Let's Talk About MAKING OFFERS: Seven Suggestions for Success (Most don't need 'em; those that do, know who they are.)

[Smoking Rabbit]

Regarding making offers on a knife (or anything for that matter), this is pretty basic adult stuff, but I believe it needs to be said given these situations have happened now four times to me just over the past two weeks, including two times over the past 72 hours:

- First, if you make an offer of an amount you knowingly can't afford, you are wrong. Pretty simple. There are several knives I'd love to own but can't afford to buy, but you won't find me offering money I don't have for a knife I may want. It's just a knife.

- Second, if you make an offer assume the seller will accept your offer immediately, and be prepared to pay. Goes without saying, but here we are.

- Third, if you make an offer and the seller accepts, don't then attempt to change the terms by saying something like, "Thanks for accepting my offer, I just need a week or two to come up with the cash." Really? That's just juvenile.

- Fourth, if you make an offer assume the seller will accept and communicate back in a relatively short period of time to finalize the deal. Don't leave the seller in the lurch for days upon days, or even hours upon hours. If you are knowingly going to be out of contact for a long period of time after making an offer (i.e., work shift, vision quest, Caribbean cruise, jail sentence, etc.), give the seller a heads-up. Just common courtesy.

- Fifth, if you wish to make an offer but you need to ask questions or make a special request (e.g., additional time to come up with the funds), include those in your original contact message before making your offer. Please don't make an offer, have your offer accepted, and then proceed to dump questions or demands on a seller as a poorly conceived delay tactic. Again, so simple.

- Sixth, let's just say you do make an offer and, in the short time between commitment and payment, you suddenly realize you can't follow through--for whatever reason, it doesn't really matter--then, simply let the seller know right away. No harm, no foul, move on. But, for goodness sakes, don't just ghost them like you're getting cold feet for your first Tinder date following a messy breakup. Act like an adult and use your words... and never let your pride get in the way of doing the right thing.

- Seventh and final suggestion, making an offer should never be used as "testing the waters." An offer is an authentic expression of a readiness to purchase an item backed by cash-in-hand. This concept is centuries old, but in today's world it's usually a virtual handshake: You are sticking out your hand to grasp a seller's hand in agreement.

Again, this is truly basic stuff here, unfortunately, largely directed at an audience of grown adult males. 99% of us seem to get these elementary concepts and obviously don't need the cheat-sheet. However, there exists a small population, even those with plenty of positive feedback, that these basic courtesies seem to elude... whether due to authentic ignorance, stupidity, laziness, or sheer narcissistic apathy, I have no idea.

Decisiveness is a sign of maturity... impulsivity is a sign of immaturity.

Have a great week,

~Rob~

 

[knarfeng]

To add to that,
Unless otherwise stated, prices in threads are assumed to be firm prices. That means, if the seller does not say "open to offers" or "OBO" in the thread and you insist on making a lower offer anyway, then you need to make it outside the thread. These days that's going to be via DM.

From the exchange rules:
Buyers/Buying -

1. Be 100% sure that you can financially afford to purchase the item before offering to do so. If you cannot commit 100% to buying the item, then move along. Be responsible and use your best judgement. Do not create any undue burden on people trying to sell stuff.
2. Ask any questions needed before the deal is agreed upon, make sure you want the item being sold and that the price is affordable to you.
3. Be prompt with your payment. The seller has the right to determine how they want payment and if they will work with you.
4. Provide an accurate shipping address. Make sure the seller has that shipping address. Open and clear communication via email or Private Messaging is encouraged between the parties involved for every detail of the transaction.
5. Do not post in a person's thread unless you have an implicit interest in buying the item. Posts like, "Nice knife!", "Why is the price so high/low?", "I wish I had funds" are not allowed. This means absolutely no commentary or feedback in someone's sales thread. Seriously, if you stomp on someone's ad, your account can and will be locked. The only exception to this is in the Knife Makers Market areas (if the maker/craftsman requests and welcomes feedback). Save questions and offers for email rather than cluttering the thread.