Make An Offer?

nesjess

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EDIT: Issue was resolved with seller. Misunderstanding and impatience on my part. There were circumstances that the seller had explained in his listing that I had overlooked. I'm still not a fan of Make An Offer listings, but this particular listing wasn't truly one of them. I apologize for posting this unnecessarily, especially in this forum. :)

Here's some light Monday morning reading for you all. :D

I just wanted some opinions about this as I've come across a few potential deals where "Make An Offer" just made things more complicated than it needed to be. Names aren't necessary as I'm not posting this to call out anyone. I'm not even upset. Just trying to understand the concept of "Make An Offer."

It's something I never do as I'm usually pretty clear on how much I want for stuff. If I'm not, I research a bit and set a price giving people the option to make an offer based on that.

Here's the latest scenario:

1. Seller says "Make an offer" on items.
2. I ask, "How much for three items shipped?" (I know I didn't make an offer, but I hadn't read that note in the listing)
3. Seller gives a quote.
4. I counteroffer on one of the items.
5. Seller says, "It's worth more than that, I'll take no less than $XX for it."
6. I respond, "No problem, I had no idea you had a set price on that item. So does that mean the other two items are only worth the difference of the initial quote?"
7. Seller has yet to respond.

Questions:

1. I understand if you don't know how much to price something and don't have time to do the research, but why say "Make an offer" if you have a set price in mind already?

2. Is it wrong to make a lower-than-value offer on a "make an offer"? I had an idea of how much the said item was worth, but made a lower offer thinking the seller might just be clearing up space or trying to get rid of stuff. I've gotten deals like that before so I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I had no intention of low balling. I was simply "making an offer."

3. Was I wrong in asking if the other items were worth the difference of the initial quote?

4. Couldn't he have just told me how much he wants for the items rather than me guessing and coming across like I'm trying to haggle?

--

If I'm the one being difficult as the buyer, then I'll own up to that and move on, but I almost want to avoid any future "Make an offer" listings as to not waste my time or the seller's time. Again, no hard feelings towards this particular seller. I'm just trying to understand! :confused:
 
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I flat out hate it. One of my better friends in this hobby does it all the time and I just hate it. No amount of justification will change my mind. It is merely a way for a seller to hopefully get more than he wants for an item. He knows what he wants but is just fishing for a nut-job who will offer twice it's perceived value. This topic is brought up every few months and you'll get both sides of the argument. For this hobby, where retail values are non-existent or at least extremely subjective, this practice is nonsensical to me. Not once has a "Make Offer" deal ever worked out for me, and most often time offends one party or the other and sours all future deals with that particular seller. These days, I just tend to not do business with folks who employ this tactic.
 
The main car forum Im on wont let you post for sale threads without a price! Mods warn you then just delete it if you wont put a price up. I like it that way.
 
The only time i think you should use "make an offer" Is if its a rare item. Like a prototype game were 3 of them are still around. Its hard to come up with a value, so i think its fair to ask for an offer.
 
I flat out hate it. One of my better friends in this hobby does it all the time and I just hate it. No amount of justification will change my mind. It is merely a way for a seller to hopefully get more than he wants for an item. He knows what he wants but is just fishing for a nut-job who will offer twice it's perceived value. This topic is brought up every few months and you'll get both sides of the argument. For this hobby, where retail values are non-existent or at least extremely subjective, this practice is nonsensical to me. Not once has a "Make Offer" deal ever worked out for me, and most often time offends one party or the other and sours all future deals with that particular seller. These days, I just tend to not do business with folks who employ this tactic.

This.

I totally agree with you.
 
I have actually been pondering this topic.....

It sounds to me like the guy wants / needs money. You are in the right, even if you didn't see the "Make an Offer" part. Make an offer is Make and Offer no matter how you look at it.

I think you have to start low or at least throw out what you think is a fair price, other wise the seller might as well go ahead and post what he wants and be done with it.

You see guys pop up daily with things for sale and you see 100 people read it and no one reply. That is a huge indicator in the Intelligence world and I stay away from those sorts. I have gotten pretty good at spotting the helpers, my peers and the moochers out there. This is a hobby and some treat it like a business - and that my friend is sad.

I have bought from those that are out for as much money as they can get and from those that have given me great deals. I have recently been given stuff that was make and offer and only had to pay shipping.

So in the end, don't feel bad for low balling or haggling as that's just the way it is. even if someone sets a price I think its OK to ask if they might go a little lower - you don't know unless you ask.
Nothing ventured - nothing gained.
Haggle on my Brother, Haggle on!!!!
 
The main car forum Im on wont let you post for sale threads without a price! Mods warn you then just delete it if you wont put a price up. I like it that way.

This would be epic.

Haggle on my Brother, Haggle on!!!!

That's the thing. I wasn't trying to haggle. I just wanted a clear price on individual items he was selling. That's all. It makes it seem like I'm haggling when I'm just throwing out offers not knowing what he really wants.
 
That's the thing. I wasn't trying to haggle. I just wanted a clear price on individual items he was selling. That's all. It makes it seem like I'm haggling when I'm just throwing out offers not knowing what he really wants.

And it's very time consuming. You might go back and forth 10 PM's before a deal is struck!!!
 
If you need to "Make and offer", then it should be put up on E-bay. That will tell you the price if you don't know it or get you top dollar if that's what you're looking for.
 
I would agree, seems very fair - and under no circumstance should the seller get defensive about a price if he didn't place it.

Let's be totally, 100% honest here. Arcade games/this hobby is not a thriving business. Something like a PCB you could replace something like a DK board for $100, then find an entire working game in someone's basement for $150-2 the next weekend. Very, very, very few can actually make a living doing this. We often pay GOOD money for something we could play on our computer for free. I think everyone should take that into account, 99.9% of the time you're selling your stuff to someone who wants to play it. So budge a couple dollars, there's very few things in this hobby that can't always be found cheaper with patience. I'm not talking about lowballing, but I'm saying be flexible. You never know, economics x the fact that this hobby isn't for the sane, could leave you with a stack of shit that nobody wants someday.
 
Wrong Forum Section

So whats more annoying?

"Make an offer?"

OR

Posting a discussion of opinions in the For Sale section instead of the proper discussion section where it belongs?


..
 
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So whats more annoying?

"Make an offer?"

OR

Posting a discussion of opinions in the For Sale section instead of the proper discussion section where it belongs?


..

Hahaha I didn't even realize where it was it just pops up under new posts but I will say that making people post a price seems to help on mr2oc the car forum where I first saw the practice.
 
So whats more annoying?
"Make an offer?"
OR
Posting a discussion of opinions in the For Sale section instead of the proper discussion section where it belongs?

Sorry dude, I didn't know you'd get annoyed. I figured it made more sense to post it in this section where guys face this very issue than in the general discussion forum. Does it really matter? And to answer your question. I think "Make an offer" is more annoying. :)

I would agree, seems very fair - and under no circumstance should the seller get defensive about a price if he didn't place it.

I should be clear the seller wasn't being defensive or harsh in any way. I think he was just not feeling my offer and made it clear what he really wanted for the item.
 
He knows what he wants but is just fishing for a nut-job who will offer twice it's perceived value.

I share your disdain for the practice, especially in a small community like this. That said, it's a well known axiom of negotiation that "He who speaks price first, loses". So I can't get to bent about it.

But if you're going to post "make offer", don't be an ass when you get an offer you don't like. What's worth $50 to you may only be worth $5 to me.
 
But if you're going to post "make offer", don't be an ass when you get an offer you don't like. What's worth $50 to you may only be worth $5 to me.

I finally heard back from the seller and, like I said, I want to be very clear that he wasn't rude at all in his responses. It was simply a seller who knew what he wanted and me as the buyer thinking he was possibly going to get a steal of a deal.

His reasoning for "Make an offer" was that he didn't have time to price everything and wanted to list stuff for guys to see and make offers. He usually just sells to guys who offer around what he's wanting to get. If not, he'll reject the offer and state what he wants.

I'm not saying we should bash his selling methods as he's a reputable seller, but I now understand that "Make an offer" is frowned upon by most guys and that those who do it have their own personal reasons of doing so.

Time to move on and I'll most likely just avoid these types of listings in the future unless it's something I really feel is worth the trouble of going through a back-and-forth of a dozen PMs to get a deal done.

Mods are welcome to lock this thread or move it to general discussion. Thanks! :)
 
I am one of the klovers that he ran across this situation with. I am not a big fan of make offers and very rarely do it when I sell my stuff. You can check all my hundreds of for sale threads that I'm sure most people are tire of seeing, but I'm sure its only about a hand full of post that have any type of make offers. I was trying to explain to him that I do this only for 2 reasons. 1. If I honestly dont know of a price or know of the worth of something and 2. If I dont have the time to make prices for everything which was the case here for my last thread for the Ops warehouse buy I just did. He wanted to buy two items and told him to made an offer. It turned out to be low for what it was. I didn't get upset or say thats a low ball offer or anything of that nature because I expect that when taking offers on items. I simly replied with a counter offer which was more in the range of the items. No I didn't have a price in mind and wasn't even thinking of one due to everything I got going on, plus being on the road. But yes I have an idea of what most things are worth and if its not close then Ill counter. Other members made offers and I sold it to them with no problems) Other made offers an I counter it and they agreed (no problems). Other made offers, I countered and they passed (no problem). There is no perfect way to sell items. You either like the price and buy the item or dont like it and pass on the item. Lastly sometimes you have to make offers on items which you can either do if you really want that item or don't even bother since you might not be a fan of doing so. Basically your in full control of what you want to do in this situation and honestly no one is twisting your arm. Hope this might help you see the light a little better.

.
Here's some light Monday morning reading for you all. :D

I just wanted some opinions about this as I've come across a few potential deals where "Make An Offer" just made things more complicated than it needed to be. Names aren't necessary as I'm not posting this to call out anyone. I'm not even upset. Just trying to understand the concept of "Make An Offer."

It's something I never do as I'm usually pretty clear on how much I want for stuff. If I'm not, I research a bit and set a price giving people the option to make an offer based on that.

Here's the latest scenario:

1. Seller says "Make an offer" on items.
2. I ask, "How much for three items shipped?" (I know I didn't make an offer, but I hadn't read that note in the listing)
3. Seller gives a quote.
4. I counteroffer on one of the items.
5. Seller says, "It's worth more than that, I'll take no less than $XX for it."
6. I respond, "No problem, I had no idea you had a set price on that item. So does that mean the other two items are only worth the difference of the initial quote?"
7. Seller has yet to respond.

Questions:

1. I understand if you don't know how much to price something and don't have time to do the research, but why say "Make an offer" if you have a set price in mind already?

2. Is it wrong to make a lower-than-value offer on a "make an offer"? I had an idea of how much the said item was worth, but made a lower offer thinking the seller might just be clearing up space or trying to get rid of stuff. I've gotten deals like that before so I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I had no intention of low balling. I was simply "making an offer."

3. Was I wrong in asking if the other items were worth the difference of the initial quote?

4. Couldn't he have just told me how much he wants for the items rather than me guessing and coming across like I'm trying to haggle?

--

If I'm the one being difficult as the buyer, then I'll own up to that and move on, but I almost want to avoid any future "Make an offer" listings as to not waste my time or the seller's time. Again, no hard feelings towards this particular seller. I'm just trying to understand! :confused:
 
Thanks for chiming in and telling your side as guys were indirectly attacking your selling method. Again, I didn't post this as a way to call anyone out or talk bad. I just wanted a better understanding of "make an offer" in case there was some unspoken rule I was missing.

I need to stress there was no haggling, twisting of arms or hostility from either end when we were discussing pricing. Bottom line, guys can list their items however way they want. In this case, I thought "make an offer" could have been a deal of the day for me, but it didn't turn out that way due to the fact there was a set price in mind.

I've bought from dj dns in the past and, as most of you know, he's a great seller who provides a lot of parts/games with great service. I'd buy from him again. In this case, "make an offer" didn't work out for us. No hard feelings, we move on.
 
95% of my for sale adds are "make offer". 98% of the time I accept the FIRST offer I receive. The other 2% being a huge insult of an offer and the guy is just being a douche. I've stated in numerous of my for sale adds that I accept first reasonable offer and that I'm not trying to get rich. Also... I don't always know a price, and I don't have time to research it.

I do like the mandatory price as suggested. I'd do it if it's required.
 
Here's some light Monday morning reading for you all. :D

I just wanted some opinions about this as I've come across a few potential deals where "Make An Offer" just made things more complicated than it needed to be. Names aren't necessary as I'm not posting this to call out anyone. I'm not even upset. Just trying to understand the concept of "Make An Offer."

It's something I never do as I'm usually pretty clear on how much I want for stuff. If I'm not, I research a bit and set a price giving people the option to make an offer based on that.

Here's the latest scenario:

1. Seller says "Make an offer" on items.
2. I ask, "How much for three items shipped?" (I know I didn't make an offer, but I hadn't read that note in the listing)
3. Seller gives a quote.
4. I counteroffer on one of the items.
5. Seller says, "It's worth more than that, I'll take no less than $XX for it."
6. I respond, "No problem, I had no idea you had a set price on that item. So does that mean the other two items are only worth the difference of the initial quote?"
7. Seller has yet to respond.

Questions:

1. I understand if you don't know how much to price something and don't have time to do the research, but why say "Make an offer" if you have a set price in mind already?

2. Is it wrong to make a lower-than-value offer on a "make an offer"? I had an idea of how much the said item was worth, but made a lower offer thinking the seller might just be clearing up space or trying to get rid of stuff. I've gotten deals like that before so I figured it didn't hurt to ask. I had no intention of low balling. I was simply "making an offer."

3. Was I wrong in asking if the other items were worth the difference of the initial quote?

4. Couldn't he have just told me how much he wants for the items rather than me guessing and coming across like I'm trying to haggle?

--

If I'm the one being difficult as the buyer, then I'll own up to that and move on, but I almost want to avoid any future "Make an offer" listings as to not waste my time or the seller's time. Again, no hard feelings towards this particular seller. I'm just trying to understand! :confused:

But if you're going to post "make offer", don't be an ass when you get an offer you don't like. What's worth $50 to you may only be worth $5 to me.
WINNER! This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Anyone who absolutely refuses to throw out some kind of number they are looking for has guaranteed themselves that they will receive a low ball offer from me. :D
 
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