I think garage sales take the cake as far as low ball offers. I have run exactly one garage sale. I did this one for my mother, who was moving from the home I did most of my growing up in from 1973 on. My sister in law had helped and was really aggressive in pricing stuff with the intent of getting rid of it. I think people expect some haggling at a garage sale, so I thought I was mentally prepared.
The people who came were about what I'd have expected and were well behaved, but we had one older woman who was clearly a serial reseller. She even showed up with a short trailer, the only person that did. She wasn't looking so much as rummaging, with a perpetual scowl on her face. She kept picking things up and asking the price even though everything was marked with little orange florescent stickers with the price written on them. When you looked and told her, she would frown and say "Would you take X?'. Her offers seemed to always be about 20-30% of the price but sometimes more like 10%. When I first got these questions, I would say something like "Sorry, no. But I could do Y". She would deepen her scowl, say nothing, and move on to repeat this process exactly. After about the third one, the 'sorry' had disappeared from my responses. After the sixth or so, my 'Y' counter offers started to add 10%.

She stopped dead in her tracks. The scowl deepened.

She could now, suddenly, read the price on the bright florescent orange sticker which she repeated to me. "But the priced is marked X". I said "Yes, but you rejected that offer, so I gave you another one". The next time she picked up an item and again asked the price, I walked over, looked at the price and told her double whatever the number said. She looked at me like she was considering striking me. I then told her that every price was marked, but she could multiply that number by 10 and get her own personal price for it. Or she could just leave, and that I would greatly prefer that she just did that. Then she left. But the scowl, seemingly, remained for a few more minutes.
After that sale was over, I have always taken a more jovial approach to counter offers. The more ridiculous, the more joviality. It is an entertainment opportunity. This generally keeps me from feeling insulted.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Lowball Offers= No Response. I price things to sell, if you can get it for less elsewhere have at it.

I think some are just wasting our time for having nothing better to do. Ask questions like do you have the title and other questions which can be answered by reading the advertisement.

41

quote:

Originally posted by 83v45magna:...She looked at me like she was considering striking me. ...

You need to up your scowl face.

quote:

Originally posted by 41:

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Lowball Offers= No Response. I price things to sell, if you can get it for less elsewhere have at it.

I think some are just wasting our time for having nothing better to do. Ask questions like do you have the title and other questions which can be answered by reading the advertisement.

41

Selling an SUV and a sedan this week, this is SO true. I've just started asking what wasn't described in the ad that I can answer.

Oh that - it's in there.

Idiots.

I expect low ballers, just a fact of life. I usually do pretty well with my craigslist ads since I started adding this standard disclaimer:


PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT INFORMATION

- Local cash purchase only.

- Reasonable offers considered, but there needs to be an actual offer made "How little will you take?" is not an "offer". I suggest you tell me the most you will pay instead, that would be an "offer".

- Unreasonable offers may get a smart ass response or no response at all. What is reasonable? Something that is within what a like item is currently selling/listed for on craigslist or ebay. If I was selling stolen property and willing to take half or less of what it was worth to score crack money, I would be hanging out on the street in the appropriate areas for such transactions. If you are looking to buy stolen property, I suggest you go to a similar area.

- If you reply, please put something in your response to suggest you actually read my ad. "Is this still available?" is a waste of your time and mine. If you are going to bother with a reply, why not make your offer or send me the sad story of your niece who really, really needs it while she is away at University along with your bogus international paypal link and just jump ahead a few steps in the negotiation process.

- Ad will be removed within 5 minutes of item being sold. If you really just want to know if it is still available, wait 5 minutes and see if the ad is still there.


Not uncommon for me to get replies from uninterested parties just to commend me on the ad and wish me well.

I have also raised prices during negotiations with fools on occasion just for giggles.

Asking $325, offered $200.

Reply the lowest I will take is $300.

Guy comes back with "split the difference" at $250

I point out that splitting the difference from my ask and his offer would really be $262.50, but if he is still interested we could split the difference from his $250 offer and my $325 ask and make it $287.50.

He says that I don't understand how this works and that his final offer is $260.

I say, ok deal at $350 - where do you want to meet?


One of these days I am going to "accept" one of these BS offers immediately, set up the meet, pull the ad and then simply not show up. Waste that fucker's time like he wastes everyone else's.



Looking forward to the "crotchety old man" stage of life...