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Negotiating on item off craigslist?

June 30th, 2010 at 10:27 pm

DH sold some more of his "A" stuff and has $1400 to do with as he pleases. He wants to use this money to buy a 2009 Honda Ruckus (basically it is a moped) that he's found on craigslist. The guy is asking $1700 for it which is right around the book value for it. DH is going to meet up with him tomorrow to see the bike and if he likes it, I told him to offer the guy $1400 cash as a firm offer since that's how much he's got. DH thinks that is not enough, that $1500 would be more reasonable and then they might settle in the middle at $1600. DH has never been a good negotiator so I'm afraid that he'll sway from a firm $1400 price (if he really likes the bike). I mean, it's not like we don't have the extra $200 for this but... you know how our budget conscious frugal minds work here on SA! Smile At $1400, that is like a discount of 18% off the asking price... anyone have this kind of luck negotiating a deal before with a purchase off of craigslist?

3 Responses to “Negotiating on item off craigslist?”

  1. MonkeyMama Says:
    1277934489

    It depends how badly he wants to get rid of it. Big Grin

    It would be fair to say, "I only have $1400." But only if he can live with the guy possibly turning down the offer. If it's a good price, and hard to find elsewhere, it may end up costing more. It never hurts to ask, but I would only do a "$1400 firm offer," if I were willing to walk away from the deal.

    I don't buy much off Craigslist, but as a seller I always ask about 10% more than I expect. Most people don't even think to haggle. I don't know if sellers are the same way. Don't get me wrong - some of them are MASTER negotiators. Those are just rare!

  2. My English Castle Says:
    1277998395

    I've had lots of people try to negotiate with me--and I think it's perfectly acceptable. Someone recently wanted to trade my old room air conditioner for a small bar fridge. I think craigslist is all open to negotiation, but one thing I don't like is when someone says they want the item, you hold it for them, and THEN they try to negotiate when they arrive.

  3. Jerry Says:
    1278082067

    I was willing to deal with a buyer when I was selling a trailer a while back. He was able to lead the price down by a couple of hundred dollars because: 1) I liked the guy, 2) he wasn't a jerk about it, 3) he asked politely, and 4) it was still reasonably within the range of what we were looking to get for it. If he'd been a dork about it he would have had no insurance of getting what he wanted. I also agree with My English Castle - negotiations should be done in advance, not at the last moment.
    Jerry

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