Is Haggling A No-No?

I know that for some individuals, and also sometimes in certain cultures, haggling is what you do in any purchase or trade situation because making sure you get the best deal you can is very important as part of responsible money-management, or there is an expectation for the seller to do anything and everything possible to secure a sale including offering special discounts.

I have never bought a doll on the MP here, so I can't really speak to the DoA experience. But I do work in retail and I encounter hagglers almost every day. I personally dislike it very much, because in the company I work for, promotions only exist as decided by head office, and it's clearly marked in the store signage what you can get a deal on. Sales associates are strictly forbidden from making any additional discounts. I think this is pretty well standard for your average North American mall retail store. And yet certain customers, will try and try and try and try and TRY to haggle, until you really want to say "it costs what it costs, either buy it or go away." Of course I don't say that, I just repeat "I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to offer you any further discounts."

I think that haggling can be a big part of the marketplace experience for people, but if the seller states "firm" or "non-negotiable" in their post, or just says "no" when you offer a lower price... you should probably stop asking then.

 

I suppose that if the doll is second hand and the price is not firm or it is written negociable, then it's okay to try to haggle. But I would never do it, if it's written not negociable or firm price, and mostly I would never do to a retailer or company that makes the dolls. Like Solstelpa, I was also working in retail were the discounts and promotion were done by the headquarters of the company, and all of them were clearly written on signs. But still there was a lot of people who were trying to haggle and pushing it, I personally found that very rude since it was pretty clear. I also had a lot of people checking for defect in our products, just to get a discount or have it for free. At least I still stayed polite with those people, but told them a firm no or we'll just return the item to the company.

Anyway I think it's okay to haggle, but under some circumstances.

 

I personally feel like haggling is only appropriate if the price of a doll is listed as more than it is obviously worth. For example, someone is offering a doll on the marketplace that they have had for almost a year, it is obviously a little yellowed and has a couple small chips. They are trying to sell it for full retail or insignificantly lower than full retail. I feel like in a situation like this, it would be perfectly acceptable to try to bargain. It really just depends on the worth when you cross check with retail and other used sellers.

 

I don't mind if a buyer makes me an offer, but I don't like being given reasons why I should mark it down for them-- they don't like the faceup, they can't afford it, etc. Just a simple request will do.

I will sometimes make an offer to a seller if I feel I can give them a little extra value. For instance, buying more than one item, or being able to pay in full immediately. I don't ask for ridiculous discounts, and I don't pressure them if they say no.

 

Haggling is not part of my culture but I do understand that the doll market is international and thus all kinds of cultures clash.
That said, I don't ever haggle, it doesn't even enter my mind to ask for a discount (and as a result I've probably overpaid a LOT ). I also tend to price my dolls at the price I actually want, not leaving any room for a discount. But I don't mind people asking if I'd be willing to go lower as long as they do it politely.
I've had a few iffy experiences. The worst was probably when the person offered me about 40% of the price I was asking (yes, 40%) and I very politely declined, saying that is way too steep of a discount to even consider for me, sorry. To which I got a long reply about how I'm stupid and don't know that since my doll is used, nobody will ever pay me the price I want and she's probably stinky and dirty and damaged and her expensive faceup is my problem, not hers and she isn't going to pay for something that she'll wipe anyway and I'm a rude idiot and so on and so forth. You get the point. I've had two other rude people with low offers but that one took the cake.

So my point is - respect that we all come from different cultures, be polite and respectful and that way we can all get along and do business, with or without haggling.

 

I believe that if they haven't marked the price as "firm" or "non-negotiable" and you have a fair offer for the seller, it is fine to ask whether they would accept a lower amount.

 

You know, even if the seller has set their price as firm or non-negotiable I still see no problem in letting them know that if they have truoble selling it, you're willing to buy it at a cheaper price down the road.
Honestly, I don't care if people think it's a no-no. It gives the buyer options that they can ignore if they so choose, and it opens the possibility of me getting something at a lower rate, maybe after waiting some time.
The worst they can say is no, which is fine. At least you tried.

 

Depends who is haggling and how fair the prices are to begin with.

 

Linzabeth: I agree with that full on.

 

I haven't bought a doll, but if they don't specifically state the price is non-negotiable and the price is a little high, then I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

If the price is listed negotiable then I see no problem with offering a lower price, but I wouldn't push it if you get turned down. I think about it when I see pieces on the market that haven't moved I think about asking but I figure if they were willing they would have changed the listing to negotiable. Still, the worst that happens if you ask nicely is they say no, like others have said.

 

I've seen a number of dolls on the MP with ridiculously inflated prices. Like, a couple hundred over what they're worth, and some aren't even limited. That's probably why, months and months later, they're still up there.

I can understand inflating the price a bit to include shipping/paypal fees, but when you're selling an under-$300-doll for over $400 just because the Fairyland faceplate was limited (as an example), that's pushing it. The fairyland event faceplates didn't even cost anything to begin with!

Unless the owner specifically has OBO (or best offer) or "will negotiate price" on their thread, I don't haggle, but I sure as hell don't buy, either. I'll just follow the thread of the inflated-price doll until the owner slowly starts dropping the price to something more reasonable that I'm willing to pay, and if someone else posts up the same doll for a better price in the meantime (because someone usually does; I've gotten several dolls that way), I'll buy from that other person, instead.

I admit, though, I am seriously tempted sometimes to PM some of these sellers and ask them to justify their reasons for putting their dolls up for such ridiculous prices, especially if they're in poor or obviously used condition.

 

This becomes a bit of a tricky issue as what one person might consider "hugely inflated the price when there are some things that should have lowered it" really is more of a matter of opinion.
I know as someone for whom the US Dollar is not my main currency it can be really hard to judge price, especially where when I bought a doll the dollar value comparison for $au to $us was completely the inverse of what it is at the moment. Hence, to put things down into a dollar value to compare to the original $US value at the moment almost ALWAYS means a loss for me if the doll is 2 or more years old.
Hence, trading on the marketplace is usually more a practice in working out what is an "acceptable" price for things...especially as international postage options from Australia are fairly expensive and not too attractive to begin with. I always make sure to post that pricing is "negotiable" but when you are always swamped by buyers wanting to have the price marked down because "they can't afford it right now" as opposed to more realistic negotiations this can be more trouble than it's worth.
As a non-US based seller this is usually why I find I sell more on Ebay than on the marketplace as I rarely get any ridiculous requests on pricing, when I put down my pricing to start at the lowest I am willing to accept in my own currency I know I am not going to get hit with extra currency conversion fees and suddenly changing dollar values. It's hard not to see the marketplace as favouring US buyers and sellers only.

 

I have to agree with Stormlight on this one.
I've also come across way too expensive doll parts/complete dolls in the MP and we're not talking L.E's here.
When I come across a doll that I like, I wil always check the retailer. I'm not buying a doll or part from the MP when I can have a brand new one for less or about the same amount of money. I personally don't think dolls should be priced higher because they have an amazing face up by an amazing artist (only if heavily modded) or beacuse of inflation. When I'm selling things myself I'm not upping the price just because the USD is worth less then my own currency.

So I personally think that it is okay to haggle, but only if it's done with common sense.
No ridiculous suggestions or offers.

 

My answer to the poll was 'sorta,' because as someone ealier said, haggling for me has a negative connotation of aggressive back-and-forth, with each party telling the other how unreasonable they are being. That said, I have no problem making a counter-offer to a price in the Marketplace, especially if the price is marked Best Offer or Negotiable. As long as you are polite, and willing to accept a no for an answer, go ahead and make a reasonable offer (based on retail market price, doll condition, etc.). As both a buyer and a seller, I have no problem with this. I always post on my listings that the worst I will ever do is tell you I can't accept an offer.

The one other thing that might make me offer a lower price for something is the length of time the item has been listed. Even if something says the price is firm, if it's been in the Marketplace for a year without selling, I will feel fine making a polite offer, with the understanding that it might be refused (there is always the possibility that the seller forgot to update their listing). The only time I wouldn't is if they had a nasty note about no offers ever on pain of hateful letters (I've seen a couple like this). I simply choose not to buy from people who post so aggressively. I find it off-putting, but I still support their right to list their dolls however they choose, and someone less sensitive to that kind of thing will happily buy their doll.

So basically, pleasant offers in a conversational format, yes. Aggressive haggling with derogatory comments, no.

 

If it's a price I'm okay with paying, I do not tend to bargain. If the shipping turn out to be more than I expected, I might try to get it down to a nice, even number.

If I see the doll and it's too expensive for my taste and the doll keeps staying at the MP despite being bumped and the price not lowering, then I'll make an offer what I'd be willing to pay.
It's up to the seller wether or not they'll take the offer or not.

 

For me, I will always list a doll for less than it was originally worth to begin with as I know in this hobby, unless you have a particularly RARE ...and I mean very small limited release...then as a doll ages it's price will decrease, not increase. It's only once when I listed a limited doll head that I listed and sold it at its original price...everything else has been at a loss. I have never once over-inflated a price but the biggest issue I have on listings is the cost of shipping from here in Australia internationally for anything more than 500grams...which is virtually anything above Pukifee size once securely packed. I'll usually accept a bit of haggling on price based around the shipping because I know delivery costs will usually frighten off most international buyers. I also decrease prices the longer I have something in the marketplace and as I get the feel for the current "market" on a particular sculpt...ie. How likely is it to sell any time soon at a particular price range. Hence, why I also accept polite price negotiations...but I'd have to agree it's the aggressive haggling that gets me...something I've also had people try to do on ebay. It's the "and I've seen you have this listed, could you throw that in too and I pay still pay $50 less with free shipping" type of mentality that gets me. When you say no and offer alternatives ..spend a couple of days to a weeks worth of messages trying to work out an acceptable deal and then the potential buyer basically says "well, I don't have the money right now so I'll think about it" and disappears forever after all that hard work it annoys the heck out of me. If you don't have the money, don't ask. That's just plain time-wasting troll behaviour, and not acceptable.

 

I think if they state that the price is firm then that's that, however if they ask for OBO then I would consider offering a fair (or perhaps) lower sum. If the price is inflated then I would wish them well in their endeavour to sell.

 

I feel like some owners inflate the price of their dolls to even above the list price on the company's website for a new one, which makes sense if it is a limited edition. But in the case where it is still available, I offer a little lower than I am willing to pay with the expectation that we would meet in the middle. So my answer is I think it is okay to haggle as long as you do not insult them with a really low ball offer. Do your research and see what it's fair price should be and use that as a guide

 

I haggled when I bought my first doll . My experience is that many sellers are open to haggling. I think the most important thing is to stay polite. If the seller declines, don't push them. In a lot of cultures haggling is an everyday thing. It's not so common in the Netherlands, but you'll notice that if you try it you can haggle in most stores !