I'm a Low-Baller.....

I get tired of people selling gear...mostly craigslist...that want to complain about a price I offer. I offer cash quickly and drive to the seller. Usually 45+ minutes. Also, I don't recall ever forcing a seller to sell something to me. Pretty simple. Here's my offer. Yes or no. No need to get offensive. I've found this to be the same with customers in the jewelry/watch business....especially people that come in to sell scrap gold or used items. I've had customers call me/store I work in thieves....loudly in front of other customers. It's ridiculous. Anyone experience this in photo gear deals or other areas?

i tend to find it the other way around. Someone low balls me and I say no and they get all upset.

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For me, when I sell something, it isn't just the amount of money I get that matters to me. . What also matters is the attitude of the potential buyer, and what the potential buyer's intentions are with the item that they buy from me.

I have no interest in selling something to someone so that they can turn around and re-sell it at a profit. . Often times, when someone gives a real lowball offer, I suspect that they are not truly interested in the item for their own use, but rather want to make money off of the item. . I have no interest in selling to such people. . I want my stuff to go to people who I feel will truly appreciate the item. . It really isn't just about the money, and I don't ever want it to be just about the money.

If I am going to sell an item at a price that is significantly below the current going rate, then I would want the bargain to go to someone who truly appreciates it. . For example, if my Canon 5D is worth $325, I would not ever want to sell it for $200 to a guy who wants to re-sell it for a profit. . But I would gladly sell it for $200 to one of the teenage kids in my church who are really interested in getting more into photography, but can't afford a 5D at the 'going rate' of $325.

For some reason, when someone offers me an amount for an item, I can't help but to feel like they are saying, "your item is only worth $ ____________ " (fill in the amount of the lowball offer)

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I rarely sell gear, but when I do, it's usually a little under the going prices. I want to move it, not sit on it for months.
I've had people offer $25 below what I'm asking to hundreds below. My position is I don't need to sell it, I just have too much stuff not getting used to I want to pass it along to someone who will give it some love. When I set the price, I have in my head what I'll accept for it, but it's reasonable to me, anyway. Everything I've purchased off the forum was better than I expected and I paid the asking price. I trust people until they give me a reason not to, and that has never happened on POTN. I've yet to have anyone get upset with me over a price, either selling or buying.
I've never come across any gear I've sold here showing up on the sale forums at a higher price, unless they are selling elsewhere, I'm happy with my experiences here.

Completely agree with the OP. I've seen it both as a seller and as a buyer, no need to get all bent out of shape on an offer especially from CL. As a seller I just state price is firm and ignore - 90% of the time I feel the other party is just a scammer or an email phishing scheme anyways.

As a buyer I am mystified why people think selling a used piece of gear without a warranty and in "used" condition should go for $100 less than buying it brand new, delivered to the door, with a dealers and manufacture's warranty. it does get comical when people get all rude because you suggest a 50% price of retail. i g n o r e

With the quality control I've personally seen and read about I don't care how new your gear is a third party sale voids all warranty, experienced that the hard way even the original dealer was on my side.

archfotos wrote in post #18384699
As a buyer I am mystified why people think selling a used piece of gear without a warranty and in "used" condition should go for $100 less than buying it brand new, delivered to the door, with a dealers and manufacture's warranty. it does get comical when people get all rude because you suggest a 50% price of retail. i g n o r e

This paragraph of yours leads me to believe that perhaps you aren't familiar with the current status of the used high-end lens market. .

It is quite easy to look up the prices that used lenses actually sell for, either here or on eBay or on other forums. . If a $2,000 (new) Canon lens commonly sells for $1700 or $1800 used, then that is the going rate. . Remember, the market is set by supply and demand - no other factors are of any significance. . So if a big bunch of people are willing to pay $1800 for a lens that was $2000 when new, then yes, it would feel like someone was trying to take advantage of me if they offered me $1,000.

Market norms already exist for used items - we don't need try to come up with "what should the price be?" because the price of the used item has already been established by all of the hundreds of other recent sales of that exact same item in the same condition, in the same country. . Because these market norms are so well-established, we all know what the going prices are for any given lens. . Therefore, it seems like someone is trying to fool us, or catch us off guard - when they suggest a price which is so far below the established norm.

When somebody gives a super lowball offer, I feel as if they are saying to themselves, "hey, maybe this seller is dumb enough to let this lens go for way, way less than it is worth." . Or, "maybe this seller doesn't realize what these lenses are going for these days - so perhaps I can get a real bargain off of him." . So the fact that someone is acting as if maybe I am dumb or ignorant is actually rather offensive.

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I mostly agree. I work in sales and have people try to make cash offers on things. That's great and all but it doesn't really work like that. People get mad like it's doing me a favor and I'm missing out on their generosity.

As for making offers, I'm ok if someone low balls me. I set prices for things that I sell like that with some wiggle room for what I need out of it. I don't have to accept an offer I don't want to.

People who sell stuff on Craigslist and forums and are unwilling to negotiate price are kind if missing the point of buying and selling in that manner.
EBay is where they should do those business in that regard if they're going to be insulted buy people making offers for less than they want to sell for.

archfotos wrote in post #18384699
Completely agree with the OP. I've seen it both as a seller and as a buyer, no need to get all bent out of shape on an offer especially from CL. As a seller I just state price is firm and ignore - 90% of the time I feel the other party is just a scammer or an email phishing scheme anyways.

As a buyer I am mystified why people think selling a used piece of gear without a warranty and in "used" condition should go for $100 less than buying it brand new, delivered to the door, with a dealers and manufacture's warranty. it does get comical when people get all rude because you suggest a 50% price of retail. i g n o r e

With the quality control I've personally seen and read about I don't care how new your gear is a third party sale voids all warranty, experienced that the hard way even the original dealer was on my side.

Hardly ever is something going to sell on the used market for 50% of its new price, especially photo-related equipment that is still relevant and actively being sold today. A 15-25% markdown for an item that is like-new or in excellent condition that works perfectly is closer to the norm. For example, a 24-70 II sells at $1750, you are not going to get a used one for $900. However you will find one at $1400, which falls in this 15-25% range.

Tom's outlook too is valid. Sometimes it feels good to let something go for less than what you could really hold out for, if it is going to help somebody jumpstart their photo hobby/career.

If I offer less than asking price to somebody, I always stipulate that it is a standing offer good for X days. This means they can try to sell it to others for more, but in the end, if they decide to lower the price, they may just decide to simply sell it to me. This reduces my exposure to depreciation long-term, and gives them a floor to haggle better deals from other buyers. It matters little to me if they sell it to someone else, but if I get it, then I have gotten a really good deal in almost every case.

I've even sent links to NEW items that were currently available that were CHEAPER than their listing. Insane.

There will always be people that find distaste in carpet kickers,.
Some associate a degree of dishonesty assuming that the intent is to flip for a higher resale. Indeed, that sort of dealer is sometimes imagined as predatory.


Someone that just looks hard for a bargain is often confused with above.

Personally, it's all part of doing business.

If I were morally perfect, and I found a yardsale item for $2.50 that I knew the value was actually thousands,. would I be compelled to tell the owner it's true value?

I don't know, and don;t have to worry about it, because I'd say nothing and buy it for sure. I might even offer $1.50

At the same time, on POTN we do not allow public posts warning about prices being too high. The point of view is far too subjective for there to be any solution other than simply not allowing it here.

Of course, this in no way prevents the PM with a lowball offer,. which is perfectly fair pool.

I usually low ball just to get a reply. It let's people know I am offering low, and they usually give me their bottom dollar which gets me closer to a price in happy with on my second lowball offer, if they say no then I guess I walk.

I'm always ruthlessly honest in item descriptions as I can't be bothered with any hassle, and was once selling a car for £2k, cheap car, all faults described. Bloke and his mates drove 2 miles to see it, went bonkers saying it wasn't as described, and demanded I sell it for £25! When I obviously refused, they all tried to bully me into selling it, so it was obviously a scam from the start. When I told them the price had gone up because of their wasting MY time with their tantrums, they cleared off. Funny thing is that it happened three times the same weekend, all gangs of young Asian blokes, is this a cultural thing? No idea, but one hell of a coincidence.

If you offer me half of my asking price, which is already discounted, you'll annoy me.

If you offer me $20 for something I shortly after sold for $350, I'll be very annoyed (this happened.)