What do you consider a “lowball” offer?

[tvlaan]

Just wondering what everyone’s perspective on the threshold for “lowball” offers.

Typically if I’m a buyer I feel comfortable making an offer of 5-10% below asking price and feel that I’m not being rude or “lowballing” a seller.

Whenever I sell a watch, I generally only consider offers that fall into a similar 5% range (more or less depending on the piece).

What do you think qualifies as an offer that is too low / borderline offensive?

[brandrea]

I think you’re in the fair offer range although I tend to operate differently ...

Personally when I sell a watch, (which is extremely rare) I’ve always priced them fairly based on what I see others selling for and I clearly state my price is firm and final. I’ve also never sold a watch for a profit

I’ve still received offers 10% lower, which I then politely ignore

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I think you’re in the fair offer range although I tend to operate differently ...

Personally when I sell a watch, (which is extremely rare) I’ve always priced them fairly based on what I see others selling for and I clearly state my price is firm and final. I’ve also never sold a watch for a profit

I’ve still received offers 10% lower, which I then politely ignore

I agree entirely

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I think you’re in the fair offer range although I tend to operate differently ...

Personally when I sell a watch, (which is extremely rare) I’ve always priced them fairly based on what I see others selling for and I clearly state my price is firm and final. I’ve also never sold a watch for a profit

I’ve still received offers 10% lower, which I then politely ignore

Right on target if you ask me.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I think you’re in the fair offer range although I tend to operate differently ...

Personally when I sell a watch, (which is extremely rare) I’ve always priced them fairly based on what I see others selling for and I clearly state my price is firm and final. I’ve also never sold a watch for a profit

I’ve still received offers 10% lower, which I then politely ignore

And thats the way it should be and agree with you 100%.

[GB-man]

That depends on how close to market the watch is priced. I agree with Brian and tend to price my watches lowest on the market then stay firm to within 500-1k.

[Burlington]

More than 15-20% below a fair price.

[kwcsports]

Anything over 10% off my asking is a lowball.

[Dr.Brian]

If the piece is priced fairly to comparable pieces from C24, etc. I’d say less than 10% off asking is a low ball offer. If it’s a super rare item, priced very optimistically, etc. that may not hold.
It can’t hurt to make a fair offer, but much below that is probably a waste of time.
I tried to sell a couple things years ago and got some crazy low offers on fairly priced watches. Think around 50% of asking, far lower than any has ever sold. These were uncommon pieces that have few comps and rarely more than one at a time listed. They probably were hoping I was a desperate seller. Still in the vault. Lol.

[Tools]

Does it matter?

You set a price you expect, and you know the lowest that you would accept.

Wouldn't, by definition, anything less be "low-ball", or whatever you want to call it.

[3 Putt]

Originally Posted by Tools

Does it matter?

You set a price you expect, and you know the lowest that you would accept.

Wouldn't, by definition, anything less be "low-ball", or whatever you want to call it.

Fully agree with this...

[VintageVagabound]

If you’re selling a BLNR for $10,000 then yes, lower offers may be considered lowball. But it depends on what you’re selling and for what price. If I see 50 bumps on a listing I’m going to think that the price is probably too high. If I’m buying I’ll make an offer and they can either take it, counter, or bump the listing again. If I’m selling I would likely ignore anything below 20%

[OrangeKenny]

Your approach seems reasonable.
It’s a very subjective term. A buyer may consider your asking price to be too high, and so they make a reasonable offer. You might see your asking price as fair, so their offer is a lowball. This is more of an issue for less common watches or when the market is more dynamic. For your stock standard submariner it should be quite apparent to both parties what the market price is.

From the buyers perspective, lowballing can be a good strategy. Costs nothing to ask, and you only need one person to say yes.
From the sellers perspective it can be a nuisance, but it comes with the territory. It can also be nice to have an offer, even a low one, if for some reason you need to liquidate in a hurry.

[OrangeKenny]

To answer the question about offensive, I wouldn’t be too quick to be offended. If you politely decline and they keep coming back at you, then that’s rude.

A low offer could be a super enthusiastic watch nerd who is stretching their limited means to get the watch of their dreams... I can’t be offended by that.
Now a flipper looking to make a margin is something else.

[joeychitwood]

After I built my house, I decided I never wanted to deal with another bad neighbor. The two acre wooded lot next door was for sale. I offered 46% of the asking price. The owner said no. Two days later, he countered at 47% of the asking price. I immediately agreed, and I’ll never have another next door neighbor, good or bad.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

After I built my house, I decided I never wanted to deal with another bad neighbor. The two acre wooded lot next door was for sale. I offered 46% of the asking price. The owner said no. Two days later, he countered at 47% of the asking price. I immediately agreed, and I’ll never have another next door neighbor, good or bad.

That’s awesome

[White Collar Boy]

I feel comfortable asking for 15% off, but I am an incorrigible lowballer! I got 13% off from a second-hand retailer for my vintage Air-King, so depending on the watch, I generally think 15% and above is lowballing. But again, depends on the watch.

If I was buying a Breitling or Omega from an AD, I would push for 30%. And it goes without saying no offer for a new SS Rolex.

I made a 10% off offer on a very nice, local 114270 with box and papers, and missed out because of it (it sold for 3.3% under asking). Lesson learned. Very soon after, I bought a used Speedmaster Professional for only 3.8% off the asking, and the seller was kind enough to do even that, only after lots of friendly watch nerd banter.

[Etschell]

Depends on the price and watch. Low ball to me means far below market not below ask. Some people's ask is too high.

Ive paid ask. And I've paid below ask. I've never paid above ask.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Etschell

Low ball to me means far below market not below ask.

good point.



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[77T]

I agree ^^^


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[tvlaan]

I appreciate the thoughts and perspectives on here - good stuff.

[MILGAUSS88]

Well on eBay and at antique shows, I frequently get offered 50%. And I usually try to undercut the average price, to begin with.
I consider that a lowball offer.
Most items I give a 15-20% discount.
Stuff I am cutting it close on a 10% discount.
If you are dealing with an AD, that can be a whole different story.

[Zakalwe]

Selling a car privately generates a lot of genuine lowballing round these parts.

“Wots ur best price m8?”
“I’ll pay 50% asking, ready with CASH today!”

It’s a function of how some people think you’re supposed negotiate - offer stupidly low and hope to meet halfway i.e. they’ve learned the art negotiation by watching too much telly.

To the question: if what you’re selling is priced right at the bottom of the market in terms of price given the age/condition then even 5% might be a lowball. It depends.

[1William]

The seller must first understand the market and have the item priced in that range. Too high or low and it starts to set off warning bells for the buyer, and it should. As a general rule when I price a watch or other item I am selling, I am within that range and will ask a little more than I am willing to take so I can offer a discount should I choose. Most time the key is having an informed buyer who knows what they are purchasing. A little give and take is Ok. I deal almost exclusively with our Trusted Sellers and my local AD on Buying and Trading and while I pay a slight percentage more for the items they are right and I can do a deal that I feel like I am not going to be taken advantaged of.

[joeychitwood]

I’ve never understood the issues people have with lowball offers. When I have sold watches on TRF or motorcycles, cars and boats online, I simply ignore an offer lower than what I will accept. I don’t take it personally. I don’t get offended. And once, I eventually said fine, I’ll accept an offer lower than what I’d planned.

[Romeojk]

As a seller never been offended by an offer. Unhappy, sure, offended, no.

And when buying perhaps I have offended a few (yikes).

I haven’t bought sold as much as folks here, never been in the business of it and have never sold a watch.

Cowboy up Tim and don’t get so easily offended. It’s just bartering.

[Touring]

Originally Posted by Etschell

Depends on the price and watch. Low ball to me means far below market not below ask. Some people's ask is too high.

Ive paid ask. And I've paid below ask. I've never paid above ask.

This.

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I’ve never understood the issues people have with lowball offers. When I have sold watches on TRF or motorcycles, cars and boats online, I simply ignore an offer lower than what I will accept. I don’t take it personally. I don’t get offended. And once, I eventually said fine, I’ll accept an offer lower than what I’d planned.

This.

Originally Posted by Romeojk

As a seller never been offended by an offer. Unhappy, sure, offended, no.

And when buying perhaps I have offended a few (yikes).

I haven’t bought sold as much as folks here, never been in the business of it and have never sold a watch.

Cowboy up Tim and don’t get so easily offended. It’s just bartering.

And this.

"Fair value" is subjective and will obviously differ between the seller and buyer. I've never understood why sellers get "offended"...and I've sold many times before. If it's less than what you're willing to accept, politely decline and move on.

[SPMN]

It depends on how long it's been for sale. If something's been in the For Sale section for months, then the seller is clearly pricing the product higher than what the market supports, and the "low ball" offers are probably more in line with market conditions.

On the other hand, a really low offer made within 30 minutes of posting is probably bad form.

[Royale With Cheese]

Would certainly agree with the sentiment that it varies based on the details of what's being sold and price. I also feel that anywhere between 10-15% below ask (presuming the list price is reasonable, not overpriced nor undervalued to begin with) shouldn't be considered a low ball offer.

If a price is reasonable to begin with, and I'm hypothetically offered 50% less right away, I'd feel it was a lowball, and a disingenuous attempt to start a negotiation.

Whether or not I take personal offense, it'd likely still sour any interest I have in pursuing the inquiry further. Personally, I am not in the habit of submitting lowball offers for the sake of trying to squeeze the price. If I do my research and understand what a fair price is, I may negotiate slightly but typically will accept what the seller is asking.

I feel it's an indication into the mindset, or character, of someone willing to try and cut a fair price by an unreasonable amount, and likely someone I wouldn't want to deal with in the first place..

[donas]

I don't think there is or can be a standard percentage of what is considered a low ball offer as it is all relative to the asking price. If a seller has the price clearly jacked up 50% more than any other listing of the same nature, offering 25% less isn't as "offensive" as offering 25% less on an appropriately priced watch.

I have only sold a few watches on TRF, but have sold hundred of items via E-Bay, Letgo, etc. Personally, I won't ever ignore any offer. To me, that isn't accomplishing anything other than possibly missing out on a sale. I have always responded politely......granted, this doesn't always go well, LOL. I recently sold a DSSD here on TRF and had offers 30-35% less than my asking price, which was one of the lower prices on the board at the time. One fine lad continually chastised me for various issues he claimed I was lying about, but he kept making offers - priceless.