Basschat Marketplace: do you haggle?

[BillyBass]

4 hours ago, diskwave said:

Its a cultural/class thing and Ive never understood why. Americans expect you to haggle, Brits are positively offended if you try. 

Definitely cultural.  We have a notion of a price, and that is fixed (by us).  In the Indian subcontinent, there is no fixed price for 99% of goods sold, haggling is expected and people wouldn't understand offence being taken.  Whenever I have south Asian customers, for my business that is, not bass gear, I anticipate a conversation about price that would be quite different to conversations about price with English or European customers.

[TimR]

4 hours ago, diskwave said:

Its a cultural/class thing and Ive never understood why. Americans expect you to haggle, Brits are positively offended if you try. 

 

Only in shops. Every car I've bought or sold the price has been negotiated. Even at a car dealers 'shop'.

 

What happens when you guys go for a job interview? You just accept whatever is offered or is there a discussion on what you're expecting? 

Edited June 24 by TimR

[OliverBlackman]

5 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

Only in shops. Every car I've bought or sold the price has been negotiated. Even at a car dealers 'shop'.

 

What happens when you guys go for a job interview? You just accept whatever is offered or is there a discussion on what you're expecting? 

In both those scenarios it depends if the initial price is fair/ what the other options are. I don’t haggle for the sake of it.

[TimR]

2 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

In both those scenarios it depends if the initial price is fair/ what the other options are. I don’t haggle for the sake of it.

 

Buying a house?

[Dad3353]

25 minutes ago, TimR said:

... You just accept whatever is offered ...

 

Yes, of course, if it meets my needs. Ive never done things any different, and my needs have always been met. 

 

16 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

Buying a house?

 

No different. Do I want it..? 'Yes'. Can I afford it..? 'Yes'. House bought. Happy bunny. 

[OliverBlackman]

7 hours ago, TimR said:

 

Buying a house?

Was a new build, had been told upfront there was no wriggle room and really wanted the plot. Could afford it and it was perfect so no didn’t haggle then either.

[roger]

6 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Yes, of course, if it meets my needs. Ive never done things any different, and my needs have always been met. 

 

 

No different. Do I want it..? 'Yes'. Can I afford it..? 'Yes'. House bought. Happy bunny. 

Saw a house, liked it……oh wait, let’s make an offer, offer accepted, super happy bunny with the Porsche 911 I bought with the money I saved🤷‍♂️ why wouldn’t you

[Newfoundfreedom]

It's the whole dance I can't stand. 

 

Having to over price something just so someone can knock you down to the price you wanted in the first place. 

 

Utterly ridiculous. Just list at the price you want. Take it or leave it. Simple. 

 

I'm currently selling a few bits of gear here in Bulgaria which annoys me immensely because people won't pay asking price for anything (as said earlier, it's a cultural thing), and when they sell things it's always overpriced. I refuse to play that game.

 

The gear is listed at the price I want because I refuse to inflate it for haggle room. I've already turned down a few offers. I don't really care how long it takes or whether it sells at all. It's not costing me anything to keep it. 

Edited June 25 by Newfoundfreedom

[Steve Browning]

In relation to the BC marketplace (the subject of the OP) I will make an offer if they are invited. In all other cases, I ask to buy and just pay up immediately.

 

I, too, hate the dance. Just ask a fair price and let that be it. In that instance, the Porsche would have been bought anyway - and sooner.

Edited June 25 by Steve Browning

[casapete]

8 hours ago, TimR said:

Only in shops. Every car I've bought or sold the price has been negotiated. Even at a car dealers 'shop'.

There seems to be a growing trend with car dealers to set ‘low’ fixed prices, presumably as some

people don’t get on with discussions about how much it is going to cost them. This seems to be 

the case with car ‘supermarkets’ where I’m guessing it’s the same principle as Aldi etc - pile ‘em

high and sell ‘em cheap. When I recently went with my daughter and her partner to buy from

one of these places, one of the first questions we got asked was how much a month we were

looking to pay - once they grasped we were cash buyers they did seem a bit disappointed as

it meant no commission on the finance deal

 

When I worked in the motor trade, there was a way of thinking that concentrated on ‘the price

to swap’ - this meaning that the price of the vehicle for sale and the price offered for the 

customer’s part exchange were not key, it was whether the balance to change vehicle

was satisfactory for all. (‘We buy any Car’ and others have changed this recently though).

When we moved house 5 years ago this was also the case - we priced ours to allow for a

small amount of discount, and negotiated the same on the one we bought which was 

within the parameters of what we had hoped to pay as a price to swap. 
Of course this only applies with a ‘selling and buying’ situation, but if I’m 

looking to upgrade a bass then I still consider it a main consideration. 

[roger]

2 hours ago, roger said:

Saw a house, liked it……oh wait, let’s make an offer, offer accepted, super happy bunny with the Porsche 911 I bought with the money I saved🤷‍♂️ why wouldn’t you

Quick amendment, i of course haven’t bought a 911 I was trying to make a point, albeit a smidge sarcastic 🤣🤦

[Steve Browning]

Go on. Treat yourself. 🙂

 

[Dankology]

Re @casapete's comment about car dealers, I'm increasingly convinced that most secondhand dealers are now primarily simply selling loans and that the cars are the most convenient way of doing it.

 

Back on topic, I tend to have a price in mind I'm willing to pay and will haggle in most instances but usually not here. Partly because the prices very often seem in line with what I'm willing to pay (or is that some cunning self-fulfilling ploy??) but also because there does seem to be a genuine community vibe here.

 

I do often wait for multiple price drops though. The silent haggle.

[roger]

1 minute ago, Steve Browning said:

Go on. Treat yourself. 🙂

 

Should I steve? Need to shift a few basses first🤣

[Phil Starr]

23 minutes ago, casapete said:

There seems to be a growing trend with car dealers to set ‘low’ fixed prices, presumably as some

people don’t get on with discussions about how much it is going to cost them.

I don't buy cars very often and was amazed how that market had changed between purchases (about 10 years). There was no interest from dealers in negotiating. One dealer was more forthcoming "it's the internet". Everything is advertised online and if they quote a higher price than their rivals they simply don't get a bite. More recently they make more money out of the purchase plans than the sale itself. We've had trouble buying a car for cash with a VW main dealer pretty much refusing to sell a second hand car unless we used a plan. I've seen ads for new Audi's saying "this model only available through PCP"! The idea of a garage offering a guarantee has pretty much disappeared too, replaced by a warranty, which is essentially an insurance policy. Most used car places seem to be closing their workshops and farming out after sales to dedicated repair shops paid for under the warranty. If you are lucky the garage will help you with the warranty claim.

[BreadBin]

58 minutes ago, Dankology said:

Re @casapete's comment about car dealers, I'm increasingly convinced that most secondhand dealers are now primarily simply selling loans and that the cars are the most convenient way of doing it.

This has long been the case, main dealers included.

[BassTractor]

On BC, I've only sold a bass, but would never haggle if buying.
If the item's worth it to me, I'll pay the price. Simples, and no time malspent.

Outside BC, "haggling" decribes a vast array of cultural stuff, social-group rules, psychology ... the works.

 

Some is OK, like haggling in a country where it's deemed disrespectful to not haggle.

Some is not OK, like the dozens of lying, manipulating losers who use your time on trying to get you to lose, telling you that you are the vulture with your fair asking price.

IMHO, ultimately it's not about lack of respect, but about lack of self-respect.

 

(Recently, I sold a nearly new £3,000 snowblower for my fair asking price of £2,000 after having endured (=getting worn out by) dozens of these people with their stories and their £1,000 and £1,200 offers ...
... and to whom did I so sell this snowblower? To a snowblower shop owner fer cryin' out loud! If you ever need evidence the price is fair ...  )

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, Dankology said:

Re @casapete's comment about car dealers, I'm increasingly convinced that most secondhand dealers are now primarily simply selling loans and that the cars are the most convenient way of doing it.

 

Back on topic, I tend to have a price in mind I'm willing to pay and will haggle in most instances but usually not here. Partly because the prices very often seem in line with what I'm willing to pay (or is that some cunning self-fulfilling ploy??) but also because there does seem to be a genuine community vibe here.

 

I do often wait for multiple price drops though. The silent haggle.

This is precisely what it is.

 

As well as getting a kickback for arranging the loan, the car dealer can also add a percentage on top. (Let’s say you were approved for a loan at 5%, the dealer arranges it at 7% and can pocket a bigger commission.)

 

This is going to be another mis-selling scandal.

 

Which details here: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/car-finance-fca-investigation-what-you-need-to-know-a4eXb5u8VeBy

 

When I went to buy my car, I asked for a cash discount and I got £50 off a £9000 car. We had a good chat and the guy told me that was because the fuel was low, and when I checked, it was.

 

 

[cetera]

10 hours ago, BillyBass said:

Whenever I have south Asian customers, for my business that is, not bass gear, I anticipate a conversation about price that would be quite different to conversations about price with English or European customers.

 

I'll have to see what discount I can haggle on my Singapore fried rice, Kung Po chicken and rice crackers then!

 

[SumOne]

I suppose along with the whole 'offer what it's worth to you' thing is that the market value might not be quite what it seems to the seller (or buyer), so people get it wrong.

 

Just because someone puts a Pedal/Bass etc up for sale and then the advert is marked as 'sold' doesn't mean it actually sold for that amount, or perhaps there's just one rich person out there that paid more than most people would, it doesn't mean the majority of people are then going to be prepared to pay the same amount or that it is now the fair market value.

[roger]

6 minutes ago, SumOne said:

I suppose along with the whole 'offer what it's worth to you' thing is that the market value might not be quite what it seems to the seller (or buyer), so people get it wrong.

 

Just because someone puts a Pedal/Bass etc up for sale and then the advert is marked as 'sold' doesn't mean it actually sold for that amount, or perhaps there's just one rich person out there that paid more than most people would, it doesn't mean the majority of people are then going to be prepared to pay the same amount or that it is now the fair market value.

Spot on! Sold rarely means it was sold for what it was advertised for, re ‘rich person’ I sold a status for quite a lot! I could have asked more as the guy was going to have it no matter what (quite a wealthy gentleman as it transpired) but it didn’t matter he paid what I advertised it for so fair dinkum and buyers like that are few and far between (but of course there is the Status kool aid thing going on atm) 🤣🤷‍♂️

[Crusoe]

Four? For this gourd? Four?! Look at it. It's worth ten if it's worth a shekel.

[Newfoundfreedom]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

Go on. Treat yourself. 🙂

 

 

What's your best price?

[Newfoundfreedom]

Well I've just this minute sold a bass through Facebook market place with no haggling whatsoever. 

 

"I'll have that. Please send it". 

 

Job done! 

 

There's a first time for everything. 😂

[SumOne]

5 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Well I've just this minute sold a bass through Facebook market place with no haggling whatsoever. 

 

"I'll have that. Please send it". 

 

Job done! 

 

There's a first time for everything. 😂

Call me a cynic.... but take caution!