"Call for price"

[rocketraider]

Am I the only one who that phrase burns up?😡

 

A 1974 Ford pickup in this week's local shopper paper caught my eye. Skimpy description to start with and then "Call for price". I immediately lost all interest.

 

Another one is "let's see what it's selling for on the internet today!" A local antique shop owner is notorious for that. She won't price anything until she checks what internet prices are for that day.

 

If you can't be bothered to price your merchandise upfront, I can't be bothered to do business with you.

[Trulyvintage]

If you had a serious interest

then you would call for more

information and the price.

 

Jim

[Frank DuVal]

I'm with Glenn. Too many people think their stuff is gold and price accordingly. Just skip over those ads unless it is some really rare piece you always wanted, and you have unlimited funds. Then call/email/text and annoy the seller because you don't offer enough!🤣

 

Then of course the seller will complain about all the tire kickers who call/email/text and lose interest once the price is stated. Get it over by pricing it right away.👍

 

Just stop going to those antique stores! Let them sell their inventory on Ebay.

[rocketraider]

No. As a matter of principle I won't do that, no matter how interested I am. 

 

I've had people answer "what's your asking price?" with "how much you gimme for it?". That usually results in me tossing a quarter at them and walking off.

[bryankazmer]

30 minutes ago, Trulyvintage said:

If you had a serious interest

then you would call for more

information and the price.

 

Jim

No. Because a serious seller states the price. 

[Dave Mellor NJ]

In the old days you had to pay to put an ad in the paper or hobby mags. if you were serious you'd have a good price. When it's free to advertise you can play around

[Bloo]

Ads like this are just entertainment, not to be taken seriously.

 

 

[Rusty_OToole]

I find most things advertised are overpriced. When they are ashamed to state the price up front I take it their price is so ridiculously high they know if they put it in the ad, nobody will respond. By keeping it a secret they hope to get you on the phone where they can talk you into buying.

 

I never respond to such ads.

[zeke01]

I’ll wait until they call me to see if I’m interested in buying. 
Pearls of wisdom, “never price another man’s stuff”.  Zeke

[JV Puleo]

8 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

If you had a serious interest

then you would call for more

information and the price.

 

Jim

NO. I see that as a fishing expedition and I'm not interested in being the fish. As soon as I see that I move on no matter how interested I'd be if the price were reasonable.

[alsancle]

There are lots of obstacles in making a successfully car sales transaction.   Sellers and buyers both do lots of dumb things.   Seller ones are easy:

 

1.  No price.

2. Horrible pictures.

3. Horrible description.

4. Bad attitude.   You are doing nobody a favor selling your car.

 

We can do a list for buyers too.  They are just as bad.   We pick on the sellers because that is what we can see,  but I'm sure Matt will attest to the fact that buyers are just as idiotic as the sellers.

[ia-k]

8 hours ago, rocketraider said:

 

 

Another one is "let's see what it's selling for on the internet today!" A local antique shop owner is notorious for that. She won't price anything until she checks what internet prices are for that day.

 

 

I have dealt with antique/2nd hand shops that do that. I usually respond "if the listing is over 3 days old and it hasn't sold it means the item is priced too high".

 

As far as the sellers who state "call for price", if I am interested it is only a minute or 2 of my time to call. If the price is close to what I am willing to spend then I arrange a time to look at it. If I feel it is too high, I just say "sorry, that price is out of my budget", and it may or may not start a dialog of "what are you willing to offer" and I will state my concerns about the condition or going market value, etc.... and state my conditional offer until I look at it in person.

[60FlatTop]

I skip over that kind of ad as well. What's the first question? Buying a car or constructing a building, qualify both sides.

 

There have been times when I met up with a person who legitimately has no idea of a price. In those few instances I have asked if there was a large purchase they had been putting off until they had extra cash. Once I remember a man who said he would like to put a new roof on his one cars garage. I told him I would pay that amount for his car.

 

You can tell. When I start hearing euphemisms and idioms left over from the Civil War and Great Depression era I get ready to exit, big red flag for old scoundrel for me.

 

The older the seller the less I trust them. I turned 76 the day before yesterday, I know.

[BillinMd]

45 minutes ago, alsancle said:

There are lots of obstacles in making a successfully car sales transaction.   Sellers and buyers both do lots of dumb things.   Seller ones are easy:

 

1.  No price.

2. Horrible pictures.

3. Horrible description.

4. Bad attitude.   You are doing nobody a favor selling your car.

 

We can do a list for buyers too.  They are just as bad.   We pick on the sellers because that is what we can see,  but I'm sure Matt will attest to the fact that buyers are just as idiotic as the sellers.

...and it's really an exception to find they have thoroughly cleaned the interior.

[John Bloom]

People are all over the map in their behavior as a buyer or a seller. I would rather have food poisoning than be on the selling end of something where it drags out for months and months and I’m dealing with difficult people taking up my time, not showing up when they said they would, and don’t even have the money to buy it.

 

if I’m going to sell something, I want to get rid of it pronto. I’m going to price it at a point where anybody looking for it would be interested and even some people who weren’t looking for it would be interested. Am I leaving some money on the table….?… probably. I want people motivated to get over to my house quickly and see it and buy it. If I was trying to sell something today, I would blast it out to as many sources as possible and try and get somebody to come over today and buy it before 6 PM, so I can have dinner and settle in for this Alabama/Georgia football game. 

[Gary_Ash]

26 minutes ago, John Bloom said:

if I’m going to sell something, I want to get rid of it pronto.

There is always stuff in our house that needs to go.  It would never sell for enough to change my lifestyle or even pay for a nice dinner out.  So, we just push it to the curb in front of the house, put a sign on it saying "FREE", and it's usually gone in an hour or so.  We once saw a guy struggling to get an old lawnmower of ours into his truck, so I went out and helped him load it.  That saved me from an hour trip to the dump.

[Mark Wetherbee]

19 minutes ago, John Bloom said:

get somebody to come over today and buy it before 6 PM, so I can have dinner and settle in for this Alabama/Georgia football game.

With that game today, you should probably wait and put your add out tomorrow so you avoid all the late callers after kickoff… ROLL TIDE!

 

I agree with not bothering myself with an add that is generally “make an offer” or to call for prices, there’s so many other things available that it’s not worth the frustration of dealing with them. I have also walked away from a “deal” at Hershey as the seller was a total (insert your favorite expletive here). We all get a vote on such things, the ballot in this situation is the seller and only you can decide who you vote for with your money…

[JV Puleo]

45 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said:

There have been times when I met up with a person who legitimately has no idea of a price. ...

I've been in that position...in fact, am in it now with some things I didn't buy. They were given to me or were payment for a job. If that sounds unfeeling, one is a rare Nazi dagger and I won't have anything connected with that in the house. The other are some 17th century upholstered chairs that I simply don't have the means of taking proper care of. If I inherited a "muscle car" I wouldn't know where to begin. Finding a "reasonable" asking price is quite difficult...you really need someone who knows the field but doesn't want the item...or someone completely honest. That isn't easy when you are dealing with the faceless internet. I would like to find a happy medium...something that will leave the buyer contented but not feeling as if he stole it. My attitude with dealers is quite different. They hold themselves out to be experts and if they make a mistake, that is their problem. Most often I run into people asking outrageous prices out of fear they'll take a penny too little...and expecting to haggle. I detest haggling so, as in the case of the "call for price" ads, I walk away. I've given things away to avoid the hassle of selling them and I should add that I've made some very good friends that way who have, in turn helped me. I've gotten ten times the value of the item back. It probably helps that I'm old enough now to not want very much and realistic enough to appreciate the huge difference between most asking prices and what things really sell for.

[JV Puleo]

11 minutes ago, Gary_Ash said:

There is always stuff in our house that needs to go.  It would never sell for enough to change my lifestyle or even pay for a nice dinner out.  So, we just push it to the curb in front of the house, put a sign on it saying "FREE", and it's usually gone in an hour or so.  We once saw a guy struggling to get an old lawnmower of ours into his truck, so I went out and helped him load it.  That saved me from an hour trip to the dump.

I do the same thing Gary!

[TAKerry]

Sounds like the dinner menu of my favorite restaurant, 'Market Price'.

 

1 hour ago, Gary_Ash said:

There is always stuff in our house that needs to go.  It would never sell for enough to change my lifestyle or even pay for a nice dinner out.  So, we just push it to the curb in front of the house, put a sign on it saying "FREE", and it's usually gone in an hour or so.  We once saw a guy struggling to get an old lawnmower of ours into his truck, so I went out and helped him load it.  That saved me from an hour trip to the dump.

Hit the nail on the head. If a person is in the used car business and his lively hood depends on 'making a profit' then I can see the haggling involved with making a sale on a car. BUT, if its simply a car in their backyard, an extra they kept instead of a trade in or a hobby car they just want to get rid of then set a reasonable price so it will sell quickly and be done with it. So you may not make enough money on the sale for an early retirement, big deal. The car is gone, you get a little spending money in your pocket and someone else is stuck with it, ahem, I mean has a new project to work on.

 

I think by not listing a price they think they can get more than what they think its worth. I agree, if I have to ask, I'm not gonna.

[ABear]

1 hour ago, TAKerry said:

I think by not listing a price they think they can get more than what they think its worth. I agree, if I have to ask, I'm not gonna.

This is one of those "it depends" things.

 

Posting too high of a price often results in no calls or contacts as folks assume you are trying to make a bunch of money on it.

 

Posting too low of price often results in no calls or contacts because folks think it may be junk if you priced it too low.

 

Posting "call for price" often weeds out the casual "tire kickers" who's only thing in life is to endlessly beat the advertised price down into the mud and then become a "no show" and never shows up to look at or buy.

 

I do post a price I think is reasonable for the condition of the item which is often lower than what "book values" indicate would be a fair price.. I typically get very few responses doing it this way and most are still tire kickers and no shows.

 

Pretty much have given up trying to sell stuff other than an occasional vehicle, everything else goes into the trash/scrap.

 

Sometimes I will put stuff at the curb with a FREE sign and that generally works for much of the items I want to get rid of..

 

Putting stuff at the curb with a for sale sign works better than CL or EBAY for me but I still have had to send items that just didn't seem to have any interest into trash/scrap.

 

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I always see Call for price as a euphemism for if you have to ask you can’t afford it.

[TexRiv_63]

If you don't list a price then it becomes an auction. Anyone who calls will hear "make me an offer" and the response will most likely be too low. To me it indicates a seller whose desire to sell is weak but is hoping for a windfall. I can go on Ebay or Mecum for an auction.

[Trulyvintage]

2 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

I always see Call for price as a euphemism for if you have to ask you can’t afford it.

 I get contacted a few times

a week for transport 

quotes from folks who are thinking

about buying a vehicle 2500 or more

miles from where they live …

 

If I have not done business with

them before - I ask for specifics:

Vehicle - condition - p/u & drop off

zip codes - timeframe - budget.

 

90% of the time they are expecting

transport below the cost

of equipment operation …

 

As low as

$0.15 a mile in some cases.

 

I just tell them no one I know

who drives the truck pulling 

the trailer transporting vehicles 

will do it for their budget.

 

I pay a fair price for goods.

I pay a premium price for good service

and I tip generously.

 

Jim

 

 

Edited September 28 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[Bruce W]

I go right on by an ad that states "call for price". I always think the price is likely ridiculously high and they are embarrassed to state it publicly. That being the most likely scenario, a call to the seller is a waste of my time and theirs. I also see this as part of a game I do not wish to play.

[old car fan]

19 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

If you had a serious interest

then you would call for more

information and the price.

 

Jim

Absolutely  not,serious interest or not. If you are selling anything, pics and price. 

[1912Staver]

2 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

 I get contacted a few times

a week for transport 

quotes from folks who are thinking

about buying a vehicle 2500 or more

miles from where they live …

 

If I have not done business with

them before - I ask for specifics:

Vehicle - condition - p/u & drop off

zip codes - timeframe - budget.

 

90% of the time they are expecting

transport below the cost

of equipment operation …

 

As low as

$0.15 a mile in some cases.

 

I just tell them no one I know

who drives the truck pulling 

the trailer transporting vehicles 

will do it for their budget.

 

I pay a fair price for goods.

I pay a premium price for good service

and I tip generously.

 

Jim

 

 

When I asked you for a quote 5 or 6 months ago I was looking for a yardstick that I could use to chose between various options. I had no specific number in mind for transportation. But transportation , plus the cost of the car had to total up to a number that made sense to me. I have seen your posts on here and thought there was a good chance you could provide the sort of transport service I was looking for .You simply told me that virtually no car was worth transporting from New York State to Washington State. I got the distinct impression you were not interested in doing business with me. I carried on and  ran the numbers on my other options. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Trulyvintage]

13 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

When I asked you for a quote 5 or 6 months ago I was looking for a yardstick that I could use to chose between various options. I had no specific number in mind for transportation. But transportation , plus the cost of the car had to total up to a number that made sense to me. I have seen your posts on here and thought there was a good chance you could provide the sort of transport service I was looking for .You simply told me that virtually no car was worth transporting from New York State to Washington State. I got the distinct impression you were not interested in doing business with me. I carried on and  ran the numbers on my other options. 

 

 

 

 

I am not an auto transport broker.

I provide auto transport for 

vehicle owners.

 

Most vehicles are not worth 

paying someone else to transport

across the country in a manner 

so they arrive in the condition 

that they are purchased.

 

I advise folks to go get vehicles 

they must have that are at the 

other end of the country by

flying or driving out and driving

or trailering the vehicle back

themselves.

 

If someone is planning on driving 

a vehicle that they are buying 

it is better to put the money

in the vehicle rather than

someones else’s pocket.

 

Jim

Edited September 28 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

I am not sure I understand the first part of your answer . At what point did I ask for transport brokerage ?

I simply wanted a quote for moving a rather small car from New York State to Washington State.

Yes , doing the haul myself was one of the options I was considering. 

But I was also seriously concidering using the services of someone in the hauling business.  The basis for any decision was going to involve cost as one of the factors.  But my time to make the round trip was also a big part of the equation .That's why I requested a ballpark quote . Pretty hard to make a decision without at least an idea of cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Trulyvintage]

51 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

I am not sure I understand the first part of your answer . At what point did I ask for transport brokerage ?

I simply wanted a quote for moving a rather small car from New York State to Washington State.

Yes , doing the haul myself was one of the options I was considering. 

But I was also seriously concidering using the services of someone in the hauling business.  The basis for any decision was going to involve cost as one of the factors.  But my time to make the round trip was also a big part of the equation .That's why I requested a ballpark quote . Pretty hard to make a decision without at least an idea of cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As I stated before - I am not

an auto transport broker.

 

Jim

[1912Staver]

Could you please clarify as to the meaning of that statement ? I am simply not understanding your point .

 I was looking to have a car transported . And as far as I can tell you are in the car transport business. What would a transport broker have to do with this situation ?

 

 

 

Edited September 29 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[AHa]

I am more understanding of the call for price approach. If its something I want, I merely call for price; what's the harm? I once responded to a call for price ad. Turned out the guy was willing to sale for a ridiculously small amount but didn't want to advertise it. He was afraid people would expect the same from his other sales.

[George Smolinski]

21 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

If you had a serious interest

then you would call for more

information and the price.

 

Jim

Is that so you can convince me to buy your car using your superior salesmanship? If you can't give a price in your ad, then here's a clue - your price is too high and you're hoping some sucker will call.

[old car fan]

Auto transport and evidently auto appraisal. 

[Littlestown Mike]

23 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

I find most things advertised are overpriced. When they are ashamed to state the price up front I take it their price is so ridiculously high they know if they put it in the ad, nobody will respond. By keeping it a secret they hope to get you on the phone where they can talk you into buying.

 

I never respond to such ads.

I feel much the same way about flea market vendors who do not post prices.  Hershey is coming up.  I may look at your stuff but probably won't even ask if I don't see anything with a price tag.
 

[Littlestown Mike]

On the Other Hand.....
I am equally put off by the guy who calls in response to an ad and their first question is, " What is the least you will take?"
There is a tempo to this dance we call negotiation, and it doesn't start with that question.  I have already stated my price--it is in the ad. You may make a counter offer, but the price in the ad is the price....until you give me a reason to lower it.  My typical response to the "what is the least..." question is to ask, " What is the most you will pay?"  The line usually goes silent and they hang up.

 

[cxgvd]

Well. I have a car for sale and have mentioned the car to friends who should be interested in it and no action yet.  I set a price, posted the car for sale on these forums with lovely photos, received many good comments, but no action.  Now I ask people to " make me an offer."  I think someday when the right individual comes along who I feel will appreciate the car and continue to tour with it he or she will buy it for a bushel of apples.

 

Regards, Gary

[Ed Luddy]

99.9% of the time "call for price" is posted it's overpriced and seller knows that, but ego's get in the way. I do not respond to those ad's anymore.

[60FlatTop]

Throughout life each interaction between people is a learning experience. I have 65 years of actively buying and selling cars.

 

Should you find my actions unacceptable don't take it personally. It was formed by "those who came before". Each carried their own little lesson.

[Frank DuVal]

17 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

or trailering the vehicle back

themselves.

 If they owned a truck and trailer to do this they would not be calling you! 

 

16 hours ago, Trulyvintage said:

I am not

an auto transport broker.

Well technically you broker your own services... But, who calls you thinking you are a broker? A price for you to do a haul is not asking you to be a broker. It is asking YOU to do the work.

 Do you only give a price/invoice to haul a car only after you do the haul? Then you are T&M, and that is a GREAT business model! Carry on and us normal people know not to call you.😉

Edited September 29 by Frank DuVal (see edit history)