Low-Ball offers

[TempoKing]

1. Can't Afford to Pay More ?
Don't tell the seller your price is fair. Sellers don't care what you can or
cannot afford to buy. If you can't afford to buy his Rolex, that's not
the seller's problem; it's yours.
2. Paying Cash - I mean how else will you pay ?
It's all cash to the seller in the end if it is via Bank wire transfer or
via Pay Pal..just 2.9% worth of fees which...most likely you will pay.
But don't walk away if your seller is like some sellers I know - All Sour Grapes etc.
Some buyers get their "knickers in a twist" as they say in the UK just
because the seller counters the offer at more than you were prepared
to pay. Maybe the counter was what he listed the watch for - maybe less.
It Doesn't matter. The point is the doors have been opened for negotiations
Only the inexperienced walk away.
3. Good to know the Seller's Motivation.
If you don't know why the seller is selling his Rolex, you got to use your
cryptograph and find out - it will be easier to meet his needs price wise
Maybe the issue is financial - you will get a better deal.
Maybe the seller needs to upgrade - you will not get a better deal.
Or he is a closet Rolex flipper with money to spare...worst kind those...lol
If you know the reason behind the sale, you can structure your offer to fulfill those needs.
4. Always Counter the Counter Offer.
It goes without saying that the first counter is only an invitation for the buyer
to offer a second offer. But sometimes buyers get discouraged. It's a dance
to see who will win ...the chase baby the chase. Until they turn off the
lights and close up the bar, keep dancing.
5. Give a Logical Reason Why Your Low-ball Offer is Fair...
Suggest prices at TRF or at eBay or timezone etc. but do not insult my intelligence
with crazy price throws.
6. Earlier today a guy wants to buy my datejust... I have it for sale
for $1,850 he emails me and offers me $1,000 (?)
and I respond that his offer does not even cover costs - within 2 minutes he goes
up to $1,350.... then when I say...I do not think you can afford it (I know I am bad)
then...Bim Bam Boom.. he goes up to $1,650
When I counter offer by saying I want the asking - He disappeared
...wrong...I could have sold him the watch for $1,750...Maybe...

[LightOnAHill]

I can't read it.


Lemmie try again. :)


OK OK, got it


$1690. That's it. ;)

[shark73]

Its goes both ways TempoKing. Some TRF dealers lowball when trying to sell watches to them. Maybe you should make a thread about that topic.

[Mac-Apple]

I don't even respond to buyers who have ridiculous offers, its ok to ask for a couple hundred off but several hundred is nuts. I had a guy offer me 1200 on a Breitling Superocean Heritage I had, the watch sells for 2k all day everyday used, where do these fools get the nerve at to offer these nutty prices.

[FremStar]

I hear what you're saying, from dealing with gents such as bodybump, davidsw, justrolexs, and lawrenceb I can say there has always been an element of negotiating going my way, for the most part we were able to come to terms. As a buyer purchasing modern Rolex timepieces I know I will never get my money back on my purchase if I were to flip (I may be wrong), however, for a buyer to quote $1k on a $2k timepiece is a little ridiculous. I'll take it for $1,500

[cedargrove]

Cool post - makes sense.

[FremStar]

Originally Posted by shark73

Its goes both ways TempoKing. Some TRF dealers lowball when trying to sell watches to them. Maybe you should make a thread about that topic.

Maybe you should start the thread?

[mjm800]

Everyone wants a deal and everyone wants to pay way below MSRP which is why so many people get ripped off on ebay. Scamers know this and price accordingly.

I know what is a fair price for a Rolex and I know when buying I have maybe a few hundred in wiggle room and that's it.

[TempoKing]

Originally Posted by FremStar

Maybe you should start the thread?

............................................. ......

[Keeperoftime]

Great Post.
P.S I love Herb Cohen's "You can negotiate anything."

One of my personal tactics is:
Low ball offers receive no response from me.
A "neg" or a comment/assessment on my piece not being worth what price I set results in a response like this "I appreciate your concern, you are right, this piece is not the one for you." 9/10 they raise their offer.

The truth is this. If one does not need the money he/she waits for the right buyer.

[blackbear]

I sell cars and guns if simeone really low balls me i tell them a price higher than the actual posted oricewhen they complain i tell them thier price was too low so now my original price is right in the middle drives them crazy

[moviefreak]

A... I told you before... You SHOULD write a book on the trading experiences you have...
Great advice my friend...

[The Joker]

Surely a low ball offer is just a start point for a negotiation, don't get why people won't send a quick reply.

Anyway I'm new to this as only brought from an AD. So if a watch is listed for 6k then what should I offer without causing offence.

[mjm800]

Originally Posted by The Joker

Surely a low ball offer is just a start point for a negotiation, don't get why people won't send a quick reply.

Anyway I'm new to this as only brought from an AD. So if a watch is listed for 6k then what should I offer without causing offence.

A lot goes into consideration 6k might be a great price and a bargain so going lower could be very insulting. Look that the condition of the watch, does it have box and papers, was it ever serviced, this effects the price. If a watch is ten years old and has never been serviced I always try to get the cost of service taken off the top.

The watch may have a lot of dings bracelet stretch, whatever, everything needs to be looked at that then make a reasonable offer starting 1000 below is not a good place to start.

[The Joker]

Originally Posted by mjm800

A lot goes into consideration 6k might be a great price and a bargain so going lower could be very insulting. Look that the condition of the watch, does it have box and papers, was it ever serviced, this effects the price. If a watch is ten years old and has never been serviced I always try to get the cost of service taken off the top.

The watch may have a lot of dings bracelet stretch, whatever, everything needs to be looked at that then make a reasonable offer starting 1000 below is not a good place to start.

Thanks Michael, did you say 1000 below is a reasonable place to start or not?

[paddy_crow]

If I were a buyer, I would never worry if my opening bid offended the seller. It's simply not something a buyer should be concerned with.

Some sellers seem to think they have the only watch of its kind on the market.

My observation has been that sellers are just as likely to get their panties in a wad and kill any further negotiation.

[nauticajoe]

....and the best part, when you do end up selling the piece, they have the nerve to IM expressing their feelings; kicking themselves in the a$$.

There are just way too many idiots out there. At the end, I prefer to deal with the reputable sellers (and sometimes buyers).

[MoBe]

As far as I`m concerned anyone making an insulting offer should be told off and if they want to continue negotiations after that then it`s game on.

[Lol-x]

The opposite to low ball offers are unreasonably high for sale prices.

It happens...but if negotiation is to be fruitful it requires compromise and the meeting of minds. One doesn't necessarily achieve that by being rude or insulting towards the other party.

It can be a fine line and feelings can over-ride rational thoughts during the process.

At the same time, being polite and respectful will enhance ones reputation.

[mjm800]

Originally Posted by The Joker

Thanks, did you say 1000 below is a reasonable place to start or not?

Unreasonable. I would not start at 1000 below unless it was really banged up and needed a lot of work, then again I probably would not be interested is such a watch that needed 1k knocked off the top. If it is priced too high say at 7k when it should be 6k I won't make an offer because I don't want to deal with a price gouger anyway. Rule #1 there will always be another watch they make millions of them if you pass on one another will be along shortly to take it's place...guaranteed.

Normally I have a price in mind before looking to buy then I look for watches in that range and sometimes if the price is right I won't even negotiate because I know it's already a good deal.

[threemonkeys]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

The opposite to low ball offers are unreasonably high for sale prices.

It happens...but if negotiation is to be fruitful it requires compromise and the meeting of minds. One doesn't necessarily achieve that by being rude or insulting towards the other party.

It can be a fine line and feelings can over-ride rational thoughts during the process.

At the same time, being polite and respectful will enhance ones reputation.

Well said.

[Vetteman]

What about us 99%er's we want our Rolex's too

[cornerstore]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

The opposite to low ball offers are unreasonably high for sale prices.

It happens...but if negotiation is to be fruitful it requires compromise and the meeting of minds. One doesn't necessarily achieve that by being rude or insulting towards the other party.

It can be a fine line and feelings can over-ride rational thoughts during the process.

At the same time, being polite and respectful will enhance ones reputation.

[kareemthedream33]

There's no magic number, its more about percent. Asking for $1000 off on a watch that is over 15K is not ridiculous and if that offends you then you shouldn't be selling things.

Lowball offers can very insulting though, I've been there. Someone called me and tried to explain to me how my SD was only worth 3K because it didn't have the original box. On the other hand, the sellers on this site aren't perfect and I see prices that I think are a bit high sometimes, which is when negotiating comes into play.

[Chris B]

Great OP Anastasios

Just sold majority of my collection & I swear it'll be far more pleasant selling a clapped out jalopy !!

Low-ball, more like gutter-ball in some instances !!

eg Polar Exp II up for circa £3000, get offer of £600.. I ask if its a typo, maybe he meant £2600, & get response 'SIX HUNDRED POUNDS -- CASH WAITING'

I wonder if that has ever actually worked for him ? !!

I dunno, maybe its me, but if I'm interested in an item I go out of my way to assure the seller that I'm not a 'professional *uckabout'


Our regular sellers must have the collective patiences of Saints !!


Blimey, that feels better off my chest, sorry guys

[DT14]

Originally Posted by paddy_crow

If I were a buyer, I would never worry if my opening bid offended the seller. It's simply not something a buyer should be concerned with.

Some sellers seem to think they have the only watch of its kind on the market.

My observation has been that sellers are just as likely to get their panties in a wad and kill any further negotiation.

Totally agree. I will say, however, that if I were a seller who regularly gets bombarded with low balls it probably gets a bit tiresome. I would think a polite no thanks would still be better than a no response or a snippy one though.

[TempoKing]

Originally Posted by The Joker

Surely a low ball offer is just a start point for a negotiation, don't get why people won't send a quick reply.

Anyway I'm new to this as only brought from an AD. So if a watch is listed for 6k then what should I offer without causing offence.

Let me know if used ?
Which model
what color dial
what bracelet
serviced ?
box and papers
reason for sale
There are so many reasons why a watch should sell for one or the other price

[Mocazen]

I just had that happen to me today. Met a gentleman, he wanted to see my watch a possibly purchase it. I had it listed for 4900, he asked if it was negotiable and I was like "sure thing". We meet up and he tells me he saw ads for the same watch for 4100-4200 for a newer model with papers. I proceed to tell him " please let me know where you saw that, I will give you 100 bucks to get it to me because I want to buy it at that price".

Needless to say he says he saw it everywhere but no names. He offers me 4000 and I told him I was not in a hurry to sell it. He replies " hey, I can get you 4000 greenbacks that I have on me right now". I'm thinking to myself, "well how the hell were you going to pay me, later?"l

[Lisa]

Hmmm.... I've bought and sold a fair amount of stuff over the years. I've received amazingly low offers and I've also made them. But you know, it's just not my style to be insulted or refuse to deal any further with someone who submits a very low offer. Nor do I think they need to be ridiculed. They just might be willing to come up a lot but you, as a seller, don't know that yet. Courtesy and patience pays off in the end.

I've made a few low offers - which I expected to be countered - and the seller accepted and I ended up with a great deal. On the other hand, I've also had to really work to arrive at a price acceptable to buyer and seller. It's all part of the game. Here on TRF, I made a fairly low offer on a watch as a starting point for negotiation. My husband wanted the watch and he was ready to pay the asking price, but of course we would prefer to pay less if possible. The seller didn't even respond to my message. He probably lost a sale and I wasn't impressed that he didn't even bother to reply.

And, when I listed my Rolex here not too long ago, I received a few offers from dealers that were well below my asking price - and my asking price was low to begin with. Was I insulted? Of course not. Everyone wants the best price. Why fault them for that?

I guess my point is: buyer or seller, being polite, patient and considerate of one another is the best way to do business.

[yannis]

Originally Posted by Lisa

I guess my point is: buyer or seller, being polite, patient and considerate of one another is the best way to do business.

Well said Lisa