Negotiating Tactics: Please Add Your Thoughts & Experiances

I learned some from my mother who was the sharpest negotiator ever, We lived in Mexico city in the 60's with my Grandmother and one day my mother took all 3 kids to the huge market they had on the square. My brother saw a chess set that he wanted and my mother asked the vendor how much, the vendor said 250 pesos ( Tourist price! .08 cents per peso at the time ) my mother offered 90, the vendor came back with 180 to which my mother said 80. This went on for a while (like watching a tennis match) and after a lot of back and forth my brother got his chess set for 60 pesos.
I was 10 years old at the time and still remember it like yesterday (I still have the chess set which my brother gave to me). I would not recommend using this technic on Most deals and I've always found that if a fair price is set to begin with the dealing is kept to a minimum and saying no thanks or sorry is always an option.

 

Yay!!!

 

Here is what I do for the most part.

When selling (on Etsy) we don't have a best offer feature. But I have received some questions as to whether the price were negotiable or potential buyers came out and asked if I would sell the item for X amount of dollars. They seem never to say if they mean that excludes the cost to ship so I always have to ask them if they realize the shipping is extra and is not negotiable. Sometimes they think that the offer includes the price of shipping, which I can not do.

Some offers have been just so low ball, I can not do them. On items that have been gathering dust and I would like to see go, I will lower the price, if the price they offer leaves me with a profit I can live with and I know it has had little interest.. On items that I think just need to sit awhile longer for the right buyer, I can lower the price a bit but not too much. Some items I won't lower the price on at all since they are priced just so.

I had one perspective buyer (who was also a seller on Etsy) ask me if I could lower the price on an item, and the price she offered was rock bottom. I politely told her no. Didn't hear from her for about 3 months and then she bought the item for the full price, but said in her feedback, that that item was nice but too expensive. (insert curse words here)

At yard sales, garage sales and estate sales, if there are no price tags, I ask how much something is and see what they say. I know many of the regular estate sale runners and was a familiar face at sales so I know which of them have the kind of prices I can work with and the ones that run hot and cold with pricing and where I can negotiate. If they come in too high, I offer a price I can pay and am always polite. I do bargain with estate sale runners as around here it is the norm. But some folks are very obnoxious in the way they haggle so my approach is be nice and see what happens. I don't offer rock bottom offers. I sometimes will ask what is the best they can do and sometimes throw out a price I think works for both of us.

It used to be that the more one bought at an estate sale, the better the price. Now, that has gone out the window and they add all the pieces up and rarely is there a price break for bundling.

At yard sales and garage sales, where the prices are tagged on the item, I will try to negotiate a lower price if the price of the item is too high. Around here negotiating a price is pretty much expected, except if you go to someone who never had a garage sale before or print out ebay listings in hopes of getting that price on their stuff.

Just my 2 cents.

 

And worth double! ................... but I'll give you 3.

 

she sounds like an idiot to me.

 

KOT- she was not the sharpest knife in the drawer for sure.
LOL

 

I think this is why some sellers immediately block bidders who put in lowball offers. It may be that such buyers, if subsequently paying higher than their lowball price, then feel the urge to leave negative feedback, or worse, open an item not as described case in an attempt to get a post sale discount, or even pretend never to have received the item

 

As a seller on eBay, while lowball offers seem to be insulting, this opens the door for counter offers. Sometimes they accept. Sometimes they don't. Que sera, sera. As a seller at Antique shows, the customers attitude counts for a lot with me. If I get a bad vibe I won't budge on my price. As a buyer, I usually offer 10-20% less at flea markets. I normally do not go to Estates Sales the first day because I figure the prices are to high. Usually 50% off the 2nd day around here.

 

I go to a lot of yard sales and I usually will offer about 20% less than the marked price unless it is a very good price to start.

Here professionally run sales are notorious for being high priced and not open to offers. Some will take written offers the first day and if it's reasonable they agree before the day 2 discounts.

I was at one professionally run sale and saw a gorgeous set of wine glasses priced way too high. I was buying something else and said I love all the glassware but it just is too high for me. I asked if they were discounting on day 2. She said yes, but come with me and let's talk. We went over to the glasses, dickered back and forth, I added a few additional pieces to the mix. We came to an agreement and I bought the wine glasses and additional pieces for less than half of what they were asking. That is very, very unusual here.

Usually when I come across something I like that is priced way too high I just walk away. I assume they either know something I don't or they are unrealistic.

I sell online, at the local flea and antique shows. I price my items with the expectation of giving up to 20% off if asked to discount. Every so often I get someone offering way too little and becoming annoyed when I say "Sorry, I can't do that". Once I had a lady keep coming back offering me crazy low prices on a branch coral bracelet. Finally I put it away and when she came back told her I sold it for full price, which I did the next week.

Once, when the flea season was just about over, I had someone ask me what my best price was on a $2 item. I had had a good day so I was in a good mood. I just started laughing and happily said give me $1. He took it but he was embarrassed, I bet he didn't try that on anyone else's $2 items

 

I don't go to very many sales anymore.
Have way too much stuff to sort through.

Generally garage sales around here are marked pretty low. In fact, because this is a small community and everyone knows everyone, I have even paid higher than marked. Simply because people know I am a dealer and will be reselling. Goodwill, and honesty goes a long way around here.

 

Have you guys ever had people that wanted you to give them item(s)?

A few years ago I was helping my parents with their garage sale and this woman in a newer Audi crossover pulls up and wants us to give her a tricycle and a couple of other toys that were in our garage sale. After we said no she went into a huge sob story about how she was recently divorced and that her kids had nothing for their birthdays. I was taken aback momentarily and told her to check some local thrift stores that have a good selection of inexpensive children's toys and said that we were unable to give away our items. She was well dressed with lots of jewelry and didn't look to be hurting for money.

 

I'm only good at dickering if it's not something I want to keep. If I really like something, I am too afraid to lose it.

 

I have suggested to G salers that they take certain things they can't sell to the Domestic Violence thrift store.
I have also been given things for the USO.
The best one.... This woman had lots of kids running around her. Single Mom.
She was selling all the kids' VHS tapes and I asked her why. She said the VCR was broken.
I told her to put them back in the house and I would find her one.
A couple of G sales later..... A FREE working VCR!! She was shocked when I returned with it.

 

There was a book stand.... up for sale... once upon a time.. for 350€.

I offered 250€ and the seller didn't accept the offer.

A couple of weeks later he decided to auction it off and the final price ended up being 170€ (I didn't bid because I had spent my money already on other things).

I wonder if he regretted not selling it to me for 250..

 

a woman bought two rugs from my yard sale for $350.....wanted to give me a check.............

 

Take a photo of each.
Print them.
Sell those to her and take check.

 

Hi Komo,
I was at the flea market very early. Saw a wonderful Buffalo Pottery tray with a Buffalo and Indian hunt on it. It was marked 250. I usually seen them for 500 plus.
I only had 50 bucks on me so I said to the guy "would you take a check?" He turned to me and said "You want to give me a check for a 2 dollar and 50 cent item". I stopped for a minute and then he said "You thought this tray was a 250 dollar item?". I said yes and he says "give me 25 dollars for it". I agreed and gave him 25 bucks for it. He was happy as hell and so was I.
greg

 

I love that story, Gregggsie!