I don’t understand some people!

[Ed Luddy]

9 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

If anyone shows up to look at a car with a legal pad to take notes that is a guarantee they are not a buyer.

Grab the pad and print in big letters GTFO, NOW!

[Bhigdog]

I recently sold a sign for 1150. I was asking 1200. He offered 1000. Rather than say a flat no and tell him to go away i asked where he wanted to put it. In the insuing  conversation i learned he was a police officer. 

I said because he was a police officer he could have it for 1150 which he agreed to.

He felt good. I felt good and a fair sale was made.

That,s the "art" of negotiation....bob

 

[wayne sheldon]

3 hours ago, Brass is Best said:

For many years a gentleman would bring a Cord Front Drive Lubricant One Gallon metal can with a paper label the ACD swap meet in Auburn. I had admired the can for many years. The paper label meant that this can was as rare as it gets. It was displayed in a plastic case for safety. I think the first time I saw the can it was marked "Will trade for nice looking and driving 810 or 812 Cord sedan". As years passed it was finally priced at $5,000 then for a long time at $2,500. Way more than I would be willing to pay. But not more than it was worth. Price after all is subjective. Ten or more years came and went. The vendor who was old when I first met him was much older now. His booth had a sign stating it would be his final year and everything needed a new home. As I approached the table he was in a heated negotiation over the can with a loud, rude shopper. The shopper was calling the can fake, asking for proof that only 3 are known, insulting the condition and low balling the seller. Finally, the vendor stated a price that was his rock bottom. He told the shopper to take it or leave it. The shopper said loudly he was going to leave it. At which point I politely asked If that price would be good to me. The seller told me no, he said I could have the can for $100 less. The loud shopper said we couldn't do that; he wanted the can. I told him I would trade it for a nice running and driving 810 or 812 Cord Sedan. 

Great story, I love it!

 

I used to haggle a little bit over swap meet prices. As a seller, it would depend on whether the item for sale was something I didn't want to keep, or something I didn't really want to sell, but for the right price I could put the money to better use. I ended up selling several things for what I thought was top dollar that I really wanted to use. Something I really did not want to keep? Might go like "Asking fifteen dollars, would you take ten?" "Make it eight and you have a deal!"

 

As a buyer, I never really liked haggling. Some sellers might ask for offers, and I might oblige. Other times, since I was always on a tight budget, for something I really wanted (maybe even sort of needed?), I might try to talk the price down a bit. But that was more out of necessity than wanting to "play the game". Otherwise, I ask prices, and usually either buy or just walk on. If I don't find too much other stuff I need or really want, I may go back a bit later if I have enough money left. 

 

It has been a long time since I took anything to sell. A few times I have taken one or two valuable items to maybe work out a trade for something I needed, but never made a deal that way. Most of the stuff I should try to get rid of isn't really worth enough to be worth the trouble to take.

[Paul Dobbin]

2 hours ago, trimacar said:

A friend of mine stated, when haggling came up, “sometimes, the price is the price” and that’s it.  I don’t mind haggling a little, it’s the low ballers who then get mad at you for not taking their offer.

 

I once owned a couple of video stores, way back when.  People would come in and say “well so and so across town sells that VCR for less than you,will you cut your price?  I’d say no, but I can give you directions to their store, go buy it there…

    I had a friend in the equipment rental business, and always used his stuff because it was better        maintained then anywhere else.    Once I was in there when a guy came in a got a price quote on      some equipment, and then said  "another rental store gas a cheaper rate".

    My guy said, "then, why don't you rent it there?"

    Customer says "They're out of them"

    My guy says,  "Our price in lower too, when we're out of them".

 

    Jerks are everywhere!

Edited May 9 by Paul Dobbin
re-position rext (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Another flubbed sale. The buyer should have said he just thought he,d like to support both rental places. The rental place should  have said he appreciated that and he,d give him a one time discount. Then explain why his stuff was a better deal. Sale made. Profit pocketed. Good will created.

The art of the sale......bob

Edited May 9 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[pkhammer]

  I sell at Hershey and I don't mind a little haggling, I expect it and on most things 10% or so won't hurt my feelings. The one thing that bugs me is when the buyer says something like " that's all I can spend" or "that's all the money I have left". That's not my problem? I once gave in to a fellow that used that line. He pulled out a huge wad of cash to pay me and I said "I thought your offer was all the money you had left". He handed me the money, smiled, took the part and walked away. Lesson learned.

[kar3516]

11 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

If anyone shows up to look at a car with a legal pad to take notes that is a guarantee they are not a buyer.

I have two observations.  

First I have flown great distances and paid for a hotel room and rental car to inspect vehicles I had every intention of purchasing if they generally were as represented.  Usually at this point the price was already agreed with the seller.  I always take a legal pad or have my journal page opened with my list of questions to ask or items to confirm.  I make the list based on thoughts over the days leading up to the trip.  I usually buy the vehicle even though I carry a pad…
Second, everyone has a different monetary value system and some people get a quick power trip from offering $2 when $10 is perfectly appropriate.  I find that type of offer extremely small minded and agree with the sellers above who responded with searing wit to the rude buyer.  
I was told that the value of an amount of money depends on the person.  $1,000,000 is an unfathomable amount to those who work hard and are barely making ends meet.  $1,000,000 is everything “all in” to someone who worked their whole life and is living off that $1,000,000 nest egg.  $1,000,000 would be a significant investment to someone worth $10,000,000 but they could afford to lose it without much drama (and the after tax loss would possibly be “only” $600,000).  For someone worth $100,000,000 or more $1,000,000 is pocket change; that much rolls in every 2 to 3 months from investment income.  All the same amount of money but oh so much difference in value.

[Angelfish]

18 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

@alsancle well glad it worked out.  On these guys we carry bear spray but wonder sometimes if that would just piss them off.. 

 

That said, we had a bit of an adrenaline shot last night - a bat got inside somehow.  30 minutes of following it and trying to contain it during which times it went upstairs twice but kept gravitating toward the dining room.  Got a couple screens opened while dodging it and finally managed to shoo it out of a window. 

 

The bat has dethroned the bobcat as scariest animal encounter to date...

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Basically the situation... 

[yachtflame]

On 5/7/2024 at 8:58 AM, Soupiov said:

I pulled this out of a dumpster.  Have no idea how or why it wound up there!

What a great find! I’ve always wanted one of those to hang on the wall of my shop.

[kuhner]

I sell occasionally. I don’t mind a bit of a haggle. 
When I am on the other side instead of giving an offer I usually ask “ can you do any better on this?” 

[8E45E]

On 5/7/2024 at 5:08 PM, Bhigdog said:

Unless it,s truly valuable and desireable i just give it away or donate to charity. 

Show me a 'donate to charity' place like the Starvation Army, or other local organizations who raise funds by selling second-hand items from a storefront (aka 'thrift' store) who want vintage vehicle parts to sort out, clean to look presentable and place on a shelf.  Most of these stores are staffed by volunteers and are busy enough handling domestic goods, such as used clothing and housewares they know will sell to low income buyers in the neighborhood.  The last thing they want are used car and motorcycle parts.

 

Craig

Edited May 9 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

22 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

Show me a 'donate to charity' place like the Starvation Army, or other local organizations who raise funds by selling second-hand items from a storefront who want vintage vehicle parts.

There is a local animal rescue group near me that has a flea market type 3 day sale three times a year. They accept donations all year for the sales. There is no telling what might be there, they accept most anything except TV's.  People come in droves from miles around to pick and buy. There is minimal cleaning, sorting, shelving etc. All the work is done by volunteers, my wife is one.

All the proceeds go towards spay/neuter, shelter, food, vet services for dumped animals etc etc etc.

They usually clear about $4000 a sale that goes for charitable good works.

Of course we're not talking donating rusted out mufflers and blown out tires but the car and mechanical stuff is usually very good sellers................Bob

 

 

 

 

 

[Matt Harwood]

For many, haggling is a sport. They may or may not want the item but they do want the thrill of getting one over on the seller. Just this week I was in negotiations on a car and he opened with, "What's the least you'll take?" which is always a mistake. If you're asking me to negotiate with myself, I'm not going to do a very good job of it. So I gave him a number. He countered about 20% under that number, claiming he has shipping and taxes to pay (as if that stuff should be on my side of the ledger). I countered that I have rent and employees to pay and stuck to my original figure. He came up a bit, I countered with my original number. Eventually he countered with, "How about [my number minus $50]?" on a $50,000 car. I knew at that point that he was doing this for sport just to feel like he "beat" me. I countered with my original number plus $1000. He walked and I didn't care. He was $50 away (that's less than .1% of the price of the car) and let the car get away. I bet he calls on a lot of cars and does this all the time just for the joy of haggling. I don't need or want him as a client.

 

The point is, you can use up a lot of goodwill in search of a bargain. One of my favorite sayings is, "the bargain hunter usually screws himself."

[TAKerry]

Matt, you know far better than myself but if that same guy would have bought the car from you he would have become a nightmare customer I am sure.

 

I have a saying about the best customers you never had! 

[Matt Harwood]

2 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

Matt, you know far better than myself but if that same guy would have bought the car from you he would have become a nightmare customer I am sure.

 

I have a saying about the best customers you never had! 

Believe me, I've learned to smell the problem children long before we consummate a deal. One of them even tried to sue me for NOT selling him a car. Thanks for proving me right, pal. LOL!

[kgreen]

2 hours ago, kuhner said:

I sell occasionally. I don’t mind a bit of a haggle. 
When I am on the other side instead of giving an offer I usually ask “ can you do any better on this?” 

I use a similar line; "is this your best price?"  If they say that is the best price, I get it.  In the past 40+ years visiting antique markets as well as swap meets, the price placed on an item was always negotiable.  That was the rule as far as all my vendor friends indicated.  The initial price was an indicator that a real interest was present when a  buyer was looking and asking.  I acknowledge that "low ballers" have no respect.  However, after reading some comments here, I am now concerned that some people negotiate and others don't so I'm at risk of inadvertently offending a vendor.  Hard to work on this when the rules change.

[jp1gt]

tell people to use pirate ship and send you a label. No deadbeats---

[60FlatTop]

14 hours ago, kar3516 said:

everyone has a different monetary value system

A guy stops in where we have coffee in the morning. I have listened to him and figured out that his money is worth more than other people's. He also devalues anything another person owns. He is my age. One I observe and make a conscious effort not to emulate.

 

To me it looks like things are getting better. Growing up with my formative years in the 1950s and '60s there were a lot of 40 to 60 year old men you couldn't trust. They drove around with the trunk of their car filled with stolen tools from job sites, tools, chains, gas cans, anything that wasn't nailed down.  Mailing 25 cents in the 1950s was a maximum security project; folded cardboard to mask the shape, tricky disguises, if they saw the shape of a quarter you'd never get your cereal premium. Factories were always short of home use taps and dies. If a mechanic transferred buildings he would fill a second tool box to divert home. And the stainless valves in home water systems. So many pilferers. Young people today don't seem to be like that. My son in law and my nephews are pretty open with their shops and I don't see that. That group born from the turn of the 20th century to the middle of it may be the least trustworthy group of males in the history of mankind. Now that we are nearing the third decade of the 21st century the worst have died off and the ones they influenced are fading out as well.

 

Incoming generations, whatever their interests I am pretty sure there will be a lot less connivers to deal with as the years go on. I should write a book on how those old timers influenced me not to be like them.

Edited May 9 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Rivguy]

I have sold cars and parts on Craig'sList, as well as a swap meet vendor for quite a few years. I have found also found that it's best to ask a fair price on an item instead of saying free. I think that you have to engage an interested seller in a conversation. Extremely low priced  stuff, or stuff  offered free is only worthwhile at a face to face encounter. My time and transporting expenses need to be compensated, but I love giving a really interested buyer a good deal. My last swap meet I was trying to clear out my storage. Once a buyer bought a couple of things at a fair price, I invited him to bundle some stuff and gave him a better price.  Of course when I was involved in a long term swap meet business, I was willing to bring stuff back home from the meet. 

[kramaton]

When I am at a swap meet and the seller tells me the price if I think it's fair I just pay them. If I think the price is a little high I'll ask the seller if they are open to offers. If the say no I say Thank you and move on. If they say yes I'll make a fair offer and usually they accept. A little respect goes a long way. 

[trimacar]

20 hours ago, pkhammer said:

The one thing that bugs me is when the buyer says something like " that's all I can spend" or "that's all the money I have left". That's not my problem? I once gave in to a fellow that used that line. He pulled out a huge wad of cash to pay me and I said "I thought your offer was all the money you had left". He handed me the money, smiled, took the part and walked away. Lesson learned.

I can relate to this one.  A few years ago at Hershey, a neighboring vender (who by that time was a friend) had a ton of early toys for sale.  I'm talking a couple of hundred, with some of them ride on pedal cars, large metal trucks and such, all in nice condition.  Jokingly, I asked him OK, how much for all of them?  He named a figure which was, shall we say, quite low considering the toys and the sheer number of them.  I told him I'd be right back, walked to my trailer four spaces away, got the cash, bought it all.  Started carrying it back, my buddy who sets up on the other side of me asking what the heck?   

 

So, now to the meat of the story.  I had not priced the toys, just moved them to my spot, and some of the really good stuff was stuck away at the back of my spot.  Older fellow came up, apparently he and his son, and looked at a really, really nice fire truck, I'm talking metal, two feet long, all the ladders and in really nice shape.  I told him my price (which, by the way, was 1/8 of what I'd paid for everything), and he hesitated.  I told him I was firm on my price.  He then went into a discussion about how he was buying this for his grandson, his grandson loved fire trucks, he could only spend so much, as the saying goes, yada-yada-yada.

 

H finally offered about two-thirds of what I was asking.  Weak moment, sales price made a significant dent in investment, I agreed.

 

Was it going to his grandson?  I doubt it.  Was I OK with the deal?  Well, I could have made a few more dollars but there was SO much more to sell.

 

Guess my point is, to buyers, negotiate in good faith, don't tell lies (as mentioned above by Greg), pay a fair price, and if it's something you've not seen before and fairly (I appreciate the show, don't like what the Pickers show has done to us from a buying/selling standpoint, but still watch it, sorta like picking at a scab), buy it.  Some negotiations don't end in your favor.

 

[60FlatTop]

59 minutes ago, trimacar said:

don't like what the Pickers show has done to us from a buying/selling standpoint,

The last time I watched The American Pickers was when the squatty one sold some Civil War documentation to a man "his friend" who ran a Civil War museum. I think he sold the stuff for something like $200 saying "I have to make something on this".  Here is a well paid TV personality, a camera drew, directors of sorts, and don't forget the Key Grip all sucking up paychecks and this guy feels the need to get his incidental profit. I would have given the items to the person without even making a salable production scene because I knew they were going right where that should. Really irked me. Not my kind of people. Of course when I saw the first episode of American Pickers rolling down the road in their Mercedes van it tainted things right there.

 

All these observations and nuances come together in my mind. Beneficial trickery to teach someone a lesson has been around for a long time.

About 2,000 years ago Aesop wrote about animals having similar traits to these ill thought of buyers and sellers. It seems that in the intervening centuries humans have taken on the characteristics of the animals in his stories.

[Trulyvintage]

I think everyone should find 

a family owned and operated

restaurant that is struggling 

to survive in their community ...

 

Go in with several folks 30

minutes before they close ...

 

Get seated - order water 

look at the menus for

10 minutes - then ask 

to speak to the manager ...

 

Then offer the manager 40 cents

on the dollar for anything 

that catches their eye on the menu ...

 

Because - you know - that food

is just going to go to waste if

they don't sell it - right ?

 

The nerve of some folks ...

 

Trying to operate a business

provide a good or service to 

make a decent living ...

 

How Dare They ? ...

 

 

Jim

 

[wayne sheldon]

Demonstrating absurdity by being absurd! Point well made Jim. Thank you.

[8E45E]

One time I will attempt to make a deal is when I agree to purchase more than one item at the same time from a vendor.  If I want to buy four different items from a vendor, and it comes to $115, I will make an offer of $100.  Nine times out of ten, they will go for that.  Individual items, I won't really try to negotiate when its already a fair price.

 

Craig

[arcticbuicks]

I find it interesting that certain items are not acceptable to haggle on......and other items are acceptable.

Almost everyone of us will haggle on a new car price and not just pay the sticker price......and almost any used item people will haggle on........and even some of the sellers of used items open themselves to haggle by saying best offer etc.

Then there are new car parts,tires,fuel,and a million other items......that never get any price haggling.

I have never found a "guide to acceptable haggle products".......or "recommended buyer and seller haggle product listings ".

Who is to say what is socially acceptable in price haggling......if there is no government guide or laws

[Tom Boehm]

This thread turned out to be very enlightening. Many points of view are presented here. A previous post complained of buyers haggling for sport just to get the feeling they "beat" the seller in the game. I don't dispute that. But that works both ways. I have experienced sellers asking unreasonably high prices for the same reason. They are smug and get a rush if they can get someone to pay their price for a part they perceive to be rare. 

 

I will pay a high price for a reproduction part when that is the only option. I understand there is significant development costs. But not if they are smug about it. 

New people to the hobby may not understand development costs. 

 

Many years ago a Cadillac reproduction parts vendor had a run of side view mirrors made with the Lasalle logo on it. I called to ask the price. He said the price is x but I only have one left so that one will cost 3x. I never ordered from him again. 

 

So my take in all this is that sellers who are offended can simply just say no. Buyers can also just say no. 

 

[EmTee]

 

[arcticbuicks]

Sometimes its good to haggle !.......this original Durant came up for sale by a lil old lady for $3500. that had no clue what it was worth or how much to ask for it....and was in the family garage it was kept in since new...original top material and paint etc ....she held it for us until we showed up and had a 100 calls by the time we got there........we said "we cant pay you $3500. !"........and we ran to the bank and got $12,000.......she did not want to accept the offer.....but finally gave in.....

[Brass is Best]

On 5/8/2024 at 9:44 PM, pkhammer said:

  I sell at Hershey and I don't mind a little haggling, I expect it and on most things 10% or so won't hurt my feelings. The one thing that bugs me is when the buyer says something like " that's all I can spend" or "that's all the money I have left". That's not my problem? I once gave in to a fellow that used that line. He pulled out a huge wad of cash to pay me and I said "I thought your offer was all the money you had left". He handed me the money, smiled, took the part and walked away. Lesson learned.

People try the same line on me buying a whole car. It is just a line. then once you have made the deal they talk about the new tires, seat covers, chrome this or chrome that they will be buying and having shipped overnight so they can put it on the car when it arrives. 

[ABear]

13 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

The last time I watched The American Pickers was when the squatty one sold some Civil War documentation to a man "his friend" who ran a Civil War museum.

You do realize that the entire show put on TV is staged?

 

While they do come in and look around, the "deals" when it comes to price are basically singled out for filming and staged for the audiences viewing pleasure..

 

Each episode is pretty much cookie cuttered presentation, I stopped watching after a couple of seasons..

 

As far as haggling goes, I used to buy and sell a lot at Flee Markets, I priced things about 50% than I wanted but not over the top twice the price and expected buyers to cut the price in half with their offers.. I typically would get pretty much the price I thought it was worth and sometimes a bit more than expected.

 

Quit selling at Flee Markets quite a long time ago, noticed not many people engaging in the sport of haggling by tossing extreme low ball offers at me and not willing to budge.. They left empty handed and I didn't sell enough to make spending my entire day at the Flee Market worth the hassle..

[Dr B]

16 minutes ago, Tom Boehm said:

I have experienced sellers asking unreasonably high prices for the same reason. They are smug and get a rush if they can get someone to pay their price for a part they perceive to be rare. 

Recently had this happen to me.  Seller offered a car at a price range.  We talked cordially at length about the car and I decided to purchase it.  I offered to buy the car at the low end of his range, he declined the offer.  I thought it was a good car so I said I would buy it at the high end price of his range.  He thought he had a fish on the line, so he decided that the upper range price was no longer enough and upped the price he would now accept by 15%!  I said thanks but no thanks and walked away.

 

 

[60FlatTop]

Well, this topic sure got the entertaining comment to come out. I have been laughing to myself and enjoying a lot of memories.

 

I started in this bartering business when I was 11 years old. My father's stepfather, my Grandpa Jerry, had a full line tire business, Wholesale Tires (wholesale to retail customers a post WWII phenomenon) and Jerry's Used cars (a folksy arm around your shoulder implication). I started out mowing the lawn for my grandmother on Saturday mornings but soon filled out the day in the shop.

 

Only I know the high level of restraint I am capable of. The thing that is tickling me now is my lifelong experiences with ethnicity.

Edited May 10 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[theconvertibleguy]

I've always found that the folks that say they'll scrap something if it's not sold by x date are just doing you a service for avoiding terrible buyers. The very few times I've indulged, they have been incredibly unpleasant people, and life's too short to deal with pricks.

 

For myself, the very few times I've sold something, I basically put it up at the lowest price I'm going to accept, and that's that. I odn't like doing sales, and I know that it's a weakness of mine, so I want to experieince over and done with. Want my stuff? Come with cash or certified cheque, and it's yours. Life's too short to play silly games.

[1912Staver]

I have bought a lot of stuff over the years, swap meets , and Craigslist , marketplace , before that local Buy and Sell weekly papers. 

 I find sellers generally fall into 3 groups.

The " professional " sellers, lots of well displayed, clean shiny things, prices typically about double what a given item might generally sell for. I very rarely buy from these people.

The son in law selling off the estate. Prices all over the map $20.00 things for $200.00 and $200.00 things marked at $20.00. And no idea of anything about any of it. Sometimes I buy but often I find the whole process frustrating. You ask where the rest of the parts are for something and they either say it didn't look important so it was tossed or they haven't got to the back part of the garage yet. Or haven't a clue about what I am talking about. I do buy from these people but certainly not my first choice.   

 The hobbyist, brings stuff in widely varying condition, not just the shiny stuff. Lots of accumulated incidental catch from past parts lot purchases. You know how it goes , someone has some things you want , but they want to clear out a whole truckload of stuff. You buy it all to get what you want and bring the rest to the swap meet. Fair prices with generally some wiggle room. And projects that have been moved on from. Most of what I buy comes from these people. Not going for the jugular on every sale, and not clueless. Just average hobby oriented people.

When I sell I try to return the favor.

[kramaton]

3 hours ago, Tom Boehm said:

This thread turned out to be very enlightening. Many points of view are presented here. A previous post complained of buyers haggling for sport just to get the feeling they "beat" the seller in the game. I don't dispute that. But that works both ways. I have experienced sellers asking unreasonably high prices for the same reason. They are smug and get a rush if they can get someone to pay their price for a part they perceive to be rare. 

 

I will pay a high price for a reproduction part when that is the only option. I understand there is significant development costs. But not if they are smug about it. 

New people to the hobby may not understand development costs. 

 

Many years ago a Cadillac reproduction parts vendor had a run of side view mirrors made with the Lasalle logo on it. I called to ask the price. He said the price is x but I only have one left so that one will cost 3x. I never ordered from him again. 

 

So my take in all this is that sellers who are offended can simply just say no. Buyers can also just say no. 

 

Most sellers selling used vintage parts at swap meets are regular car guys. There is always a few people that have their stuff way over priced because they probably dont want to sell it anyway. When I see them year after year I don't even stop to look at their stuff.

 

[ABear]

7 minutes ago, kramaton said:

There is always a few people that have their stuff way over priced because they probably dont want to sell it anyway.

Professional Ebay and Craigslist hucksters have ruined a lot of the casual used items sales.

 

People see those way over the top prices being asked and decide that they too also should get that for their stuff and are not willing to budge.

[Angelfish]

I’ve had a table at the gun show a few times.   I always tried to have three price ranges, good deals, fair deals and things I would sell if they wanted to pay the price.

 

Naturally the good deals would sell pretty well.  Then I started noticing that my good deals were turning up on other sellers’ tables for 3-4 times what I had been asking.  One example was a little rimfire scope that I sold for $15.  It was two tables over for $45.  I had paid $40 for it brand new.  
 

I quit going to gun shows.  

[Brass is Best]

Sometimes having the right t-shirt on at a swap meet can get you a discount without even asking. I was walking through Hershey a couple years ago with a shirt that had a political statement on it. I can't tell you what the shirt said but several vendors offered me a better price on items because they liked my shirt. I didn't even have to ask. I would ask the price and they would state the price. Then they would immediately tell me I was getting a discount.