Audiogon Anti-Lowball Offer setting

As a seller I generally know the market value of the gear I am selling. Usually interested in moving the piece, and ask what I believe it should sell for. If I had the choice, I would set the lowball cutoff at 20%.  

As a buyer, if someone is asking much more that I believe the market value is, I pass.  

I don't blame people for trying to see if they can get a better price on used equipment, but some of the games people play are just a waste of time.

I will not agree to any pricing via email, will insist the potential buyer make a formal offer thru the site.  I had a guy go back and forth on Audiogon's messaging, eventually we spoke by phone and agreed on a price and a day/time for him to drive up to my house to pick the unit up.  When he arrived, he said that, during the drive he decided he'd pay $600 less than we agreed on for the item.  After I told him I wouldn't sell to him, he had the audacity to ask to see the unit.

I’m currently trying to sell an Anthem I225.  I’ve had 7 people over the past 2 days say they are buying it.  I answer all their questions, e-mail back and forth and then they go cold. 
I’ve only done this one time and I felt horrible about it and in retrospect, probably should have gone through with the purchase.  I have never arrived somewhere, demo’d a unit and then negotiated further after we had already arrived at a price.  I friggin hate that, especially because I sell my stuff at lower than average prices.  
I’m going to try to sell my Anthem today at the same low price that the others beat me down to, to another new buyer.  I figure if I’m giving someone a good deal, it’s not going to be the low ballers.

The way people place little to no monetary value on experience and knowledge is quite telling of the buyer.  I’m saying this in response to people wasting sellers time (usually at brick and morter stores) milking them for info and demo’s only to go buy from the lowest price seller.  Most people would dis their grandma in order to save $5.  

I've found that there are many "flippers" out there that want something for as low as they can get so they can flip it.   There is an audio blue book out there, which I have actually seen at some of my favorite dealers.  There is an average sale price for most used items.  Most reasonable people know this and know what something is typically correctly priced at.

Therefore, they know what they should or shouldn't offer for an item.  The ones that are "flippers" or worst, people that want something for nothing, will offer extremely low prices, hoping someone is desperate.

I don't get it, but some are like that.  I know what a fair price is for an item I am interested in or that I am selling.  Fortunately, I am not desperate and I won't give something away (unless it is to a person I like). 

My advertisements (when I sell) say clearly that Lowballers will be politely ignored.  I typically price an item to sell, so it is already at the low end of the blue book price.  This means that I don't have much room for negotiations.  But I get lowballers anyway.  I guess to them it can't hurt to ask, but to me, it is stupid and insulting.

enjoy

I have been using the lowball option for some time and it does save  in dealing with a lowball mindset.  Now if there was something that AudiogoN could do to stop the late night "drunken" (or impaired) buyers that come up with a lame excuse the next morning to cancel the offer.  Happens to me once a month, but i have bought things I shouldn't have gotten to save face, more than once :)~