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.