What's an Acceptable Offer When Offering?

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

A seller who doesn't feel insulted by an offer of a hundred dollars on a $250k home has something wrong with him, because that offer implies the buyer believes the seller to be a moron. Or at least he hopes so.

Some of us would just get a good chuckle out of it. Contrarily, I'd probably believe the potential buyer to be a moron.

[Lillis]

I recently bought a barely used 2019Eastman E20 OO off reverb. The seller was asking $1025.00 + a very reasonable $55.00shipping (Nevada to Fl.) I offered 850 + 55. After very little back-and-forth we agreed on 900+55. I feel like it was a reasonable transaction for both of us.

[RP]

I decided to sell my newish Taylor 317e and placed an ad on Reverb. A guy says he’ll buy it for a bit less if it’s posted on EBay. I post on EBay with the price requested and send the link. He responds a day later telling me he was busy yada, yada, yada. Now he says he’ll give me $150 less because he didn’t read my ad closely. I ignore his “new” offer, and 24 hours later he ups his offer by another $25. Again, I ignore him. Either he buys it or he doesn’t. Am I insulted? Heck no. I just don’t plan to lower the price five cents to accommodate him.....

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Napman41

I’d offer only what I was willing to pay for it and not really worry to much about over thinking it.

I think this is basically right. But keeping in mind that "what I was willing to pay" might be colored by a combination of what I think it's worth AND what I can actually afford. If I can't afford what I think it's worth, but think there's a chance the seller won't get a lot of offers and might really want/need to sell it, I might include something like this with my offer:

"I know this is a low offer, but it's honestly all I can afford to pay for it anytime soon. If you don't want to sell it for that or if you want to wait for a higher offer, I fully understand. But if at some point you'd be willing to sell it for that, please let me know."

I think that eliminates the respect issue or that you take the seller for an idiot issue. If I make an offer like that, I fully expect it not to be accepted, but it might be, or it might be if it sits for a few weeks without much action. So, I don't think it needs to be an insult to the seller if you explain that you know it's low but it's all you can do.

[Tony Burns]

Ill say this - any price depends on the condition of the instrument -
one cared for with no problems ( and killer tone ) IMO is worth more
than one that has been played to death and not cared for .
You can offer any amount that you want for an instrument - but i wouldnt post that on this forum -
it could hurt a seller -send them a private message -either threw the forum or their email.
if they are interested they may contact you -or not
alot of listings get low ball offers that are ridulous , but if you have good reasons - or feel your close- why not

[stephenT]

I usually offer something less than I'm willing to pay. Gives the seller a chance to counter with a number they are comfortable with and there's a chance the seller will take my offer.

I NEVER make an offer w/o serious intentions of buying.

[TJNies]

I have been selling a bunch of item on my local CL lately that I no longer use.

One was a One Spot power supply. I listed it for $20 when new ones sell for $35-39. I got a reply saying, "You can buy a NEW one for that price!!" I should have gotten upset as he was clearly being aggressive. I pointed out he was referring to the single power supply, not the multi-source that I was selling. He came back with another batch of derogatory comments. I laughed it off as someone who needs to get a life. BTW I sold it for asking price a week later...

Another sale was a desk. Sale price $200, got a number of $100 offers, plus one from a woman stating she only had $90 budgeted for one for her son. The funny one was a $100 and the guy wanted me to deliver it 50 miles away. I just said no in all instances. Eventually it did sell for $175.

So, in my opinion, a seller will get all kinds of offers; if priced fairly it will ultimately sell at that price.

[Fishermike]

This is certainly an outlier, but a former client of mine listed their home at $40M a year or so ago.

Ellen DeGeneres, who has the reputation as one of the nicest people around, bought it for $27M, a discount of $13M, almost 33% off asking.

There’s nothing wrong with offering what you want to pay, period.

[mawmow]

Well if you are thinking 350$ lower than the asked price, I would make the offer. You would open the door and could get a yes or a mid-way counter-offer.

I bought many used guitars, usually paying quite the asked price or making an offer a few hundred bucks lower than asked price : I sometimes got a better deal, sometimes paid the asked price.

But my eyes were once caught by a mint very interesting guitar I did not have the money to meet the asked price. And the ad stayed there for a while... I finally made an offer explaining my trouble at seeing that ad and not having enough money to make a real decent offer : My offer was accepted as the seller had to sell. It really is a great guitar. I am not sure the guitar would have sold for the asked price anyway.

I also sold many of mines and came to sell some much lower than I had wished because the market was apparently lower than I had estimated. Such is life !

[LadysSolo]

When I offer anything for sale, I start a little higher than what I really will take, so when the potential buyer makes me an offer, he thinks he is getting a great deal. I have built-in haggle room, the buyer doesn't know how much. And when I make an offer on something, I immediately subtract shipping from their "suggested" price, as I want them to cover shipping. In the OP example, I would probably subtract $200 from the asking price to see if the seller would take it (if I liked the guitar.) And if I was the seller, I would not be offended.

[Mbroady]

Assuming it’s a used guitar in good shape, and not a Vintage, I would offer 60% of retail. If the guitar is already listed at 60% of retail (or less) then it’s a fair price. The only haggling I would do then is about adding on a short trail period to confirm all is as stated.

[der Geist]

You have to do your research which it sounds like you already have. If it is a new item I might offer 25% to 30% less. If it is used 30% to 40%. This would be just to get an idea how flexible the seller is. If they counter with 5% or so then I know it is a waste of time going any further. You may get lucky and have them accept the 1st offer. As my last boss used to always say “the worst that they can say is no”. I have been on both sides of this. I sell some new clothing on Poshmark and I get some crazy lowball offers. Just yesterday someone offered me $8 for my best selling Halloween sweater that retails for $50. On the other hand last week someone offered me 30% off of the asking price of a dress that has been in the store for a year. I took the offer and ran.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

You're always going to get in trouble when you look for rational reasons why someone should or should not have an emotional reaction.

Let's say you're selling your house. You're asking $250,000. If a potential customer came along and offered your asking price, you would not be insulted. If a different potential customer came and offered $99 - not as a joke, but really hoping you will agree to sell for $99 - you would probably feel insulted. So somewhere between $99 and $250,000 is your point of not being insulted.

A seller who doesn't feel insulted by an offer of a hundred dollars on a $250k home has something wrong with him, because that offer implies the buyer believes the seller to be a moron. Or at least he hopes so.

You also get in trouble when you cook up some ridiculous scenario that will NEVER happen in an attempt to prove your point.....

[Yrksman]

Originally Posted by CoffeeFan

I recently bought a photography light from a local seller.

She was asking $300. I pointed out to her that I could buy it from B&H in New York for $295 and I would have a brand new one with a warranty. I told her I would pass, as her price would need to be closer to $200 to $225 for me to be interested.

She replied "I can do $200".

You never know until you ask...

Exactly right. You’re reasoning behind making a relatively low offer made complete sense. The seller would have been very unlikely to find a buyer. I’ve done the same. Sometimes it goes nowhere but a good seller will understand it’s not an insult.

However if the price looks about right I see no point in trying to gain a little in negotiation. If the guitar is what’s wanted and the price is good I’ll say yes please and everybody is happy.

[Bob Womack]

Amy Grant's father had a saying that she goes by: "A good deal is only a good deal if it is a good deal for everyone involved." She lives by that principle.x I know because I and a couple of friends have dealt with her. I think it is a great way of stating the way I do business. I try to make the deal good for both of us. I've written up a couple of articles on the art of the deal, guitar style. You can find them HERE and HERE.

Bob