What is your minimum price? Drives me NUTS!

iAMB wrote in post #18476166
I had an ad on CL for a remote control car a couple weeks ago. This is literally the conversation we had.

For sale: $400

Guy: I have $200
Guy again: I have $300
Me: I need $400
Guy: I have $350
Me: Ok.


30 minutes before meeting at park near my house.

Guy: I only have $275 today
Me: Its now on Ebay, good luck bidding.

It sold for $390 a week later online....

However you still netted a bit less than $350 cash, but I have had several like that as well and find them less hassle than CL sales.

OK, I believe it is time for a positive gear-selling story. A while back, I listed an ef-s 60mm f/2.8 macro lens for sale on CL. I got an email asking if I would ship it to Chicago. I was sorely tempted to delete, but it was written well (grammar, spelling, punctuation) and in complete sentences, so I responded. "Sure, if you pay the Postage. Oh, and use PayPal gift." He asked if I had any online sales history. I gave him my POTN and E-Bay usernames. He contacted me on both, then agreed to my terms. He paid. I shipped. Two happy campers.

Bassat wrote in post #18476313
OK, I believe it is time for a positive gear-selling story. A while back, I listed an ef-s 60mm f/2.8 macro lens for sale on CL. I got an email asking if I would ship it to Chicago. I was sorely tempted to delete, but it was written well (grammar, spelling, punctuation) and in complete sentences, so I responded. "Sure, if you pay the Postage. Oh, and use PayPal gift." He asked if I had any online sales history. I gave him my POTN and E-Bay usernames. He contacted me on both, then agreed to my terms. He paid. I shipped. Two happy campers.

Hey, what about our transactions, weren't they happy ones?

j/k

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18476314
Hey, what about our transactions, weren't they happy ones?

j/k

Why, yes they were. For the record, I have made two purchases from TeamSpeed (YN-622 units, and a bag). We live relatively close to each other, so his CL ads are 'local' to me. I recognized photos from his ads on POTN, where he has an excellent reputation. And that is WAY MORE than I know about most CL purchasers.

Northern Indiana for those too lazy to look below our avatars. There are lots of local people on POTN. Elkhart, Valparaiso, Warsaw, and multiple Fort Wayne members. Pretty sure I'm the only one from Bourbon (pop. ~1200), but maybe not!

Bassat wrote in post #18476331
Why, yes they were. For the record, I have made two purchases from TeamSpeed (YN-622 units, and a bag). We live relatively close to each other, so his CL ads are 'local' to me. I recognized photos from his ads on POTN, where he has an excellent reputation. And that is WAY MORE than I know about most CL purchasers.

Northern Indiana for those too lazy to look below our avatars. There are lots of local people on POTN. Elkhart, Valparaiso, Warsaw, and multiple Fort Wayne members. Pretty sure I'm the only one from Bourbon (pop. ~1200), but maybe not!

Hey I'm a native Merrillville but born again texan lol

Talley wrote in post #18476639
Hey I'm a native Merrillville but born again texan lol

Howdy, neighbor! When was the last time you were there? US 30 is a nightmare, now. My wife went to nursing school at Valpo, a 120 mile round trip! She had clinicals in M'ville, East Chicago, LaPorte, and Chicago. Pretty much in your old back yard!

Just reading this thread...totally agree.

I can see both points:

Buyer: Let's get to the point, cut the negotiation BS, etc.
Seller: Why should I negotiate against myself? I already put a price out there and buyer isn't even making an offer (no mention of price).

I personally don't really appreciate it...it just seems lazy to me. I get Craigslist emails that simply say "best price" and nothing else or "lowest u'll go." First, it's rude. Second, I have a few hobbies and it seems a lot of flippers do this...just trying to get things ultra-cheap and then re-sell for a profit. My usual response is "My price is listed. You are free to make an offer." Sometimes, I'll go into more detail like "My price is listed. There are two items like mine also listed for $XX more - I feel it's very competitively priced. If you want to make an offer, you can, but it would have to be close to asking price."

Those are 2 of my 3 negative experiences over the many years of buying and selling within my hobbies. Most go unremembered because of how smoothly the transactions occur. POTN has been top notch for me when it comes to photography. So much so that I have recommended this forum to countless of photographers I have crossed paths with. But you will always get those transactions that get remembered.

When I sell gear, I typically deal with two different situations, so there's not a one-size-fits-all approach:

1) Forums such as PON, or cloudynights.com for astronomy gear. These are more of a community, where everybody has a profile, posting history, ratings, and sometimes a photo gallery. On these forums, I've found people who reply to classifieds are generally serious so I'm more willing to work with them.

2) Open forums like Craigslist, where anybody with an email address can respond (you don't even have to be a registered user). There is a lot more anonymity here, and when I list items for sale here I'm more likely to get responses of simply "will u take [1/3 to 1/2 less than asking price]" with no capitalization, punctuation, or further elaboration. For these people, my typical response is as I posted earlier, "Thanks for responding to my ad... I think my asking price is fair...." Usually that's the last I hear from them.

Mike

And let's not forget the famous "I'm buying this for my son for his birthday and will PayPal you an extra $100 for shipping" (but with worse English) on Craigslist. It seems like I get one of those every time I list camera gear for more than about $300. I've taken to toying with these jokers. "Why don't we meet in person tomorrow and you can pay me with cash? Then you can ship it to your son and we don't have to worry about PayPal." Then I offer to accommodate every excuse they come up with. Have to work? I'll meet you where you work. Get off work at 4am? I live nearby and can come any time, day or night. Traveling on business right now? When will you be back? I'll hold it for you. After two or three tries they usually give up and stop responding.

Bassat wrote in post #18476659
Howdy, neighbor! When was the last time you were there? US 30 is a nightmare, now. My wife went to nursing school at Valpo, a 120 mile round trip! She had clinicals in M'ville, East Chicago, LaPorte, and Chicago. Pretty much in your old back yard!

Every year for a week in June

The worst is when you list it as FIRM SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY.

And you still get people who offer you significantly less.

Good news. I just listed and sold five items here on POTN. No hassles at all. Yay, Pekka!

Bassat wrote in post #18472662
I buy and sell a lot of gear on POTN, E-Bay, and CraigsList.

Most folks respond with an offer (full or a bit less), or just a request to inspect the item. About 10% of the inquiries I get are:

"What is the minimum you'd take?"

That just smokes my goat. My first inclination is to respond, "$5 more than the most you would pay!"

To my mind, if you are interested, say so. If you want to negotiate a better deal, say so. If you want to make an offer, do so. Since I can't respond in a civil manner, I just delete the message. They have expressed no interest, the don't want to inspect, they have made no offer. Why should I bother?

Was Sagen Sie?

I undersand the frustration, but I would never pass up the possibility of a sale. What if they are the buyer that will negotiate to what you want for your item? I never let the buying/selling process get personal. I always block out any frustrations and just roll with it. It if it becomes apparent that the person will not agree with the price I ultimately want, then I just wish them luck and best wishes in finding what they are looking for.

Selling gear is like fishing -- don’t pass on the opportunity to set the hook if something is nibbling on your line.

Cheers,
Bryan

bps wrote in post #18479177
I undersand the frustration, but I would never pass up the possibility of a sale. What if they are the buyer that will negotiate to what you want for your item? I never let the buying/selling process get personal. I always block out any frustrations and just roll with it. It if it becomes apparent that the person will not agree with the price I ultimately want, then I just wish them luck and best wishes in finding what they are looking for.

Selling gear is like fishing -- don’t pass on the opportunity to set the hook if something is nibbling on your line.

Cheers,
Bryan

I see your point. The counter-point is that I've never NOT sold anything I was trying to sell. Why tolerate the frustration unnecessarily?

I discovered about 20 years ago that fishing is a LOT more fun if I leave the bait at home, and use that un-used space to take more beer. BAIT=Optional. BEER=Essential. Fishing is indeed an art form.