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Is Not Responding To An Offer Just Plain Rude?

Think about it in the context of a BUYER using the Audiogon system - 

1 - “Lowballers will be politely ignored.

What constitutes a lowball offer? Is there a percentage of the asking price below which the offer becomes a “lowball”? If so, what is it? 90%? 75%? ….Is it connected to or disconnected from the length of time the ad has been running?

2 - When the only option is “Make an Offer”.

What am I supposed to do here? Am I supposed to offer more than the asking price? Less than the asking price? If less is OK, then refer to point 1 above.

3 - When the only option is “Make an Offer” and the ad says “price is firm”

What the heck am I supposed to do with that one?

If you’re listing an item with the option of “Make an Offer”, wouldn’t it just be courteous to give the benefit of the doubt to the person submitting the offer, assume he or she is a serious buyer and not a tire-kicker, and just reply one way or the other, in a timely fashion? I mean, there’s nothing lost, right? Just say “NO”. Or make a counteroffer….what’s so difficult?

I just sold a nice preamp to a gentleman who made an offer on it, it arrived with the buyer safely and he’s thrilled with it. So now I have wires hanging loose in my system where a preamp used to be, and it’s almost the Holidays. I found a suitable replacement on Audiogon in the $7K range, made an offer within 10% +/- of the asking price, and…drum roll….….nothing. 

I sat around all weekend waiting for the seller to respond, but they didn’t have the decency to just message me and say no. So I was stuck with the “Seller has 48hrs to review your offer” BS, now I’m back to square one and without the means to play my favorite Kenny G Christmas albums. 

One bandaid fix would be for Audiogon to adopt the ebay system and allow sellers to automatically decline offers below a certain amount. Then they wouldn’t even have to interact with us lowballers and their delicate sensibilities wouldn’t get hurt…..heck, I’d even take a photo of me wearing a mask as I press the ’Submit Offer’ button, if this is a Covid thang…

Whinge over…

Merry Christmas :)



128x128rooze
genesis777
112 posts
 
I wish there was an option to choose the amount of time the seller has to respond. 48 hours is too long in my opinion. Ebay changed their format from 48 hours to 12 hours and 24 hours. Sometimes the sellers don't respond at all which means you waste 48 hours waiting when you could have bought something else.
rooze's avatar
rooze OP
638 posts
 
@genesis777    That’s my beef with the system, exactly. It would work ok if people were responsive, but it doesn’t work so well with the way some people are. Were it the only time this has happened I wouldn’t have made a fuss, but it isn’t. I think some people use the fact that they’re holding us hostage for 48hrs as a ‘virtual middle-finger’.

rwrightcpa
30 posts
 
I always put out a low offer just to check the waters. I am sure some are offended but I would rather get something for a good price if possibe( unless I really want it). I think a seller that really wants to sell something should atleast couter offer (takes no time). You never know if the person will step up. Good commuication goes a long way. If you counter you may be increasing your chances of selling. But to each there own:) I agree that the seller should atleast decline( or not have 48 hours as stated above to do nothing) so if you are also looking at other items you can move on to the next one. (You may only be working with so much money and if one accepts you may not have enough or want to spend more for the other item or items)

rbstehno
1,455 posts
 
The OP is only telling part of the story. What happens if you are selling something and the potential buyer offers you 1/2 of what its worth? 40% off? Do you respond to requests like that? I don't. 10% off, sure I will respond, not sure if I will take it. 
You don't say anything about the buyers that lead you on for a bit, you both work out a deal, then the buyer vanishes? There are many times you know not to get involved with a certain buyer based on the questions they ask.
wturkey's avatar
wturkey
776 posts
 
“Is Not Responding To An Offer Just Plain Rude?”

Meh. People are strange.....
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