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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to sell an item for less than the advertised price

54 replies

SailorJerry13 · 24/04/2019 13:03

Facebook selling sites are the bane of my life...

Every single person who has responded to my most recent ad has offered well below the asking price - and think because they are offering it in cash(?!) it is a good deal ?

Eg.
Them : is this available?
Me: yes
Them: what’s the lowest you’ll go
Me : £600 as stated in advert
Them: I’ll give you £450 cash

Me: (???) Hmm

The item I’m selling cost £850 and Iv only had a week. The place I bought it from doesn’t accept returns for these kinds of items (it’s not a mattress) plus the cost of shipping it back would be around £100 !

AIBU to tell these cheeky fucker time wasters to get fucked?!

OP posts:
VanillaCoconutDove · 24/04/2019 14:09

If you sell a fair amount on Facebook you’d have to declare it for tax purposes, cash in hand is to avoid that.

Without physically being the purchaser, no one knows if there is a guarantee on the product, it could have been bought 9 months ago, you could have forged the receipt, it could be stolen etc etc etc. People will overlook doubt for a serious bargain, but the risk isn’t worthwhile for a smaller reduction.

Carriefrompreston · 24/04/2019 14:11

I believe in asking the lowest price I will accept, you will get more interest at your lowest price but you will just have to put up with a load of messers till you eventually find a genuine buyer. I do think this is better than not having any interest at all...........

Asdfghjklll · 24/04/2019 14:14

I guess it is still a risk buying a expensive item on Facebook without a significant discount. I would probably rather spend the extra and buy direct from a shop.than from a potentially dodgy Facebook seller. Facebook is also full of totally over priced items.

mummyhaschangedhername · 24/04/2019 14:21

Oh yes, I put my fish tank up for sale (replaced it) did loads of looking before and they seem to mostly be up for £300, we put it up for £150 and the very question they ask is how low will I go? Someone asked that yesterday about some equipment and then asked me to deliver it 100 miles away 😱

I've been shocked though, we always pay what people ask, maybe we are a fool.

I have a "friend" who barters online and then will turn up with less than they agreed money but seller always accepts as it gets it gone. Really annoys me though.

Perhaps I'm the stupid one though. I do haggle with cars etc but if I think someone is a fair price then I'll buy it at that price.

KaterinaPetrova · 24/04/2019 14:30

I'm an admin on a few fb sales sites and I've seen some right belters!
We have a giveaway only site. No selling and no taking items to profit off by selling on. It's a page for those who need the items, not want to make a quick buck. The number of people who come on and Demand items, demand delivery and won't even say a please or thank you is astounding.

OP, if you do struggle to sell the item, take whole new staged photographs that are well lit with nothing in the background and have a clear photograph image of the receipt and guarantee (personal details redacted of course) and write a factual, professional sounding advert and you'll appeal to a whole new batch of potential buyers. Anyone who's seen your previous post and scrolled by even though they might be interested will now take a second look. Getting a 30% discount on an unused item with a full 12 months guarantee will appeal to many.

TatianaLarina · 24/04/2019 14:35

Bottom line is the market sets the value. If there’s a ballpark that people are offering - that’s the maximum price they’re prepared for something they can’t be 100% about.

If I were you I would hang onto your full price buyer because you’re not that likely to get many others at that price.

IainGlensVoice · 24/04/2019 14:40

I was selling an iPhone for £180. I got offered £45 as I "wouldn't get more than £100 for it anyway". Even if that was true, I'm not going to sell it for £55 less!

Got full price for it.

Foxmuffin · 24/04/2019 14:41

It’s annoying but you can’t blame someone for trying. Just say “no, sorry”

Original poster
SailorJerry13 · 24/04/2019 15:14

@katerinapetrova

I live near a ‘recycle and reuse’ place where it’s basically second hand furniture and other bits sold for super cheap so people who need it can buy it (sofas and wardrobes etc) you get people demanding flat screen tellys and sky boxes and all sorts on there !!

Your group does sound a fabulous thing to be doing though, despite the grabby idiots!

And Thankyou, I may try that if we don’t have much more hope by the end of the week. It’s only been a couple of days so far so I’m not too worried. Many thanks x

OP posts:
Hedgebetter · 24/04/2019 18:42

Sorry but having been the buyer and the seller, snotty sellers really irk me. You just cannot expect to get close to what you paid as the buyer is taking a big fat risk. Sometimes you'll get lucky but if you can't return the item yourself for a refund, you will likely just have to accept less and suck it up!

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 24/04/2019 18:47

I saw an ad for for someone selling an Elexa 2nd gen, wanted £25. Someone commented saying the gen 3s are currently on amazon for same price. Op when ballistic and said it was new and he paid £40 quid for it. Didn’t see that what he paid was irrelevant!

SalrycLuxx · 24/04/2019 18:56

I get annoyed by the ones who ask ‘what’s he lowest you’ll take?’

FFS I’m not going to do their negotiating for them.

Original poster
SailorJerry13 · 24/04/2019 19:13

Yep almost all of them have said that 😅

Sometimes I want to reply with ‘ah fuck it, a tenner and a packet of quavers’ to see their excitement over fully ripping me off for their own gain 😆

OP posts:
TixieLix · 24/04/2019 19:39

If it's a high priced item you have to be careful of anyone offering a handful of cash. Lots of people out there with fake bank notes so you end up with nothing.

TatianaLarina · 24/04/2019 20:30

Sorry but having been the buyer and the seller, snotty sellers really irk me. You just cannot expect to get close to what you paid as the buyer is taking a big fat risk.

Yep. I think OP is not a terribly experienced seller. I’ve been both, sold a lot on eBay and gumtree. Sellers can be quite unrealistic because they want to recoup the money. Generally you don’t get what you would like to get. It’s a big risk for the buyer so the price has to reflect that.

LittleElle · 24/04/2019 22:12

Well now I want quavers. I don’t think we have any. And it’s 10pm

Original poster
SailorJerry13 · 26/04/2019 00:34

Update - the item sold tonight, full price ! Wahooooo !

OP posts:
KaterinaPetrova · 26/04/2019 14:06

Glad to hear it, well done.

Coronapop · 26/04/2019 14:12

IME the only items that sell on such selling sites are those that are very cheap, relative to the cost of a new item. Haggling is just a part of the process, you do not have to sell to anyone who makes a low offer, but it may be telling you that you have priced your item too high. YANBU to stick to your asking price, but YABU to expect people not to haggle.

makingmyway10 · 26/04/2019 15:00

Urgh I had this a few years ago. I advertised a large collection of Slyvanian families items on a local selling blog. I stated that all were in perfect condition with all original parts. A couple of lovely ladies came and had a look and paid what I asked, They were very happy and made several comments about how the items were like new.

Then another lady came with her children, I had the items in my garage as I did not want strangers coming into my home. She proceeded to let the children rummage through the items, I asked them to stop as everything was in perfect condition and I did not want any damage. She left in a huff! Everything was on display and all the pieces that came with them were in see though bags taped to the box so easy to see what you were getting.

Then another lady came with her child and offered me £50 for the whole lot!! I said that each item was selling for the price I had stated , there were hundreds of pounds worth of items altogether. She then asked if she could have the enormous Grand Hotel for £40! It was £300 to buy new, was in pristine condition and completely furnished. ( would have cost another £100 or so at least for all the items inside it). I wanted £100 for it including contents. She started saying that she could not afford it and her daughter would be really upset in front of her daughter. Then tried hard to guilt me into selling it for £40 as she was a single mother and could not afford my price. I had advertised it for £100 that was the price and no less. She stormed off and I had to chase her down the driveway when I realised her daughter had left with a handful of figures from inside!

The next buyer was a lovely lady who was thrilled to get such a good bargain and was over the moon that it all looked brand new. She even put a thank you card through my door a week later saying how thrilled her little girl was with it Smile

Honestly the cheek of some people!

MadSweeney · 26/04/2019 15:25

I go up...

Item on at £100. Message says £40. I reply £110.

Usually takes them a while to twig.

TeacupDrama · 26/04/2019 15:40

haggling is par for the course but there is haggling and cheek
10-20% lower is haggling less than 50% of asking price is cheek
all new things devalue the minute they are sold cars, furniture, toys etc, very little apart from limited editions, a small fraction of original art, some antiques actually goes up in value

Pugpigprick · 26/04/2019 15:51

I was selling a pair of brand new men's shoes with box + label for £10. Some guy offers me £7.50 which I accept then he tells me he's going to give me £4 as he's going to have to pay for petrol...

Toooldtocareanymore · 26/04/2019 16:03

my daughter managed to break the front screen, the back casing, leaving sim vulnerable to damage, and the part of her phone which plugs into charger over a three day period , it was relatively new and shed used her own money for it, my dh priced up parts and found they cost same as new basic phone of model she had but not her fancy colour extra storage etc, he suggested buying a second had one on a site to basically use for parts, lots of discussions about identifying genuine vendors, he showed me an add and said I think this is the one ill go fo, r it read something along lines of - Selling 2nd hand x model x colour phone for 150, full working order, that's what I want not 130, not even 145 for cash, if you really want me to reduce price ok 145, but then please show up with the cash, a bottle of rose and a large box of chocolates for the missus .

When my husband contacted him he said they could meet in x car park as he lived an hour away but was passing 20 mins away from ours on Friday he said in a message ill buy a paper ill read the paper and if you don't show I leave, I wont read my phone messages in case you decide to haggle 10 mins before time.

Penners99 · 26/04/2019 16:15

When I am asked what my best price is I usually add 50% to the advertised price then reply to the person asking. When I get the "That's not best price!" I reply that it is to me....