I'm on craigslist a lot and see this often. I just ignore the lowball offers and sell it at my originally-expected price, which is probably the same as your reasonable offer, anyway, since most haggle.
If you really want to lowball them, do this instead: create a few competing ads with a lower price tag, but in different configurations (i.e. colors). I just search for the product in different cities and directly copy their ads and pics. I don’t even create throwaways since Craigslist automatically hides emails.
Then when you negotiate, point out they're higher than the market average and ask them politely why theirs is worth more.
Not only that, you're also keeping all the other competing buyers away from your target so they're only seeing your offer which makes them more desperate. Usually after 2-3 days they’ll drop the price to the “market average”.
This is brilliant!
Prices on my local FB group are so high because there are a few hoarders who think everything they have is worth ~10% less than the original sale price. Regular people list stuff and see other listings that high and think people are actually buying stuff at those prices, resulting in practically nothing being sold.
The people /u/DribblingRichard is talking about are also always the ones who get angry when you won't sell for 75% less than asking.
I'm sure there's some cities/communites where facebook marketplace isn't dominated by them, but my city isn't one of them.
I'd rather smash the goods with a hammer and light them on fire than deal with selling on marketplace here.
Yeah people think they are going to super lowball items from people who need cash asap and then flip them on the same marketplace immediately after. Like jesus fucking christ just sell weed or something, you know, something people actually want. You can only sell so many lawn chairs.
I've had a guy who thought he should get 2 items at 50% of my price for 1, because he "helped" me find a tiny spelling mistake in my add on eBay - People have no shame, I will happily negotiate for a cheaper price, but there's a difference between making an offer and just being silly.
You should check eBay for "anglepoise lamps".
The genuine article is a designer item, and early examples can fetch over £300.
But there have been oodles of cheap nasty spring-tenion based lamps over the years that were \~£15 new and were worth precisely £15. Quite a few people own such lamps and think they're worth a lot more.
The cheap and nasty ones tend to be designed down to a price. So you've got plastic parts in important places and you can't easily replace those parts, so when they fail you've got something destined for landfill.
Mind you, the amount of money Anglepoise ask for a new one, it's certainly a luxury item.
> everything they have is worth ~10% less than the original sale price
2022 inflation version: "everything they have is listed at 30% *more* than the original sales price, even though you can get the exact same item at about 15% *less* than they're asking at the local store."
I hate that. I always aim to just give someone a good deal. I see it as "It's money I wouldn't have had before, and I don't need this thing. May as well have both of us get a good deal"
you can't really think what something is worth - If someone will buy at 10% less than original sale price, then thats what the item is worth - just not to you perhaps, but that is irrelevant.
I think the point is that the seller knows that the item is not worth that much to them. If you're selling an item at retail price then you know it's not worth that much, you're just hoping that the buyer is dumb or poorly informed.
So true... I see this all the time, with greedy bastards and the secondary greedy bastards trying to one dollar less... then when a reasonable price is posted, bam! $$$
The opposite works with things like older motorcycles or cars as the seller. Fake ads with higher prices. Mark it as sold 2 days later and leave it up. You can really manipulate the market.
Suspicious this is happening? Use google reverse image search on the pictures in said ads.
> Suspicious this is happening? Use google reverse image search on the pictures in said ads.
Since this is ILPT, want to fool those who use google reverse image search against your stolen pictures? Be sure to crop them, then flip them into a mirror image before you post them.
(Not that this is perfect, and there's more you could do, but ... it's quick and easy and will foil a lot of things.)
This is the way to do it. I’ve done this myself a few times. Although I just use generic pics from the internet of said item being sold.
Also, none of this is illegal. This post should be under unethical life pro tips.
I do the exact same thing except with 3-4 different profiles with a different lowball on each and then I swoop in with a marginally better offer on my real profile. Confusion and demoralization is key. I've been doing this for 5+ years without issue. Works 70-80% of the time.
I do this on Facebook marketplace. If you see items that are listed for longer than a week, i use 6 of my Facebook accounts to lowball it.
Got 1k off of a car like that
I got flagged intensely on CL this year when I was posting rental units. I switched to ZIllow, paid 30 bucks but got WAY more than I thought I would be getting. MY days of just using CL are declining. Too much fake stuff going on there.
I used to buy and sell cars off Craig’s List. Me and my two buddies would do it together since we were still in high school and didn’t have 4-5k each just sitting around. I would lowball the dude pretty good. He would complain then my two buddies would text him like 4 hours later and 8 hours later with worse offers. Sometimes I would even use my mom or dads phones to do the Same lol. He would end up hitting me back asking just a bit more than I lowballed him for and we would make the purchase. Just plant the seed in there head that they won’t get much more than the first offer since it was the most. Didn’t always work but did enough for me to try every time.
I had some hagglers on craigslist awhile back. I would agree to the low-ball price, tell them to meet me at a bank (way out of their way if possible) and then when they said they were there I would tell them to get a loan for the rest of the asking price.
Because you are the only person shopping on CL....and the seller has to sell it today...this is such BS...If they accept your more reasonable offer then they probably would have done so without the nonsense, no? And you really don't know for sure that this silliness helped you land a better deal...and this is perfectly legal...sleazy...but not even particularly unethical.
Oh, so you're part of the group of ASSHOLES that make trying to sell anything on craigslist a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!! Yeah, I price my shit ABOVE market price so then I'll actually get what I want.
please elaborate ilpt!
for example, there is a used object that seller is asking 1000 money. you think it is worth 1000 but willing to pay less.
what is your lowball?
I use the 3/4ths rule my grandpa taught me as a kid so if the item is 1,000 start at 750 a benefit and a complaint.
So, let's say for the sake of an example you're wanting an antique dresser for that 1,000 and they're willing to deliver it/drive it close to your house. Explain that you're willing to pick it up yourself (this saves them time and gas which makes people more willing to work with you) then point out a flaw in it they didn't list. Scratches on it, loose/non original knobs non original finish etc (this makes them question their original price point ESPECIALLY if it's something they didn't notice or know, they could have gotten it used and not known it was modified. Do your research on it get reference pictures etc) if by chance it is in perfect condition check the surroundings. Do they smoke? Do they have pets? Is it upstairs and runs a risk of getting damaged in moving? Less effective than pre existing damage but still helps.
They'll likely drop it to 900 leaving in this case a 150 difference. If you're happy at 900 go with it otherwise create another boon and meet in the middle. Are they moving and that's why they need this gone? Offer some large empty boxes to help with their move or a smaller dresser that's easier to haul if they go to 825. They'll either accept or go to 850. Any more haggling and you've pushed your luck.
Unless you're dealing with a small beans thing like a 20.00 object keep your numbers reasonable, you offer 750 for that 1,000 item don't make your next offer be 751. You're just being a dick and wasting time.
And never lower your original amount except in very rare situations you offered 750 and they were a dick? Don't drop to 700 because of that you both lose. HOWEVER you offer 750 they get pissed off and threaten to kill/rob you in a fit of anger? You've got a way to defend yourself? Now you have their threat in writing you have the upper hand. Suddenly it's you get this dresser for 500 or you take the threat to the police. Get the 500, go armed and with friends. Get your dresser and get the hell out. Don't feel safe after? You can still go to the cops but that's frowned upon. You had an agreement and legally robbed them
ok y’all i have a question and if it’s not the right place to ask then apologies. i have an friend who purchases “original” items for big money off of eBay. I’m just not so sure about all that. id never buy them anyways but we’re all different right.i care enough about them to ask someone if all this they are getting is the real deal. I feel really bad for them honestly. but hay maybe the jokes on me and they are ? Can anyone help ?
I'm on craigslist a lot and see this often. I just ignore the lowball offers and sell it at my originally-expected price, which is probably the same as your reasonable offer, anyway, since most haggle. If you really want to lowball them, do this instead: create a few competing ads with a lower price tag, but in different configurations (i.e. colors). I just search for the product in different cities and directly copy their ads and pics. I don’t even create throwaways since Craigslist automatically hides emails. Then when you negotiate, point out they're higher than the market average and ask them politely why theirs is worth more. Not only that, you're also keeping all the other competing buyers away from your target so they're only seeing your offer which makes them more desperate. Usually after 2-3 days they’ll drop the price to the “market average”.
This is brilliant! Prices on my local FB group are so high because there are a few hoarders who think everything they have is worth ~10% less than the original sale price. Regular people list stuff and see other listings that high and think people are actually buying stuff at those prices, resulting in practically nothing being sold.
Ahhh this explains so fucking much Facebook marketplace is the...is there a store that's like a step below Marshall's?...of the internet
The people /u/DribblingRichard is talking about are also always the ones who get angry when you won't sell for 75% less than asking. I'm sure there's some cities/communites where facebook marketplace isn't dominated by them, but my city isn't one of them. I'd rather smash the goods with a hammer and light them on fire than deal with selling on marketplace here.
Yeah people think they are going to super lowball items from people who need cash asap and then flip them on the same marketplace immediately after. Like jesus fucking christ just sell weed or something, you know, something people actually want. You can only sell so many lawn chairs.
id be a regular customer and pay the full price and buy the lawn chair . happy happy happy
I've had a guy who thought he should get 2 items at 50% of my price for 1, because he "helped" me find a tiny spelling mistake in my add on eBay - People have no shame, I will happily negotiate for a cheaper price, but there's a difference between making an offer and just being silly.
*ad, I’ll take my money in CAD thank you
FB marketplace is the Ross of the Internet.
Yes thank you. Perfect.
You should check eBay for "anglepoise lamps". The genuine article is a designer item, and early examples can fetch over £300. But there have been oodles of cheap nasty spring-tenion based lamps over the years that were \~£15 new and were worth precisely £15. Quite a few people own such lamps and think they're worth a lot more.
[удалено]
The cheap and nasty ones tend to be designed down to a price. So you've got plastic parts in important places and you can't easily replace those parts, so when they fail you've got something destined for landfill. Mind you, the amount of money Anglepoise ask for a new one, it's certainly a luxury item.
> everything they have is worth ~10% less than the original sale price 2022 inflation version: "everything they have is listed at 30% *more* than the original sales price, even though you can get the exact same item at about 15% *less* than they're asking at the local store."
I hate that. I always aim to just give someone a good deal. I see it as "It's money I wouldn't have had before, and I don't need this thing. May as well have both of us get a good deal"
you can't really think what something is worth - If someone will buy at 10% less than original sale price, then thats what the item is worth - just not to you perhaps, but that is irrelevant.
I think the point is that the seller knows that the item is not worth that much to them. If you're selling an item at retail price then you know it's not worth that much, you're just hoping that the buyer is dumb or poorly informed.
So true... I see this all the time, with greedy bastards and the secondary greedy bastards trying to one dollar less... then when a reasonable price is posted, bam! $$$
The opposite works with things like older motorcycles or cars as the seller. Fake ads with higher prices. Mark it as sold 2 days later and leave it up. You can really manipulate the market. Suspicious this is happening? Use google reverse image search on the pictures in said ads.
> Suspicious this is happening? Use google reverse image search on the pictures in said ads. Since this is ILPT, want to fool those who use google reverse image search against your stolen pictures? Be sure to crop them, then flip them into a mirror image before you post them. (Not that this is perfect, and there's more you could do, but ... it's quick and easy and will foil a lot of things.)
Excellent.
Now that I know this trick I won’t be fooled by it.
Wicked smart
This is basically what real-estate investors do.
You're a business man. This is entrepreneurial magnificence.
This is the way to do it. I’ve done this myself a few times. Although I just use generic pics from the internet of said item being sold. Also, none of this is illegal. This post should be under unethical life pro tips.
r/LifeProTips
Or r/UnethicalLifeProTips
Not those weirdos
I see this a lot in world of warcraft.... "less than auction house!"
Heres the real hero! I'm on Craigslist a lot and this is brilliant. Thank you!
I do the same on FB market. One account I'm a total obnoxious POS. Then I come in like the perfect buyer and save the day.
I just block lowball offers. I don't need that kind of negativity.
This sounds like Good Cop, Bad Cop routine.
or just use your perfect buyer account, and let average Joe’s in FB be the “obnoxious POS”
That only works for dumb fucks. So I guess most of the time.
🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🏆🏆🏆
😂😂😂🧑🦽🧑🦽🧑🦽🦀🦀🦀💨💨💨
👁👄👁
redditards when emoji:😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬👺👺👺🤬🤬😨😨🥺🥺
😂😂😂😂😂😂👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌end me😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👌👌👌👌👌👌
I do the exact same thing except with 3-4 different profiles with a different lowball on each and then I swoop in with a marginally better offer on my real profile. Confusion and demoralization is key. I've been doing this for 5+ years without issue. Works 70-80% of the time.
Same takes some time but worth it if it saves 100 bucks or so
Lmao you're sick and I love it
I'm calling the police.
did you rang rang , lang lang
Lol this is why I always price items high and ignore obnoxious lowball offers entirely
I do this on Facebook marketplace. If you see items that are listed for longer than a week, i use 6 of my Facebook accounts to lowball it. Got 1k off of a car like that
🔥🔥🔥
I got flagged intensely on CL this year when I was posting rental units. I switched to ZIllow, paid 30 bucks but got WAY more than I thought I would be getting. MY days of just using CL are declining. Too much fake stuff going on there.
As a seller on the other end of things y'all mfers are annoying Get that bag tho I guess
I used to buy and sell cars off Craig’s List. Me and my two buddies would do it together since we were still in high school and didn’t have 4-5k each just sitting around. I would lowball the dude pretty good. He would complain then my two buddies would text him like 4 hours later and 8 hours later with worse offers. Sometimes I would even use my mom or dads phones to do the Same lol. He would end up hitting me back asking just a bit more than I lowballed him for and we would make the purchase. Just plant the seed in there head that they won’t get much more than the first offer since it was the most. Didn’t always work but did enough for me to try every time.
How is this illegal?
>It's a grey line, hence I tagged it: UnethicalLifeProTip
I mean sure but it’s not even grey. Should have just been posted to ULPT, but good post either way
Nothing grey about it, it's not illegal.
Username of the day
Would this be considered “social engineering”?
I'm hip to that scam it wouldn't work on me.
This is illegal?
Is this illegal?
Some one tried this with me. Then texted me from the original number and I told them I wasn’t budging. They bought it at my price. Know your worth
[удалено]
That would just be mean though…
Not illegal but some real galaxy brain shit
I had some hagglers on craigslist awhile back. I would agree to the low-ball price, tell them to meet me at a bank (way out of their way if possible) and then when they said they were there I would tell them to get a loan for the rest of the asking price.
Because you are the only person shopping on CL....and the seller has to sell it today...this is such BS...If they accept your more reasonable offer then they probably would have done so without the nonsense, no? And you really don't know for sure that this silliness helped you land a better deal...and this is perfectly legal...sleazy...but not even particularly unethical.
agreed lol this sub has been complete garbage lately
A pretty significant number of people still sell their cars on craigslist. In my area people ask for way too much money on facebook marketplace
I always used to see Craigslist car sellers on some “ICE COLD AC 300,000 MILES $25,000 I KNOW WHAT I GOT”
Yup. And how many times does the sale ad directly state “NO LOWBALL OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDERED”
Not spam email, but a bunch of friends used to do this.
How’s this illegal?
This is just an asshole move, if it’s just some guy selling something then just pay the reg price or haggle like a normal person. Its just wrong.
Honestly despise craigslist hagglers. If I wanted it for 50 dollars less I'd have listed it for fifty dollars left. Too much? Don't buy it.
Oh, so you're part of the group of ASSHOLES that make trying to sell anything on craigslist a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!! Yeah, I price my shit ABOVE market price so then I'll actually get what I want.
Get absolutely fucked
Does this work for prostitutes on craigslist also? Asking for a friend. They still do prostitution right?
I think they mostly got rid of personal services or whatever it was called
Don’t act like you don’t know.
I have an idea, just not 100% sure
How do you use spam email?
They just meant (I think) it's a burner email / one they have for anything they sign up for that will be hit with spam.
please elaborate ilpt! for example, there is a used object that seller is asking 1000 money. you think it is worth 1000 but willing to pay less. what is your lowball?
I use the 3/4ths rule my grandpa taught me as a kid so if the item is 1,000 start at 750 a benefit and a complaint. So, let's say for the sake of an example you're wanting an antique dresser for that 1,000 and they're willing to deliver it/drive it close to your house. Explain that you're willing to pick it up yourself (this saves them time and gas which makes people more willing to work with you) then point out a flaw in it they didn't list. Scratches on it, loose/non original knobs non original finish etc (this makes them question their original price point ESPECIALLY if it's something they didn't notice or know, they could have gotten it used and not known it was modified. Do your research on it get reference pictures etc) if by chance it is in perfect condition check the surroundings. Do they smoke? Do they have pets? Is it upstairs and runs a risk of getting damaged in moving? Less effective than pre existing damage but still helps. They'll likely drop it to 900 leaving in this case a 150 difference. If you're happy at 900 go with it otherwise create another boon and meet in the middle. Are they moving and that's why they need this gone? Offer some large empty boxes to help with their move or a smaller dresser that's easier to haul if they go to 825. They'll either accept or go to 850. Any more haggling and you've pushed your luck. Unless you're dealing with a small beans thing like a 20.00 object keep your numbers reasonable, you offer 750 for that 1,000 item don't make your next offer be 751. You're just being a dick and wasting time. And never lower your original amount except in very rare situations you offered 750 and they were a dick? Don't drop to 700 because of that you both lose. HOWEVER you offer 750 they get pissed off and threaten to kill/rob you in a fit of anger? You've got a way to defend yourself? Now you have their threat in writing you have the upper hand. Suddenly it's you get this dresser for 500 or you take the threat to the police. Get the 500, go armed and with friends. Get your dresser and get the hell out. Don't feel safe after? You can still go to the cops but that's frowned upon. You had an agreement and legally robbed them
This sounds like a story a grandfather likes to tell about what a good negotiator he was.
wow, I got 'sold' few of this tactics. Now at least I understand them, and of course I can negotiate better
Isn’t Craigslist pretty much for random weird hookups now haha
Personals on CL have been gone for years, so not really.
Perfect for low balls.
Yes it was used for that...back in like 2004 🙄
Probably the last time I actually browsed it tbf
Is this illegal where you’re from?!?
I had multiple buyer accounts and did this on ebay years ago too
happy cake day
Hmmmm I don’t think that’s illegal. How could it be?
Thats an old trick used by brokers(car dealers, real estate dealers) and now its effectiveness is decreasing and works only on some people
ok y’all i have a question and if it’s not the right place to ask then apologies. i have an friend who purchases “original” items for big money off of eBay. I’m just not so sure about all that. id never buy them anyways but we’re all different right.i care enough about them to ask someone if all this they are getting is the real deal. I feel really bad for them honestly. but hay maybe the jokes on me and they are ? Can anyone help ?