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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 :)



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wturkey's avatar
wturkey
730 posts
 
“Is Not Responding To An Offer Just Plain Rude?”

Meh. People are strange.....
fertguy's avatar
fertguy
270 posts
 
I've had the same experience trying to buy here. I offered 95% of asking price with a "make offer".  I waited. Offered again. No response. Next I messaged the seller to tell him I paid a higher price elsewhere.
blainer55
47 posts
 
As a buyer, I will almost always ask a question or two regarding a 'classified' style ad. This gets a conversation going, where I can get a feel for the seller.  Love the ads I reply to, and months later the item is still for sale.  Makes you wonder about the seller.  And yes, by the time I ask a question I am serious.  Sorry, ebm, not all of us are like that.  Courteous is as courteous does.
fbgbill's avatar
fbgbill
294 posts
 
I tried to buy a McIntosh amp on Audiogon back in February.  The ad said make an offer so I did and never got a response. I think the price was $6,500 and I offered $6,000. I then asked what did they want for the amp. Never got a response. Gave up and bought from a dealer. FWIW the amp is still for sale. 
tony1954's avatar
tony1954
897 posts
 
I understand exactly where you are coming from. Despite what some of the jaded members might say, common courtesy shouldn't be dismissed as you being too "emotionally invested". If the seller is providing "wiggle room" in either the selling price or the offers he will respond to, then he is also obligated to presume that not every responder is 100% aligned to his particular parameters. Based on this premise, to not respond is both rude and counterproductive. Even if the buyer's initial offer is offering significantly less than asking price, I would still expect a response. How polite that response is, is up to the seller, but many successful negotiations are the result of offers and counteroffers. That being said, every person has their own way of doing business and that will never change.
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