My brother-in-law, the king of low ballers!

Ok, I don't know about all of you, but I don't low-ball. In fact, I've been to look at a car or something else and it turned out to be a turd. I've declined to even offer, partly because I don't want to offend (and partly because I don't want that piece of junk you think is in mint condition). But my BIL is NOT like me. If he has, say $3K to spend on a car, he'll search for cars up to $10K. Then he sees a car listed for $10K and will offer, say $2K. Most times he strikes out, sometimes he scores though.
Today he was at a garage sale. He saw a set of speakers for $690. He offered $100 and settled on $150. Now we're going to clean them up and he'll probably get $1,000 for them on eBay.
It's amazing.

My brother is the same way, so his career in sales is obviously going well for him. I rarely offer, I either pay the asking price because it's worth it, or I don't bother

I'm not nearly shrewd enough to use those tactics.

My brother in law is not my favorite person in a lot of ways, but good lord can that guy pick up deals.

Although after he tried to "retroactively negotiate" on some parts I had for sale and he'd said he wanted, I gave them away instead of giving him the family discount he apparently expected.

I'm like Rufledt, I'll only look at something if I'm willing to pay the asking price. And people who offer me $2k on a $10k car are liable to get an earful and will never get a second chance to bid on something.

Rufledt wrote: I rarely offer, I either pay the asking price because it's worth it, or I don't bother

Plus eleventy-billion!

When I get low balled I counter with a higher price.

Me too

dean1484 wrote: When I get low balled I counter with a higher price.

i hang up or tell(not ask) them to leave. i had the rambler in the driveway and a guy stopped asking if it was for sale. 2k can drive it home right now i reply. "oh its a nice solid car blah blah let me get your number". next morning 7:30am ring ring ring. "hey i looked at the rambler yesterday, (picks it to death because he was too big a bitch to do it to my face), i'll give you $400. "GFY, click"

dean1484 wrote: When I get low balled I counter with a higher price.

When I was trying to sell a toolbox ($900, brand new, you could buy one from Summit for $1400 if they had the color, which they don't) some people were offering me $700, $500, or yard garbage like 30 year old three-wheelers or sagged moldy camper trailers. I couldn't bring myself to dignify with a response. It's $900. If you don't want to spend $900, you don't want it.

It's not that hard.

By counter-offering me $400 less, you're asking me to give you $400 on the basis of "eh, why the hell not". I wouldn't give you $400 if you were just some guy on the street, why would I give you $400 for the privilege of hauling some of my stuff away?

I don't often lowball, but when I do, I prefer to do it on items I really want where the seller is delusional about the asking price. Because insulting someone is generally counterproductive, I try to be polite about it. Instead of coming at it from a "You want $10K, that things a hunk of junk, how about $3K?" angle, I'll go for a "I don't doubt the car's value, but in my current situation, I am only interested at $3K" approach. Sometimes you get (a totally justified) "No thanks, I'm sure I can sell it to the next guy for $7500" reply, and sometimes you get a call back a few days later, and are renegotiating closer to the lowball price range.

As a seller, I try to be polite about replying to genuine lowball offers. I usually find that about the same time the lowball offer rolls in, I conveniently discover that a potential buyer offered about 75% of my asking price if I could just hold it until next payday...but that I might be persuaded to sell it sooner if the offer was closer to the ballpark. The one thing that will get me to tell you to berkeley off is to ask what my bottom line is (the bane of my craigslist selling experience.) I can't tell you how many times I have had the following exchange:

Buyer: "Interested in your XYZ. What's the final price?"

Me: "I am asking $500, and open to offers."

Buyer: "Yeah, so what's the lowest you will go?"

Me: "The price right now is $500, are you making me an offer?"

Buyer: "Nah man, I just want to know what the real price is before I drive over there...like how low will you go?"

Me: "I'm open to off....Oh, berkeley it! Click...."

I'll offer what I'm willing to pay for something. You never know.

I've offered significantly lower than asking price on items, but only because it wasn't worth anywhere near what they were asking. Still, I try to stay ~20% under market value when buying used, unless it's a hot item, or something I need badly.

ae86andkp61 wrote: Buyer: "Interested in your XYZ. What's the final price?" Me: "I am asking $500, and open to offers." Buyer: "Yeah, so what's the lowest you will go?" Me: "The price right now is $500, are you making me an offer?" Buyer: "Nah man, I just want to know what the real price is before I drive over there...like how low will you go?" Me: "I'm open to off....Oh, berkeley it! Click...."

^This, I appreciate the art of negotiation but its all been lost to people these days who expect me to negotiate with myself on their behalf. Generally when folks ask me whats my lowest price I counter with what is your highest offer. Beyond that I counter with berkeley off.

As far as lowballers, on GRM I price my stuff about where I want to be. On CL I price 10-15% higher. An offer 10% under is a sale, an offer 20% under is a good opening volley in negotiations. An offer below that gets sent to trash.

I have an acquaintance like that - breaks every one down and gets a great deal. Always. Every time. But, when he sells something even to a friend in need he expects top dollar. Like "Cmon, you can't wait for this - it's not like you have a lot of time before your race is over" E36 M3. I berkeleying hate him. Hate. Like watch the quicksand slowly swallow him while I push on his forehead with an oar hatred.

He is a selfish prick and someday when he is in need... I want to be there to help him for free for no good reason. Without strings. And never explain it to him. Because selfishly... I need to do that to stay human.

I don't lowball, but I do make fair offers on things. If something is so insanely overpriced that they aren't even on the same planet, then I won't even make one. OTOH, if we are close on a price, I won't hesitate to make an "opening offer". Like the Rambler, for example, the owner had no idea what it was worth, my top was $1500, but I made him a serious offer of $800 fully expecting a counter of $1500 and settling into $1000-$1250 area. Sometimes they take the low offer!

I was selling a fairly rare massive bass amp, threw it on Craigslist and got a few laughers

One told me it had the less desirable round handles.....none of the pics show the handles.

Another told me that I was asking what they are going for on ebay.....apparently he didn't understand that that means it was the going rate.

I ended up selling it on ebay for more than I originally asked for so it worked out. In general I won't even deal with people trying to lie to me to get me to drop my price,it won't be sold to that person at any cost ever. That royally annoys lowballers lol

Sometimes one mans lowball is another mans fair price. If I get nothing but what seems like lowballs I realize my price is too high.

I occasionally lowball... I usually tell them my wife will only allow me to spend x amount. Tgey usually respond with "yeah, I know how that goes!"

I don't get offended at low balls. I just say no, or counter if I know my price is high.

Ive been warned that low balling increases when you are over 40.

I have stopped putting OBO in ads. I was selling a car last week on CL... listed as a good deal at $4k. I had a guy send "his mechanic" to look at it, then say he wanted it, only to offer me $2k. Had another guy have a mental breakdown that I wouldn't take $2500 and his PS4. Ended up having a normal human being and his wife drive 3 hours to pay me nearly my asking price.

I get most mad when people are shopping but don't have the money. Such a waste of time!

I have a good friend thay manages this. I personally am tired of dealing with everyone asking bottom dollar or trying to negotiate via text. I dont even bother responding anymore. I dont need to sell the truck that bad.

When I hafta move stuff like yesterday I'll post a low ball price to start with but the low ballers still wanna low ball my already low ball price.

I'll give him this: he doesn't try to tell them that the car, speakers, or whatever is only worth a fraction of the ask. He says "This is what I have, will you take this?"
That approach would sit better with me than the whole round handle amp thing. then again, if I'm selling a car for $10K and you only have $3K, why did you even call me. In his defense (this time) he wasn't shopping for them, he was at the garage sale and found them. So that makes a difference.
Not really a low-ball thing, but I do put in my CL ad that I won't consider an offer until you've seen the car. I hate, HATE, HATE!! that.

It all comes down to if the lowball offer is honest or dishonest - if they respect my time and intelligence or not.

If someone (like the op's BIL) doesn't hide the fact that they're just looking for a motivated seller willing to part with an item for cheap, so that he can do a bit of work and flip it for profit, that's cool. If they're trying to pretend that a reasonable asking price is crazy or wastes my time playing games, that's insulting.

Also, in person with cash in hand makes a big difference than playing games via e-mail or (worse) text message.

Can't stand lowballing time wasters.

I had a guy who called about a car, we agreed on a price, he and his girlfriend drove four hours to get here and then started trying to work me on the price again.

He had to drive all the way back home without a car.

People don't seem to realise, I don't -have- to sell it to you. I'm perfectly happy to hang on to my junk for a while.