ilovefuzz.com

I've found that negotiating has worked out really well for me both buying and selling. It seems as a buyer, if the seller sees that you are serious in wanting the item that most often they are willing to work with you

On the Musket I picked up I messaged the guy saying "I want this and I'm leaving for a trip. Even though it's the lowest priced one on Reverb, what kind of deal are you willing to cut?"

I *only* got $5 off, but the seller was really appreciative of an actual message instead of an assanine low-ball. I almost wanted to pay full because of how reasonable the guy was, but by the time I was about to send the money, he accepted the offer.

I think messaging is for sure the way to go. The seller was appreciative and I felt like it was a more human transaction than the normal anonymity of online buying.

fuck I countered jwar with an offer of $6.66 without realizing he put $8k in shipping GG

hahahahahahahaha


Someone offered me 460 on my Vault that I had listed for 500. I'm taking a 40 dollar loss but I accepted. Some asshole earlier offered me 350, I countered with 450 free shipping and said I couldn't go lower and he just declined. No note or anything. So I added a note on my listing that said Low ball offers will be ignored and declined automatically. Fucking people are stupid.

I only ever make offers on prices that I think are too high, but I guess everybody's entitled to their opinion of what their shit's worth. I definitely agree with some of the previous statements about sending notes... I usually do that because it's frankly just good manners and surprise, surprise—it's usually more successful.

What drives me fucking nuts is people listing used shit on Reverb for like 5-10 bucks less than retail, then declining a sensible offer. I just think it's stingy and tacky.

If I buy a pedal for $200 and sell it for $160, I don't feel like I've lost 40 bucks. If I enjoyed the pedal while I had it, hey... 40 ain't a lot to pay for "rent."

popvulture wrote:If I buy a pedal for $200 and sell it for $160, I don't feel like I've lost 40 bucks. If I enjoyed the pedal while I had it, hey... 40 ain't a lot to pay for "rent."

yeah i think this is the problem, pedals generally retain their value ridiculously well for what they are, if you buy a brand new TV and decide to sell it a month later you're gonna be lucky to get back half of what you paid.
it's probably the reason the boutique market got so over-saturated, with people finding it much easier to buy and try things because they know they'll often only take a 20% hit at most if they end up re-selling.

popvulture wrote:I only ever make offers on prices that I think are too high, but I guess everybody's entitled to their opinion of what their shit's worth. I definitely agree with some of the previous statements about sending notes... I usually do that because it's frankly just good manners and surprise, surprise—it's usually more successful.

What drives me fucking nuts is people listing used shit on Reverb for like 5-10 bucks less than retail, then declining a sensible offer. I just think it's stingy and tacky.

If I buy a pedal for $200 and sell it for $160, I don't feel like I've lost 40 bucks. If I enjoyed the pedal while I had it, hey... 40 ain't a lot to pay for "rent."

What if you bought a pedal for 500 dollars and see then always sell for that. LOL

I see what you're saying if it's a new price.

When you sell rare or hard to get gear though, people can get fucked on their haggling bs.

I always go below market on 9/10 items unless I know I can make money. Like with the Wata Fuzz I sold. I mean, honestly it would have been stupid to keep it. I made almost triple my money.

But most of the time, I place things lower than almost everyone just to sell them.

I only low-ball if it's a outdated oddball device that absolutely nobody but me would possibly want. Weird-ass Rocktron rack pre's, etc. so often sellers have stuff like that at way-too-close to retail price, just cuz they spent a buttload for it back in 1986, and they don't understand that the market has changed quite a bit. I totally get the idea of hanging onto something until the right buyer comes around, but some of those buyers are dying of old age, man. There's a guitar shop near me that is almost entirely stocked with odd and obsolete stuff. It's cool to see that semi vintage equipment, but then you look at the price tags and the guy's refusal to come down to a realistic price and realize it's not a store; it's a guy's private collection. Some people can't let go of the past.

John wrote:There's a guitar shop near me that is almost entirely stocked with odd and obsolete stuff. It's cool to see that semi vintage equipment, but then you look at the price tags and the guy's refusal to come down to a realistic price and realize it's not a store; it's a guy's private collection. Some people can't let go of the past.

Maybe UG should buy the entire store?

jwar wrote:
When you sell rare or hard to get gear though, people can get fucked on their haggling bs.

I always go below market on 9/10 items unless I know I can make money. Like with the Wata Fuzz I sold. I mean, honestly it would have been stupid to keep it. I made almost triple my money.

Oh I totally agree with you there—if something's rare / vintage and has a set appraised value that you know you can get, by all means. I was more just referring to people who list a used pedal that's readily available new for like 10 bucks under retail (or sometimes actually even just full retail!).

I don't know why it irks me so bad, but I just find it to be such a dick move. Also, none of that money goes to the builder. It's the same reason why I don't buy used games from Gamestop.

I haven't yet been screwed with by hagglers on Reverb or eBay. Worst that happens is I'll get a message asking for $10 off. Response has always been a polite "thank you but no, as I've already priced this pedal so that it would be the cheapest one on offer." I'm not out to screw nobody.

Craigslist on the other hand, I've gotten requests like "Oh I'd love to buy your ______, but I won't be back in town for a month could you please promise to sell it to me and not to anyone else? And actually I live several counties over, would you be able to drive it over to me when I get back? PLUS what do you think about giving it to me at 60% off your listed price?"

[Edit: for the record craigslist is not a thing I do anymore, like a sane person]

i'm certainly one of these weirdos...

i'm just not a haggler, i find it uninteresting.
but i do generally keep offers on.

i generally list at a decent price, period.
so yeah if it's something small like $5-10 (usually shipping) i consider it unless i'm already taking a massive $ hit,
or i'll accept it because i need $ because one of you are dropping something in B/S/T
sometimes i could be in a good mood.... it happens every now and then.

but if it's something like $30-$50 off i just assume you are trying to take advantage.
period.

This is why I generally don't do Reverb as a buyer. It seems most of the sellers of the stuff I want expect you to haggle and don't just list a fair "out the door" buy it now.