download (resized).png

Nothing is ever "firm". Doesn't matter if you are negotiating to buy a pinball machine or having inter country discussions. There is always room for negotiation in every circumstance.

Who is forcing whom? Too expensive? Don't buy it. Offer too low? Don't accept it.

If your pricing is firm, you love the game and you don't really want to sell. You're going to be hanging onto it for a while, most likely.

People love getting a deal, even if it's just a small amount. It will make the game sell faster. My wife used to list things on craigslist for the exact price she wanted to get. Everyone would ask her if she would take less and when she said no it wouldn't sell. I told her to ask $30 for an item she wanted to get $20 for. As normal, someone asked if she'd take $20 for it, she'd say yes and it'd sell right away. Same price, buyer just feels like they got a deal.

Not true. If my ad says price is firm that's the price you'll pay. Firm to me means no negotiating. And if you try to just negotiate about something other than price instead I'll simply send you on your way empty handed.

It means different things to different people. It works against neither side.

Firm to me means don't waste your or my time with offers that aren't in the ballpark. Personally if I say firm I'm in no rush to sell it for less or waste time shadow dancing. My games sell very close to asking because of a fair price and good to very good condition.

I will also pay above market for condition.

My prices are almost always firm and my games sell fast.

I usually price my games for a quick, no BS sale though.

I just think too many people feel like they need to come out on top. I truly want both parties happy.

It depends on the audience you're selling to.

For the craigslist and garage sale audience, that works great. Pretty much everyone is a bargain hunter there.

The collector community is a slightly different audience. If I think a price is fair, I won't haggle. The last few games I bought from other collectors got the price they asked for.

I might not try to negotiate the price with you - maybe I might ask if you can deliver the machine or perhaps you have a spare plastics set that I could ask you to include in the deal or swap the playfield glass with the one on the machine next to the one I want.

Negotiation is not only about price.

Hurt? No, it is just setting the parameters for the deal. I personally hate the haggle. Always have.

When I see someone selling a game for a price and a condition I show up with that amount of cash in hand for the game. I expect the same. If there is a described condition issue that is a different story.

While there are some people who feel the need to "haggle", if it is listed as firm they should not. And the people showing up saying "I only brought X$" or "I need to go to the ATM" - GTFO and never deal with me again. I hate people who think they can get away with something.

I hate to sell. Ask people who know me, I'll give you the shirt off my back but try to screw me and you're dead to me. To make room for pins I get rid of arcade games often. And I would rather give them away for free or chop them up and take them to the dump rather than deal with some F-in A-hole. Seriously I have done both with complete working games.

To me firm means no low balls please. Reasonable offers considered

+ 1 Firm means Firm

I generally only use "firm" when I have a game priced BELOW market value for a quick sale.

It's priced firm because I already know it's priced more than fair and I don't want any BS low ball offers.

Typically when buying if a price is "fair" I just pay the price and not look back but if something is outside a value I feel is OK I will make a respectful offer. My typical offer looks something like this "If you don't get a better offer I would be a buyer at $ --- --." Or "if you willing to do $--- -- I would be a buyer and could pick it up tomorrow".

When selling typically I price stuff fairly low and hold firm on my prices. My regular customers know this and don't even ask if I can do better. But new customers pretty much always feel the need to try to get a better deal. So when selling in the future I am seriously considering adding 10 to 15 % to my asking price just so I leave some room to haggle with buyers a little.

Personally I like just putting a price on something and not doing the dance. But these days that is getting harder to do. Most people expect you to haggle a little and when you will not it upsets a good many buyers.

To me a good bottom line price is just easier but if I need to play the game I will by raising my asking price and then haggling from their.

Not if a buyer actually reads the content of an ad. It might be a good deal.

I have actually more than once bought a game and while counting out the cash has the person cut $100 or more off the asking piece because I made it so easy. They expected the usual BS. I have been called a very good buyer.