What Does "Reasonable Offer" mean?

[RustyRatRod]

I think....I hope we're all adult enough to agree to disagree. It's not that difficult.

 

[273]

OK. Your right. Everything is fine. Glad we got that all sorted

Glad you seen the light

JK have a good one.

 

[Kern Dog]

I think the point was the venue impacts what would generally be considered reasonable. Garage sales are generally sales of a wide variety of items being offered to a wide variety of buyers. This type of venue is more likely to be open to wide variety of pricing and offers

I like the attitude that if you receive an offer you don’t like then you are free to turn it down and you can also ignore it if you consider it unreasonable. That is the mature adult way to conduct the situation. To get hot under the collar or offended by an offer is ultimately an emotional reaction that is tantamount to loosing emotional control of yourself.
It takes only a second to read an offer and decide to ignore it if you consider it unreasonable.

With the hobby of old cars being full of so many different sources for parts and cars there is a very wide range of prices one might pay for a type of item. We have all met sellers who want a premium price and those who are just clearing out space and want something gone or off to someone else who can use it.

I have sometimes paid too much for parts (in hindsight- based on seeing it for less later) but also have received great parts for far less than I was willing to pay, sometimes even free. I also often “sell” parts for free or for the shipping cost only. It’s one way I pay the hobby back for what it gives me.

The point I’m trying to make is what is reasonable to one person may not be to another. I understand the point of view that a reasonable offer would be one close to the asking price but ultimately that is also subjective.

Maybe the hobby would become more affordable if all the potential buyers simply offered to sellers what they would pay. Are sellers that afraid of letting the market dictate pricing?

Being offended is a choice- however, I know this is easier said than done- but it’s a healthy and worthy mindset to aspire to.

Sometimes I feel like sellers who post for a “reasonable offers only” are predisposed to both ask too much in the first place or are worried they may end up doubting the value they have in mind for the item.

I’m rambling now…but will close by saying thank you to fabo, the op, and all participants. I found it surprisingly thought provoking and informative diving into the depths of the topic.

There are people who are not going to be nice to you in the world. There are people who will not do what you ask of them. It’s just a fact. All you can do is make a choice of how you are going to handle yourself in the situation. Will you let them or the situation control your emotions, your actions and get under your skin? or will you be an adult and handle it maturely? Confident in who you are and how you conduct yourself?

I’m just going to put this out there- seems like you have had some personal experiences with buyers wasting your time.

In a case where a seller lists an item for sale with a note indicating ANYTHING about conditions under which they will accept offers- the seller has tipped their cards to buyers that they are willing to go lower.

If a seller doesn’t want to receive offers below a certain amount then they should state the amount below which they will not sell… right?

…well, actually we all know the answer to this question is: NO, that would not serve the seller.

And why is that? Because the seller is playing a cat and mouse game to a degree. The seller does not want to say their bottom number because they want the most they can get.

And the buyer doesn’t want to pay too much. In some cases the buyer may also believe the seller is asking a premium over what most would be willing to pay.

So both the seller and buyer are involved in a game or dance initiated by the seller.

Now if the seller stipulates in the sales listing that any any offers be “reasonable” - it leaves the door open to interpretation and especially in the case of a long standing sales listing is a sign of weakness that some buyers will use to try and exploit. It’s not difficult to see why buyers might try to get fresh and dip their dance partner so to speak.

Don’t like it? Sorry, it’s part of the seller and buyer dance. There are always going to be buyers who lowball. If you don’t want to spend time with a buyer who will lowball you- first realize it’s just part of the nature of the market and second become aware of the signals you are sending buyers. List that you are firm or simply just list the price with no mention of accepting offers for less.

Welcome to the dance

Yep, being offended is a choice. Unless you don’t think it is- Then you made your choice already and you are subject to being trapped by others manipulating your emotions.

If a seller has to resort to stating their price is in question in their ad - the sharks will circle and test the seller.

If its broken- try another approach

Jeez, man.....NINE responses on page 8 alone. For a guy that claims that being "offended is a choice", you sure have a bee in your bonnet here.
Write a book or something.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Jeez, man.....E I G H T responses on this page alone. For a guy that claims that being "offended is a choice", you sure have a bee in your bonnet here.
Write a book or something.

It didn't seem that way to me. But you on the other hand.........

 

[273]

I think....I hope we're all adult enough to agree to disagree. It's not that difficult.

Yes Sir, were all good to me

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yes Sir, were all good to me

Me too! I've not been offended in the least. There's no one important enough "here" to do that. lol

 

[Kern Dog]

It didn't seem that way to me. But you on the other hand.........

You may be okay with people taking advantage of you. I am not.

 

[Fishing68]

 

[RustyRatRod]

You may be okay with people taking advantage of you. I am not.

Tell me how the lowballer hurt you. Show me where. As long as you say no, you've gotten no damage and not been taken advantage of. Do you need a safe space? Maybe a leftist support group?

 

[Kern Dog]

Really? That is where you are going with this?
Being poor must have you thinking that anyone unwilling to take your low offer IS the problem.
Try this...get a job, dude. With money, you'll be able to afford things.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Really? That is where you are going with this?
Being poor must have you thinking that anyone unwilling to take your low offer IS the problem.
Try this...get a job, dude. With money, you'll be able to afford things.

....and you know I'm not working how? I mean seriously, Greg, everyone here can see who is all bent out of shape here and it's not me. Look in the mirror. There he is. You embarrass yourself.

 

[Kern Dog]

Keep thinking that.

 

[One Bullet Barney]

OK. Men can we have Resonable Arguments only please.

 

[Kern Dog]

Your take- I respect that.

But hey, I think it is a two way street is all.

I think it’s reasonable to inform an unreasonable seller that they are being unreasonable using reason

I agree with this. I've done it in the most polite way possible and as of yet, nobody has punched me in the face.
There are often ads posted online with cars that are priced WAY ABOVE market value. I am SO tempted to comment on them but the rules here prohibit that....for good reason. No matter what my opinion is, the ads here need to be FREE of commentary that is subject to dispute. I've had posts deleted because I let my temper get to me and I responded when I shouldn't have.
There is a car right now that was listed recently, it is listed at well over double what I think it should be for a car that is in the shape that it is in. The seller may or may not be in the know of what the real value is. A polite PM to him may get him to see his error but I will let someone else do that.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I let my temper get to me....

My point in a nutshell.

 

[Fishing68]

OK. Men can we have Resonable Arguments only please.

And the winner of best entry on this thread goes to: AAR 64Valiant for a masterful delivery of whit and wisdom!

 

[Fishing68]

Can we start a new thread to discuss the definition of what constitutes a “Reasonable Argument” next ?

 

[318willrun]

The worst thing to me about selling on Marketplace is all the goofy replies. It DOES take up time. First line - Cash only, no trades. Ding - alert - you got a message. You go there... "will you take a 2001 Neon on trade for your _______"? Ding - "I have 750 cash for your 5000 dollar car if you wait till the 12th of next month" AFter 40 of these, you DO have time invested..... part of selling these days

 

[fishmens67]

No matter what you're asking I'm only offering 69.9% at most of your asking price.

 

[RustyRatRod]

No matter what you're asking I'm only offering 69.9% at most of your asking price.

 

[fishmens67]

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

 

[Fishing68]

I know many love marketplace but I’m not a part of the Metaverse by choice

 

[RustyRatRod]

I know many love marketplace but I’m not a part of the Metaverse by choice

I cannot stand it.

 

[Kern Dog]

I guess the short answer to the OP's question is.....It depends.
I know that I don't take my stuff to swap meets expecting to go home rich. If I know the buyer and like them, I've sold for well below market rate.
Hell, I've given away stuff that I know has little value if I know someone needs it. I have slant six stuff here that I will never use because often times I get a call for something like that. I save stuff because I like knowing that it helps someone out.
I don't care to make top dollar on my stuff. I've seen guys haul much of the same parts from one swap meet to the next. I try to NOT be that guy.
If you buy more than one thing, I am compelled to cut the prices on everything. A package deal of parts all totaling about 70-75 % of my asking prices is often a good deal in my opinion. I rarely sell stuff that I intend to use, the stuff is often parts that I acquired or removed when I made an upgrade.
What digs at me is that despite the efforts to do right by people, there are some that just push too far. When you feel that you've been doing the right thing and people still keep pushing, it will affect you.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I guess the short answer to the OP's question is.....It depends.
I know that I don't take my stuff to swap meets expecting to go home rich. If I know the buyer and like them, I've sold for well below market rate.
Hell, I've given away stuff that I know has little value if I know someone needs it. I have slant six stuff here that I will never use because often times I get a call for something like that. I save stuff because I like knowing that it helps someone out.
I don't care to make top dollar on my stuff. I've seen guys haul much of the same parts from one swap meet to the next. I try to NOT be that guy.
If you buy more than one thing, I am compelled to cut the prices on everything. A package deal of parts all totaling about 70-75 % of my asking prices is often a good deal in my opinion. I rarely sell stuff that I intend to use, the stuff is often parts that I acquired or removed when I made an upgrade.
What digs at me is that despite the efforts to do right by people, there are some that just push too far. When you feel that you've been doing the right thing and people still keep pushing, it will affect you.

And that's what I'll never in a million years do. Keep pushing. My financial situation is my world, not anybody else's. If someone won't take my offer, that's fine, I'll keep looking. It's just not that difficult. I will say that I'll be more careful in the future about who I give offers to and I'll endeavor to make the best offer I can. I think that's all anybody can ask.