see if you are going to haggle or may be interested in trades or some other kind of deal. Selling and buying in this fashion has been done for CENTURIES and as the above post stated alot of us saw our grandparents do it everytime they bought something. If you are firm on your price then state so in the listing and most respectful people (myself included) will not try to haggle with you. That's your price and that's that. But what irritates me is someone who puts $700/OBO and then gets mad when you try to haggle with them on price. I had this exact situation occur this past weekend at the gun show. I saw a rifle a guy had with a price tag of $500. Now I knew he had a pretty good markup on it as I have seen that exact rifle on armslist for $375-$425 and quite a few of them. I asked him if he had any room to move on the price at all. He said no. I walked away. Simple. If he had said yes I would have started at the low end of the scale ($375) and gone from there. I had the $500 in my wallet and wanted to buy a gun. But I was not going to get ripped off either. Wasn't trying to rip him off or make a fuss. He had his idea of a fair price and I had mine and they were obviously different.

 

[PX4me]

If you know what the absolute least is you'll take for an item, this is how I do it every time on Craigslist. No haggling involved.

For sale "whatever"
Price "whatever"

Now the phrase that works, for me anyway...

"I do not need to sell this but if someone wants it for the price listed it's theirs. I will not respond to offers for less."

Did this with a John Deere tractor I flipped recently. Put it up on a Friday night at 10PM and it was gone at 1PM the next day.

Simple and avoids all the frustration.

 

[jLr]

You say the buyer should have offered $800 to start? Why? If that is the final price he is looking for then starting at that price is just room for the seller to go up on the price. Obviously by your example then the seller should have initially listed his item at $800. Right? I mean he did end up taking that much for the item. By listing it higher he either was willing to haggle or was dead set on seeing exactly how much money some fool was willing to pay. If you are firm on the price of something that's one thing but if you offer to haggle then why get mad when someone uses the same tactics you are using? I honestly don't understand that mentality.

In a perfect world, the seller's price and the buyer's price would be in equilibrium. If I sell something, I set it at the price I would like to get for it. Maybe I would settle for less depending on the circumstances. Let me know the price you are willing to pay for it and I will say yes or no. I agree with you, I don't really like the game sellers sometimes play, but equally I don't like it when buyers play the same game.

Usually when I ask this question I have the amount of money that the original price quote is. BUT that doesn't mean that if I can get the item for less i'm not going to try. If someone says the list price is my bottom dollar thats fine. It doesn't hurt my feelings. Now it will just depend on whether I think that the list price is worth the cost. Or I may have asked because I think the price is high and want to see if you are going to haggle or may be interested in trades or some other kind of deal. Selling and buying in this fashion has been done for CENTURIES and as the above post stated alot of us saw our grandparents do it everytime they bought something. If you are firm on your price then state so in the listing and most respectful people (myself included) will not try to haggle with you. That's your price and that's that. But what irritates me is someone who puts $700/OBO and then gets mad when you try to haggle with them on price.

OBO means "Or Best Offer." What is your best offer if you don't like my selling price? Whoever is willing to pay the most (as long as it is enough to satisfy me) is who will get it. This is why I say always make your offer what you are willing to pay.

 

[jcwit]

From someone whoes been in the retail business most of their lives and now retired, how bout instead of politely asking isd this is your bottom dollar we tell you, I'll give you $XXX.XX.

Now you may be offended!

 

[jcwit]

Ever buy a car and pay full sticker price? Come on now and be honest>

 

[jLr]

Ever buy a car and pay full sticker price? Come on now and be honest>

I haven't. Ever asked a car salesman what his bottom dollar is on a vehicle? Think you have ever gotten an honest answer? Name the price you would be willing to pay. If the seller says no, walk. Don't play that game with them, and YOU will win. They will act like they lost big, but they didn't.

 

[Max Volume]

It's bidness. No matter which way the haggling goes why get your panties in a bunch over it? If you are selling or buying and asking or offering a reasonable price a deal will happen. I see much desperation and regret in buying or selling anymore. Mostly selling. I'm also tired of looking at: bump, bump bump bump bump bump bump.............which tells me someone is trying to fund champagne on a beer budget or was a sucker when buying the item in the first place. Not that I'm interested in buying or selling in the classifieds cuz I already have what I want unless something REALLY strikes me but find humor in it all.

 

[wetidlerjr]

I'm offended if you "low ball" me.

I'm offended if you ask "What is your bottom dollar?".

I'm offended if you "don't pay what I ask".

There is way too much butthurt and whining in this thread. Put on your big boy pants and stop pissin' and moanin' or stop selling.

Also, you Glock 17 isn't worth $1200.

 

[PistolBob]

When I see an ad that says $300 OBO - to me that means you'd sell it for $300 but you don't think you can get $300...so you'll settle for another offer. That's through the buyers eyes. I won't offer your ask price in a OBO ad ever. Why should I? You already admit you're not expecting your full price.

Some other people that are selling say $300 OBO and they think they have the lost map to a treasure hunt, and they might get a better offer than $300. These folks are what I call silly.

Since the beginning of time, the seller has always thought his item was worth more than he was asking...and the buyer has been sure of the opposite.

 

[jcwit]

I haven't. Ever asked a car salesman what his bottom dollar is on a vehicle? Think you have ever gotten an honest answer? Name the price you would be willing to pay. If the seller says no, walk. Don't play that game with them, and YOU will win. They will act like they lost big, but they didn't.

Actualy what I was getting at.

But yes I am more than positive there have been times when I knew for a fact I did get the bottom dollar from the salesman, so it can happen.