I have sold things on CL like twice. I absolutely refuse to negotiate, on either side. If they set the price, and I like it, game on. If not, pass. Same with selling. Start the would you take or i forgot my wallet bit and you can walk away. I just despise it.
I agree it's pretty annoying. I try (largely for the sake of my blood pressure) to make charitable assumptions about what's going on.
We can try on, just for giggles, that when they scheduled with you, that was the earliest they were available. Then something else fell through/got rescheduled, and someone else happened to pop up offering to fill that spot. Maybe the theoretical high bid is a fabrication, maybe it's someone with unrealistic expectations, maybe fill in the blank...
For the time part, if you were trying to offload a cheap vehicle and not drive yourself nuts, would you attempt to re-reschedule the original first person into that spot? That way madness lies. I think it would've been nicer to schedule the new person after you, but even that assumes that they recalled the whole conversation about you being available sooner and didn't just have a mark on the calender where you agreed...
So... a lot of it comes down to how the interactions have felt to you. Do they feel harried? Spacey? Slimy? The basic facts of this could be anything from slightly annoying to berk this noise.
I bought a generator I found oun FB Marketplace over the weekend, I'd had it saved for over a week, was a great deal, but I wasn't where I could go get when it was first posted.
I actually went to HF to buy an inferior generator for more money, because I knew there was no way the generator I saved on FB was still there at that asking price. Thankfully, for me, COVID has screwed up all of HF's deliveries, and all of the local HFs are sold out of all but their smallest and largest generators, so I struck out at HF.
So I sheepishly messaged the FB guy, asked if he still had the generator, certain that the answer was no. Be damned he still had it. We worked out a time to meet the next day. The generator was as described, and I paid him his asking price of $400. It was basically brand new, still looked new, seller said he used it for one weekend camping, about about a 3 hour power outage. He recently got a new camper with a larger generator so he didn't need this one. It's a $750-$800 generator new, everywhere online. I asked how he hadn't sold it yet, and he didn't know either. Seller said I was the first sane person he'd dealt with, most folks were wanting to trade junk, or offering him $150 for it.
We chatted for a bit and both left happy.
John Welsh (Moderate Supporter) said:When selling a $4,000 item I have gotten the texts that say nothing more than " $1,800? “
Sometimes they might get wordy and actually say," would you take $1,800?"
My answer is, “yes, that's an acceptable down payment but how soon until you pay me the rest?"
If they ask if I take trades, I might humor them and say, "what ya got?". Mostly, I think the trade question is a test to see if you are a dealer posing as a owner.
When asked the lowest I'll go by a person who has never seen or driven the car my response is, "what's the reason you think it's not worth $4k?". They rarely come back with an answer. I suspect the answer has more to do with they don't have enough money to buy something this nice. They might answer that they only have $2k to spend. If so I'll just kindly decline.
I believe this is often the reason. You want a thing, but you have a certain amount of money. Asking is $4k, you have $2k. What's the harm in asking? As to the one number text, often language is a barrier.
On the other hand, I think if you were selling a $4k car, and asked $6 k, then said yes to his lowball $4k offer, he'd think he had just made a hell of a deal. I've never had the guts to try, though.
I've seen more than once now that people don't like being asked what their lowest price is. I guess I will re-think my buying strategy a bit if there's a better way. I've bought a few vehicles where I showed up ready to pay the full asking price, and before closing the deal I asked how much they really want. In each case I was offered a few hundred less. I did not negotiate at all after that, I payed the price I was offered. I sold my Mustang the same way, to a buyer who showed up on time, with cash, and treated me well. He asked what my lowest price was and I offered $200 under my listed price. He was more than happy to take my offer.
I don't like trying to haggle anymore as a buyer. Every vehicle I've haggled for, I end up wishing I hadn't bought. Maybe that's just coincidence, but I think when I'm reluctant to pay asking it's a sign that the vehicle just doesn't impress me enough to be worth purchasing.
I wish I had given my Mercury away, it was a super clean and reliable car and I only got one guy to show up and look at it, who tried to talk me down from my $600 asking price. He paid the $600, but I would have rather just given it to someone than deal with that crap.
I will never hold anything, first come with cash is the winner.
A bird in the hand and all that rot......
If someone gives me a deposit that is another story, I always set a firm time limit and would never feel bad about keeping a deposit, especially if I have turned away potential buyers
I refuse to waste my time dealing with no shows or any other nonsense.
I won't make appointments as few if any actually keep them, I have wasted many days waiting, no more. Text me when you are leaving.
I have NEVER told someone I am coming to look at something and not showed up.
It is difficult to find a balance between being accommodating and standing true to your boundaries. If I have the time I am much looser, but if I have stuff going on I will not delay my business for anything but a high profit transaction. People who cannot follow directions or show the slightest flakyness go straight to the bottom of the list.
Someone who wants to play the counter offer game and raise the price when I'm buying, I let them know they are loosing an immediate cash sale. I won't call them back and I won't pay full price if they call me back.
For the guy that wants my best price I raise my price and say that sounds better. For the guy that wants to call an negotiate a price on the first contact I also raise my price, because even if you agree to a price they either will not show, or will try to beat you up more at the closing.
Yes to all the above. But just to share something positive, recently I had a good CL experience. Started the process of selling our teeny grey market tractor. Figured I'd go on Craigs and see if I can find comps to price it. Doing that I also found a tractors-wanted ad, and decided to respond to it. The ad shows buyer location an hour south of here. Dude emails back and says the shipping putfit he uses is there but he is in Alaska. KLAXON ALARM
Then he offers a quite decent price for it (MORE ALARMS) but at this point I am ready to bolt. But I look the guy up and he runs a tractor sales/repair place, I call the freight terminal and they say yeah he has an account with them, and he paid with a company credit card that I had my processor check over real good before approving. He even paid me extra to deliver it. I have written notice from him that it arrived as described, he's happy with the purchase, all went well. I guess his ad was in the 1% of all CL that wasn't a scam or BS.
Once but some antibiotics cleared it up
Someone who wants to play the counter offer game and raise the price when I'm buying, I let them know they are loosing an immediate cash sale. I won't call them back and I won't pay full price if they call me back.For the guy that wants my best price I raise my price and say that sounds better. For the guy that wants to call an negotiate a price on the first contact I also raise my price, because even if you agree to a price they either will not show, or will try to beat you up more at the closing.
So if someone raises the price when you ask for a better deal is not ok but it is ok for you to do it when you are asked? Am I reading this wrong? Seems a bit hypocritical.
People that insist on making asinine offers without even taking the time to come look at something. Drives me NUTS
Negotiations are great. In person. With cash.
If I list a car for $1,000, and you simply text $300, without any other context, my only reply will be, "You show up with $300, and I'll beat the berk out of you"
I think times are just changing. I'm sure there is nothing new under the sun but it is becoming/has become pretty standard to negotiate over the phone.
I don't love it but I am not offended. Sometimes I do it when I won't drive the distance for the asking price but if it can drop under a certain point I would.
I just had a guy, via text, offer 3200 on my 3750 asking price. I countered with $3500. He offered to flip a coin - $3200 if he won $3400 if I won.
he ended up buying it but for an agreed-upon price of $3400.
Gotten to the point where if I'm selling, I will go to the parking lot of my local grocery store and no further. If I'm buying I'll meet 5-10 minutes drive off of my route home from work.
Anything more than that and its something I have to have, which virtually never happens. Last time I went out of my way a 50+ year old machine shop was closing its doors.
Dealing with Craigslist/FB Marketplace flakes just comes with the territory. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. I had two incidents that really hurt in the past few years:
-Went to look at a 1995 Ram 1500 short bed 4x4 with only 59k miles on it. It was a little rusty from sitting, but totally manageable and worth saving. The thing ran like new and the interior was perfect. I had to arrange a trailer and come back the next day for it, so we negotiated a price and I offered a deposit to hold, but he refused. That should have been the first clue that things would go south. Later that day, he sold it to someone else for parts. That sucked. Lesson learned though: bring a damn trailer.
-I found a rare Chevy Monza Mirage on CL that looked like it just needed paint. No rust, and it was complete. All the flares and special bits were intact. The guy refused to sell it to me whole. It had a title and everything, and I offered good money for it, but he flat out refused to sell it to me. When I offered to buy all the parts he was trying to sell off of it and have him just "keep the car intact", he refused. He didn't get it. Beyond confusing and frustrating.
On the selling side, I honestly rarely sell my cars outright. Last couple cars I sold went great though. When I sold the Dakota after getting the Power Wagon, the kid came with his dad, the dad did all the negotiating with me, we agreed on a fair price, and he drove off with it right then and there. Only one I had trouble with was when I was selling my 10th Anniversary Trans Am back in 2011. That kind of car attracts all the "yahh, dood" dreamers that will "have the money next week, dood". I ended up selling it to a guy I buy parts from in CT, and even delivered it to him just to thwart all of the people without money knocking on my parents' front door (car was parked at their place).
Usually, which is why unless i need a challenge money deal i just buy stuff on ebay and have it shipped. My time is worth more than lots of people's apparently because wasting my time dicking around on a deal is wasting theirs too.
anymore if I can't sell something here at a GRM discount or on ebay, i put it at the street for scrap. I don't think I've successfully sold anything on craigslist since 2007
TopNoodles said:I've seen more than once now that people don't like being asked what their lowest price is.
I always ask that. People know what their bottom dollar is, if it's still hundreds or thousands higher than what I'm willing to pay any under circumstance, asking the question saves us both time.
But I love negotiating for stuff. Hell I negotiated with the guy who cuts our lawn now and he discovered he was unscrupulous just like myself. I may get E36 M3 for this one, but I'll share anyway.
We found a local guy through one of those big companies that just sends out leads to subcontractors after saying, "We can have your lawn mowed for X price." When the subcontractor got here, he said there was no way he could do it for that price because of the size of the yard, and it being a corner lot, how much edging/trimming is needed.
He said, he went back to the app and said he could do it for $45 per time. I said, "What if I just hire you directly, how much would you charge?" He said $45 again. I said, "Why don't I just hire you directly, pay you $40, and then you are giving that other company a cut of what you make?"
He agreed. A bit dirty since we used the app to find the guy, but now all the money earned is going to the local guy and staying here vs a % going somewhere else.
pointofdeparture said:In reply to Shadeux (Forum Supporter) :
I agree on the reality shows theory. Potential buyers showing up to my house and asking "what's the lowest you'll take" as if it's an episode of Pawn Stars absolutely drives me insane.
I'm guilty of this...but only when the ad says "price negotiable" or "or best offer".
Ive asked the question, "I saw you had OBO in the ad, what's the best price you can give me and still be happy with the deal?"
I've had someone say I can't really go any lower, and paid full price, but I've also had people knock 10-20% off the price.
If I'm going to look at something it's because I thinks it's probably worth the asking price, and I'd be willing to pay full price if the description matches the item, but also don't want to leave money on the table. I figure if someone puts OBO in the add they have some wiggle room built into the listed price.
Unless you've put a deposit on a car, you've got no expectation it won't be sold out from under you.
I personally think it's crappy to do that to somebody if they're on the way to see it and it's a bit of a drive, but it's no different from a retail store running a big sale- the first people to show up with cash get the items.
Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) said:Unless you've put a deposit on a car, you've got no expectation it won't be sold out from under you.
I personally think it's crappy to do that to somebody if they're on the way to see it and it's a bit of a drive, but it's no different from a retail store running a big sale- the first people to show up with cash get the items.
With the case that I had, I TRIED to give the guy a deposit and he refused. That said, I agree. I was disappointed at the time, but the vehicle was cheap, I had the money, and I should have planned better and brought a trailer, even though it was a state away. That's on me.
I learned my lesson and brought a trailer (and cash obviously) when buying the truck I ended up with.
Haven't been in the shallow end of CL for a while, but last time I was in the market as a buyer for a winterbeater Saturn, I ended up generating the following list of "requirements" before I'd even go look at something. (Each was based on a prior crappy experience)
-Will it start?
-Do you have the keys?
-Do you have the title? (and the related inquiry: "Is your name on the title?")
-Is there air in the tires and oil in the engine?
-Is it road legal? (This one generated a TON of "well, no, but you can drive it around the block". No, I'm a county prosecutor, I'm not losing my job because I got stopped driving your unplated, uninsured car.)
-Is it the actual vehicle you have pictured in your ad? (A startling amount of the time the answer to this was "no")
At one point, these simple questions were eliminating WELL OVER 50% of the CL ads I called on without even looking at the vehicle. (Note: these weren't being advertised or sold as "project cars") After the Saturn, I switched over to buying strictly from friends and family (and, occasionally, a fellow GRM'er). Sometimes this means you have to buy before you actually need to buy, but it's well worth it IMHO.
EDIT: Forgot about the Protege5, I guess I did make 1 more trip down the CL rabbit hole.
I had an unusual sale once when a guy showed up to look at the car, then asked me to hold it because he just started working and didn't have the money yet. Normally I would say no, but I didn't feel like playing the Craigslist game anymore so I said sure, I'll take the ad down and wait a few weeks. At least I won't have to deal with flakes while the ad is down.
Two weeks later the dude showed up with the cash, and bought the car.
pointofdeparture said:I'll openly admit I'm probably being too neurotic, but I'm extremely confused by your implication that someone shouldn't raise an eyebrow at a seller making up another interested party to blow an appointment scheduled in advance.
I didn't.
imgon said:I don't know if I would totally bail, if it is a semi rare car I would go look but certainly be prepared for the worst. There seems to be way more flakes nowadays. I was trying to buy a parts car a few years ago. Found a reasonable candidate, typical CL pic of car through screen of 2nd floor, high price but not insane. I go look at it , tell the seller it is the 1st car I'm looking at and tell him it's worth $500 to me but he says no, full price not budging. I say I will get back to him. Two weeks later he has dropped the price a little and I haven't found anything better. Make an appointment to go do a serious look at it, drive 2 hours and he is not home. Have his cell, check and he says I can look it over without him there and he will head home. I check it out further and find a few things I missed the first trip. But over all it had enough of what I needed. He had started at $900 and dropped the price to $750 between the first and second visits. I told him I am still at $500 and this time I had my trailer with me. He got pissed and said it was a $1000 car. Wished him good luck and went on my way. A half hour later he calls me back and says he will do $600. I'm already on the highway, no thanks. An hour and half later he calls to say he'll take $500. Too bad, I'm almost home. It was listed for at least a few more months after, wonder if it ever sold or he just gave up.
It sucks when you defeat yourself in a pissing contest, especially after putting in all that time.
Love threads like this since I absolutely adore the haggling process, deals, and buying and selling. Got a few winners to share.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
I love it too.
After taking advantage of this recent crazy market and unloading a number of things I had but didn't really need, doubling my money on most of them, I was reminded just how much I enjoy the process.
Last week I decided to get rid of a pair of motocross boots. I bought them 3-4 years ago for $60 from a guy who never used them, and upon wearing them realize why. They're cheap, entry level boots that aren't that good or comfortable. I wore them, maybe, 4 times, and advertised them as such for $50 hoping to get $40. Young guy messages that he really wants them but is working and will come right after work that night. I had no other immediate prospects, knew I was busy the next few days, so I told him that I'll give him until 9:30 then put sold pending pickup in the ad. Kid shows up at 9PM, gives me 3, $20 dollar bills, thanks me for helping him out and says not to bother making change. Win!
A few days later I see a set of 18" Advan's on a FB for sale group for $400 and message the guy right away, I'll take them. He gets back to me and we work out the meet up. Meanwhile his FS post is going berserk but he lists them as sold PPU. I get there in the morning and he's a young guy who needs cash to support his business, and we discover that we have mutual friends. He pulls them out, groans a bit and apologizes for the condition, though they're in way better shape than I expected, and says I can have them for $350. While I was paying he was complaining about all the idiot responses he got and said, what's wrong with people these days? Which I thought was pretty funny coming from a guy who appeared to be in his 20's
I've had a few guys come out to buy bikes for their kids and wanting to teach the kids how the process works, Dad encourages them to do the talking, and make the (obviously pre-planned) offer. I usually beat them up pretty good, but always let them win the deal, and sometimes have to tell them, you're not done, you can get a better deal if you keep trying.
Sellers? Not too often.
Buyers, on the other hand... Let's just say this discussion seems all too familiar...
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