Some people are just tough negotiators

Ch00paKabrA

Ch00paKabrA

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I went and did a little antiquing with my sister today. She wanted a stand for her microwave in the interim before I can around to putting one over the stove. Well. we found a decent looking reproduction of an "Ice Chest" for $40.00. There also happened to be an small Ethan Allen dresser that turned out to be the perfect size for what I needed for $60.00. $100.00 for both was a really good deal but like they say, nothing ventured; nothing gained. I offered $75 for both pieces. She immediately said yes.

Now because she immediately said yes, I said "Darn it, I guess I should have offered $60." I was joking and just trying to make light of the situation. She responded, "No, but $65.00, but I will do $65.00."

My sister said that the look of shock on my face was so hilarious that she literally had to run away. After I regained my composure, I agreed to the terms offered by this tough negotiator and concluded the deal.

This is the second time we went there and the first time was almost as crazy in the negotiations. This was a different person though.

It is truly just Baffling. :lol:
 
Ch00paKabrA said:
I went and did a little antiquing with my sister today. She wanted a stand for her microwave in the interim before I can around to putting one over the stove. Well. we found a decent looking reproduction of an "Ice Chest" for $40.00. There also happened to be an small Ethan Allen dresser that turned out to be the perfect size for what I needed for $60.00. $100.00 for both was a really good deal but like they say, nothing ventured; nothing gained. I offered $75 for both pieces. She immediately said yes.

Now because she immediately said yes, I said "Darn it, I guess I should have offered $60." I was joking and just trying to make light of the situation. She responded, "No, but $65.00, but I will do $65.00."

My sister said that the look of shock on my face was so hilarious that she literally had to run away. After I regained my composure, I agreed to the terms offered by this tough negotiator and concluded the deal.

This is the second time we went there and the first time was almost as crazy in the negotiations. This was a different person though.

It is truly just Baffling. :lol:
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What is baffling about it?
A really nice guy once said..."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
You have established your Karma and have set the parameter for what you can expect to get done unto you.
Screwed even if you expect a fair deal.
Enjoy.

GONZO
 
Either she made good profit at $65, or she was so sick of trying to sell one of those items and failing that she was super glad to see that item gone at any price. She likely wants your return business as well.

Back when I made art furniture and pottery, I knew it was crucial to never show the same item this Christmas that showed last spring. Somehow, one or two last pieced just had to go. Often last years no sell, was this years gift to family.

And, you pay tax on inventory next week.
 
If it is a consignment shop it makes sense... especially if they get a minimum amount plus a percentage. She wanted the sale made and the floorspace opened up.
 
if such a thing happens to me, i get the opposite feelings as what i should have got. i should feel happy for making an even better deal, but i start to think WHY DID SHE GIVE IT FOR SO LESS?
i think a good negotiation with a give and give-back tactic leaves the best feeling for both parties. i feel good because i saved some money, the other one feels good as he made the maximum profit. if i can get a product for half the price announced i don't feel good any more as i think the guy's a cheater from the very beginning.
but on the other hand i don't like to negotiate at all - well not the best statement from someone who is a salesman as profession :)
 
The fingers said:
My limited odd selling experience was being offered and accepting more than the asking price. Go figure. :?
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They could tell just by looking at you that were shrewd so they just cut to the chase :lol:

@izeman - a long time ago I developed a negotiations training course that the company still uses to this day. I get a kick out of people who talk about negotiations that result in a compromise. The entire gist of my training course was that Compromise take place after negotiations have failed. Therefore, it is not part of the negotiation process.

So, I like to negotiate. What happened just completely threw me for a loop. It is not often that I am speechless. :oops:
 
I find that making small talk with the seller goes a long way towards getting the best service and deal.

I do a lot of yard sailing, like every weekend. One of the main reasons to go is to meet people. I have found that people are very open and friendly when they are trying to unload their junk on you :D If I do find a interest in buying something from them, they usually are more then willing to give me a deal or help in some other way with the item.

I'm guessing buying in a store where your dealing with the owner or the person that has some say, small talk goes a long way too. Even just introducing yourself and asking the sellers name makes you just a little bit more then just the average "Joe" buyer.
 
i once went to look at a honda wagon for sale that was obviously distressed and was dramatically reduced in price to reflect that problem. it would not start or run so the owners had even removed the battery from the car and were just trying to get it sold to raise some small cash.

i could not help but feel sympathetic for the couple who were well up in years and struggling to survive and needed the money.

so i had an extra battery of limited capacity that i went home and brought back, then isolated why the car would not start and fixed that. then i got it running well enuff that it did not need to be discounted so much in price and they were later able to sell it to another guy who paid them almost twice ($900) what they would have been able to sell the car for when it was dead.

i wasted about 4 hours or so and gave away the battery but at least i felt like it was worthwhile to help them out. very folksy people and they were really happy they could finally get the car sold after it had been stuck there for almost a year. plus they got about $400-500 more than it would have sold for as totally dead.
 
dnmun said:
i wasted about 4 hours or so and gave away the battery but at least i felt like it was worthwhile to help them out. very folksy people and they were really happy they could finally get the car sold after it had been stuck there for almost a year. plus they got about $400-500 more than it would have sold for as totally dead.
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dnmun, that was very kind of you. I think it was 4 hours well spent.
 
deronmoped said:
I do a lot of yard sailing, like every weekend.
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Me too, but I like a big yard.
 

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Ch00paKabrA said:
dnmun said:
i wasted about 4 hours or so and gave away the battery but at least i felt like it was worthwhile to help them out. very folksy people and they were really happy they could finally get the car sold after it had been stuck there for almost a year. plus they got about $400-500 more than it would have sold for as totally dead.
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dnmun, that was very kind of you. I think it was 4 hours well spent.
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Ch00p, I can't figure you out.

In your OP, you bragged about how you had found a purchase set that you considered a bargain at the marked price. Then, you tried successfully to screw the price down lower. Again, then, you screwed the price down even lower. Screw unto others as you would have them screw you.

Now you are applauding the generosity of someone who gave time, effort, and material possession to unscrew somebody.

I am confused. Do you believe in screwing somebody just because you can, or, do you believe in giving generously to a needy person just because you can?

You have written happily of doing both.

Are you a little schizophrenic?

Do you know, yourself, if you are schizo?

You have to understand that I really dont care about you one way or the other. I am just curious.


GONZ
 
i think he was just startled that he had offered more than would be needed to close the deal. if i was that woman i woulda sold it for any price too so i did not have to haul it back home.

i did the same thinking when i had to get rid of a honda wagon which had been stolen and vandalized with all the windows broken out. the poor girl who had it stolen stopped at my house because of my pile of honda wagons parked out front. i have sources for parts and considered how to help her out but the hassle was such that i just offered to sell her one of mine and take hers in trade, thinking i would maybe be able to find time and windows to repair it.

instead i just had to get rid of it when some redneck jerk living in the apartments across the street called the city on me because of my woodpile in my front yard when i was unloading the 4 truckloads of free wood i got from a building site up the street. the city inspector condemned my little carport so i had to tear it down so no way to keep the car since there was no shelter so i had to sell it, and fast.

i offered it at about $550 initially but got no offers so i just kept knocking the price down every day until someone came to buy it for $430. this poor mexican guy needed a second car since his wife got a new job. i was concerned since he had never worked on the hondas before so i figured it was a mistake but 2 weeks later he came by and showed me how he had found a place to get the windows and had a guy install the rear quarter windows that required careful gluing in place.

so i thought that was really neat and since i had an extra clutch disk i was gonna install in the car because it was worn out i offered to install the clutch for him over the weekend since he could not afford the $450 it would cost to have someone install it.

so i spent about 12 hours over two days pulling the tranny and installing the new clutch for him. kinda just to help him but i think eventually i can hire him to help me work on the house. but i took no money from him. so he got a free clutch job from me worth more than he paid me for the car. but i hope to recover it from getting help from him later when i can get back to work on the house.
 
dnmun is correct. The initial post was simply to convey how I was rendered speechless by a response from someone I was negotiating with.

When you go into thrift stores and flea markets and antique stores, it is common practice to haggle. They set the price higher than they expect to get simply because they expect you to offer a lower amount. It is not "screwing" someone to haggle.

Take it easy Gonzo. Its all good. If it make you feel better, I found out that the dresser that I got had had the top replaced so it is not an original piece and will never be worth a lot of money. Maybe she knew this and thought that she was screwing me. This was the first time anything like this happened to me and maybe you aright; maybe I should have insisted on paying the $75.00. At the time I was just very startled.

About 2 months ago, my neighbor's kid came up to me on a scooter that I had given him last year because it was just laying around in my basement. He asked if I could put a motor on it so it would be faster. The problem he told me was that he kept losing races. The other kids were riding bikes and he, a kick scooter. I asked if he had a bike and yes, he did, but at 9 years old, he did not know how to ride it. I went and asked his dad if I could teach him. He told me that they, he and his 2 brothers, had tried and failed. He just couldn't do it.

I took the kid and his bike and removed the pedals. I spent about 15 minutes having him push him self with his feet until he could glide 20 feet - kind of like a scooter. I then put his pedals back on and walked up and down the block 2 times while he pedaled. By the third time, I was running and he was riding his bike. He hasn't looked back. Now when you do something like this, you have to take responsibility for it. Because it is now my fault that he is riding a bike, it would technically be my fault if he got hurt. So I went to the local LBS and got him a helmet and pads.

Gonzo, Can I have a few brownie points for that? :lol:

We are all different people in different circumstances. Some circumstance touch our hearts differently than others so we react differently to them. The older folksy people appear to have touched dnmun's heart and he acted accordingly. my heart was touched by the kid who couldn't ride a bike. When I am haggling, I have my game-face on - that is really the only difference.

It's not schizophrenia; it's just being human.
 
no need to feel guilty. she got $60 more than she paid for it herself. i find it amazing the amount of stuff people put out on the curb for free all the time.

dwayne, 'biohazardman', gave me a 40" sony flat screen tv if i could fix it. i tried but am stumped.

i shoulda known better since he could not fix it himself. that guy is a lot sharper than me. i think he did this to amuse himself as i go through all the power supply testing it only to discover nothing wrong with the power supply. at least i narrowed it down to the main board now. maybe.
 
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