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Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy PowerDork
2/26/17 5:19 p.m.

Odd. The last three things I sold on Craigslist the people paid my full asking price? I expect to get knocked down a little bit. Are younger folks not getting the art of bargaining? All buyers are young males.

I expect a good fight here - what's going on?

30 year old Craftsmen 3-drawer tool box $240 new? Sold at $130.

10 year old HF trailer $265 new but sold for $230? Full asking price.

2011 Honda Accord - guy pays me full $5500 asking price? I expected to get knocked down to $5000-$5200?

BrokenYugo
BrokenYugo MegaDork
2/26/17 5:35 p.m.

Raise your prices? That is weird, though come to think of it I sold a fix and flip rear engine rider mower on CL for full price with no negotiation last summer, to an older couple in a ratty as hell truck. I'm a young male and I beat down everything I buy on CL as hard as I can.

nutherjrfan
nutherjrfan Dork
2/26/17 5:38 p.m.

I'm not going to offer pop-psychology but I wasn't too interested in haggling for a car a year and a half ago. Didn't much check it out either. He wanted $900 I offered 7 and he countered with 8 and I said sure. Been happy with it as a city beater.

calteg
calteg Dork
2/26/17 5:51 p.m.

Just had the same experience when I sold my NC. Younger male flew out from CA, never once mentioned the price. I didn't overthink it.

bigdaddylee82
bigdaddylee82 SuperDork
2/26/17 5:52 p.m.

I get that it's just part of it, I hate it but I do it, if I feel it's warranted. I'm much more likely to buy something listed at a fair price, and pay asking, than haggle something listed too high down to a fair price.

SWMBO though, she has a gift, she always gets the price down, so she's my secret weapon I try to take with me anytime I think haggling might be involved.

Dusterbd13
Dusterbd13 PowerDork
2/26/17 6:13 p.m.

Depends on the item and price. Ive gotten full, and beat up on sales. Zame with given full, and given a beating on purchases.

akamcfly
akamcfly Dork
2/26/17 6:23 p.m.

I don't haggle. If I don't like the asking price, I don't call.

I've also sold things when I really needed the extra money. So I enter the process thinking the person would not be selling the item if they didn't need the money.

Tom_Spangler
Tom_Spangler UberDork
2/26/17 6:28 p.m.

Don't ask me. I spent a full month haggling with the seller of my 944 before I bought it.

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
2/26/17 6:39 p.m.

I guess they don't watch all those car shows:

"How much do you want for it?"

"$40,000"

"I'll give you 20"

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
2/26/17 6:42 p.m.

I usually haggle. But, if something is listed at a good price and I know it's a good price, I don't bother. Like the set of 18" wheels I bought for the ZAV. Off a 2007 Tundra with 50 miles on them, complete with lug nuts and center caps. $50 and 100 miles away. Why bother haggling? What am I going to get, five bucks off? Also, if I'm buying something from someone and they are obviously hurting, I don't try to haggle them down any either. They need it more than me.

Now, I have noticed a new trend in the younger set selling cars on CL. During the price negotiations, I offer a price and they say "Well, I've got a guy that's offered me X-hundred for it." That X-hundred being over my offer price. On a beat to E36 M3 XRS, I told him "well, you should take it, because in that condition, it's only worth that to me." Should have asked him "Does he know the transmission is shot?" Different young man, different car, same story. Then he adds "If you match that, you can have it."

nepa03focus
nepa03focus Dork
2/26/17 6:44 p.m.

I just had my first cl transaction yesterday. I asked 80 for 2 mostly full rolls of romex wiring, and a bunch of other random stuff. Gentleman met me, was super nice and gave me my 80. I figured hed take me down to 60 or 70 but he just gave me the asking price. I spent it on beer, dinner and bones for the doggos

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
2/26/17 6:52 p.m.
aircooled wrote: I guess they don't watch all those car shows: "How much do you want for it?" "$40,000" "I'll give you 20"

Which would be quickly followed by me saying, "berkeley you. Get of my lawn."

NOHOME
NOHOME PowerDork
2/26/17 6:57 p.m.

Not a haggler...If I like the price, I buy. If I don't like the price, I don't call.

When I used to live in Nigeria, it drove the vendors crazy because my first price was my last price. The honest truth is that I tried to start higher than they would have settled for since I am not into taking food out of the mouth of people that make berkeley all after a life of harder work than I did.

captdownshift
captdownshift PowerDork
2/26/17 7:06 p.m.

They didn't have a friend to call who's an expert on what you were selling in order to properly low ball you.

Toyman01
Toyman01 MegaDork
2/26/17 7:08 p.m.
NOHOME wrote: Not a haggler...If I like the price, I buy. If I don't like the price, I don't call.

This.

Nick (Bo) Comstock
Nick (Bo) Comstock UltimaDork
2/26/17 7:11 p.m.

I don't haggle really. If I don't think an item is worth what they are asking once I see it in person I may tell them the most I'll pay for it. Either they accept that or I walk.

patgizz
patgizz UltimaDork
2/26/17 7:47 p.m.

As a rule i ask if they are firm, at which point if the answer is anything other than yes i will make a fair offer. It doesn't hurt to ask and most people come down immediately upon me asking that. The wrx was an exception because he had underpriced himself so much i told him he was more than fair and handed him an envelope with his asking price. I also hounded him for 2 hours to be the first to look at it as he had a line of people starting in the evening.

MDJeepGuy
MDJeepGuy Reader
2/26/17 7:53 p.m.

When I list on Craigslist I put a fair price figuring it'll be an easy sale. Usually the first 2 guys lowball in the first email and the 3rd email is the guy that just shows up and buys it. #1 and #2 then get mad for some reason. If I put a price that I know is fair and you lowball, I just ignore your email.

Robbie
Robbie UltraDork
2/26/17 8:04 p.m.

Like looks like many here, I only haggle if I think the price is a little high. If it's nuts, I don't go look. If it's a good price (and that's usually the only stuff I buy), then I am willing to pay asking as long as item is as advertised.

Frequently the item is not as advertised, and that gets to be a tough situation fast. I went to look at a 300zx turbo (advertised for 2k) a while back. Looked great in photos. Once there, it barely ran, had all kinds of issues, idk, photos must have been 10 years old.

I wanted to walk without making an offer, told the guy so, he said, where would you have to be? So I said honestly $700. There wasn't any more negotiation after that.

asoduk
asoduk HalfDork
2/26/17 8:08 p.m.

I don't think younger people are interested in haggling. They want the best price and thats it. They also expect sellers to be honest and pay accordingly.

Now that I think of it, I expect the same. I know what I want and what I'm willing to pay. If their price is in the realm of me not having to keep looking, I'm in even if I'm paying a slight premium to be able to stop looking.

johndej
johndej Reader
2/26/17 8:26 p.m.
Datsun310Guy wrote: 2011 Honda Accord - guy pays me full $5500 asking price? I expected to get knocked down to $5000-$5200?

I tend to think that one was very underpriced. That's an $7-8k car in my area all day long.

Other than that I know I tend to ask if I'm buying if they'd take a reasonable close offer (asking $200, depending on how it looks, offer $175?). Doesn't hurt to ask but I'm ready to pay full price if needed.

I also price my stuff a bit higher (15-25% or so) than I expect to get and hope for the best.

Streetwiseguy
Streetwiseguy UltimaDork
2/26/17 8:49 p.m.

Price haggling is weird now. "Whats your lowest price?" always seemed weird and rude, but I just ask now "Whats your highest price?" ,and often they give me a number, which is how much money they have. Like, not another dollar. Ok. That works.

Other than that, I don't much like haggling. A buck or two here and there doesn't bother me.

loosecannon
loosecannon HalfDork
2/26/17 8:53 p.m.

I hate haggling, and grew up with a dad that bought and sold everything and loved to grind people down. The closest I come to haggling is I'll ask "what's your best price?" and if it's within what I would pay, I buy it. I think it goes back to "Treat others as you would want them to treat you" because I have chased people off my property for making insulting offers.

johndej
johndej Reader
2/26/17 8:58 p.m.

I still see a ton of stuff too like "testing the waters/I know what I've got so make an offer/Super rare worth the $", then no price listed. That's the ones that are really awkward.

joey48442
joey48442 PowerDork
2/26/17 9:02 p.m.

I low ball a lot by text. I do it very politely though. I'll text them and say "hey, I notice your selling a Miata with hardtop. I'm sure you don't want to seperate them but if you would I do have 400 dollars cash and can be there in an hour". Normally they say no. But one day last summer, miracle upon miracles, it worked twice in a matter of hours. We settled at 600 for one, and 650 for the other. Sold the 600 dollar one a few months later when I realized both my miatas didn't need hard tops for 950. So essentially I got my top for 300.

I did the same with a hardtop for a tj I used to have. It was beat up but the glass was good. I offered him 400. I said "hey, it's probably less than you want to sell for, but all I have set aside for a hardtop is $400. I can be there this afternoon if you will sell for that" He said "you gave me the nicest lowball I've ever had, come get it".

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