Was I out of line with my offer?

[woodrailsrus]

I don't know anyone who wouldn't say "Go fuck yourself asshole" to someone that called up and pulled that shit.

I think he's talking out of his ass about this "buddy" and himself...

sir i swear to god.....im not sure if you mean the friend i take with me and i get to call.....or my friend who has done this for a living but i am not lying....i have no reason to lie.....

my buddy who does this for a living is an operator....and many people call him and ask him if he buys games....thats when he offers low.....but he also calls about games all the time......but the thing is....he has lots of money to do this......i also learned from him to do this on classic automobiles also

on the other hand......

i really do get my friends to call and offer low........my other buddy is in the garbage truck business and he asks me to do the same thing for him and i happily say SURE NO PROBLEM......last week i called a garbage truck company in jersey for him and offered $10k lowball offer on a garbage truck.......i had no clue what pistons this guy is telling me was replaced.....i just had to put in a low offer.......thats it! and my friend does the same for me.

we do the same thing with classic cars
2 years ago i saw a 1960 chevy apache pickup truck for sale for $5000.......it spent all its life in florida except for the past spring which it was garaged. well this thing sat and sat for awhile for $5000....so i took my import tuning volkswagon friend (who knows nothing about classic chevys) and told him......"you play the role of the annoying friend and point out everything"........so we get there and after talking to the seller my buddy is laying it on thick.....he is actually pulling me by the arm to leave (no joke) and he says "damnit dave im not going to be there when you tow this thing home and your dad is F#$%ing freaking out" so then the seller sold this truck....running condition.....for $1600!!!!!!!!!!!!

i am not lying out my ass about this man.....but i dont see anything wrong in doing it.......it is UP TO THE SELLER to say 'YOUR INSANE DOTN CALL ME AGAIN" and yes that has happened many times to me before......BUT.........if the price was cheap the first time.....I WOULDNT TRY THESE TACTICS!!!!! because we all know some people really do ask to much for stuff.....

and if people ask me "well why are you offering so low.....are you going to buy this and make money????" (and people have asked this), i simply say "well sir, i dont wanna buy this and LOSE money"

 

[woodrailsrus]

Haha... How does your offer of $250 sound good on a $1000+ machine? I don't know who you're actually getting to take those ridiculous prices, but anyone I know would completely ignore someone forever if they lowballed like that.

well ill explain this........

if a $1000 dollar machine has been listed for lets say 2 or 3 weeks and everybody else is turning away from it......you get 1 or 2 (the more the better, but dont overdo it) of your friends to call and offer lets say $100.......
now we all know thats crazy low.....(but if the guy says YES to $100, then YOU actually go get the machine, becuase the seller DOESNT know if you or your friend called!! up till now you are perfect strangers. then your friend calls you and says hey this guy will take $100 heres his address and you go get it)
but then you wait a few HOURS or a day and you call and offer $250 for this $1000 game......then the seller will/might think "well for the last few days i have only been getting offers of $100-$150 so i had better sell it for $250 because thats the highest i have had yet"
thats exactly how that works.....

 

[woodrailsrus]

There's a big difference between telling someone "let me know if you can't sell it because $600 is the best I can do" and telling someone "screw you for your high prices".

It's about respect. People selling things aren't being jerks normally. Why be a jerk when you are buying stuff? Lowball offers can be delivered in a way that is not offensive. Normally they will be rejected but sometimes people just want to move something and they will take it.

your exactly right sir, i am not a jerk when i offer low.......then are many many times (most of the time actually) when i leave someones house saying.....well thats too much for me, but here is my number and i really will show up and give you $500 for this game ANYDAY
and on those occasions its becuase the machine really ISNT worth it......but you do have to be respectful

dont forget there are alot of dishonest, rude homeowners selling their games but not everyone

 

[woodrailsrus]

You are a perfect example of the bottom feeders in the hobby.

Anyone that makes an insane low-ball offer to me is in the "do not buy or sell from" category. An example is a Craigslist buy where I snagged a very nice Getaway. It was listed for $850. I was the first to respond and asked some basic questions. I told the seller if it was as he described I will take it for $850. I went to pick it up on a Saturday and it was as the seller described. The seller told me he had a LOT of calls and told them all the game was sold. One caller persisted calling back several times. He offered the seller more money and the seller refused. This person called back again and upped his offer and the seller again said it was sold. The caller responded that the seller was an idiot and was letting it go way to cheap and hung up. I thanked the seller for being a man of his word and thanked him for the game.

I prefer the seller to toss out a price. If there is a big difference in what they want Vs. what its worth (IMHO) I refrain from making an offer in respect to the seller. If we are close I will make an offer. I never used a closer or an extra party to try to influence a seller. That alone shows a mindset that is hard to describe except "avoid".

man, i think i am FAR from a bottomfeeder in this hobby
take this into consideration

1. i help local collectors when i can, advice, parts, help them move games
2. i STORE machines free of charge for some of my close friends and once in a while,,,,,,,(every year or 2) they let me take a free coin door, or coin mech off of one of their parts games becuase i am keeping a roof over their games for 10 plus years
3. when i sell a game if the person has a problem and calls back i try to help.....im no expert repair person at all......(you cant get experience if nobody gives it to you)
4. i try to offer price check advice for similair games in my area
5. when i sell a game to someone local and a few months down the road they want a couple light bulbs or rubber o rings i give them some to keep their game running
6. lots of other things

ive saw many shady people who DONT answer there phones after you get a game home and it breaks, or all kinds of other problems.....
i dont think theres nothign wrong with wanting to get a good deal.......we all like to get a good deal....

theres lots of machines i bought and i wish i wouldnt have bought (redemption games, ticket games, priza machines, arcade games, some pinball titles) but thats how you learn....everything isnt a GREAT deal

 

[woodrailsrus]

You know what, I'm going to have to respectfully take the devil's advocate on this discussion. I am a very frugal individual. I err on the side of being cheap more than I care to admit. My wife will attest to this. She constantly has to remind me that my cheap endeavors sometimes end up costing more more in the long run -- especially in my time spent.

My time is my time. If I spend tons of it fixing/restoring/driving/negotiating to get a great deal, then it's time well spent for me. I've gotten some insane deals in my life because I've asked for them. I've also been accused of low-balling. I don't deny it. In fact, I declare it up front. For example:

"I know it's a lowball offer, but I can offer you (lowball amount) for your (thingamajig). You might be able to get more from someone else, but I can assure you, I don't play games, I don't send endless emails asking for more pictures, re-schedule appointments, ask more questions, and be a general pain in the ass about it. If you want your (thingamajig) gone now, I will be there with cash in hand, no haggling. Easy for you. Let me know. Thanks!"

I can't tell you how many times this approach has gotten through to the folks who are just trying to get rid of an item without headaches. Let's face it: the sellers who are savvy about their pins and vids, they KNOW what their machines are worth, and they're willing to wait for the right money for them. This approach is NOT going to work on them. Period. For the un-learned seller who just wants this "big eyesore" gone, they're ALL ABOUT making it as quick and painless as possible.

But you gotta be quick. Several times I've been loading up an item and the seller has gotten calls while I'm loading it where they've had to turn down (better money from) someone else. You gotta shoot first, ask questions later.

I have gotten burned a few times too - gotten the call while on the road - it's the seller telling me he's taken a higher offer and is rescinding his agreement. It comes with the territory. I don't sweat it. Like I said, time well spent.

You HAVE to remove the emotions from this. It's business deals, pure and simple. If the buyer offers and the seller agrees, who cares what the price is? The deal is made and both parties are happy. If there's remorse afterwords, the only one to blame is themselves.

My great grandfather always had a lot of money. He didn't have a very good job and he had 12 kids with dozens of grand and great-grandkids, and his wife didn't work. Many years ago, when I asked him how he was able to make so much out of so little, his words stuck with me: "Kid, don't pay a penny more than you need to. You can ask, they can say no.

you have made the most sense YET on this thread, you are right that sometimes there are UNSEEN costs in fixing these things. i am no expert so thats another reason i offer low.....to give room for error on my part

thats the best way to put it......"i have gotten great deals becuase i ASK for them" we can all wait around for a cheap deal.....and i bet all of your KLOVERS would jump for a game that is way cheap....but would you give the guy extra money just because his asking price is too low and you know it? HECK NO.......the only difference is i ASK for these low prices. thats the SKILL of the barter system and that goes way back hundreds of years ago.

homewoners tell me "well if you buy this at that price dotn call me if it breaks" and i say "sir ill really give you this much and if it breaks you wont see me again" that really is one less headache for them.

your exactly right about the sellers and collectoras are SAVVY on their prices........that exactly what i said.........this approach wont work on collectors. they will wait for a better price....so would i do the same thing

 

[jehuie]

Ok you are best to stop digging the hole you are in. Just sit quiet for a while. You are getting fewer and fewer people on here who would ever deal with you.

 

[woodrailsrus]

Ok you are best to stop digging the hole you are in. Just sit quiet for a while. You are getting fewer and fewer people on here who would ever deal with you.

i.......rest my case

 

[Lindsey]

lowballing almost never works with pinball collectors!!!! but almost always works with homeowners whose "kids moved away", "moving", "need the room", "not sure what its worth"
i know this doesnt work with other collectors.....
and im completely honest when i sell a machine........ive never heard anyone locally complain ever (through the grapevine) about me selling games......to other collectors and homeowners.....there is repeat people coming back.....

i am honest in selling because i have met many and many and many dishonest people in this business!!!........
i try to help people when i can, honestly i do

but when it comes to buying something there is nothing wrong with getting a good deal.....we all love to get a great deal.......
if someone is naturally asking way to low for a game are you going to JUMP in and say well buddy im going to give you a few hundred more just becuase your price is to low? heck no......

im doing the same thing......i just say ill solve your problem and get it outta your house TODAY but i can only give you $xxx dollars......RIGHT NOW..... because around here there are lots of people who
1. dont show up
2. full of BS
3. cant get the money together
4. etc

I understand wanting to help and suggesting that there are deals to be had in many situation is more than reasonable advice. You just went a little overboard into what most people would not consider realistic. It's one thing to ask for a deal but you don't want to piss off the person selling the game.

 

[Lindsey]

dont forget there are alot of dishonest, rude homeowners selling their games but not everyone

Maybe they're jaded because idiots are calling them with fake bullshit offers so their friend might have a chance with their slightly less bullshit offer? Just a guess...

Here we go again with the "fake offers" thing. haha!

 

[woodrailsrus]

You are a perfect example of the bottom feeders in the hobby.

i am far from a bottom feeder in this hobby my man. i have few few posts on THIS website, but i have sold quality RARE titles to raphaels pinball museum overseas for him to put on display for others to see, and i was featured in gameroom magazine confessions of a coin op addict.
id say you need to step your game up. im somewhat of a rookie......but have learned from veterans (collectors and operators alike)........(havent learned how to repair everything yet though haha)

 

[woodrailsrus]

I prefer the seller to toss out a price. If there is a big difference in what they want Vs. what its worth (IMHO) I refrain from making an offer in respect to the seller. If we are close I will make an offer. I never used a closer or an extra party to try to influence a seller. That alone shows a mindset that is hard to describe except "avoid".

always make a low offer.........dont hold back or refrain.....someone has to bring these homeowner sellers down to reality (but in a polite way).......using a closer and extra party does work......
i will not argue anymore about this....im done.....i will try to post positive comments only to help others IF i can help them.......

but one of the reasons i "lowball" because in my area if your DONT do it........somebody else will.......i should say multiple other people will

 

[cal50]

Ok you are best to stop digging the hole you are in. Just sit quiet for a while. You are getting fewer and fewer people on here who would ever deal with you.

They made their mindset quite clear and "justified" it.
Now,back to the arts.