I'm gonna say the sellers are just as bad. If you are lucky 1 in 7 will answer there ad. After a week of trying to reach them I send them a "can you take down your fake ad". Sometimes you will get an answer like, oh it sold but I don't know how to take it down or I was on vacation and didn't have my phone with me. Funny how they answer right away then, but don't try to make the sale or take them down.
Funny, I've seen an item that's been on well over a year. Seller dropped the price about 5 months ago but its still way way to high. Now I have a use for it and have been wanting to send a "whats the best you will take for it". I am interested, but don't feel like driving all the way up there just to get a ear full and come home empty handed.
Maybe I'm just "old school" but I enjoy the art of negotiation. I always price my items and usually leave some wiggle room. I feel like, I priced it, so if the potential buyer wants to make an offer they can, otherwise it's priced as marked. When someone asks "whats the least you'll take" they're basically asking you to negotiate with yourself. I now usually counter with something like "whats the most you'll give me?"
Case in point, yesterday I sold a small zero turn mower I've had for a while. Nothing wrong with it, just don't really have the space for it. I put a price of $900 on it, and said "or reasonable offer, in person. I will not negotiate over the phone or by text"
So a guy about an hour away texts and says will you take $500? I replied and said "will you re-read the ad?"
He says sorry, but he just wants to know what's the lowest I'll take because he has to drive about an hour to get here. (not my problem.)
I said, "I am negotiable in person. Come see it, try it out, and make me a reasonable offer, but a bs offer of $500 ain't gonna cut it."
Surprisingly, he actually did show up, made several offers which I declined, 600, 650, then 700 and I said "look, I'll take 750 right now." He says how about 725 'cause I gotta pay this guy (who drove him there in a box truck to pick it up) Again, not my problem, 750 take it or leave it. He ended up buying it for 750, after having to leave and find a bank because he didn't bring the money with him.
I find that often, people who ask whats the lowest you'll take, (if I do decide to be a nice guy and negotiate with myself and throw out a lower number) THEN they want to begin negotiations from the lower number. Not gonna happen! I will negotiate ONCE and only once.
I will not give a lower price and then negotiate. I will not accept your offer over the phone, then have you offer less once you get here. I've had too many people waste my time with stuff like that.
