"What's Your Best Price?"

In my professional life I've negotiated commercial real estate transactions for more than 20 years and in that capacity I've come across any number of negotiating strategies and techniques. One thing I've learned is that real negotiation is theater, it's an act, and you should never take it personally. It's part of the business and you deal with appropriately. Unfortunately, there are any number of people who don't understand the game and get too wrapped up in the negotiating process and lose sight of the goal -- getting a deal done. Good negotiating is not about beating the other side, but about satisfying your own needs. When you have two parties who understand market conditions, are confident in their own abilities and grasp the benefits of the deal, then a deal usually evolves very quickly and painlessly.

My frustration with selling on line is that I've run across too many people who don't have market knowledge, don't grasp the benefits of completing the transaction and may not have confidence in their own judgment. From my perspective they come across as amateurish. If you're talking to someone about a preamp listed at $3,000 what is the real importance of getting $200 off the price or having the other guy pay for shipping? Isn't it more important that the person you're talking with is honest and has fairly portrayed and rated the product? I could be a minority opinion here, but so many people seem to be more interested in getting a "deal", than in getting a component that increases their listening pleasure.

You nailed it, John. Life of Audiogon...I love it!

Onhwy61's superb post reminds me of the wheels industry, about which I always say that most salespeople--as well as many customers--are more tuned into the game than they are the goal.

Thank You, Onhwy61.
That's what I wanted to express. When a person goes right to price before first establishing that the product is actually what he is looking for, I just write them off as bottom feeders. If, perchance, I am shooting myself in the foot, so be it. I'll wait for a more cordial and, seemingly, more sincere buyer.
I'm also amazed that a person who will quickly drop the price by 10%, is adamant that his buyer pay the 3% Paypal. fee. I'd rather have full price and deduct the Paypal figure as a courtesy. In truth, I guess that's the word......courteous.
Going right to price seems rude to me. And I certainly agree with those who refuse to bid against themselves.
In real estate, it all goes on paper. Buyer submits a signed offer. Seller accepts by signing, rejects it outright or provides a signed (or initialed) counter offer. I always thought the agents primary function was to provide insulation between the egos.

I agree with hwy61 as regards keeping the goal in mind, but as boa's hilarious link makes very clear, both buyer and seller should expect to participate in a little foreplay, even if the price essentially remains the same!

It's called "Getting to know yoooouuuu . . . . . . .,
getting to know allllabout you . . . . . "
.

From reading some of the posts here one would conclude that some pay the full sticker price when buying a new car. I can tell you I have never paid the sticker price. When I decide on the car I am ready to buy that day, at that moment, the first question I ask is what is your bottom dollar? The salesperson pulls out the dealers invoice on the car and says this is what we have in the car. Now unless you believe in the tooth fairy and pay that price, you use that inflated invoice price as a benchmark to start the real price negotiation.

Now I realize we are not talking about buying a new car here. But as a seller if you listed your treasured item, you are now willing to part with at a price. And you know what your bottom dollar will be for the item then why the hell do you run the ad OBO? Just say price is firm.... Run the ad at your bottom dollar price.

Also to save the time of possible interested buyers it would be nice if the seller listed all the questions he, the seller, would not liked to be asked. That I believe would cut down on many emails a seller would have to read.