Quick Question?

Bigfattyt

Bigfattyt

Gold Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
19,263
If you posted a knife for sale, and some one emailed you "what is the cheapest you will sell this for, shipped to my address?" on the first day of the listing, would you even respond? Or just ignore?

Is a legit way to purchase a knife or other product on here (seemed kinda strange)? Or do you send an actual offer of what you are willing to pay to see if the seller will accept (that seems normal to me)?

Just wondering.
 
Seems like a legit question from a numbnuts :p unfortunately there IS a strong presence of numbnuts in this funny world :D. But it's not THAT odd of a question....they're probably assuming you're looking for a quick sale and want to know what your bottom line is. There's nothing wrong with responding truthfully...even if it's to let them know that you're firm on your price. It's always better to take the high road...all about karma. I know I've asked my share of dadeetdadeet questions!
 
Personally I'd ignore it... and probably not sell to them in the future

There are a few on my list that I wouldn't sell to no matter the price
 
Unless the question was asked in an offensive manner, I would say it is within reason.

The person is obviously fishing to see how low you will go on your price before showing his hand.

You certainly don't have to let him know how low you are willing to go, just turn the table on him and ask what he is willing to offer. You'll soon know if he is serious.

...Negotiation in an open market place!!! ;)
 
Once upon a time at the behest of my father, I used to do that very thing (at gunshows, flea markets, yardsales, etc). He said it was part of the game, bartering for the best price/deal. I never liked doing it though and I haven't done it in a long time. I figure if they want to sell it they'll put a fair price on it, and if it's more than I want to pay then I can buy somewhere else, or suck it up and hand over the money.

Edit: Now if the seller specifically mentions they want to get rid of it for a quick buck and the price is negotiable, I might email and ask them what their firm price is, but I won't try to talk them down.
 
It's uncouth to put it out there like the potential buyer did. What would be more effective would be to make a FAIR offer and see what happens. It may benefit that person in the future if you send him/her a tactful message saying so.

Just recently I had an interest in what I thought was a high-priced package deal. I made the guy a low offer and he told me he would take it into consideration (he mentioned he needed money). I gave the guy two weeks and called back and he made me a counter-offer which I felt was fair so I took it.

Sometimes, as a buyer, you have to wait on a knife to see if it will come down to a price you're more comfortable with. The problem inherent in that is that you may end up losing out on a knife you really wanted. But be assured that unless you're looking for a 1/300 or a silent knight, there are probably many more of whatever knife you were looking for. Be patient, and you'll usually get what you want.
 
Look at it as an opportunity to extend your best price to the individual.
 
If I was interested in a knife but couldn't afford it I would probably send an email telling the seller that I was interested but would couldn't afford his/her price. I would tell them my max price I could pay including shipping (and any fees for Paypal). I would then ask that if in the future they reduced their original price to the same as my max if they could PM me. In these cases I would state that I would have the money good to go immediately so there would be no further delay in selling the blade caused by waiting for me to get funds.

I don't think the doing the above is inappropriate but flat out asking someone how little they will take for a knife seems a bit strange. I know some people like to barter or haggle but i've found that difficult to do in anything other than a face to face deal.
 
There were several people (including at least two dealers) who sent me similar emails/PMs when I was selling off some knives earlier this year. Since I have an idea what I paid and what shipping will cost, I provided an answer. One took me up on it, the others passed and I still sold the knives. Consider it to be free market negotiation and don't take it personally.

On a positive note, at least this person didn't make such an inquiry in the "for sale" thread.
 
It is a fairly common practice on feebay. Whenever I sell something there (which I'd rather not do... but that is for a diff't thread) I will often get the same questions. People generally want to avoid the wait and hope you will be tempted by the fast buck. I wouldn't take offense to it.
 
I would tend to respond to the e-mail and answer the question...if I needed the money and was willing to drop the price, I would, if not, I'd find out shipping to the questioner, add it to my sell price, and send them that as the answer. :)
 
I wouldn't be offended by it. After all if it is a sale you are looking for it may turn into one. Since it is your lowest price agreeable, you shouldn't be too bummed, you just won't be getting your top price. Different people ask the same question in different ways. I assume a lot of people do it. Just my .02 worth
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a buyer trying to get the absolute best price they can, on any product.

When I first joined this site, I found it very strange that most people here didn't try to haggle on price and that your prices were so firmly set in stone. That went against pretty much everything I've experienced in real life and on other forums...

..that was before I realized that INFI typically increased in value over time instead of decreased, and that useage typically had little effect on the overall value of a knife as well.

That being said, I still believe that there is room for negotiation, maybe the guys approach was wrong but I've dealt with a bunch of you and almost everyone is pretty reasonable when it comes to price/cost.
 
Last edited:
RoyalM said:
If I was interested in a knife but couldn't afford it I would probably send an email telling the seller that I was interested but would couldn't afford his/her price. I would tell them my max price I could pay including shipping (and any fees for Paypal). I would then ask that if in the future they reduced their original price to the same as my max if they could PM me. In these cases I would state that I would have the money good to go immediately so there would be no further delay in selling the blade caused by waiting for me to get funds.

I don't think the doing the above is inappropriate but flat out asking someone how little they will take for a knife seems a bit strange. I know some people like to barter or haggle but i've found that difficult to do in anything other than a face to face deal.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
asking "how low will you go" just seems a bit uncouth......


i would just offer the price i had in mind and work from there....
 
Just stay polite and answer the question.

Maybe even thank the person for being interested, and mention that you are not interested in dropping the price at this time.

I have had this happen several times in the past when listing knives for sale.

They also ask me for prices on knives not currently listed for sale.

For that matter, I get the question "What is the lowest price I will take for knives" when I have no knives at all listed for sale and have not listed a knife for sale in several years.

Best to stay Polite and thank them for their interest and say, "Not at this time"
 
I emailed him back a thank you. I informed him that some one had posted an I'll take it at the original posted price, but if that deal fell through it would still be for sale.
 
As long as they have not offered a silly low ball price I would politely respond with what I am willing to accept, whether it is firm or dropped a little.

For the goof balls that offer a ridiculously low amount and have obviously not done thier homework I just let the email rot away. I have had offers well below what a Busse originally cost...5 years ago:rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top