People who try to haggle...
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
August 9, 2012 8:03am CST
I'm selling a laptop on Craigslist. My asking price is pretty high because in the past when I've sold things people have offered me far less than asking price, so I figure if I up the asking price I might get what I want for it.
So last night I get an e-mail from a guy who says he'll pay $200, which is pretty much what I want for it since it's practically brand new. I said ok, when will he come for it. Then he responds back that he's about an hour away and will need gas so can I go down to like $170. I asked my husband because last he said he wanted $200, but he was at work so didn't answer right away. I told the kid no. Then he starts saying he get can a better one on e-bay for $150, and telling me he's got to buy diapers and gas and how far the drive is. I just keep thinking how is this my concern? My post clearly stated where I lived, so he knew it was a long drive. Why contact me in the first place? Probably pulling my chain. My husband agreed to $175, but by this point the kid is ticking me off, so I just keep telling him no. Today I get another sob story about how he's broke and his fiance wants him to go with a laptop on e-bay for $120. I told him if he wanted a refurbished piece of junk he can go with e-bay, but mine was worth the $200 I wanted for it due to it's condition. At one point he asked if I'd at least take $190, due to his sob story, but now he's back down to only wanting to pay $170.
It's really frustrating. Doesn't he realize I don't have to sell it to him? I can just wait for the next person who's willing to pay what I want for it. Why would he think his sad story of being broke would make me go any lower, especially when he keeps throwing in there that he can get a cheaper one on e-bay, when I already know they're not as nice as this? I wonder if he's trying to scam me and maybe resell the laptop for what it's worth and earn a bit off it, LOL. Or is he just that stupid to think even though I've said no twenty times that I might change my mind if he changes his story a little bit. At this point I think I will just wait for the next person who isn't going to try to haggle me so much.
Have you ever dealt with a haggler?
1 person likes this
11 responses
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Yes. And when they demanded that they should only have to pay $25 (already knocked down from the $75 they had initially agreed on) because it was for a "community center" and requested me to deliver the item, I said NO. I wasted an entire day the last time I tried selling on Craigslist (the earlier story). 
I would have smiled through gritted teeth and told him that he was MORE than welcome to shop on eBay because he sure as he1l he wasn't buying this one!
I would have smiled through gritted teeth and told him that he was MORE than welcome to shop on eBay because he sure as he1l he wasn't buying this one!@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
9 Aug 12
And perhaps he wouldn't need to buy diapers if he kept it in his pants for a change? Oh my, what a snarky comment I made 
, but I'm honestly NOT worried it. 
, but I'm honestly NOT worried it. @katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Yeah, I've gotten to the point where I'm not selling it to him no matter what because he's been such a thorn in my side.
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
10 Aug 12
Good for you. Some people think that we're out to support them or something! 
I mean, I'm currently out of work, but I won't sit there and tell someone that they have to sell it to me or I'm walking out, just because I'm a bit down on my luck. I just won't go shopping to see if I can get something cheaper; I save up for it.
I mean, I'm currently out of work, but I won't sit there and tell someone that they have to sell it to me or I'm walking out, just because I'm a bit down on my luck. I just won't go shopping to see if I can get something cheaper; I save up for it.
@GardenGerty (160998)
• United States
9 Aug 12
I have dealt with some haggling, but not on a big ticket item. I would be so ticked off on this guy that I would tell him that I would not sell it to him even if he offered me more that $200 for it, because "I do not like you". I suspect he is a reseller, trying to get the best price possible, but in the meantime really ticking you off.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Yeah, this morning after another sob story I just said Good luck finding what he's looking for, now he's back to telling me he'll take it and just wants more pictures and a video of it working because he doesn't want to pay for something that might not work. So how does the e-bay stuff play into this since he can't prove they work, I wonder.
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
9 Aug 12
It's amazing what other people will say and do to try to get out of paying money. I haven't really sold anything so I haven't had to deal with anyone who haggled much. I've seen it on tv though. I was just watching hardcore pawn last night and he was saying how people try to give them sob stories to get better deals and more money. There was a lady who came in with a sob story about her grandmother dying and how she needed the money for this jewelry she had. They were going to give her a loan if she was a new customer and she said she was..but then they looked her up in the system and she had been there like 30 times before. I need to sell some stuff I was debating on ebay or craiglist.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Personallly I like Craislist better because e-bay charges you for selling stuff and they changed the way they handle Paypal payments which I don't understand, I think they said something about they hold the payment now. Anyways, with Craigslist you don't deal with shipping, you meet the person, give them the item, and they give you cash. End of story. The only problem I'm dealing with is a lot of scammers like I got 2 e-mails from different people telling me they'd pay $500 if I shipped it to S. Africa. Obviously scams somehow, just can't figure out how.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Yes...even at my craft sales...they try to get a deal. I had one lady the first day want me to give her a discount on some things if she bought a bunch of them. I said no....it's the first day and I'll sell all these in the next couple of days..and I did. He is just trying to get it cheap..like you said tell him to get one on ebay then.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Grrr! It's a craft sale, why do they expect to be able to haggle? You put hard work into those crafts! Normally I never try to haggle. If I don't like the price I walk away, end of story. I see it a lot at craft sales and garage sales. I know what I'd expect to pay for such a thing, and if it's more than that, I just don't even bother. Nothing is worth trying to bargain like that!
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
9 Aug 12
My father in law was a haggler. Heck he even tried to get McDonald's to give him a discount once.
@mensab (4200)
• Philippines
9 Aug 12
well, there are people who will try almost everything to get things that they want badly at all cost and at the least price. why not? if they have done it before, nothing stops them to do it again. it is up to the sellers to stand their ground on these hagglers. i admire you for standing your ground. do not be persuaded by the stories and seeming threats of the hagglers.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
9 Aug 12
There is nothing wrong with haggling, but there is a time when you stop and a way to go about it, and it sounds like this bloke is just being an annoyance.
If I were in your shoes I'd say $200 or nothing. Take it or leave it. There will be someone else if he doesn't want it. He can always turn to ebay after all!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Aug 12
Yeah, I got to that point this morning.. and I just said "Good luck finding what you're looking for" and then he came back at me saying he's fine with $200 and just wants more pictures and I must be scamming him if I won't send more pictures. All ploys just to waste my time. Not sure what the deal is.
@jugsjugs (12967)
•
10 Aug 12
We had this problem with a few people in the past, even when we did do a carboot sale, people still tried to haggle.I call people that haggle time wasters, as a lot of them end up being time wasters and just wanted to wind some one up.
If people say what will you take for something I will say the price it has on it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
11 Aug 12
And I have to admit that the haggling is the worst when it comes to people on Craig's List. We were selling my husband's Beetle last year and we wanted $500 for it as the asking price. He received several offers of $200 for it and we wouldn't accept those offers no matter how much they asked because we knew that we could get that much out of the car if we were to take it to the scrap yard. He finally did get an offer of $500 for it and sold it to the young girl.
Here is the really odd thing about the entire story, about two months ago the girl calls Tom and tells him that she doesn't have the time to devote to it that it needed and she would give it back to him, so now we have the car back and she didn't want us to pay her for it at all, she only asked that we let her know if we decide to sell it again (we are keeping it because it is cheaper to operate than the van that we had gotten in its place).
@steelers12 (153)
• United States
9 Aug 12
I have never tried to sell on Craigslist but I have sold and bought a few items on Facebook, through the flea market for our area. I have haggled and was haggled upon as we both were looking for deals.
I do list the item for a higher price than what I would take, knowing I will be haggled with and the price can always come down but not up once listed. I have had a few not serious people and I just ignore them and deal with the ones that I feel I can trust.
Honestly we all are looking for deals and trying to make some money also, so my rule of thumb is sell high and buy low and meet in the middle.
