Do you respond to this…as a SELLER??

[Cameramonkey]

You sold a gun and walked away happy?!




SHAME!!

I did too. Put a Garand that was a safe queen in one INGOers hands, and turned around and used that to buy a boat from another INGOer. In fact I just got home from Eagle Creek with it. 12" flathead and a 8" striped bass in 90 minutes of late evening fishing. I am MUCH happier playing with this toy than the other. Sure the other was cooler, but I didnt get to spend quality time with my kids with it.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I don't negotiate against myself. Make an offer.

 

[dw.watts]

I don't negotiate against myself. Make an offer.

 

[hANNAbONE]

seems to me if the potential buyer responds to your ad they are AT LEAST intrigued by the potential of purchasing.
With that, as many of you have stated, re-submit the original price at that first correspondence and get a face to face commitment to see if the buyer is "really interested" or is just kicking tires - and negotiate face to face from there.....

YMMV

 

[Rotten Apple]

I always reply with "what price range was you hoping for"?

 

[Redlinetoys]

They can ask whatever they want in my opinion, but it is awkward. They are trying to force you into giving away negotiation. It’s how you respond that is important. And how you let their questions make you feel.

I’ve had a lot of people ask me what I would take for my hot rod that has been a family project for 35 plus yrs. When I tell them, “Not for sale”, they will often push and prod trying to get a number. I’ve discovered that generally they have no intention or means of following through.

My latest answer has proven both effective and polite, and tends to slow their roll unless they are deadly serious. I just put the ball back in their court with...

“Bring a bucket of $100 bills snd start piling them up. I’ll let you know when to stop.”

 

[STFU]

**** poor way to start a transaction/negotiation. Ive received them too, and its lazy. At least make an offer along with it. Its even more offensive when they say it very shortly after the ad goes live.

Starting with "what's your bottom dollar" shows no skill at negotiation. What do they expect? For us to just roll over and say "Aw shucks. I know I have it listed for $600, but if I get really desperate I'll go as low as $450 to get the cash in hand. So I'll just take the loss right now and let you buy it for $450 JUST because you asked. You got me."

Anyone that expects you to leave money on the table with no effort is un serious. It shouldnt be "how low will you go?" It should be "I wont pay a dollar over $xxx." if anything.

I dont find if offensive per se. I find the practice lazy.

^^^This is spot on.^^^
It is a sign of laziness and lack of negotiation skills.

My response would be: "What is your best offer?"

 

[therewolf]

Respond with a price that is 15% more than you are asking now.

Little secret, everybody is a cheapskate. You and me included. While I cringe, at the thought of what you can end up with, as an overall gun collection, by constantly pushing lowball offers, many are so proud of their assortment of cheap "deals', that they blithely ignore the overall quality and condition of what they have scraped together, over the years.

Unfortunately, this question, and others like it, are inherent, in the nature of the beast. Everybody loves buying guns. I doubt I'm the only one who also hates occasionally selling one.

 

[TommyD]

I want to see if I’m just crazy or others have bad buyer etiquette.

If you’ve got something for sale and it’s very reasonably priced, do you respond to potential buyers that start their conversation off with “what’s your lowest price?”

To me, this is poor practice. I do not respond to those types of questions when selling, and feel that if you list your product well, and price your item fairly, those kinds of questions shouldn’t even exist, and knowledgeable potential buyers will start with a good idea what something is worth and where the wiggle-room is.

Curious as to what the community’s thoughts are.

I am a salesperson and I always respond with, "what is the most you are willing to pay?" Put it back on them!

 

[Cork74]

I see your point but cannot respond directly 'cause I'm old , tired & crabby already and that might make me crabbier.
Did I mention I'm OLD ?

 

[DFacres]

**** poor way to start a transaction/negotiation. Ive received them too, and its lazy. At least make an offer along with it. Its even more offensive when they say it very shortly after the ad goes live.

Starting with "what's your bottom dollar" shows no skill at negotiation. What do they expect? For us to just roll over and say "Aw shucks. I know I have it listed for $600, but if I get really desperate I'll go as low as $450 to get the cash in hand. So I'll just take the loss right now and let you buy it for $450 JUST because you asked. You got me."

When asked what’s the lowest I’ll take for an item, instead, reply back: Aw shucks-what’s the most you’ll pay for it