Mudu93

Long story short, seller advertised on craigslist for $200, I offered $125 for a mid 90's stumpjumper based on a single fuzzy picture. It was located over an hour a way so I wanted to start the negotiation to determine if it was goint to be worth my time to go out and pick it up. This bike would have entered my stable as a rider and my only non-rigid mtb. The sellers reply "Go F your self, I know what I have and the price is a gift to someone who will appreciate it and ride it." Beleive me I would have appreciated and rode it. Oh well, you cannot win them all. Must have thought I was a flipper!!!

big chainring 

Good for the seller. I am more polite with responses like "Dream on", "Not likely", or "What planet are you on". But when people offer me 1/2 of what my asking price is, its quite annoying. I'll have to try the "Go F yourself" line one of these days.

brian3069

That's funny, seller sounds like a great guy. I prefer receiving low-ball offers by e-mail or phone. That way my time's not wasted with someone coming to my home.

Flying Merkel

A better reply on the seller's part would have been, "Sorry, the price is firm". No need to act like an ass. I buy and sell on C-list a lot. Potential buyer is free to make offers, seller is free to reject it. I'm old fashioned enough to believe in the concept of manners. People have bought from me after being politely told the price is firm. Can't imagine anyone buying after being told "Go F your self, I know what I have and the price is a gift to someone who will appreciate it and ride it."

auchencrow

I don't think it's a good idea to eMail low-ball offers: I don't respond to them, I just permanently block their eMail.

I'm more tolerant of the "What's the least you're willing to take?" eMails... I respond asking "What's the most you're willing to pay?". (At times the shopper will then come out to have a look, and upon inspection pay my asking price.)

Anyway, it is always better to present any offer in person - even with a lowball offer, the seller may react more positively, or make a counter-offer.

bobn

+1 Fying Merkel
Your so called low ball offer may be the only one he gets on something he HAS to get rid of.

clubman 

I think lowballs can only be made in person, based on condition of the item.

If that mid 90's Stumpy was in great condition, it's easy to understand why he's offended. Not everyone knows how or why to post clear, defining pictures and descriptions.

buldogge

I don't sell things very often...but...I don't find simply saying 'no' to be very difficult.

A buyer is always gonna negotiate price, it is human nature. The seller is free to accept or reject offers at will, there is really no reason to be rude/offensive/confrontational.

My 2c.

iab

The "go f yerself" is definitely rude.

Is a low-ball offer also rude? atmo, I'd say no. Its just money. No need to take it personally.

rootboy 

+1

Old fashioned? Maybe. Out of style? probably. Dead? almost. Right and proper? definitely.

ColonelJLloyd 

You made a lame offer via email and you received a harsh, but not entirely inappropriate response.

gmt13

+2

Buying and selling is just business, no need to abandon civility. CL sellers that ask way too much have to expect disappointing offers. Low-ball buyers should expect to be ignored.

-G

krome

I don't like to negotiate or haggle online. By showing up, you are expressing genuine interest. By having the cash on hand and the ability to show it, expresses that you mean business. Anybody can spend 5 minutes writing an email, put some effort forth and go look at it before you start throwing out offers. If the fact that it is an hour away isn't the seller's problem. To me this is proper classified ad/craigslist etiquette.

This is something that has annoyed me since pre-craigslist days in dealing with classified ads in the newspaper. Somebody calls up and asks "what is the least you'll take for it" or "will you take $$$ (insert low-ball offer here)" without actually coming to look at said item. In my case, said items were usually automobiles, and one generally wants to inspect an older used car before buying it.

Maybe I just have a different perspective on one on one dealings with people, but my only criticism with the seller in the OP is the impoliteness of the reply, but maybe it's perfectly correct for the region, I dunno.

Now, it is different if one is selling on forums online where the need to ship the item is expected. There I don't mind some negotiations and haggling because they are not local sales.

cudak888 

I'm surprised he let you come by to see it after you threw that lowball at him.

-Kurt

bobn

Overpricing and lowballing are just ways to test the waters. It's just business. It doesn't mean there can't be a sale after negotiations. This seller just slammed the door in the face of a potential buyer. Not a good business tactic. If this is the attitude of the seller, then he will have his problems. He should have stated in the ad that the figure is firm,non negotiable period.
Remember, the buyer is the guy with the wallet.

Vonruden

crappy Pics usually ellicit crappy offers. i see nothing wrong with the OP's technique.

Chris Chicago

i sold a old car last fall and got a few lowball emails. i responded no thanks and at least one tried to convince me i was asking way too much, but I had an offer for much more than his already.

It is of no real benefit to insult offers that dont meet your standards, or sellers who dont accept your offer. If I had insulted my wife's initial reluctance to go out with me, my 2 great kids might not exist.

poke em

I see a lot of sellers who come off rude in their ad. Some people are just a holes these days. A couple posters mentioned that you should at least look at the item before making an offer and I agree, especially if your plan is to lowball them.

CardiacKid

If people get that upset about what they perceive as a lowball offer, they must lead an incredibly sheltered life. There are a lot worse things that happen to me every day.

flash2070

There is a right and wrong way to lowball. Here is my right way tactic that never elicits a negative obscene response from sellers! Me: Hi sir/madam, thank you for reading my email, I sincerely appreciate it. I wanted to ask you if you would to be kind enough to consider my offer of $$ for your road bike. I know that it's not what you are asking for, but if you do not sell it at your asking price, I would truly appreciate a return call. I have cash on hand, and I will not be wasting your time. Thanks again for your time and consideration I truly appreciate it.

Incorrect way: I'll give you $$ for the bike
Truly incorrect way: $$ for the bike

Note: Never deprieve your vocabulary of "may I", "please", and "thank you"! If you can use the seller's name even better! I have been collecting/flipping for 3-4 years, and not once have I receive negative feedback from sellers. It is definitely all on the approach. This is truly if buying bikes, or in anything in life. They do not teach that in Harvard! :-)

auchencrow

It does if he blocks your eMail.

Courtesy works both ways - While the seller's harsh response was rude, so too is an egregiously low offer for a bike which may well be pristine - or possibly just someone's over-priced pride and joy. (I fail to see how having a wallet changes anything.)

CardiacKid

I was looking for a fixed gear last year for my teenager. There was an ad for a bike that the seller wanted $150 more than Bikesdirect was selling the new version for. I sent the seller an email explaining I was new to fixed gears and was curious why his bike was worth more than a new one. He responded with a string of expletives and concluded with a statement that it had new tires. When I pointed out the new one had new tires and new everything else, he really got mad. Seriously people, if you are going to buy or sell on CL mellow out.
I ended up building my own and did a lot of drewing.

Flying Merkel

"The magic words in life are these
Yes sir, no ma'am
Thank you & please."

Saw this little poem in South Central LA on the side of the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-versity back in the late 80s.

bikemanbob

I agree!

I offer what I believe the bike is worth. If the offer is perceived as being lowball, the owner can decline. The seller's response is completely inappropriate.

If the drive is long, I like to make offers to test the waters. If the bike is close, I make offers in person. Negotiations through emails are usually unproductive, but they have proved beneficial at times.

When someone gives me a lowball offer, I decline gracefully or don't respond to the email (why give them my email address). If I'm so offended, I can block them.

Sometimes lowball offers become legitiment offers. After declining the offer, the lowballer has a change of heart and agrees to pay my asking price. If I had responded rudely, I would have lost the sale.

Mos6502

A lot of people on CL are shocked when their feces collection isn't worth its weight in gold.

That being said, I never make an offer before seeing something in person.