lowballing .. definition and .. is it insulting ?

[Machines]

I think people smell desperation to sell and chance it with a low offer. I bet it works sometimes.

[MacDaddy]

A few years ago I got a call from a shop I had a Trace combo on sale with. It was priced for a quick sale at £250 but they had a guy in offering £200. So I told them "tell him he can have it now for £300. It's already a bargain at £250 so if he can take the p1ss so can I".

[timmo]

If i was selling something, i would rather have several low offers than none. At least the market is telling me my price is too high. I look at lots of the classifieds in the for sale topic, and was surprised to see someone asking a higher price second hand, than you can buy for new. I know some things like basses have a premium for age, but an amp that has only been on the market for 2 years is hardly going to fetch a premium. I don`t get why anyone should be outraged by a low offer, as it takes seconds to say no thanks

[40hz]

I've had a few insulting offers on gear that I've already priced competitively given the market value. Somebody offered me £250 for my Geddy Lee when I was selling it. Ridiculous. Needless to say I didn't even bother replying to that chancer.

[neepheid]

"Outraged" is a bit melodramatic. I believe 3 years ago I said lowball offers "bug me". As in, they are irritating. Which they are, surely even to people who politely decline. I outlined my very calm and rational reasons why I find them irritating and I stand by them now. To me lowball is super low - speculative, taking the p. Someone coming in and asking if I can absorb the postage, or 10% less, I might entertain depending upon how desperate I am to shift the item in question. But people coming up and having the brass neck to offer you half of what you ask for (particularly when I don't think I'm being unreasonable in the first place) is irritating. I completely agree with 40hz above me whose reply came in as I was typing this.

[CamdenRob]

There is a difference between lowballing and being offered what your selling is actually worth.... Someone in the effects section is selling a pedal I'm quite interested in, but I can spend an extra £3 and get it brand new from Thomann. I suspect he would call my realistic offer a lowballer.

Edited April 24, 2015 by CamdenRob

[Kempy535]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1429869688' post='2755716']
But people coming up and having the brass neck to offer you half of what you ask for (particularly when I don't think I'm being unreasonable in the first place) is irritating. I completely agree with 40hz above me whose reply came in as I was typing this.
[/quote]

There was a bass listed in the for sale section beck before Christmas and I assume the guy listing it at what he thought it was a reasonable price. I thought it was very over priced and offered him what i though it was worth. Around 50% or the advertised price. He turned me down very curtly. I wished him good luck with the sale and left it.

Bass is still for sale and almost at the price I offered him. Still no takers

So was being a lowballer? Or offering what the value of the guitar was worth?

[ras52]

What if I offered £5 million for this?!? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OFFERS-THROW-NUMBERS-AT-THIS-TENNESSEE-15-STRING-EXTENDED-RANGE-BASS-/291427705595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43da71e2fb

[neepheid]

[quote name='Kempy535' timestamp='1429870854' post='2755741']
There was a bass listed in the for sale section beck before Christmas and I assume the guy listing it at what he thought it was a reasonable price. I thought it was very over priced and offered him what i though it was worth. Around 50% or the advertised price. He turned me down very curtly. I wished him good luck with the sale and left it.

Bass is still for sale and almost at the price I offered him. Still no takers

So was being a lowballer? Or offering what the value of the guitar was worth?
[/quote]

I forgot to reiterate that I don't advertise stuff for stupidly more than it's worth. I do my research. That is why people lowballing [i]me[/i] is irritating.

[timmo]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1429872696' post='2755780']
I forgot to reiterate that I don't advertise stuff for stupidly more than it's worth. I do my research. That is why people lowballing [i]me[/i] is irritating.
[/quote]Lots of people research and come up with different conclusions. You get people saying that the item is worth such and so as there is some on ebay. When you go to listings, the actual price that people have been getting for them is a lot less than their buy it now price. Not saying you would do that, but some people do.
I was bidding this morning for a head and cab on Ebay. I bid £230 for the item, and lost to someone bidding £231.93p. Just the head is on sale here for £200, and 1 for £350. The new ones retail at £299. Personally, i wouldn`t pay more than £200 for the head including delivery. I guess that is why the classifieds and ebay are full of unsold stuff.