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Haggling Barstewards

One guy on here a few years ago was interested in something I was selling. Messaged me a few times over several days. Eventually messaged me with "I think it's worth £XXX based on my research, so I would like to offer that delivered". Offer was about £50 less that my asking price, on an item under £200 a fair drop. My response was "If you can get one for that amount, I would snap it up.". My item sold the next day for the asking price, also to someone from here.

The number of people on Facebook Marketplace who try it on. They just message with "What's you best price?". I reply with a price over the asking price just because they are so annoying
 
I see nothing wrong with asking if the seller can move on price at all - but only if I'm happy with their asking price anyway. It never hurts to ask! The tosser who let me down on the Adcoms has in turn caused me to have to withdraw interest on a Bel Canto DAC 1.5 that would have been a dac/pre for me. spaffguzzling twunt.
 
FB market place does seem to be growing. Ebay now own Gumtree and Gumtree is littered with annoying ads. Ebay is still ok for world wide exposure.
 
This seems to be a growing trend, 20-15 years ago you could have sold classic bike parts or Hifi stuff on eBay or on here or various places with little or no hassle, now every other inquiry is some dick offering about 50% of the advertised prices, now don't get me wrong, everyone likes a bit of discount but some of these 'punters' are just taking the p
 
Darren L said:
This seems to be a growing trend, 20-15 years ago you could have sold classic bike parts or Hifi stuff on eBay or on here or various places with little or no hassle, now every other inquiry is some dick offering about 50% of the advertised prices, now don't get me wrong, everyone likes a bit of discount but some of these 'punters' are just taking the p
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I suspect a fair few of them are making a living as eBay traders. They haggle you down enough, they can then turn it round for a profit online. All you need is a small bit of capital for stock, and a brass neck.
 
awkwardbydesign said:
I see someone here has offered a pair of headphones free. I'm tempted to haggle. :D
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I've experienced that. Advertised a vivarium and an aquarium at different times for free on the local classified ads, and both times got multiple enquiries asking would I deliver it for free.
 
+1 I once tried giving a car away - it was 13yrs old, owed me nothing, I needed rid as live in a city centre apartment and can only have one resi permit, and thought a giveaway would easily shortcut weeks of trying to sell a car with much useful life left, but not worth that much...

Not it did not. despite a reasonable ad , full honest description I still got three or four utter timewaster/tyre kickers types, asking for new MOT, delivery, quibbling condition of tyres bits of trim etc. Honestly - it's just free, come take it, weigh it in and make £150 if that's all you want! Free money!

[Eventually it went to a deserving home in a very straightforward way, to a young lad who simply called, said yes please and proceeded to organise how to get it from me to him. Which involved a drive over his way, paying for the fuel and a pub lunch/train home. Saab NG900 T more than adequately provided for the 'something large and reliable but cheap,as about I'm to become a dad' need. Iirc he got another couple of years out of it :) ]
 
All my buyers on here have been great, no insulting offers but usually a bit of negotiation.
It's the tyre kickers that do my head in. I've lost count of the radio silences following a load of refoam/tannoy questions and a commitment to send me their drivers..
 
Cooky1257:
'All my buyers on here have been great, no insulting offers but usually a bit of negotiation.'

I've sold a few bits on here and had the same experience. Polite negotiation and seamless transaction. And it's always nice meeting fellow fishes if they are collecting. For me it's the safest place on line to try and sell stuff; less likely to encounter chancers, although there are always going to be a few kicking about. I recently put my PRS up for sale here; didn't sell or receive any responses but it was worth a shout.

Having said all that, and with some trepidation on my part, my partner offered to put it up on the 'bay; whereupon it sold within 24 hours! Nevertheless I'm still not tempted to get into the whole ebay/paypal pipeline as I don't often have stuff to sell. And there are too many tales of woe regularly cropping up here and elsewhere to ease my worried mind. . .;)
 
I've posted this several times here before, so apologies if I'm boring people, but it still bewilders me.....

I once sold a CD player on Ebay and the winner wanted me to send it straight away, but said they'd have to pay me next month as their Dad had died and because of the funeral costs they'd have to wait until next payday to send me the money. I pulled out and relisted. When I told the next winner the reason the first sale had fallen through they then pulled out. They said they didn't like the way I'd treated the first person and had been so unsympathetic.

Jeez! People, eh?
 
madmike said:
...and I hate being called buddy or mate!
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Or 'man' , maybe not so common with Hifi buyers, but when it comes to selling Harley parts it's nearly always 'hey man, what's your best ...... and these are people from Hull, Essex or Swansea, then if they're pleased with something it's 'stoked Maaaaaaan' (twats)
 
Colonel_Mad said:
I've posted this several times here before, so apologies if I'm boring people, but it still bewilders me.....

I once sold a CD player on Ebay and the winner wanted me to send it straight away, but said they'd have to pay me next month as their Dad had died and because of the funeral costs they'd have to wait until next payday to send me the money. I pulled out and relisted. When I told the next winner the reason the first sale had fallen through they then pulled out. They said they didn't like the way I'd treated the first person and had been so unsympathetic.

Jeez! People, eh?
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That's mind-boggling. I really do worry that some people think that this is an acceptable way of conducting themselves (and business).

The type of person who would ask you to do that is precisely the type of person you should never sell to - you made 100% the right decision imo.
 
cooky1257 said:
All my buyers on here have been great, no insulting offers but usually a bit of negotiation.
It's the tyre kickers that do my head in. I've lost count of the radio silences following a load of refoam/tannoy questions and a commitment to send me their drivers..
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Just downright rude that radio silence nonsense unfortunately I get that a lot as I'm SE and they text asking for a price/availability and as soon as they've managed to get what they want they're off without a word of thanks but if I don't reply to their initial enquiry I'm all the unprofessional twunts under the sun.

I had a woman text me yesterday and this is her exact text 'how much to repair my boiler?' That's like asking a mechanic how much to repair a car or a hifi engineer how much to repair an amp. Honest to God some of them are either totally stupid or bloody at it...

And how hard is it to reply to a text thanks but no thanks or I'll have a think or I'll get back to you if I'm going ahead?
 
I don't haggle, either way. If I can afford the asking price and want the item, I pay up. I never sell things, just give them away.

It stumps some people, and I have had complaints [unjustified] about items collected as gratis.

We live in a strange world.

What I still have is priceless to me like my sixty-two year old Troughline, and similarly aged ESL. They are left in my Will!

I have wonderful old Carlton bike also never to be sold, but Willed. The rest they can put in a skip when I quit this "Mortal Coil."

Best wishes from George
 
Several years age I sold a Rega P6. The turntable was only a few months old and in mint condition. I agreed a price with the buyer and said that I would deliver. He then spent about 20 minutes looking at the table (he admitted that he was a bit fussy and I wasn’t really bothered). He then said that he would take the table but only had £50 less than the agreed price in cash.

As I had a long journey I agreed to the lower price.

The thing that p*ssed me off was that he was a regular poster on this forum and was constantly selling bits and pieces. He does not post as often these days but his behaviour certainly got under my skin. Not what I expected from a pfm member.
 
You’re always going to get people trying to buy nice things cheaply. As long as you’re not in a forced sale position you can just pass. I’ve bought and sold quite a few things on here and only been mucked around a couple of times. Everyone else has been a delight to deal with. It’s why I can’t be bothered with eBay, Gumtree etc, nickel and dimers aren’t worth the agro.

The best low ball I’ve had was on a £50K vehicle. It was the best priced available for the age and condition. Offered 42, sent me all sorts of ‘comparables’ which were nothing of the sort. Told him to buy one of them if it’s such a bargain (looked abused). Mine eventually sold for asking price to a great guy who realised it was the best condition and value available. Some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
 
madmike said:
hate being called buddy or mate!
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dat sick mofo

anyway I love to haggle and to barter. Last thing I bought on here i made a cash plus object plus favours offer.

item was £900, I offered £600 plus a used pair of nike trainers, some bubble bath and the chance to meet stronzetto
 
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