Do you haggle?

I have accepted haggles...and I've refused them. I'm known for being open to a lot of things around here...I do a lot of partial trades and stuff too. If an offer is totally ridiculous I will say so...and I'll refuse it.

Actually I haggled with my Hana...and right now have requested a different split for a LTF than what the seller proposed. I feel that if you are polite and respectful of the wishes of the seller than it's perfectly fine. As a seller I accept it as long as the person's making a reasonable request and is acting entitled to it.

 

As for haggling, I will if the FS says "open to offers", but I am always tempted to make pretty low offer if I think the quality isn't worth it/unseen damages on a non- priced item.

I feel I price my items pretty well - but it's wrong to assume people are open to offers because it's not selling for weeks or months - this is the economic crisis! People may not have the money to buy stuff for dolls.

And I'm not sure WHY I have to put "No offers" in my FS thread. Just because you (generalization here) assume that I'm open to offers, doesn't mean I want them. Buyers can assume they'll get a puppy for buying my stuff (even if I didn't state so), but at the end of the day, you were dumb enough to make assumptions.

I'm sorry, I'm not fond of people assuming wrong, especially on such an emotionless medium as the internet.

 

I think haggling is a good, fun part of a thriving marketplace...but I think that the best thriving marketplace to experience haggling is one where you are face to face with the seller. Haggling over the internet is an uncertain business because you don't know how the other person feels, you can't tell by the tone of their voice that your offer is too much or too low, and I think it can end up more stressful than haggling really should be. I have made offers in the past, but usually only a shade lower than the asking price and only if the seller has said they are open to offers. Sometimes I've been accepted, other times I haven't, but it's always down to the seller to accept what they are prepared to accept!

I am fairly open to offers and there is some wiggle room with prices when I list things, however I have found that postage for doll-related items (especially the bigger things) can be very expensive, even within the same country, so unless I have said in my sales posts that shipping is included in the price, I'm not happy to have people try to haggle with me over postage. I can control the price of a doll, but I can't control how much the postal service will charge me for mailing the doll/items and I'm usually not prepared to swallow the cost of posting a doll within the price of the doll itself, particularly as I usually have had to pay astronomical import charges to get the doll into the country as well and I choose not to pass these charges on to the buyer. If I've let you off £90 already, I won't let you off £20 for postage as well

I feel that if the seller doesn't put "open to offers" in the sales post, the items for sale are not open to offers and are available at the advertised price.

 

I think this is a really good attitude for both sellers and buyers to have. As many of you have mentioned, the internet is something of an emotional "gray area"--there aren't any physical or vocal cues to tell you if you're crossing a line. Because of that, it's always good to treat people with even more respect and politeness than you normally would, which especially applies to matters involving money. If you don't overreact to someone making/refusing/misconstruing an offer to buy or sell, there's a better chance that the other person won't either.

As to haggling in and of itself, I suppose I'm more of the opinion that unless the seller states that they're not open to offers, it really can't hurt to ask, as long as you're polite and not aggressive. Chances are they'll refuse, but again, as many of you have said, money is tight these days. It's only natural for someone to ask, "Any chance we could strike a deal?" As a seller that wouldn't bug me, and I'd hope that as buyers people would accept it for what it is.

Edit: Now, to actually answer a few of your questions, haha... I've attempted to haggle over a few doll prices, both when the seller was openly taking offers and when they simply didn't mention whether or not they were. In the latter case it was usually just a wistful, "Well, I can't afford it right now, but if you'd be willing to sell for X amount I'd be interested!" with no real hope that the seller would capitulate. I feel like making offers when someone isn't openly accepting them can be sort of futile unless your'e really desperate for the item or doll in question, just because it does take a lot of skillful maneuvering to come to a happy conclusion for both sides if the seller is really set on a price. That thought can make the idea of haggling with a seller a bit intimidating, which is why I think more people don't do it.

On the other hand, I got a fantastic deal on my first doll, in part because the seller was an absolute gem who was willing to work with me to bring my girl home, and in part because I explained my situation (first doll, not a lot of cash, etc.).

Overall, I've found that sellers are pretty nice about the whole affair, even when refusing an offer, so long as I'm polite and make an effort to let them know that I'm not trying to back them into a corner.

 

Sellers:
1. Do you state you take offers on your items?

I sell in a lot of places (not here because I'm too new for MP access. cough.) and, for the most part, if I'm open to offers I take it to eBay. On occassion I'll put "open to offers" in my sales post but usually items are priced to sell and I'm not interested in going lower. Basically, if I'm open to offers I state that I am but I'm not rude to people who make offers.

2. If so are you willing to haggle the price, or do you just say 'yes' or 'no' to offers?
If it's an obvious attempt to lowball or rudely put I say no and close negotiations. If it's an offer made politely or if it's obvious the buyer doesn't really know what to offer I'll usually counter-offer.

Buyers:
3. Do you make offers on items in the MP?
Well, again, not in the MP but I usually don't haggle more so than to ask for possible free domestic shipping. I do deal with feeler threads or posts that have no prices listed and just say "make on offer".

4. How do you determine what is a reasonable offer to make?
I do my research and try to see what other similar items have sold for.

Both:
5. What are your experiences with haggling and making/taking offers?
Positive and negative. I've had some positvely awful dealings with people being rude, standoffish or just plain stupid and, as stated, I just don't deal with them. I'd rather keep the item than sell it to someone who can't talk to others with decency. I've also had people make things quick and painless. I usually throw in free goodies for them. ha.

The way I see it, internet BST places are a lot like swap meets and the heart of second-hand shopping is in haggling. I don't really enjoy it but I expect it to come with the territory of selling online.

 

It takes exactly four keystrokes: placing the word 'firm' after your price, and lets everyone know it's not up for negotiation, as in "Price: $350.00 - firm". It's not in the least bit unfriendly, and if you do get an unwanted offer, you can say 'I said the price was firm, and I meant it'.

Making offers and haggling has been an accepted way of doing business since the beginning of time, excuse me if I assume that purchasing from an individual instead of from a reseller, website, or direct-from-company invites doing it 'old-skool'.

 

I agree with tigerbaby--saying "firm" is all it takes to detract people from haggling. I'm used to haggling in general, so I will ask, "Firm?" just to make sure because not everyone lists that.

 

Sellers:
1. Do you state you take offers on your items? Not on everything, but on many items I am just trying to get rid of, I will. For most things I list, especially dolls, I have a fairly lengthy trade list that includes goods as well as services I'm looking for. I am almost always willing to do partial trade credit for good faceup services, for example.

2. If so are you willing to haggle the price, or do you just say 'yes' or 'no' to offers? I don't like haggling, especially on things I don't list OBO or trade options on. If I have a price listed and no trade options, that is the price I want to sell it for. If people PM me with offers, I try to be polite and say "No thanks, that's not what I'm looking for." I don't make counter-offers. My stated sale price is the counter-offer.


Buyers:
3. Do you make offers on items in the MP? I would only consider doing so if OBO is listed. I don't like feelers for this reason, because I assume the seller has some ridiculously high price in mind that I stand no chance of paying. To me, "feeler" translates to "give me an arm and a leg or your firstborn, or you don't have a chance here, sister." If you (generic you) do post a feeler, at least post the minimum offer you will consider to save yourself and your potential buyers some frustration. In a marketplace, there are no "maybe's." You're either going to sell something, or you're not. If you're on the fence about selling, you know deep down that if someone offered you X amount of money, you would sell. So why not just put "accepting offers over ..."

4. How do you determine what is a reasonable offer to make? I don't make offers. I will, however, watch a thread to see if the price decreases over time. If I miss out on an item because someone else buys it first, hey, my bad luck.

Both:
5. What are your experiences with haggling and making/taking offers?
With making: I have made one ofer on an item, a limited doll that was feeler-only. She was the only one on the MP and I wanted her. The seller rejected my offer in a one-sentence, to-the-point reply that was professional but not the least bit rude. The doll eventually sold for twice what I had offered, and I'd offered what had been fair market value at at the time. So more power to them for being able to make that kind of profit.

With hagglers: As a seller, I am annoyed with people who continuously try to talk me down, especially on near-mint items already priced below retail. I think it's rude, especially after I say "no" and they keep on. I went through this not too long ago with a buyer, and by the end of it I was completely turned off by the whole transaction. I eventually ended up selling to them, and for the full price I'd asked, but not before they'd tried several types of trades that had nothing to do with items on my trade list and had asked me, repeatedly, to sell it for less. I don't think I would be willing to do business with this buyer in the future because of it.

 

I don't understand why would someone have to add "firm" to their price. A fixed price is a fixed price unless I type "OBO" next to it. Or unless I say I will take reasonable offers.

But that might just be me.

I don't like haggling, it makes me uncomfortable. I could ask for a lower price if I'm buying a doll for example, and I don't want the wig or eyes that the seller is including though.

 

It depends on where you're from, I guess. Where I live, it's not really done... and I wouldn't assume a price was negotiable unless it was stated up front. Around here, making a lower offer could potentially insult the seller... and at the very least, would make for a very awkward transaction. Regional difference, I suppose.

I'm sure that I have missed out on deals by not offering a lower price, or not offering items for trade that were not on the seller's trade list. However, I feel like that lowballing a seller or offering unwanted trades is rude; I feel it would seem as though I don't respect the seller because I am ignoring what they have asked for because what I want is "more important."

 

I always ask if someone will take less if they state they will accept offers. I figure it can't hurt to try and the wosrt they can say is no or make a different offer. And I try to be reasonable, I sew, so I can ususally tell how much effort went into something and keep that in mind, some things might seem expensive. It sewing or whatever it is is time consuming and you should keep that in mind.

And I don't sell now, but I'd like to soon and I will definitely be open to negotiations!

 

I don't mind haggling but I'm wary about doing it on DoA simply because with BJDs, people can get quite funny about their 'children' - or seem to. I find some people get quite a snooty tone ie don't pm me offers etc and it just doesn't seem to be the done thing here. So if I see a doll marked at a price, I tend to assume that is the price people want to sell the doll for. If it's over market value or higher than I think the doll is worth, I give it a miss. I don't bother pming or making offers, even if people say they're open to them. You can email and say I'll pay you $100 less than market value and they'll get snooty because they only meant $25 less etc. It's not worth the hassle. I think sellers should put the price they realistically want to see if it sells. Unless it's a rare doll/sold out fullset or a doll with a long waiting time ie Soom, if you try to get resale, it's often easier to buy direct.

 

I agree with chibaraki on this one. I think the default assumption should be that someone won't take offers... I would only make an offer on an item in a post that explicitly stated "open to offers" or "OBO". Otherwise I assume that the price is firm.

 

no. If the price is too high for me, I won't ask for a lower one. The price will come down naturally in time or someone who clearly wanted the doll more than I do will get it. I think it's the natural order of things.

though I do write OBO in my listings when I'm open to lower prices. I wouldn't be offended if someone offered a lower price even without OBO in one of my posts. I'd just tell them yes or no depending on the item. Haggling is a part of life I think. We even have store here where they encourage it. It's an electronics store called Bing Lee. I never usually bother, it makes me uncomfortable, but the sales associates usually just offer anyway. "I can give you this for such and such amount."

Honestly, I think it should just be listed at that price then... so I try to be fair and reasonable with all my prices online

and I think layaways are lifesavers! I will ask someone if they accept layaway if a doll costs more than I currently have (not if they have listed that they don't for a certain reason though)

 

Yeah, where I'm from haggling just pretty much isn't done, period. I think the only time anything like that really happens anywhere I've lived is when you're buying a house or a car. In any other circumstance if you tried to talk someone down on a price they would be appalled.

I actually did not, until I read those two posts above, really even know what "firm" meant. Since the assumption has always been no haggling in the contexts I do business, I've never needed or encountered that way of specifying no haggling.

 

Sellers:
1. Do you state you take offers on your items? Not usually. I've already posted a fair price and reduce it further if there's no interest.

2. If so are you willing to haggle the price, or do you just say 'yes' or 'no' to offers? Luckily I don't get too many hagglers, and I'm not fond of the practice. I figure if they don't know I've already set the price at what's more than fair then they're just ignorant or an entitlement case. Instead I get the occasional individual who wants to trade really poor-quality handmade goods. I'm always polite about it, but I do wonder what they think they're up to doing such a thing! XD

Buyers:
3. Do you make offers on items in the MP? Only if it's been for sale for a long, long time, and then I just usually ask if they're willing to include shipping. If the price is that high I don't contact the seller at all. I don't go out of my way to deal with the delusional. ^^;;

4. How do you determine what is a reasonable offer to make?
I pay attention to going rates, and to what I could get the same item for on YJ or ebay. Of course there's always things like seller rep, doll condition and so forth to take into account. I keep abreast of what's in the marketplace and for what price at all times, whether I have funds or not. A habit left over from antique doll collecting days, I guess.

Both:
5. What are your experiences with haggling and making/taking offers? I don't have any really memorable experiences either way!

Raven

 

I am wondering if it is possibly also one of those invisible 'gender lines' - that working out the price of something is not what 'nice girls' do, as it is their husband or father who pays the bills and is responsible for negotiating a price?

Waiting for a seller to drop their price is really the same thing, only it's doing it by the passive, non-communicative route. Isn't it more efficient -and friendlier- to take the initiative and talk to them about it?

In any transaction, the buyer and the seller's needs should have equal value. The point of negotiations is to arrive at a situation where both are met in the best possible compromise.

 

No. I am not a little lady who needs a big, strong man to do all the complicated money stuff for me. I own a house. Rent another. Own a car. Pay the bills. Budget and buy my own dolls.

I don't bargain because I want the price set out before me, and I want the option to accept or reject that price. I do not want to have to make my own up. If you (generic) ask me to, I will make a ridiculously lower offer because you (generic) should've told me what you wanted for it in the first place, or at least given me a ballpark figure to work with. It is your (generic) reponsibilty as a seller to decide what you want to sell the item for, not mine as a buyer.

I did not haggle over my car's price, even though I probably should've. I chose the car I wanted and the dealership gave me the price they wanted for it. I agreed. I will not play guessing games with the price of my toys.

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but so does the suggestion that gender plays a role.

 

I don't usually like taking offers of money value anyway because I always feel cheated, so nah I don't take offers. But if the person happens to know me and say offers me a pair of doll shoes I've been drooling over then sure I'll take it.

I don't typically make offers to people I don't know but I have offered a few friends of mine a collection of my artwork for things like clothes and even dolls themselves. I think that whatever you offer it should be of the same value of whatever it is you want...or at least close to it. Like it would be bad to just offer up a pair of $30 pants in exchange for a $80 doll head.

My experience with haggling is that its best I do it with someone I know because I know exactly what they'll like and what they won't. But if you see someone on DoA with a want list in their sales thread and you just so happen to have what they want I think trade haggling is a nice deal

 

Occasionally I'll ask if a seller will take a lesser price & I always state in my sales posts that I'm open to reasonable offers. I guess after years of selling at antique fairs & doll shows I'm used to a bit of haggling & it doesn't bother me as long as someone doesn't insult the item just to get a lower price. In that case, I simply refuse to deal with them. There's definitely a polite way to offer a lower price & if a person is nice about it, I'll either accept their offer or try to split the difference with them.