"What's Your Best Price?"

Onhwy61,

You nailed it for me. I put up a number so now it is time for the buyer to put up a number. "What's your best price" especially irritates me when it comes five minutes after my ad has been posted.

As someone else pointed out, I have never sold an item to a "what's your best price" buyer. But I have had very successful negotiations with serious buyers who were willing to make a reasonable opening offer.

I pretty much ignore "WYBP" buyers unless my ad is about to expire. I also never list an item as "OBO". I almost always get other offers regardless of how the ad is posted.

Maybe I just don't get it.... But this thread (and the majority of the posts) are people complaining about interest in their items for sale?

Someone is sending you an email because they may be interested in purchasing it... otherwise, why would they be sending the email?

When someone asks what your best price is, you simply turn around and ask a question of them. "What price would you feel comfortable with paying?" Who knows, maybe it will lead to a sale. No need for emotions.

It seems negotiation may be a bit of a stretch for some of those responding. You want to buy or sell with no effort.

"best offer" and "best price" simply gets things started. If you don't respond to either positively nothing happening is usually the result. Try not to take it as personal affront when someone starts a negotiation.

When you buy you want the lowest price possible and when you sell you want the highest. Getting to either place is part of the fun for many of us.

Sidebar:

Is an auction really a negotiation? Once a price is established it always goes up not down.

Why do some feel rubbed wrong with asking what is lowest price, best offer, and so on......I bet none of these complainers ever negociated over a new or used car, or haggled over a business contract, or even with maybe a carpenter? But oh no! not over my amp that I owned for 6 months and just had to get a new one...thats just wrong.

i had no idea my post would generate such strong emotions! in fact, i have a very strong position on "what's your best offer" buyers -- i was just looking to see what others thought. i am decidedly in the camp that any buyer whose first question is "what's your best price" is not worth responding to. to me, this kind of an opening communication suggests a very strong likelihood that the buyer is not serious, or is simply interested in "window shopping." In fact, I find this approach rude. When I list an item "OBO" it quite plainly is AN INVITATION TO MAKE AN OFFER -- either at my asking price, or AT THE BUYER'S BEST OFFER. It is NOT an invitiation to ask me to negotiate against myself. True, listing something "OBO" indicates that the seller is willing to negotiate -- but not against himself!