I often wonder what is the line between asking for a discount as part of a negotiation, and what is an offensive “low ball”? For your example above, $21 would have been my opening for an item priced at $30, with the expectation we would wind up somewhere from $25-$27.
I’m always polite “Hey, I know this is a low ball, but it’s what I can do, if it doesn’t work for you, no problem, good luck with your sale.”, but I wonder what sellers think is the line between an appropriate opening and an inappropriate one?
Thoughts from sellers?
Instead of starting at a number to bargain, in the past, I'd say the item is "a little beyond my budget" and ask about the wiggle room on the price to see if "it falls within my budget".
But I've done my research and often interested in something willing to pay the price and hoping to knock off 10-15% additional, but not something extreme and ridiculous off the price. Usually when someone gives a hint at how much they are willing to move (usually it's pretty close to their bottom line), I would generally not push more than $500-$1K from the wiggle room they reveal.
One thing I've done with some low offers (reasonable ones) is that I'll tell them that if it doesn't sell within a week then I will take their offer. It's worked so far both ways
And that’s exactly how I managed to great deal on a bike 3 years ago. A relatively unknown boutique brand and material in an unusual size and oddball build… a unicorn if you will… and I wanted it but had a fixed max which was ~30% below their asking. I paid a little more and they finally sold the item after it had been posted for over 2 months.
Call me strange but sometimes I actually just pay asking price if I think it’s good to start with instead of creating frustration and/or maybe losing the opportunity to acquire it. But that’s generally for items less than $100.
"I just sold my X for a little less than I expected. I really like your X and have cash ready to go and can come get it today but I only have $XX,XXX to spend. If you are at all interested at that price let me know.
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GFG
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"I just sold my X for a little less than I expected. I really like your X and have cash ready to go and can come get it today but I only have $XX,XXX to spend. If you are at all interested at that price let me know.
So your first instinct is to lie to the seller? Not the worst thing, but I just thought it was funny.
"I just sold my X for a little less than I expected. I really like your X and have cash ready to go and can come get it today but I only have $XX,XXX to spend. If you are at all interested at that price let me know.
Selling your car for less than you expected leads me to believe you’re a weak negotiator and that you’re prime fish to pay more than you expected to for my vehicle.
LOL.
I saw this the other day. it seems perfect for this thread.
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The Delhi police have announced the formation of a crack team dedicated to nabbing the elusive 'Monkey Man' and offered a reward for his -- or its -- capture.
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I like my kijiji negotiations to open the way I like online recipes. I want a 500 word essay before we get to the important stuff. You can’t just open with numbers. I need some life context, where you grew up, what your relationship was like with your mother, why the smell of jasmine reminds you of aunt Gladys.
If your opening offer doesn’t start with “when I was 6 years old on summer vacation…” or the like, don’t even bother making an offer.
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I like my kijiji negotiations to open the way I like online recipes. I want a 500 word essay before we get to the important stuff. You can’t just open with numbers. I need some life context, where you grew up, what your relationship was like with your mother, why the smell of jasmine reminds you of aunt Gladys.
If your opening offer doesn’t start with “when I was 6 years old on summer vacation…” or the like, don’t even bother making an offer.
I am so sick of blind offers, just a number nothing else, usually quite low. Internet anonimity has really made people idiots when it comes to classified ads. Actually I get the same thing on FB marketplace and it's not anonymous.
I have actually replied a few times, yup come get it, and have been ghosted each time.
Serious buyers are hard to find and you have to wade through a lot of raw sewage to find them. This is why lots of guys say they want phone calls, I really think people who are time wasters don't mind texting but won't pick up the phone and waste their own time.
I am so sick of blind offers, just a number nothing else, usually quite low.
"Yes, that is a number nowhere near my lowest price" goes over well for these. You can usually get them insulting you for not buying into their lies about poverty or hardship if you keep it going long enough.
I am so sick of blind offers, just a number nothing else, usually quite low. Internet anonimity has really made people idiots when it comes to classified ads.
Serious buyers are hard to find and you have to wade through a lot of raw sewage to find them.
I've never sold a used car but wouldn't something like autotrader.ca be a lot better than kijiji? I mean, there's obviously a fee, but I'd imagine it's worth it at the end of the day.
Same for rental housing -- I think rentfaster is much better than kijiji (and isn't expensive either), to the point where I wouldn't even bother with the latter...
I've never sold a used car but wouldn't something like autotrader.ca be a lot better than kijiji? I mean, there's obviously a fee, but I'd imagine it's worth it at the end of the day.
Same for rental housing -- I think rentfaster is much better than kijiji (and isn't expensive either), to the point where I wouldn't even bother with the latter...
I don't post rentals on kijiji anymore. The percentage of people who show up for appointments to view from rentfaster ads is so much better to the point free was too expensive for kijiji ads.
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I've never sold a used car but wouldn't something like autotrader.ca be a lot better than kijiji? I mean, there's obviously a fee, but I'd imagine it's worth it at the end of the day.
The last 2 cars I sold over the past 2 years (one for my dad, one for myself), I couldn't get AutoTrader to approve my post, thus it never made it on there. So Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace are the only places I can put an ad on.
AutoTrader has become all used car companies peddling their greasy no money down, $5000 cash back type of deals...
I don't post rentals on kijiji anymore. The percentage of people who show up for appointments to view from rentfaster ads is so much better to the point free was too expensive for kijiji ads.
This.
One of my rentals is a half hour drive, I got to the point where I said "text me 1/2 hour before the viewing to confirm you will be there otherwise I will not."
That's the only way I stopped having so many no shows.
Now I only advertise on rentfaster. I had a no show last week but that's the first one I can remember in quite a while.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Interesting how used camper/trailer prices went super high (I benefitted by selling), stayed high, and now they’re barely creeping downwards. Will be interesting to see in early/mid Oct where the usual annual price slash takes them.
