CHRSTNSLGD

How much do you haggle over the price? I know there isn’t a ton of wiggle room when buying a bike, but there sure is some. What’s the best deal you’ve ever gotten?

CliffordK

Generally not.

For Craigslist deals, if the price is right, I'll pay it. If the price isn't appealing, I'll leave it alone.

On some occasions, if a price is far too low, I'll toss in an extra $10 or $20, or at least "round up".

I can be brutal with last-second E-Bay deals, but that is different, and I also miss a few that my price comes in #2 (and sometimes a few bids down, but often #1 or #2).

Sy Reene

Huh? Someone tells you the price is $240, and you say.. "how's $250 sound instead?"

CliffordK

If you decide it is a $200 bike/frame, and the asking price is say $90... sure... hand the person $100, and everyone is happy.

Those that offer $50 are just scum, especially if they are "flippers" and offer the same item barely touched for $250 the next day.

------------

Oh, I will admit that I will periodically use the "Offer" function on E-Bay. Never real low, but with a "reasonable" price. Sometimes I'll accept a seller's counter-offer, sometimes not.

There are a couple of damaged bike frames on E-Bay that I've offered what they're worth to me. Offers weren't accepted, and the frames have been haunting E-Bay for at least 6 months to a year. I.E. Seller's expectations are unrealistic.

kbarch

I was going to say "never," but....
I got a deal on some nice tubular wheels recently when I made an offer on eBay. The asking price was OK, I was just hoping to get them for somewhat less. They came with lightly used tires on plus three spares, but I wanted just the fresh tires and didn't want to be bothered with mounting them. I also thought they'd look better without the decals, so I told him I'd take them "as is" for about 16% less, or for his asking price if he mounted the tires and removed the decals. He went for the latter. Turns out, he forgot to remove the decals, but that's OK; they don't look too bad, and their condition was a clear indicator of the wheels' age their limited use to date. Although the gluing could have been a little neater, the wheels were most expertly packed, and he didn't forget the skewers or the third tire, so I was happy.

Also, when I bought my car, when we sat down to negotiate I simply said "I'm wondering how close to x" can we get" (x being about 15% less than sticker). We didn't really have to haggle - he countered with something close enough, and I was on the road.

The guy at my local shop, though, jokes around a lot. He's always quoting absurd prices, and I'll make equally absurd counter offers - so we pretend haggle.

shelbyfv

I've sold a couple of bikes on CL and I listed the price as "firm." They were good deals and the buyers paid what I asked. I've bought a couple on CL and again paid what was asked. I can't see putting someone to the trouble of meeting and then trying to chisel down the price unless it was understood ahead of time that the price was negotiable. It's been many years since I bought a bike from a shop, but if I were to do so I'd ask "what is the best price you can give me?" and take it or leave it. On the other hand, I understand that some cultures enjoy haggling (or negotiating) so my preference is only that.

TimothyH

This is righteous.

Generosity is a virtue. Don't ever stop.


-Tim-

WhyFi

If you're talking about buying at a shop, it depends on the situation. If they have to order it for you, any discount would be a pleasant surprise. If it's a floor model of the previous model year, or the tail end of current model year, I would personally shoot for 20% off and wouldn't buy it for less than 10% off (the exception to this would be if the bike in question is a particularly good value and the replacement model is not). If all else fails and you just have to have the bike, even if it's at full pop, ready a mental list of clothing, accessories and consumables and go for a steep discount there.

northtexasbiker

Scum for low balling? That's a little harsh

San Pedro

I don't get to buy much, but I actually did some haggling on a bike and a wheel the last couple times I dealt with a shop. I'm not very good at it, but it did get the price little lower than what was originally expected. I wish I could get my wife to haggle with the shop, she's really good at it, I was stunned when we bought a car how good she was with the dealership. She likes to say if you don't ask, you'll never get it, and the worst they say is no.

I bet this thread would read a lot different with people from other countries where haggling is the norm.

WhyFi

Absolutely. I worked in sales for a long time and definitely noticed differences in cultural norms.

scratchpaddy

That's a great way to piss a seller off. The best price they're willing to give you is the highest price you're willing to pay. The seller already made their first offer with the listed price. Now it's your turn to make an offer. It takes two to haggle.

I don't haggle with bikes or anything cheaper. It's not worth the headache to save a few bucks. I'll haggle for cars, though. Even a small % off the asking price is a lot of money saved. Maybe a few bike's worth.

epdarks

My target price point for used bikes/parts is 50% of retail (assuming condition is good/excellent). If the item is priced in that range I will usually ask "are you flexible on the price?". If they say no then I'll pay up, but other times they will offer "I'll give it to you for X". It always helps to me nice to sellers and be interested in their lives and bikes.

GrainBrain

I'll avoid anything far over market value. If the initial price is reasonable (checking opinions, finished eBay listings, etc.) I'll check it out, then deduct what I would need to spend to have the object function as normal (cars,bikes, anything). I will try to call/text before meeting in person if I can be certain of offering 25% less then asking, just to avoid wasting each other's time.

I had a guy come to inspect a truck I was selling, an old beater Nissan for $1000. He kicked it around for 10 minutes then offered me scrap value. I laughed, then asked him what other vehicles he was looking at. He was going to inspect a 10 year newer Nissan for $5,000.

I once spent a pleasant two hours talking on the phone about bike touring when calling to inquire about a frame on Craigslist. The cliche Craig's bike seller with tons of stuff listed, he wanted $125 for a Fuji quadbutted valite tubed bike that was missing the wheelset. I thought that was twice it's worth and told him so. He loved to talk, and I learned a few things in the two hours. Never did get the frame. He's had a repainted, restored Le Tour 2 or something like that with Columbus tubing he's been asking $800 for the last two years. Nice bike, but he won't even include the Brooks saddle it's pictured with, that's extra.

LAJ

Agree.

Sometimes the deal you get is far better than you though you would pay, and things worked out well for you, and not as well for the seller. That's the bidding game, and the gamble. It never hurts to have a little compassion, and soften the blow a bit.

Psimet2001 

This.

I don't believe it's harsh. It is a part of the etiquette of negotiating price that has been forgotten in the last 30 years or so. If you lowball me I know you're not serious, think I'm desperate, think I'm an idiot, or you honestly have no idea what it is or is worth.

In all of those situations there is no point in me trying to do business with you as 3 of those instances are you insulting me and the other implies you're in over your head. So yeah....scum. Bye Bye and stop wasting my time.

northtexasbiker

You've wasted more time typing that post then it takes to dismiss a lowball offer.

mstateglfr 

For bicycles and gear…

Used items- sure ill offer different from list price.
- Craigslist- I buy bikes and sell on craigslist and will offer a different price if I don’t want to buy at the listed price. Its probably 50-50 as to how often I buy for less. I offer less probably 2/3 of the time. I find craigslist to have some comically inflated asking prices for various reasons(ignorance, greed, laziness, hope) and so if I didn’t offer less, I simply wouldn’t buy the items at all as I don’t think they are worth the inflated asking prices.
- Ebay- I don’t really haggle most of the time because I typically buy auction items(which I guess is a form of haggling) or BIN items. I have done a few offer listings and typically are rejected, even when I offer only a couple dollars less than the BIN price(at that point I am curious what is acceptable).

New items-
- Online- I buy mostly online and don’t haggle because haggling is not really possible. Additionally, with so many vendors competing online, prices can effectively be found at ‘haggled price’ with enough searching.
- Retail shops- no I don’t haggle. The prices are typically higher than online and the tradeoff is that I get the item right away. Seems fair to me. I don’t go to retail bike shops for much stuff though as I am rarely in need of something and cant wait the 2-5 days itll take to come to me.

Psimet2001 

It's not about time. It's about etiquette. I wouldn't negotiate with someone who walks up and called me pig feces either. "Oh, you're not pig feces? OK I just thought I would throw it out there and see if you'd let me call you that. Can't fault a man for trying...." - yes I can.

noodle soup

This.

If you accept his ridiculous offer, inevitably he'll nickle and dime you on every future purchase.

Sy Reene

That's for you perhaps. However, this discussion has become more about sellers and buyers of used gear. Once a product is older and used, there are huge disparities in the subjective value that sellers place on an item vs buyers. Just look at the myriad forum conversations about the accuracy of bicycle blue book. I know I wouldn't sell my Ti Merlin with Record for $600, and would list somewhat higher. At the same time, someone comes and offers that $600, I wouldn't label them as scum, as I could understand why they think they can offer that. That prospective buyer might actually think I was the scum (or out of touch with reality) for not being willing to sell at a 'reasonable' price.

OBoile

I pretty much never haggle. I'm just not comfortable doing it. I wish I was better at it/more comfortable, but at this point in my life that is unlikely to change.

phtomita

Not bike related, but the other day I had a lady that was interested in some kids toy I had on CL and she would be around the area - from what she said she lives some 70 miles away - and on email I mentioned to call/text me when she gets close to local library parking lot and I would drive there to meet her. Then she replies that will be there around noon to 1 PM, depending on traffic.
Well, I got a text 30 min past noon "I am here waiting in the front of ...". I replied saying will be there in some 5 to 10 mins.
I went there, looked around and since didn't find anyone I text and a while later "Sorry, I am driving now...".

"Really!?"

canklecat

Haggling and negotiations are part of life. We do it every day, mostly in ways that don't involve cash but do involve values -- especially our time.

You might be surprised how many items are negotiable. It's not just cars and real estate. It's not just physical goods. Services are often negotiable, especially in a highly competitive market.

I cut my monthly phone bill in half just by asking (demanding, actually) and a month's prepaid service about 40% off just by asking. In the case of our monthly phone bill, our neighborhood is still on rock bottom slowpoke DSL, 6 mbps down/0.6 up. Every year AT&T pesters me to upgrade, then minutes later apologetically realizes no upgrade is possible in my neighborhood because we still don't have fiber optic. So in December I told them I was tired of paying premium price for inferior service. They could cut my bill or I'd cut the service completely and switch to cell phone only. We weren't really getting much good from streaming video services with slow DSL anyway. So they cut my bill in half. Same with my prepaid cell - I paid for 7 GB in December and used only 2, and that was a heavy month. In January I used less than 1 GB of the 3 I paid for. So I asked them to lower the rate, even though it's not an advertised special. They did.

Rent is often negotiable. If you're a longtime stable tenant who doesn't cause the manager and owner any grief, why wouldn't they bend a bit to keep you? Especially if you see signs outside advertising vacancies, or little notes offering bonuses to tenants who bring in new renters. Ask them to lower your rent. Often that'll mean committing to a year long lease but if you're planning to stay that's fine.

A standard theory in negotiations is that the first person to speak loses. That's a little too simplistic. We do need to communicate. But when I'm interested in a used item I'll ignore the asking price and decide what I think it's worth based on my own research and what I'm willing to pay. I'll offer that price and shut up. That's the point at which the next person to speak loses.

It can get a bit uncomfortable, just standing there looking as neutral as possible, putting pressure on the seller to decide. But it often works. And if it doesn't, no big deal. Smile, thank them and move on. It's just a game, nothing personal.

There are some cultures, and some folks from other cultures who are in the U.S., where that type of negotiation might not be effective. Some sellers expect and enjoy the back and forth haggling. So you need to play it by ear.

A local bicycle reseller usually specifies his prices are non-negotiable. I respect that. He has good used bikes and gets them into shape so they're safe to ride -- new tires, etc. I've bought my last two bikes from him and paid what he asked. In some cases if a bike doesn't sell for awhile he'll lower the price a bit, so I'll watch his ads. And even his original asking price is usually reasonable considering the ridiculously high prices some sellers start with.

Meatspace shops may have more wiggle room on some items, especially old stock and stuff that isn't moving. If an item is shopworn, has damaged packaging, etc., they might be willing to accept a lower offer.

There's also a trick to haggling on Amazon. As a Prime subscriber I've seen this many times.

Nope, you don't ask them. But you make a virtual offer. Put an item on your wishlist, or in your cart. Then just wait. Don't complete the purchase.

In many cases the price will drop within a day or so. This happens more gradually with items in the wish list. But move it to the cart without completing the purchase, and you'll see the price begin to fluctuate almost every day. When it drops enough to seem reasonable, buy it.

Keep in mind that the Amazon cart trick is like improvising. If you wait too long the price will probably go up again. Then down again. It's an automatic algorithm they tweak to tickle a customer's wallet.

I haven't seen another online retailer that does this. But it's a fun bit of Amazon trivia that some folks haven't noticed before.

scratchpaddy

Good point about services. There are two internet providers in my area. Every year, I call the one I'm using and tell them to cancel, because I'm switching to the other. They trip over themselves to give me big discount.

Are you saying Amazon is changing prices for you specifically? I knew their prices are set by algorithms, and they change all the time, but I didn't think they changed them on a per-customer basis. I've pretty much given up on Amazon, though. Their shipping has gotten amazingly slow if you don't pony up for Prime, and there's always somebody on eBay with the same price or cheaper.