How low is lowball low?

[A-J]

As a buyer, a lowball offer would be IMO a small fraction of the asking price. Generally speaking, the problem is that you get sellers who have this super-inflated idea of what their item is "worth" that does not match any real world value. I deal in a lot of motorcycles, and the number one thing I see is people wanting way more than a bike is worth because they added a bunch of aftermarket stuff to it. Modifying something does not automatically make it worth more, and you will NEVER get back the $$ you put into it, be it a bike or a gun.

As a seller, I try to price things competitively based on what similar items are going for. If I am open to negotiations, I'll say OBO. If the price does not have OBO, or says firm, any counter offer will probably be denied.

[keenkeen]

Realize, there is a whole pile of buyers that simply will not pay your asking price as a matter of principle. If you insist on that, you limit the number of potential buyers.

I have dealt with several of the "I don't pay asking price, ever." type buyers.

It always give me a warm feeling when I think about the that final PM to those buyers where I say: "Sorry, while you where busy trying to get me to come down $5 dollars and/or pay your DROS fee the item sold to someone else who paid the asking price."

"matter of principle" that's rich.



I also love the buyer who is fifth in line for an item I posted but thinks he should try and get me to drop the price...OK guy, if the 4 people in front of you back out we can start negotiating.

[gm412]

The one behavior I greatly dislike is when you reach a tentative agreement and agree to a meeting place to finish the deal only to have the buyer show up and start renegotiating/lowballing you.

I don't mind offers but when they do this I just tell them I think I will keep it and walk away. I had a business years ago and I cannot tell you how many times people would agree on the price and after the job is finished they would try to drive you down further. They agreed on the price upfront and then wait until your finished. Some would get almost violent if you pointed out the agreed price and tell them negotiations ended when the job started. It was usually foreign born people who did this.

[den888]

I don't think that "lowball" offer can be quantified by a % of the asking price, it depends on the seller's feelings.

[a-shot]

No offense intended, but if the "tank of gas" price difference is silly and insignificant, then why don't you go ahead and offer the asking price? If it's silly for the seller to accept nothing less, it's just as silly for you not to offer more, when the price difference is as trivial as you say.

Again, I'm not busting your b@11s, just playing devil's advocate.

I think anything below that 10% is pushing it, you got ignored on a -8% offer. His ceiling was high. Offer more, get what you want. Even with a $360 offer on a $400 dollar list, you're in that -10% window. You sound like you know the game. I do my homework now and buy new, sell when I want to and move on.....

[voiceofreason]

His gun, his sale.

Your money, your choice to walk away.

Anything less than 25% of the listed price is not worth a reply for me.

[CSACANNONEER]

Offer what it is worth to you. If the seller is insulted, tough.

[Meety Peety]

I sell a lot more often than I buy and I always try to price my items fairly. In addition to that, I buy/sell/trade/browse often enough to pretty much know what I can/can't get for things. Guaranteed, I always get at least 2 trade offers of things that I have explicitly said I do not want (IE I don't want a 10/22 please stop offering them to me) and I always get at least 2 offers that are significantly lower than my asking price. I used to favor the Craigslist method because of this, where you mark the price up $50 so that Joey Lowballer can haggle you down $50 and it's a win-win for both sides.. but I've gotten kinda sick of that and have found my sales go quicker if I just start out at the reasonable asking price and just let people know that I'm firm on my price when they message me. I've had more than a few people initially try to offer me much less and then when told no, buy it at full asking price anyway. Can't blame them for trying I guess.

Little advice for the buyer looking to knock the price down without being ignored, do your homework before you message someone. Know what something commonly sells for before you throw your offer out and then be direct about it. Lay it out plain and simple: "I am willing to pay this much for your gun and I feel this is a fair offer not a lowball". Chances are, the seller will know what his item is worth too and work with you.

Also, take into account things like night sights, extra mags, tax etc before you go spouting off some random price you saw online for a barebones version of the gun they're selling. In other words, if you really could just go buy the exact same thing at Turners for the same price, you would have done so, not messaged the seller. If your reasoning is because you aren't all that interested in the extra mags and night sights etc, you shouldn't be shocked if they turn down your offer, because that is what they're selling. Some guys can be a bit more prickly about it when you ask them to part mags out and whatnot.

For the record, most of my sales don't last very long so I'm not one of those guys who tries to charge full retail price for a used gun. The above advice is mainly just to help buyer's understand that every item that is for sale isn't overpriced and can still be a great deal at the seller's full asking price.

EDIT: I will also add that you should never post an "I'll take it" in someone's thread and then try to lowball them. If you want to put yourself as number one in line, pay the asking price, if you want to negotiate, don't post the "I'll take it" until after you've agreed on terms. I've had people actually yell at me for skipping over them to the next in line because they posted and "I'll take it" and then offered me lower.. and apparently that means I'm supposed to give them a week to negotiate a price something. This is pretty annoying and these are usually the only PMs that I will outright ignore.

[toby]

$50-$100 would be fine depending on weapon and what the add reads,,, If it states FIRM then it means FIRM at least the way I read it. If it OBO then give it a whirl. If it just says $400 then $25-$50 seems about norm. If it says $800 then I would think as much as $100 could be negotiated. If it says TRADE well then they mean TRADE....imo

[bruceflinch]

Offer what it is worth to you. If the seller is insulted, tough.

And if the Seller refuses to dicker, then don't get all butthurt & post it on CGN..

[keenkeen]

EDIT: I will also add that you should never post an "I'll take it" in someone's thread and then try to lowball them. If you want to put yourself as number one in line, pay the asking price, if you want to negotiate, don't post the "I'll take it" until after you've agreed on terms. I've had people actually yell at me for skipping over them to the next in line because they posted and "I'll take it" and then offered me lower.. and apparently that means I'm supposed to give them a week to negotiate a price something. This is pretty annoying and these are usually the only PMs that I will outright ignore.

This 100%...I have and will skip over someone who does this. Even if they have good feedback and eventually are ready to do the deal at full price. I have noticed this happening more often lately.

Come on people, "I'll take it" means I will take it!

[DannyInSoCal]

Whenever I make an offer lower than the asking price -

I provide links to substantiate (gun broker, other sites, etc)

Sometimes the sellers counter it - Some say STFU -

Most seem to sell it for my offer - One was $600 less than asking.

He said he didn't realize how much he overpaid.

SWSWSWN - Some will Some won't So what Next....

[five.five-six]

And if the Seller refuses to dicker, then don't get all butthurt & post it on CGN..

Exactly, it's your money, it's their gun. An offer is just an offer, if they ignore you, then oh- well, if you really want the gun that bad, pay what he is asking

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

If I tell you that the price is "firm", that's what I mean. Offer me less and prepare to be ignored. If I don't get responses, I may - may - lower the price... or maybe not. On firearms, I generally price at what I think is fair, unlike many sellers who seem to price 'em high and are willing to dicker. That's not my favorite game and so am not usually willing to dicker much, if at all.

If I offer an item and the price is not firm, the "lowball" value varies with the item and how badly or not badly I want to move it. Sorry, no firm figure there. If you send me an offer and receive no reply back, that is a clue that you need to offer more to get my attention.