Classified Ads $5 lowball offers

This summer I bought a used, but in very good condition, Davis Wall Tent on craigslist. It was a 14 x 16 that was being sold for $700. It included everything, stakes, poles, ext. They were also selling a 18 x 24 for the same price with everything as well. My in laws wanted the other one and asked me to offer them $600 for the bigger one. I was baffled! It was already a screaming deal for more than 50% off. I told them no! I couldn't believe that they would do that. My rant over . . .
 
When I've sold used stuff, if I put firm, then that's the price. I always factor in shipping too. Just one price. That's it.

Some items, however, are hard to gauge what they will be worth to someone. I'll factor in the "offer" price when I pick the starting point.

The ridiculous offers, however, are simply politely turned down.
 
My favorite is when people tell you they will pay cash for something. Well no shit its going to be cash, I dont finance items.

Yes! That always gets me too. What other forms of currency does this person usually use? Like I’m going to accept 3 beaver pelts or a barrel of salted pork?
 
5 bucks low seems odd... but this works both ways... I'm on other forums as well, and with the internet the way it is (supply and demand), it's pretty tough to sell normal, non-hi demand items for decent money IMO...

It's a free market - if I am willing to pay x amount of dollars or feel an item is worth x amount of money, I'll offer it... if not, no biggie.

I was looking in the classifieds yesterday for a MR Pintler for my wife... used ones were going from $390-$450... in town here, there are $435... and you can get brand new ones online for $360... it's tough to sell your stuff with that kind of competition for new items.

If I can order with free shipping and returns accepted for less then someone is asking, why not?

I know not really the whole $5 thing you brought up... but interesting.

I think some people just enjoy bartering and with the way craigslist and ebay work, that's how most of us are programmed I think.
 
What I find even more irritating is when someone low balls you and you are so tired of it not selling you actually accept and then they back out. I grew up thinking my word and the word of another man was as good as any legal binding document if not better. If I make an offer it is as good as done. Apparently that is not the case anymore.
 
What I find even more irritating is when someone low balls you and you are so tired of it not selling you actually accept and then they back out. I grew up thinking my word and the word of another man was as good as any legal binding document if not better. If I make an offer it is as good as done. Apparently that is not the case anymore.

This I agree with... was selling a rifle awhile back and had a guy interested, so I hold it, then back out, so I re-list, then come back AGAIN, but at the last minute couldn't swing it... that does frustrate me... especially because I do my best to give "first come first server" priority and had to tell others it was pending. Lost the sale like 3 times that way. It's tough but now for me it's more of the first person to pay wins...
 
The only problem with that is when you end up with two papal payments. I just find it embarrassing because I hold hunters to a higher standard. I expect ethics in all areas of our lives.
 
Exactly! Its just a matter of integrity to me i guess.
What I find even more irritating is when someone low balls you and you are so tired of it not selling you actually accept and then they back out. I grew up thinking my word and the word of another man was as good as any legal binding document if not better. If I make an offer it is as good as done. Apparently that is not the case anymore.

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The only problem with that is when you end up with two papal payments. I just find it embarrassing because I hold hunters to a higher standard. I expect ethics in all areas of our lives.

Agreed - I only give out the paypal address to one at a time... sorry for that confusion - meaning if someone is hemming and hawing if they want to buy it and guy two says I'll take it - I tell guy one "last chance" or I go with guy two
 
Exactly my point again! I feel like the community as a whole had lost some ethic in this matter. I just try to imagine myself dealing with someone face to face, and interact with them in the same manner as if they were a local friend. IMHO thats what has made rokslide different than ebay or other forums in the past.
The only problem with that is when you end up with two papal payments. I just find it embarrassing because I hold hunters to a higher standard. I expect ethics in all areas of our lives.

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I will admit I often make offers because I don't really need the item. If they say no no big deal to me. If I want something bad enough I don't even mess with forums I just buy it. Having said that I never make an offer I will not follow through with.
 
I absolutely hate buying used. Everyone always asks too much. I can usually find said item for new. I save and buy new. My old stuff gets handed off to some one that needs it. Rifle scopes are the biggest rip off. Once some one sends one in for repair it hits the internet.
Personally I don’t hold any one to a higher standard just because they say they are a hunter. And as for Junior members....who in hell actually has the time to make all those damn posts in an Internet forum?


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What works for you is great but most things listed in these classifieds will last forever and some of it there is zero reason to buy new other than not wanting to wait for someone to get rid of theirs. I could not disagree with you more on the optics specifically high end. They are going to last forever why not save a few bucks and buy used. I find packs to be in this same boat. I could fill pages with examples. Most of us buy gear, try it once, and decide it is not exactly what we want. It often is just like new. Why should it only be worth half or some other very low price? I just sold some packs where this was the case. They were essentially new and I was not going to give them away. On the flip side I would have loved to find them being sold from a guy like me for even $25 off because for all intents and purposes they were new.

Buying used for a new to western hunter is extremely important to me because they need so many things to get started it hurts the wallet. The other part of that is they don't really know what they like so it often is best to buy used to see what they like or don't like. They will lose less on the things they don't like.
 
Preach it! Haha thanks for taking the time to explain all that. That's the whole point of rokslide classifieds... It gives us a little more financial wiggle room to try expensive gear and get our systems dialed in. The reason it's worked in the past is because it's a community of real people, who are like-minded and generally honest. I hope it stays that way!

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I feel like it’s generally understood that if price isn’t listed as firm then people are gonna haggle. I price the item 10% over what I want to sell for. Plan on knocking it off. You get what you asked, they feel like they got a good deal and “won”. Everyone happy. Simple.
 
Compared to some other forums and communities I'm active in, I'll say that rokslide is pretty consistently priced on the high side for "most" listings.

So I think this sets up a norm of asking for discounts. If it's used and within 10% or $10 of the online price new don't be surprised if someone sends you a much lower offer.

Some other forums have a huge cultural norm of rellentless mockery if you list something "high" to start... It can be brutal but helps enforce a lower starting point in pricing and cuts down on negotiation.

That said, if someone is already offering a good deal I don't bother with a discount request, it's already cheap...



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Compared to some other forums and communities I'm active in, I'll say that rokslide is pretty consistently priced on the high side for "most" listings.

So I think this sets up a norm of asking for discounts. If it's used and within 10% or $10 of the online price new don't be surprised if someone sends you a much lower offer.

Some other forums have a huge cultural norm of rellentless mockery if you list something "high" to start... It can be brutal but helps enforce a lower starting point in pricing and cuts down on negotiation.

That said, if someone is already offering a good deal I don't bother with a discount request, it's already cheap...



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I agree with this. A lot of it has to do with gear being such a personal preference that a lot of things DO only get used once or twice. However, I’m not going to pay $90 for something that is $110 new, just for the ease of returns and warranty aspects alone. When it gets to saving $40-$50, it’s worth it to take that risk for me.

On other forums you tend to see stuff used for 1-2 years then upgraded, so people expect to pay 50% or so of retail price.
 
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