Some will treat a successful haggle as a trophy. They will tell their story of acquisition with pride and superiority every time they answer the question(s):
"So where'd you get it?" and "What'd you pay?".

What's your best highest number?

I like this story. but, gotta ask... what did you end up selling it for?

I think it's nice if they ask beforehand if the price is negotiable rather than "what's your best price?"

I agree with the "one haggle" rule. but,
I get impatient when selling and usually offer even a bit more of a discount to the first interested person..
My wife says I'm nuts. I just hate to have to wait for another possible buyer.

-M

Oh, forgot about that one, I've used it too, that's probably the best one.

I have been collecting for years. My repair skills suck. I had someone show up, convinced me to try to fix the game, I was able to, then he asked for 50 off. I said no and he paid the full amount.

Ha!
That'll teach 'em.

If someone has a game I'm interested in but it is listed for more than I'm willing to pay, I'll generally ask them if they are flexible in their price. If they say yes, then I will ask them for some high-res photos. This gives me a preliminary idea of the overall condition of the game. If it's rougher than what I am looking for, then I thank them for the photos and move on. If the game looks nice, then I tell them I will come out to take a look at the game and potentially make them an offer. I am very methodical when it comes to buying games. Unfortunately, I miss out on a lot of games because of this. It amazes me how quickly some people will jump on a game sight unseen for a seemingly high price.

LOL did that really work? I'm not buying it

That's just a factor of the buyer's ability (or desire) to wait; they're paying more to get the game "RIGHT NOW!", which has some value to them. but it doesn't automatically make the game worth more.

This might work for getting some nicer, higher-priced games, but you're not going to get any scoops that way. It also doesn't mean it was unseen or went for a high price.

If there's a machine I'm interested in, even if priced high, if I can, I'll immediately go see it. You have to jump if you want a deal, because if you don't someone else will while you're waiting for your hires pics.

Recently a machine was posted for $4000. It sat without a lot of interest presumably. Seller dropped the price to $3000 and I was first to go see it. I bought it for $2200.

Another one I saw was posted for $3000, but had lots of issues when I saw it. I described everything that was wrong with it, and got it for $1400. Some people are still actually reasonable when they understand the problems. That one it turned out they had previously tried to sell for same high price, and previous potential buyer offered $1600 which they declined. But now they no longer thought they were sitting on a pot of gold.

And this is precisely why I miss out on so many games. Between work and family, I simply don't have the luxury to drop everything to go look at a game at a moment's notice.

As an unsuccessful first time pinball buyer it seems sellers don't negotiate at all. I have unsuccessfully tried to purchase a couple of pins in the last month where both sellers flat out said no without a counter offer. My offers where based on what is currently list for sale and the market archive (in one example it was 400 less than asking). Did I expect the seller to accept my first offer? No. Its just so different that buying anything else you might buy second hand.

There's a lot of interest - depending on the title, they may have already sold it. Some sellers don't even respond! but it's good to ask outright if they are considering offers. If you're looking on Pinside, the Ad will be pretty clear. If they're firm, they're firm. Otherwise, just ask and come up with a reasonable number. Most sellers I know definitely know what they have and price accordingly. There's a couple nuts here and there, but to my surprise, a lot fo those high-dollar games sell too! So you never can tell, you gotta ask!

I think the answer to this is VERY situational dependent.

Being vague to not call out anyone, I once drove a couple hours to get a nice and perfectly working game. We had agreed on a price via pictures and talking on the phone.

I got there. The DMD didn't work right, one of the major toys didn't work right, one of the flippers didn't work right.

It's not like this was a $10k game where you could argue a $400 / $500 in repairs were a small percent.

Did I restart negations? Sure as hell I did.

If the situation was turned around? Well, I'd never misrepresent a game (or be so unaware of the condition). But if a buyer showed up and we found a problem not described? I'd appologies offer to take money off.

... Altan

this has happened to me - perfectly good condition, working game suddenly DAY OF starts exhibiting problems. Turned out to be battery acid damage from who-knows-how-long-ago, which I was not aware of. I'd read about the phenomenon, and knew the possible consequences, but not really how to spot the issue.

That was a tough one, as I felt I could get full price for the game after replacing the MPU, but it would be another hassle, and the buyer (who was now helping me diagnose) had driven a *really* long distance. I was really torn, and I literally had to sleep on it, but we ended up making a good deal. I have to say kudos to that buyer, both for keeping his cool (I'm sure he was pissed) and for helping us come to a deal. I think I'd handle it roughly the same in the future, but man sometimes shit happens and it ain't fun.

That's what you can do when both buyer and seller are reasonable and fair!

Since getting back in the hobby in 2005, I've probably sold over 60 games. The double-haggle has happened to me a handful of times. The following were the most interesting:

1) T2 - Buyer agreed to my asking price over the phone but wanted to negotiate when he arrvied. Two reasons he gave while begging me to lower my price: 1) He drove here in the rain. 2) He wanted to tell his wife he got a deal.

2) T3 - After a thorough inspection, buyer said he wanted it, and he handed me an envelope. I helped him and his friend get the game ready to load, and then as they were moving it to the vehicle, I started counting the money. It was $400 short of my asking price. When I brought it to his attention, he said, "I thought we agreed to that price over email." I quickly looked over our emails, and I said, "Nope, we never talked about price." He ended up leaving because he said he didn't have any more money with him. However, he called 5 minutes later saying his buddy had $150, and he asked if that would be enough to buy the game. It wasn't, so he ended up going to an ATM for the full amount.

3) Not a pinball, but a '65 Dodge Coronet I had listed on Craigslist...Buyer agreed to price on phone, but he was driving 3 hours with a car trailer. He wanted to make sure he wasn't wasting his time if I ended up selling it while he was on his way. He assured me he would pay my asking price. I told him I wouldn't be able to sell to anyone else because I would be at work when he arrived, and my wife would have to meet him on her lunch hour. I called my wife before her lunch hour ended to make sure everything went well, but she said the guy left without buying because he offered her less, and she said no. She was on her way back to work when he called her back and offered the full amount. Now he had to wait about 3 hours for my wife to get off work.

Tough call. In times past especially when dealing with long term collectors you/they had a pretty good idea what was being sold and its condition. Today with so many new people in the hobby (a good thing) one persons definition of shopped and collector quality is Completely different then the next. And a small rant/question. Whats with the listings with just that small footnote issue, "a few bulbs out", "switch needs to be adjusted", "flipper could use a rebuild I think"? Fix the darn thing. You clearly know whats wrong why not make even a small effort to send the game on its way complete. Makes you wonder what else is overlooked.

No haggling unless you are standing in front of me with cash in hand is my rule of thumb.

If I’ve dealt with someone before, as a buyer or seller, or I know their reputation, sometimes I will send a message asking what their best price on a game is. People do it who contact me on occasion, and I always feel if I’ve dealt with you before, there may be a “no haggle” price that might be lower, even if only slightly. To me when I’m selling, not having to show a game to multiple people and dealing with someone I’m familiar with is worth giving a discount.

I often list my games for reasonable prices, so I don’t really leave much room for haggling. And my descriptions are usually as accurate as I can make them.

Like others have said, I have absolutely no problem being flexible if someone points out something I hadn’t noticed. But that is rare.

What I think is more hilarious is that some people posting in this thread that say they don’t believe in haggling or have no tolerance for it have done that exact thing when showing up to buy a game from me. Even when the game was described perfectly and there were no issues. Too funny.

LOL, classic.

Wait, some folks agree to a price then show up & try to lowball?

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I price things with the expectation someone will ask for a better price. 1650 means I want 1500. If you pay it and don’t ask that’s a bonus for me.

I won’t ask until I’ve seen good pictures or seen the game in person. Ask once, It’s worth a shot.

Old school guy in the amusement business once told me "the deal isn't done, the price isn't set till the cash changes hands." Haggle till you make a deal. Don't get offended if someone wants to offer you less than you want. You never know till you ask.

I push back pretty hard on no negotiation until you are standing in front of me. Only exceptions are like recently when a guy said “ this is the max I can spend” which received a polite no thanks. Or if they are from a long way out of town. But then expect the agreed price when they show up.

Jokes aside.

No way I'd show up & offer less.

No way I'd show up & offer more.

No way I'd show up without an agreement in place.

To me the right way to sell a game is to provide lots of pics, answer all questions & settle on a price. Then meet up, make a new friend & caress the game with love when driving home.