Auctioning and posting prices

Tallenn · #1 05-27-2010, 04:23 PM

When you auction stuff to sell, do you post the prices? I've noticed that a lot of people don't.

When I am looking to buy stuff, I almost never bother with auctions where the seller doesn't post their prices up front. The reason is that I'm not one of those guys that likes to haggle. I prefer to just shop around until I find what I want at a price I feel is worth paying. Yes, it probably takes me longer to find what I want, but that's the way I shop. I almost always eventually find what I want for a price I think is fair.

I don't know why some people choose not to post a price up front. My guess is that they ARE the kind of people that likes to haggle, and feels they can probably get a better price that way. Fact is,they probably can, but I also think they are missing a significant portion of the buying market by not posting prices, because people like me usually never even look twice if there's no advertised price. Also, it could be debatable that they are getting better prices, since the majority of people that contact them about it are ALSO the type of people that like to haggle, and hence, are probably pretty good at it.

Now, on high-end and rare items that aren't sold very often, it makes a lot of sense to sell that way. For items that are sold pretty much every day though, I think you're missing out on a lot of potential buyers, who are just waiting for someone else to put the item up for sale at a fair price that's advertised up front.

Maybe it's just me, but nearly every time I've sent a tell to someone asking "how much", they either say, "make an offer" or tell me a price that's 30-50% higher than what I'd consider paying, meaning I either have to haggle or just forget about it. Eventually, you get to the point where you just don't bother with them at all.

karsten · #2 05-27-2010, 04:27 PM

well some people do like to, and some dont -- it's a style thing that is one of the more direct reflections of RL personalities manifested in mmos. I appreciate your preference for one style over the other, however, due to the large spectrum of personalities that mankind represents, I am certain that you'll also be able to understand that non-price auctioning will continue in the future. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

km2783 · #3 05-27-2010, 04:33 PM

If I don't see a price and it's an item I want, I just ask. If they say make them an offer, I consider it and then lowball [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] If your first offer isn't embarassing it's not low enough! If they're into haggling, they'll counter-offer. My biggest annoyance is when they just say "no". Obviously they have SOME amount they'd like to make in mind. At that point I start to feel like they want to rip people off who don't know the value of something, and then thank them and move on. I could be wrong about the ripping off of people, maybe they don't know what it's worth, either, and are afraid of selling it for too little, but oh well. It's still time to move on [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] I look at pricing like this: if I am willing to pay for something at a given price, or am willing to accept an amount both parties are happy with in a transaction, no one has been ripped off and maybe I/they got a good deal.

Worst-case, just ask for a Price Check a day or two in advance [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Thrymm · #4 05-27-2010, 04:39 PM

Sometimes I think when someone doesn't put a price on their auction they don't want to be ridiculed by the masses when they intend to try and overprice. But like km said, just ask if you're interested in said item.

Tallenn · #5 05-27-2010, 05:03 PM

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you're somehow wrong if you don't advertise price- just that you may be missing out on some of the market, that's all.

Tallenn · #6 05-27-2010, 05:08 PM

Ironically (or not), I run into this in my profession, which is software consultant. Often, recruiters won't put a rate range into their job reqs, and instead want you to tell them how much you will take. Just like here, I'll either just ignore them and their job (I have a position currently- it kind of sucks, but the money's enough to pay the bills, and I can play EQ during part of my shift), or I'll highball them. Never know, might get a job paying huge bucks that way!

YendorLootmonkey · #7 05-27-2010, 05:21 PM

Negotiating 101: The first person who mentions a price point puts themselves at a disadvantage.

Arkis · #8 05-27-2010, 05:23 PM

When I don't post my prices up... I just plain don't know the price of it lol...

pickled_heretic · #9 05-27-2010, 05:38 PM

frankly it doesn't matter ot me either way, i'm not going to buy junk i don't need just because a price is/is not posted. if it's something i really need i'm going to buy it at very close to the listed price or do a PC and buy it at a price very close to that.

Tallenn · #10 05-27-2010, 05:48 PM

Negotiating 201: Plenty of people don't want to negotiate at all.

Look, if you force me into making the first price, I'm going to give you what I'm looking to spend, period. If you come back with a higher amount, I'm going to say no, because I didn't want to haggle in the first place, so I didn't lowball my offer, and I'm simply not willing to go any higher. What I told you is what I'm willing to spend, not a starting off price. In other words, I'm not negotiating, I'm simply telling you what I will pay.

In the end though, I don't want to explain this to every "negotiator", so chances are, I'm not even going to ask you what you want for it- which brings us back to the beginning: plenty of people just don't want to negotiate- AT ALL.