Offer / counter-offer? Audiogon rules

I like the offer feature.  But you have to understand you're taking a risk if you make an offer or a counter-offer. 

If an item is for sale and there's a price listed and you're willing to pay it, you don't risk the sale getting away from you.  If someone makes an offer, you know you've got a buyer.  Take the offer, or hope someone buys it at the listed price.  That's the risk.

It can work either way.  I wanted to get a particular headphone amp and saw one listed here for about 60% off MSRP.  I made an offer for a little less than the asking price and the seller got back to me yesterday just before my offer was set to expire and said he'd had second thoughts and decided to keep the item and cancelled the listing.  Had I just paid the asking price, he probably would have sold it to me.

That left me kind of bummed out, since I couldn't find any other second hand pieces at any price.  I was kicking myself for not buying it, and my favorite audio retailer (Echo Audio) posted one for just a little more than the other person's asking price and I snapped it up.  

Long story short, I could have saved money by just paying the asking price and not making an offer.  I might still be looking for one if I hadn't gotten lucky and had one pop up right after that one got away.

Here’s a quick lesson in hi-pressure sales technique that occasionally needs to be employed:

NEVER TALK PAST THE CLOSE!! Accept the offer and say thanks.

If you didn’t want to sell it, you wouldn’t advertise it. Think of how much better the cash will look in your bank statement rather than how that unwanted gear looks collecting dust. When you get a qualified buyer, do NOT allow him/her to escape. Otherwise, like quite a few members with listings currently running, you might as well get a nice cat condo to put your old stuff on while you pet it.

make a counter offer at his offer price

Legally, at least in the US, the answer is no. Once you counter, that is an implied rejection of the original offer. Full stop.  I can find the UCC cite.

If the customer walks what do you have then?  0 + 0 = 0.  Great time to add to the sale and increase your revenues when you get them to part with their money rather than sitting on your inventory.  There is something called the cost of money.  People want to walk out thinking they got a deal.  The same applies to when you purchase a car.  How many consumers walk out of car dealership paying full list price?  So, why should selling audio gear be any different.

I receive real estate listings from a realtor and have yet to see a pair of speakers in a room.  So this means how many people actually buy audio gear in the first place?  What are dealers then doing to educate people and to create interest?  i have yet to see a TV commercial from a audio dealer other than TV's.  This is why you see $5,000 entertainment furniture with a wide screen TV and no speakers when sound is probably 70% of the experience.