Craigslist lowballers

ChaosJohn

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I listed a cocktail 60-in-1 on CL - the cabinet's a little worn, but the monitor works perfectly and the joysticks are great and all that... I offered it for $500. A reasonable price for what it is.

I've gotten 9 responses so far. 5 of them offered less money (as low as $250).

weak. but typical for CL.
 
I am proud to say that I am a low baller.... Typically, I low ball on something that I would like, but I do not necessary want. Honestly, its hard to get excited about a 60 in 1 in a worn cocktail (no offense). I'm not saying your not asking a fair price, but from a low ballers perspective it would be worth it to pick it up cheap, other wise, pass.

Why do it at all? Well, you never know, and to be honest, I have had games that I have low balled and have had people contact me months later and sell it to me at my price. So for me, I really have nothing to lose other than people telling me that their special game sells for $3500 on eBay.
 
How many of those people are just firing the opening shot to haggle? Neither party can play that game starting with the absolute last price they will comfortably settle on.

Lowballing isn't so bad. What sucks about buyers is when they lowball, but then lack the tact to keep from sounding like they are shitting on you and your merchandise. There is a good way of telling the seller what is wrong with the items and what it would take on your end to fix it or why the opening price seems a bit high...and then there is the way 90% of the people out there dump on your stuff.
 
Most people don't have a problem with lowballing....until they are on the receiving end. If you lowball,you have to be willing to tolerate people lowballing your stuff. It's a two way road. And honestly CL is the absolute last place I would list something with the intention of getting full asking price. In my opinion,you'd have a better chance of someone meeting your asking price if you listed it on ebay.
 
I am proud to say that I am a low baller.... Typically, I low ball on something that I would like, but I do not necessary want. Honestly, its hard to get excited about a 60 in 1 in a worn cocktail (no offense). I'm not saying your not asking a fair price, but from a low ballers perspective it would be worth it to pick it up cheap, other wise, pass.

Why do it at all? Well, you never know, and to be honest, I have had games that I have low balled and have had people contact me months later and sell it to me at my price. So for me, I really have nothing to lose other than people telling me that their special game sells for $3500 on eBay.

me too!! i just offered $200.00 for a $400.00 mrs pac ur on cl, people do it to me all the time.
 
It's not very logical to get pissed off at a low-baller. They want to get whatever you have at as cheap a price as possible - that's not villainous, that's human.

At least they are interested in your product. You should use this knowledge to your advantage and start haggling with them, rather than dismissing them altogether.
 
The worst the seller can say is NO. Well, it could be a lot worse, but you get the point.
 
As a seller I usually build in some negotiating room. I expect people to low ball. Most guys would agree that most deals are made or broken over a hundred bucks.

I bought 3 games this weekend. I didn't haggle on two.. the deal was already pretty sweet. dig dug and scramble for 400 bucks. The scramble died on the way home. but it was still a great deal. The dig dug had new art.


I also bought a 20th anniversary pac and managed to talk them down a fair amount. However the seller and I exchanged offers/ and counters 2 times before an deal was struck.

I actually kind of enjoy this part of the process. Even if I don't get stellar deals, it is psychologically reassuring when you pay less than asking.:D

However...some cats do get offended when you go in too low... so I always try to shoot a little shy of reasonable.

For what its worth... try not to get ticked. Most people are good, they just want to get a great deal if they can.

This is just my experience....most people are really decent in this hobby, they just either don't know, or are trying to get a smoking deal. Either way you can't really blame them. If they are being asses, just send them to spam and forget them.
 
the one good thing about lowballers is it makes it real easy to get games you want. While they are haggling on price, you can offer full price and usually get it..
 
I listed my fully functional and in exceptional shape 60gb ps3 on c/l for the asking price of:

I will listen to any offers.

The funny bone tickling offer came in:

"I'll trade you my xbox 360 with three red rings, and a laptop with a broken LCD screen straight up"


I think I'm going to post another ad just like that so I can get some cheap giggles in my inbox daily.....:)
 
CL Lowballers

Just list the game a couple hundred dollars more than you want for the game and when someone lowballs you it will be closer to your asking price. If its someone being really cheap I just don't respond, easy enough. We all lowball or have been guilty of lowballing. Sometimes it works but on the harder to find games the buyer usually gets what they want or the bidding wars start if its too good of a price.
 
CL low ballers are a waste of my time and are just cheap people to begin with!

WTF are they thinking with a low ball offer? Most of the time CL ads do not even say OBO, yet seems like everyone on CL makes offers. Guess most cannot read and think low ball offers are what you are supposed to do when you see a price listed.

If anything, the person should make a respectable offer as for any offer at all.

Since there are no rules to CL, you set them such as Price Firm and so on...
 
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Only an idiot pays "retail". I wish I was a car salesman and some of you whiners needed a new car. You are posting on Craigslist for crying out loud, the bottom of the barrel of all bottoms of barrels when it comes to marketplaces. There are no rules on CL, which is why it is CL. You want rules and structure go to feebay for crying out loud.

And 60-1's in cheap cabinets (need pictures to confirm or deny) can be had for $200-250 all day.

I agree, CL can be frustrating, but it is what it is, and bargains are there and money can be made (stepping down from soap box).....
 
And 60-1's in cheap cabinets (need pictures to confirm or deny) can be had for $200-250 all day.


Oh really? Show us some for sale?

By the time I put a 60in1 together I have $250-$300 alone in parts including the cab. I put in new parts, repaint the cab, cap the monitor, new t-molding..etc!! A lowball offer of $250 would be ignored! Now I know there are some dudes that buy a shit cab and just throw a 60in1 in it and call it gold, but I don't.
 
Now I know there are some dudes that buy a shit cab and just throw a 60in1 in it and call it gold, but I don't.

That was my point dude, without knowing more about the type of 60-1 in question (I believe I said without pics to confirm or deny), there are 60-1's to be had all day at $250. Just bought a 48-1 in a Street fighter II with a real nice monitor for $200 last week.

Of course everyone has the right to ignore what they consider a low-ball offer. But don't act offended, it is Craigslist for crying out loud......
 
I recently (days ago) had a deal on CL fall through, and I only negotiated the price down $50. I went and looked at a Donkey Kong 2005 Namco Edition at a private residence. The game was cherry, and they were only asking $500. They came off the price by $50 simply by my asking, and the next day, we agreed over the phone to a cash deal for $450 and a set pick up time the next day.

On the day of pickup, I withdrew the cash, got the truck and a dolly, and was getting ready to get the game in about two hours. I got a text message from the seller that someone had come along in the mean time and offered $500 (the same $50 that we had negotiated down), and he said he had to take his money. I could have fussed and complained to the guy about it, but I just sent back a message that said "ok." As bad as it sucks, it's his game, and he can sell it to whoever he wants.

Where was I going with this? I guess it falls under the "while I'm busy haggling, someone else is busy buying" sentiment from an earlier post. I knew better than to show up without cash in hand, especially for a deal like this, but didn't follow my own wisdom.

However, fate was very kind. I ended up buying a working Star Wars (plays blind though) for a song recently. Sometimes the good guys do finish first.
 
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