Why do so many sellers take offense to offers on their listings?

I had a boss who once told me that prior to setting a product price he would contract so market research, look at the competition and then finally ask the customers what they were willing to pay. 
 

There is plenty of info available to allow the seller to set a price in the ballpark of current and recent offerings… but that doesn’t mean buyers have the same view. And, at the end of the day, the seller doesn’t have to sell. 
 

Why does this seem to happen more and more frequently?  I suspect it is because our culture has become “deal” oriented vs fair value oriented. 
 

Personally, I care as much or more about the credibility of the seller and the condition of the product as I do about the price. 

@falconquest @fernski  I agree with both you gentlemen. Great answers!

The best way to respond to any offer, including a low ball is to send a counter offer. Being offended makes no sense. If you offer me 1000 on a 10000 lusting I will counter at 9,900. Show you are a serious seller and respond to all offers.

“Anybody who lists an item for sale and notes “lowballs will be ignored” is potentially missing lots of opportunities to sell.”

If a buyer walks away from an ad after reading above message then what does that say about the buyer? Is he a lowballer or lacks the ability to strike a cordial communication with the seller?

From a seller point of view, I interpret this message as seller is not interested in haggling over price nor wasting his time over back n forth negotiations.

There are always ways to break the ice with someone who isn’t flexible on price. I hate to say it but most people are just plain rude in their communication to the seller. The above message doesn’t deter me from reaching out to the seller. I always start by greeting the seller and ask them politely if there is room for negotiations and state my offer price along with short explanation on my offer price. And what does my offer include i.e. who is paying for shipping and PayPal fees.