As a buyer, I don't argue with crazy. If the seller is asking a crazy price or refuses to acknowledge obvious flaws, I just move on.

I had an elderly lady (seller) poke me in the chest one time and say: "All Walthams are automatics". This is after I showed her it was a quartz.

Another seller at a local flea market prints out crazy ebay asking prices of a version of his watch and asks that price. Proving that it is worth it (in his mind). His watch is always a basket case version of the print out from ebay. Again, I just move on and don't even try to negotiate. Crazy seller.

 

In a sense, these days I always buy from people I know / transacted with before etc.. I think it's less of a hassle and I don't mind letting friends making a buck or two if the transaction is smooth and hassle free.

 

I have a love hate relationship with selling, but this forum is an awesome place to do it. I have swapped 30 messages on some sales and it is great, because you develop a real (though online) relationship with some one. And frequently I can tell from the first message that this is a good person to be working with. I have also known some respected members to be pleasant and fair but damn tough negotiators both buying and selling.

 

Negotiating on the price of an item takes a little finesse. On the buyer and sellers end. If I’m trying to get the price down on an item. I’ll offer fairly close to the asking price. If you lowball too low al that does is piss the seller off, that tactic wastes both of our time. A couple weeks ago I was at a gun show the seller was asking a high price for a firearm. The price was not way out of line but out of line for the condition of the firearm. I offered the guy about 10% less than his asking price. He countered my offer now we were about 5% apart.

The way he tried to counter was very dumb IMHO. He had a stack of post it notes pulled out his pen wrote down his counter price. On the top page of the post it notes. He had the stack of post it notes in his hand. He showed me his counter offer. I said that’s just numbers on paper. He had a dumb look on his face. I walked away.

Later in the gun show I walked by his table he asked me are you still interested in the rifle I said yes. We haggled a bit I walked out of the gun show with the rifle. At a little more than 25% off his asking price. Sometime you just have to play the game. Win or lose you can’t lose something you never had. If the item is more than I’m willing to pay. I just move on. Trying to haggle on line is much harder.

From time to time I have made low ball offers on auctions. I thought now way is the seller going to take this offer. And my offer was accepted. Go figure!

On some watches that were priced at bargain prices. I do not try to haggle on those I just pay the asking price and move on

 

And, to follow the analogy, there are those who really should keep their two big left feet off the dancefloor.

I worked in real estate for a while and had a lot of fun but, boy, can buyers be liars....

Selling watches? I stick to EBay having tried, unsuccesfully, to generate sales through facebook watch fora which seem simply to attract window shoppers.

Back to the OP and the "This is not a watch for you (you dumbass!)" which works simply because you've taken command of the transaction: I'd love to know if there's a standard reaction time of the prospective purchaser realising what's just happened to them - 5 minutes? 5 hours?

 

Gun shows breed a particular kind of crazy seller/buyer dynamic (particularly antique guns shows). A lot of the sellers are serious collectors with prized collections and know every proofing stamp and detail you can imagine. They get a lot of tire kickers and bargain hunters so price through the roof to keep them walking by.
I had my eye on a 1936 Browning Superposed Skeet that was sensational, but it was 3x market rate. I handled it and chatted with the seller a bit about local skeet ranges and the bygone shops in the area that used to specialize in sporting guns. I let him know that I loved the gun but it was a bit higher than I wanted to spend. He then told me he prices pieces like that to keep the weekend warriors from buying them, sawing them off and shooting tin cans in their back yard with them. He vettes his buyers through conversation- as he did me. Then he told me what he would really like for it, I counteroffered, and we met in the middle.
Both walked away happy and he knows it’s in the collection of someone who will appreciate, care for and use it properly.

 

slightly more subtle... this is not the watch You're looking for...
.

 

I find it easier to negociate prices (even if it starts high) in person, on a forum it is harder for me. When I see a ludicrous price in the FS section, I just forget about it. I also wonder why some (private?) sellers here keep listing unserviced watches at prices higher than some dealers... and bump them for weeks or months... If it does not sell quickly there is a problem with the watch and / or the price imho.

 

I totally disagree. A few years back I posted a near perfect 69 Speedmaster with a flawless DON bezel and it's original 1039 bracelet for £2000.
There were a few interested members here that were happy with the price but were put off by import or customs charges that might be due.
Someone saw the watch on Watchrecon, signed up to OF and offered the full asking price, no questions asked.
He never posted once on the forum.
One happy buyer, one happy me. (at the time)
.

 

I mean extended period of time. I’ve seen things around for a year or more and seller won’t move on price. That makes no sense

 

Totally disagree as well.

I sold several watches to members with 0 (or very few) posts here.

All depends on how the conversation starts and if he agrees to follow my rules.

 

Same here, I think watchrecon now generates more leads from folks that are active on other message boards. Plus, there is a huge number of fanatics that simply do not post, but love watches and are legitimate collectors.

 

I am a new collector and have very few posts (as you can see)... but I am serious about learning and collecting and have already purchased one lovely watch from a great long time forum member. I would guess that there are a large number of enthusiastic new watch people that read here but post very little. Perhaps they are still learning and don't see a great deal of threads where their voice would be additive. I would also submit that the current increase in value for many of the watches bought and sold here is occurring, at least in part, because of new collectors. It is likely that some newbies are a PITA ... it is also likely that some are earnest and nice people who will become valuable members here over time, or at least good potential buyers and sellers.

My father used to say "there are ***holes everywhere you go"... my experience is that the opposite is also true, and there are good and kind people everywhere you go... and they usually outnumber the jerks.

 

I agree, I've made a few sales to newbies and lurkers. I just feel the need to spend some extra time vetting them. And I'm not generally inclined to give them much of a price break since it's likely to be a one-and-done relationship.

 

That OP line is fantastic, I’ve only sold a couple watches but I might have to start using it when someone asks me too many questions to vet a watch.

Also, I’m glad the people who sold me watches agreed to answer my multiple specific and pointed questions, otherwise I would not have any watch.
And I don’t really recall returning any — perhaps because I had asked all the right questions upfront?

PS part of it can be inexperience, I used to worry a lot about packing and theft of shipments.

 

That Snowflake of yours, don´t tell me it´s not a watch for me I´m sure we can make out a deal if you want to part with it

 

Yes, I've had many of the same experiences selling...it's frustrating because all it takes is a little courtesy. We've all been on both sides of the equation. We know. Instagram seems to be particularly rife with tire-kickers these days. Some of these folks must spend all day pinging people and asking prices with no obvious goal in mind.

I don't mind if people ask my best price. I will often give them a break. But I do mind if I answer a bunch of questions and then they don't have the courtesy to at least acknowledge that they don't like the price, the condition, etc. It helps a seller to know why buyers are rejecting a watch...

 

I can appreciate this part. There was one member of OF that would send a low ball offer on every watch I listed. Crazy low. I was having a phone conversation with another member about selling watches and these crazy low ball offers came up. He too had same experience with this member. This member is no longer on OF, and I cannot recall his user name, but I think most of you all know who I am talking about. Snoopy

 

Hmmm.... Well i’we been asking a few times for prices on IG only to find them “optimistic” to say it in a nice way. The seller well knows his asking price, so i have never ever felt the need to “inform” him of his asking price. I just move on. The point here is, if you want to move it, price it to move it. I’we done many deals with just one phone call or one email when the price / condition has met and the asking has been fair and both have been happy with a swift and straightforward deal.

 

Agreed on IG’s outlandish pricing customs, not to mention people peddling bad dials without disclosure or accountability.
I remember offering a military dive watch on behalf of a friend for a reasonable price, and someone who planned on selling his chastened me for being too reasonable on price.
However, if I don’t like price I say « sorry this is completely out of my budget ».