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Is Haggling A No-No?

Dec 3, 2010

?
  1. Yes

  2. No

  3. Sorta

Multiple votes are allowed.
Results are only viewable after voting.
    1. My view on it is that (unless the price is marked as 'firm') it's ok- so long as you are polite.

      I've had people on forums send me messages that are basically demands for me to lower the price of an item- not politely worded offers. And the answer to such things will always be no- not necessarily because I'm not open to negotiation, but because I hate dealing with rude people. I have noticed a direct link between rudeness and problem transactions over the years, so if someone can't make the effort to say please and make a reasonable offer (ie- not asking for 50% off a pristine condition item), then I can say with a high level of certainty that dealing with them will be more trouble than it's worth. ;)
       
    2. Just another debate question to throw out there: Most people have said to politely PM the seller with a price, but not explain it.
      Isn't that more rude? To ask for a price you think is completely fair, through research and looking over the dolls conditions, even though it's considerably lower? Isn't ruder to just put a really low offer down without explanation?

      And your explanation wouldn't be rude, it would just be you laying out what you, as a buyer, see and are willing to spend.

      So, what do ya think?
       
    3. This would be tricky and potentially thorny. As a seller, I would not take kindly to hearing rationales for lowering the price like these:

      "I don't like the faceup and would wipe it anyway" (obviously, if it was my doll I probably like it)
      "The faceup quality isn't very good" (what if I did the faceup myself, or my friend did?)
      "The doll is yellowed" (I am probably aware of this, and what do you expect from an X year old doll, yellowing happens to all resin!)
      "The extras it comes with aren't worth much" (how do you know that, really? it's not always obvious; it may just not be worth it to you)
      etc, etc . . .

      Basically, making disparaging comments about someone's doll -- even if it is one they are selling -- is probably a good way to irritate/insult them, and at the very least it probably won't get you into their good graces.

      Just my 2 cents though!
       
    4. The face-up is fair, but if someone is charging a lot for an older, yellowed doll, isn't it your right to point out something like, "While the doll looks like it was very well cared for, the doll is X years old and seems to have some yellowing to me. That's why I'm asking for the price of X instead of Y."
       
    5. This is slightly OP, but would anyone as an experienced doll buyer/seller mind consulting with me one on one? If so, please PM me.
       
    6. Whenever I try to lower the price i always say something along the lines oh "Hi, im absolutely in love with your doll and i would really like to bring him home. I was wondering if you might consider taking $x for him?" I would never point out the obvious damages (they already know, they posted them! unless you are asking about something that wasnt mentioned) Plus sometimes I dont think asking for a lower price needs to be justified by damage or whatever, sometimes dolls are just marked a bit high and if you make a fair offer many times people are willing to consider. I also get offended when people try to demand i lower the prices... i dont think everyone means to come off this way, im sure sometimes the good intentions get lost in text.
       
    7. I think it is alright. If you post it as a certain price and someone tries to haggle it down you can always reply explaining the price listed is the price you're going by. Whether they agree to it or not, they can just not buy the doll. I don't see much of a problem with haggling as long as the users involved are polite about it. If someone is against haggling or doesn't want people haggling on their dolls they can just say so in the post :).
       
    8. Personally, I haven't really noticed whether buyers include an explanation or not when they PM me with a lower offer. I suppose with explanations, the important thing is the way it is phrased.

      Take for example a yellowed doll or a doll with a faceup that you would probably wipe after purchasing it. Instead of telling the seller that she should lower the price because "The doll is yellowed" or "I don't like the faceup and would wipe it anyway" (to quote Dolly!), perhaps the focus should shift to the limits of the buyer instead of the shortcomings of the doll. Since the potential buyer should have in mind the amount that she is willing to spend on a yellowed doll or one with a not-so-ideal faceup, she can just say something along the lines of "The asking price is out of my budget" without giving offense to the seller. :)
       
    9. I agree with this.
       
    10. I think haggling is fine unless they clearly state that the price is non-negotiable. When I've sold things I always allowed some room for haggling (e.g. if the price is five hundred, I can move down thirty or forty bucks but not more than fifty). I tend to haggle when I know the shipping is going to kick me in the chest.
       
    11. I can see where you're coming from, but it really would depend on how you phrased it. I would say that you should be as brief as you can so you are less likely to screw up and offend me--you may say something "wrong" or be misunderstood. No explanation is the briefest you can get.
      • If you don't want the faceup: Well, ok, but that's your business. Not my problem.
      • The doll condition is not perfect: Yeah, and? I probably didn't advertise it as perfect anyway.
      • My price is out of line: Maybe you are right, but I don't think so. And even if it is, that's my problem.
      If you are too wordy or pushy, you might start sounding like you're making excuses or starting drama. ("Oh this is my dream girl, waited 10 years," blah blah blah...) If I really need to sell, I'll counteroffer, whether you explain yourself or not. But if I have no deadline, a complaint list won't really change my mind.
       
    12. No, it's not rude. Anyway, if you are low balling someone (way below asking) you might come of as rude no matter how you phrase it. I normally steer clear of people who advertise HUGE mark ups that I don't agree with. I doubt I will ever see eye to eye with a seller like that so I avoid the uncomfortable negotiation in the first place.

      I have written to someone and simply said "Hi, My name is Laura and I really love the X item you have for sale. I am willing to pay X amount for the X tiem. (It was 150.00 less than asking). I totally understand if you are firm on your price however I thought I would make you an offer and leave it up to you to decide if it sounds reasonable. Thank you for your time and consideration. Laura" <---not rude...just opening a door :)

      If the person wrote back and sounded interested but wanted to keep the asking price I would THAN carefully explain why. "Although I think the face up is lovely I plan to re work this doll from scratch. Also the age of the doll comes into play for me when considering the price. As well as my own budget :)" Something like that. I think you can hold off on the details but give them a hint about what is going on in your brain.

      But be sure to do ALL THE Haggling up front. Not AFTER the person put the item on hold. I have experienced people who have waited until a few days after I put an item on hold to start negotiating the price down. I guess once they calculate the shipping from Canada they want me to give them a break. That is the wrong way to adjust a price. Once the price is agree it is flat out rude to start asking for a break. No matter how cute and polite you phrase it.
       
    13. In response to Wittyilynamed, I agree that it would depend entirely on not only how much lower the price was, and the reasoning for that price. Generally I would still say to hold off on any explanation of your reasoning for the offer, unless the seller has expressed interest in discussing it with you in a reply. I'd agree with Isenn's cenario entirely; if you believe the price to have been drastically marked up, the seller is not very likely to agree with any offer you make anyhow, as it can normally be assumed they believe there is something about their item that justifies the price.

      Also in response to Isenn's comment, if the cost of shipping would affect the price you'd be willing to pay for someone's item, it is imperative that you be up-front about that. Opening with "I'm interested in purchasing X item, how much would shipping be to Country A?" and not disclosing that you would be unhappy with the combined total cost may not only irk the seller, but could negatively impact their assumptions about dealing with you and put them off the transaction completely. It would be much more polite to include, at the end of that sentence, "Depending on the cost of shipping to me, I may not be able to afford your asking price on my budget." That would let the seller know that you have limited funds, and in their response to you they would probably let you know whether or not they would be flexible about shifting costs to help you out. You would just need to be prepared for a possible negative response, and remain polite should you recieve one.
       
    14. I don't think it's necessary to explain -- after all, the reason is not so important. If the seller is willing to take less then they will be open to your offer (provided it is reasonable), if they don't want to negotiate it's probably not going to matter how many flaws you point out. Pointing out flaws can run the risk of sounding more aggressive or rude, especially considering that this is all done via the net where communication is made more difficult. I personally think you'd risk causing more offense by trying to explain why you think the doll should be priced less than if you simply asked if the seller was willing to take an offer.

      Also, yellowing is more of an issue for some people than others, and depending on how hard the doll is to come buy, it may not be grounds for any kind of major price break. Unless it's insanely bad with weird tan lines, I don't view yellowing quite the same way I view other issues such as cracks, chips, breaks that constitute actual damage. Yellowing to me is not damage but rather something that happens to every doll as they age. If it's a doll that's pretty easy to find, I'll look around and go with a less yellowed one if all else is equal but it's not a deal breaker for me -- especially when it comes to older or harder to find sculpts.
       
    15. Thank you everyone for your well-thought out replies. And Isenn, I totally agree and you put it perfectly! Also, it's very nice to hear the sellers perspective. ^_^
       
    16. I don't see any harm in polite negotiation, unless it's specified otherwise.
       
    17. In spite of the "firm" setting in the Marketplace, you see prices start at one firm price and sink slowly into the West, so to speak, over time. At least that seems to apply with many dolls (usually the ones that get sold *cough*). As with mattresses, there appear to be many settings of "firm" ;)

      I don't find it rude at all for someone to ask me "I know it says x in your ad but I was wondering if you'd accept y" or "I wonder if you could possibly work with me on this because I have x amount right now and will need a longer layaway than y"... Unless it's a ridiculous offer I usually will at least attempt to work with the buyer. If I were in a situation where I needed the money in a dire hurry I'd politely say that circumstances do not allow... (or whatever).

      For that reason I don't find it at all a no-no to send a seller a note asking "is there any possibility you would accept x amount?" -- usually followed by the fact that I will pay RIGHT THEN if they're willing.

      The key, in my opinion, is to be sure you're polite, and not get upset if the seller turns down an offer. Thank them for their time and response, and walk away calmly. Getting upset or rude is going to go nowhere fast!

      Oh and ETA: Isenn makes an *excellent* point about asking for shipping costs. Some people consider that sort of question a definite offer and others consider it just an inquiry. Make certain you have all the Ts dotted and the Is crossed before you put something on hold and/or swap any funds.
       
    18. As I buyer, I don't haggle. Period. End of story... If I can't afford the posted price, I just don't buy the item. Being expected to bargain with a seller like some kind of sleezy used car salesman honestly annoys the heck out of me. I'd much rather a seller just be honest about their expectations.

      As a seller, I try very hard to price my own items fairly. I don't charge for PayPal fees or shipping matierals, and I always include domestic shipping, confirmation and insurance in the listed price, often without raising that price to reflect the additional expense. If something doesn't sell within a certain time-frame, I may come back and lower the price a little... With all that factored in, I'm typically already taking a substantial loss when I sell an item on DoA. I've never gotten back anything close to what I paid, nor have I ever expected to.

      All that being the case, to have some "haggler" come along angling for an even lower price, or demanding even more freebies, or insisting that they just have to have some kind of "special deal" when I'm already selling at a loss and not charging them anything extra is just annoying beyond belief. I'm not going to bite somebody's head off for making a polite or reasonable offer, but to be brutally honest about it, 'reasonable' seems to be the exception rather than the rule lately. I could list one of my CP/Delfs for ($100 Firm/No Trades) and there would still be PMs from would-be horse-traders offering me an old DZ mini or insisting that they really need that doll for $50. >_>
       
    19. I list my price at the items that I would like to receive (and usually mark the price "firm"), so I'm not open to haggling. It always feels awkward to me. Some people start their prices high and come down slowly if it doesn't sell... but I usually start my prices at what I think is fair. In most cases, I'd rather just keep the item than accept a lower price.

      I don't really haggle in general. I feel like it devalues the seller's judgment, which seems rude. If I don't feel an item is worth the asking price, I simply don't buy it.
       
    20. I really dislike haggling, but I have had posts (I sell very little, to be honest) where I've said I'd accept reasonable offers, and thus there was some. In that case, sure. If it says non-negotiable, I would not attempt to haggle. I found it kind of annoying to be asked to mark down the value on the customs form when in my post it said I would not do that.

      I think it's best to respect what the sales post says. If I can't afford something or think it's over-priced, I just don't buy it.