What is " lowball"

I think the OBO might be selected by default when you start an ad. But I'm not sure. Someone can clarify I'm sure. If so, that would explain why an ad might have OBO in error. Just a thought.

Aaron

From the responses it seems that almost everyone has an opinion that differs slightly.

People say it is rude to not reply to a lowball offer, but is it rude to offer someone a rediculous price? And it does happen. I think if someone is really pushing the envelope on their offer, they shouldn't be surprised if they get no reply. That said, I agree with others that it isn't that hard to simply reply back with a No.

As for OBO or Firm, I wish they would remove it. I generally want close to my asking price, quite frankly I think that option just confuses things.

Let's agree on one thing, if your item is resonably priced (within the market value range), and someone offers you 50%... thats a lowball offer.

While I would reply "no thanks", I can see why some people would not want to even start negotiating there.

This has happened to me on more than one occasion, and its hard to concieve that an offer liek that would come from a serious buyer.

Don

I would NEVER list an item with a firm price. Why limit your potential market! Everybody likes to haggle (remember the marketplace scene from "Life of Brian") and feel like they've saved some money...it's a psychological thing! Sellers should allow some "wiggle room" when pricing. Sometimes, splitting or covering the shipping charges is enough to close a deal.

Remember too, that used pricing guides are just that, guides! Firm pricing should be used for rare, collectable, or unusual gear...don't limit interest in your item.

I can usually tell if the potential buyer is a tire kicker doing research or is really interested in the item. Feedback, frequency of discussion posts, and length of Agon membership are all good indicators of a truly interested buyer. Usually, tire kickers will not be very familiar with the item for sale, ask some kind of goofy question, or make an irrelevant comment about their financial hardship. Hey, high-end audio is a luxury hobby. I don't care if your girlfriend just left you, your refrigerator just went out, your dog just pissed on and ruined your carpet, etc. I don't mean to sound callous, but if it's a problem with health, shelter, or hunger, THEN I WILL CARE!

I myself saw an ad for a pair of Straight wire interconnects for 75.00 OBO. I contacted the seller and made an offer of 65.00. He did get back to me with a very somewhat nasty email claimimng he was selling for 75.00. I wrote back that if he was insulted? Than to darn bad his ad said OBO and that gave me the right to make an offer.