AlmostTrick

I posted a decent C&V bike on CL two days ago. I scanned all the similar bikes listed in my area, and then posted mine for less than anything I thought was comparable at $160, firm. The first responder offer me $100, “If you include the Park stand with the bike” (!!!) Haha, but no. (I did not even reply) The second responder, recognizing a good deal, stopped by asap and handed me $160 cash with no attempt to chew me down.

I think pricing FIRM is often the best way to go.

Do you often get goofy low ball offers? Does getting them make you angry? Do you ever MAKE them?

malcala622 

I get them every once in a while where the buyer throws the bicycle Kelley blue book at me with "current market value".

Mr. 66

Last week i did get an offer that started out, "My wife says I can do..."

thinktubes 

I price stuff fairly, usually 10-20% over typical selling prices and take offers within that range.

I don't negotiate price before a person has seen the bike.

This saves a lot of time and weeds out most of the low-ballers.

SurferRosa

No. I put so much info in my ads, it probably scares the low-ballers away.

Yes. I might write something like, "if you will accept something around $xxx in the future, please keep me in mind. Thank you." And I leave my name and email address.

OldsCOOL

At yard sales I become Frank from American Pickers. There was a ‘74 Schwinn Varsity (I deplore them) fully intact, good paint and original plastic tape, lime green. The price tag said 25$ and I shot with a 15.00 offer after asking her if she was getting along ok with her husband. She replied “I told him it would never sell at 25$. We both grinned. I flipped it for 40.00 just to get it out of my shop.

brian3069

I was at a yard sale that had a bunch of cycling jerseys. I asked the lady if there any bikes for sale. She said yes, there's a old Stumpjumper in the backyard. Perfect, I'm interested! She comes back pushing a Hardrock, I'm disappointed, but still interested. I asked how much, she said $60, I offered $20. She looked at me like I called her a dirty (you fill in the blank) and walked away without saying a word. I guess that was a no.

easyupbug 

I always say price is firm, life is too short for guys that come out and think I will negotiate. If the description/photos are poor negotiations may be appropriate but mine never are.

cb400bill

I listed a Pinarello on FB Marketplace for $650. An hour later I got an offer that just read, "$100". That was the entire message.

I replied with "What's the $100 for?"
He replied that he was interested in the Pinarello, but could go as high as $300.
I told him that he should look for a cheaper bike.
He asked was the cheapest I'd sell it for.
I said $650, told him he shouldn't have low balled me, and I blocked him.

I sold it the next day for full price.

ryansu 

I don't recall a specific low-ball but I did have a classic scam when I had a Trek 520 listed a few months back Involved (sob) story with the offer, offering above my price If I would hold the bike and the kicker -will pay by Cashiers check. i responded that I only took cash and funny enough never heard back.

I try not to low ball do admit to looking for listings that have been languishing and make an offer below asking, example I recently found an add for a mid 90s Giant road bike for $150.The listing had been up for 3 weeks. Poor picture and no real description but a little research showed some entry level Campy parts. I offered $100 and was accepted. After looking it over I probably over paid but in this market I am ok with it as I am pretty sure I can recoup my costs.

scarlson 

I've succeeded with that a couple times buying newer "classic" cars: once with a gray-market European spec SAAB 900 and once with a first-gen Honda Insight. Both of my offers went something like yours, but with the added clause, "if the car starts giving you trouble and you want to get out from under it..." The Honda's hybrid drive battery failed (as they do), and the SAAB had a zillion little problems, as they do, and I got both cars for a song each.

As for lowball offers, does it count if there wasn't any asking price stated? I spotted a spiffy Trek 400 in a scrap truck and left a note under the truck's wiper with my number saying I'd give him $25 for it. The scrap guy called me up and said I could just have it! I practically forced $25 into his pocket! (pre-covid, when you could get that close to another human).

DMC707 

Bianchi Pista track bike I had on FB Marketplace for $400 (but would have entertained reasonable offers)

A gentleman screenshotted the Bicycle Blue Book valuation of $100 for a 2005 Bianchi Pista and offered me $100 with a straight face

CliffordK

I've got a couple of kittens up on Craigslist that I'm looking for a home for.



I had someone ask today what the "rehoming fee" was. I replied FREE.

I don't think I can go any lower than that.

As far as buying stuff. If it is mostly intact, and worth the asking price, then I just give the asking price.

Most bargaining would be if we add additional items (for additional cost) to what I'm buying, or if there appears to be significant undisclosed damage for a "project".

Murray Missile 

Had this listed a few months ago for $140.......



Guy offered me $50! He got a flat, NO! Came back at $100, no again. Finally he comes back at $130 with a sob story about being out of work. I accepted as it was above my bottom dollar so then he wants me to deliver! I said sure, for 10 bucks..... I delivered, he paid full price. Two days later he has it on FB Marketplace for $350! He eventually comes down to $200 but also has it listed in another city for $380........... Now the $200 listing says sold but the other one is still up and still at $380. He's tried to buy a couple of my other bikes since, I wouldn't budge on my price.

Now the other side of the coin, I bought this bike and another as a package deal. I wanted the other bike and they were selling them for $40 each which was way more than too low for either bike. Although, it did NOT look like this when I got it, I did a LOT of work on it to get it looking like that. Anyway, I wasn't even going to look at this one but I get there, look the other one over and the guy says he wants 'em gone make him an offer. I tell him I won't be insulted when he says no but how about $50 for the pair? I get ready for the refusal when he counters with "Make it $55 and I'll throw in 2 floor pumps." Well. my Momma didn't raise no fool, I got the money out of my wallet and into his hand ASAP!

Last year I had some kid offer me $50 for this GT Tequesta. When I laughed he said "Dude! It's like 30 years old." Yeah, with near perfect paint and almost all new parts. I really wish this one had been my size.

francophile 

We have this jerkoff near Atlanta sporting various names including "DJK", "Jack Kelly", "Drake Kelly" or other variations of the three. Reply style is always the same, sentence structure is the same, same comments and BS attitude. Myself and a few other ATL sellers have been exchanging emails he's sent so we have a lot of examples of his work, one guy I chat with a few times a year supposedly met the guy on a quick flip and said he was nothing like the emails.

Anyway, he's constantly trolling CL to vomit on anything and anyone he disagrees with. Some of his typical comments are "Vintage Market is dead, get that crap out of here". "That bike isn't even worth $40". "You keep bumping it to the top at unrealistic prices, take your sh@t and go away!" "Are you kidding? You couldn't pay me half the ask price to take that garbage".

I've heard stories of him booking appointments to view bikes and never showing up just to piss off people selling vintage. Super dooshbag, an absolute garbage human being from what I've seen.

I was at the receiving end of a couple of his rants. Offered me $20 on something I'd listed very reasonably at $250 and sold in less than a month, within days of his trolling, at full ask price.

I will edit to say though, I know I don't always get the price right. I sometimes find myself in something for more than it's worth and try to recoup what I can. It happens, and I'm sure I do it here also with stuff that sits through several bumps on the sales forum. But this person is relentless.

The Golden Boy 

One time my brother in law was selling a drum- just a big ol' floor tom. He gets an email from some guy asking him to hold it, and he'll send $20 or whatever to hang on to the drum for a month or 2 and when his band came through town, he'd pay for the drum and get him tickets to see his band... We couldn't think of the angle of the scam, I would have said no... There's some scam to this... besides, even if it isn't, who's going to want to see some crappy nobody band at a ****ty bar on like a Monday night... but my BIL is a nice guy and says yes. Come closer to the date the guy gave, it turns out the guy wants the drum because it's a relatively rare large Rogers floor tom- just like John Bonham used to use... and this guy would sorta know- he was Marco, the drummer for Robert Plant's Band of Joy. As more of an aside, my SIL could not go to the show, so my BIL took me- I got to hang out with Marco and the guitar player guy, was at the "after show" and got like 50 feet away from Robert Plant.

conspiratemus1

I can empathize with sellers. Selling is not for the faint of heart.
I made a low offer only once. Private seller in the UK had a pair of NOS front-end TA tandem cranks 165 mm listed at £100, up for a while. What I need for our alternate tandem is a single 165 mm crank for the stoker’s left side, and I’ve been looking for weeks. So I asked him if he would take £60 for just the left, figuring he might say No, ‘cos who wants to be stuck with a right-threaded crank with no spider? But he accepted and insisted on sending both anyway, just because the listing was for both. They are in the (Royal) Mail. Thoroughly decent chap. Hope he feels the same about me.

squirtdad

I don't sell much or at all......but do buy. If there is something I am interested in but don't have to have it I will be upfront. HI, I know this is a a lowball offer but I will pay XX, especially if it has been up for a while (am considering 2 that way right now)

on the other hand I have missed out on a couple of non bike rarities (folding kayaks) by not just pulling the trigger.......

thinktubes 

I got this email when I was selling an electric piano that was part of my dad's estate:

"Still have the MK80??? I'm waiting on my tax returns currently. They will be here this week or next week. Is there some way to reach you in case the ad is down but it didnt sell. I will probably take it. Any chance you could take $275??? I am in the midst of rebuilding my life after losing everything to opiates and have a lot of gear to buy. I'm just tryi g to save wherever i can. And this wasnt part of it. But i'd definitely take it at that price. Idk what they are worth. I just youtubed it and it sounds pretty cool. And ive been dying for an electric piano. I'm a guitar player but i use synths and love keys. If you need any work done around your house, or on your car, or with your sewer/septic, id be happy to trade work for it!!! I may even be able to send you a few bucks tomorrow, or Tuesday, to hold onto it. I get paid on Tuesdays but lately we've been getting our checks on Monday's. I can probably only do about $50 this week. Maybe more. I'll have to see. But then i can pay it off by next Tuesday for sure. Please lmk. I hope we can work something out. Sorry for the long message. Thank you."

Sad, if true, but I politlely replied with "no, thanks"

merziac

Caveat emptor, art of the deal, etc.

I always consider it a sellers market, they have it, you want it, how bad?

That being said I have no problem offering less depending on vibe, ask, actual condition vs stated, etc and will usually preface real lowballs as such.

And the main thing is not to miss out so I have overpaid plenty, many times, glad I did, I can justify anything.

ryansu 

Justifying bike related purchases is my super power

merziac

Yep, no way I'm letting "this" get away, I may never see another at any price ever again.

canklecat

I local bike flipper I've bought a couple of bikes from has a firm price on everything. He gradually lowers the price every couple of weeks. He tells lowballers to wait awhile and if the bike is still available they can have it for that price.

That seems like the most sensible position for online sales.

I rarely haggle over online sales. Either the price is reasonable or it isn't. Either I want that doodad or I'm willing to wait another year or two for the same thing to show up at a price I'd prefer to pay. Besides, the seller has the hassle of packing and shipping. I don't want to be that nagging annoyance as the seller is deciding whether to bother with cutting and taping together cardboard corner protectors, or using an entire roll of cellophane wrap to be sure those odds and ends are secured against bouncing around inside the box.

But in person, sure, I'll haggle after seeing the item. Just showing up demonstrates sufficient interest. In meatspace experienced sellers and buyers can work things out.

nlerner

I recently bought a bike off of CL and while I usually just pay asking price (if I've taken the time to go see it, it's usually a pretty good deal), this one was for the COVID cheap-build contest and every penny counts. The seller was asking $80, and I just said, "Is the price negotiable?" She said, "I'll take $70," and the deal was done, all parties satisfied.

Lascauxcaveman 

My '93 Accord (with 304,000 miles on it) I listed a month ago for what I thought was a top-dollar rate of $950. The first offer was $400. The second offer was $950. Some times it pays to wait a few hours.




I admit, I kind of miss it already