Tell Someone They are Overpriced?

[bratch]

There is a local selling a rifle I would be interested in but he is about $125 over priced on what it cost to order one. Would you send him a link with the lower everyday price and offer that or just let him try to get what he is asking?

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

No problem trying to negotiate a lower price but if it remains "too high" the most polite thing to do is not buy it. That's your participation in the market place. Just my opinion.

 

[joab]

Offer him what it would actually cost you to order it, pay for shipping, NICS, and transfer fee if applicable and add a profit margin if he's a dealer
You may find that the cost is very close

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

He may be looking for someone who doesn't do his homework.

I'd say, let it go. If it doesn't sell, he'll get the hint.

 

[bratch]

Just a local guy selling a used rifle.

 

[STAGE 2]

I HATE it when people do this. He either knows what he is doing or he doesn't. If he does, then telling him what the price is won't do anything. If he doesn't, then it wont get sold till he gets it in the ballpark.

Nothing constructive can ever come from telling a seller what he should do with his product. Its bad form. Unless it is something blatantly illegal, the polite thing to do is keep to yourself.

 

[joab]

I have a friend upset with me now because I wouldn't sell him a CZ52 for the $129 that I orderedit for.
For some reason he couldn't understand that I also had to pay for overnight shipping, tax and 3% credit card premium.
Which still comes out to less than the $150 I was asking for it

What kind of gun is he selling

 

[rbernie]

If I have any interest in the gun, I don't say a word - I would hate for anyone to presume that my advice came from a desire to profit at someone else's expense. If, on the other hand, I have no interest AT ALL, then I might say something. Depends on the person and how well I think that it'll be received.

 

[bratch]

They are asking $450 for the WASR10 package AIM is selling for $320 he also has about $20 in ammo. I can do transfers for $10 locally from AIM.

I'd probably give $350 to avoid the hassle of AIM but don't want to insult the guy with an offer 20% less than he is asking.

 

[joab]

I too think that that is just a bit high, but not $125 high, if the gun is as new.

That $320 gun from AIM will end up costing more than $325

WASR $320
6% tax $19.20
S&H $20. (?)
Local dealer transfer $10
NICS $5
(I am assuming that you have lined up a local dealer through AIM because AIM cannot do a transfer in OK)

It will end up costing you about $375 to order it yourself.
If you check your local dealers you will probably find that they are charging just under or over $400.

Offer him what you are willing to pay. There is no reason to employ the tactic of insulting his price, that is the quickest way to kill a deal.
You say he is just a guy he's probably just throwing a price out to see who bites

 

[wally]

Make an offer of what you are willing to pay for it. All he can do is say no. If he gets no other offers at his asking price, he might get back to you later. If some one offers his price then it was worth it to them.

--wally.

 

[CajunBass]

It's his gun. He can ask whatever HE thinks it worth. You can make a counteroffer. Then it's up to him.

 

[gezzer]

You can pay 350 with papers or 450 without? your choice

 

[bratch]

6% tax $19.20

I haven't ordered from AIM;do they charge tax? The other guns I've ordered out of state I have never had to pay OK tax.

I didn't start the thread to bash anybody's price I was curious if people would inform the seller of the other price as the reason they were making the low offer.

 

[Beren]

It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Are you willing to pay his price? No? Then politely tell him you're interested, you'll pay X, and let him know to contact you if he decides he'd like to sell to you at that price.

 

[joab]

The other guns I've ordered out of state I have never had to pay OK tax.

Unoess you have tax exempt status you are paying sales tax to someone
My last SOG order had $37 attached for taxes, I didn't ask which state collected it I just know it came out ofmy pocket
6% is a guestimate

 

[aaronrkelly]

Its a little high, I agree.

Nothing wrong with making an offer, be polite about it and it shouldnt be a problem.

 

[heypete]

Nothing constructive can ever come from telling a seller what he should do with his product. Its bad form.

I disagree. I feel that a polite notification that the asking price is too high, some sort of reference to compare the price to, and an offer to buy at a reasonable price is quite useful at times.

I've sold one or two guns over the years, and when I listed them I believed them to be quite reasonably priced. It turns out that I had a stroke of bad luck, and the same guns were being offered for about 2/3rds of my asking price by another vendor. A potential buyer contacted me to inform me of this, and I adjusted my price accordingly. Had I not been so informed (I didn't subscribe to the particular publication which listed the newer price), I would likely have not sold the gun at a fair price (even though I would have benefited at someone's expense, that was not the desired course of action -- I wanted to sell the gun at a reasonable, fair price for both parties).

I have no problem with someone suggesting a better price, so long as the price is reasonable (asking for 50% off an unfired, gorgeous looking SKS simply because old, worn, beat-up SKSs are available from online dealers is hardly reasonable, methinks) and the buyer is polite about it. Attitude really is everything.

 

[Husker1911]

Sorry!!

 

[atlctyslkr]

People do it with real estate and cars all the time. If you really want something then you'll pay the seller's price, if the seller really wants to sell he'll take the buyer's offer.

 

[mrmeval]

If someone comes to me and comments on the pricing saying it's cheaper elsewhere I'll tell them to go there. If they persist or harass my customers I will tell them to leave and if they refuse I can and have had the cops escort them out. The item is not theirs, they have no say in it other than to buy it and then sell it for what they think is 'fair'.

 

[HankB]

Another thing to consider . . . order the rifle, and you get a new rifle. The guy is selling a USED rifle. Unless it's some sort of collector's item, I've yet to see a used gun selling at a new gun price, so "equalizing" the price of the guy's used rifle with a new rifle isn't really in line with market realities, IMHO.

I'd say, let him know what a new one is going for, offer less, and see what happens. If he hasn't gotten any other "nibbles" you may get a good deal.

If he's unwilling to sell at your price, YOU have to be willing to just walk away.