Just wonder if you sellers of vintage studio gear noticed a new and growing phenomenon of truly awful lowballing request? I noticed since about a year ago a growing number of lowballers on local and international selling plattforms such as ebay.

People sending pm requesting 30% to 50% lower prices. I noticed that with quite a lot of sellers whenever they are posting these private messages of lowballers for everyone to see on ebay and elsewhere...

First of all its no ones business regarding pricing of vintage gear than the seller itself. If people do have a issue with that why do they think they have the right to demand a lower price? If they dont like an offer why dont they just move on?

Bottem Line: Is this some kind of a mindset within a new generation of musicians who are used to get everything for free such as free music on the internet for instance? Is this part of the socialist free **** movement?

Let me hear your take from both sides...lowballers and sellers...

It's called haggling. Allegedly it has been around for a while.

But when you are selling something for $1200 that has a worth of $2000 new and someone offers you $100, this is not haggling. Its #$$^&^#@# and ^#[email protected]#[email protected]#$

When it happens to me, I do not even respond, as I know they are not serious buyers. Same concept goes when I am selling a house. If they lowball me, I do not even make a counter offer, as I know they are not serious.
I agree. Its a new way of thinking, "what can you give me?" and it should be, "what can I earn myself!"

"part of the socialist free **** movement"



Yeah, man. Haggling over something you've likely arbitrarily marked up is totally part of some broader leftist agenda.

I sell on Reverb and get heinous lowball offers quite often. They've wasted their time and I get a chuckle. Next.

The revolution won't be televised, it will be lowballing on Ebay.

Sh!t, that didn't rhyme. Sorry Gil.

As above.

It's fascinating how deep the propaganda runs, isn't it!

Apparently we've got to the stage where even the sharp end of capitalism is now a socialist plot


Oh my life..

I don't sell on eBay anymore, but I do on CL and Reverb quite a bit. Getting lowballers (and more reasonable offers as well) means I'm getting interest. That's when I bump up the price.

I think that the game is:

you ask 1000
I say 100
you say 900
I say 200
final price will be 700

Target price so is not really 100, but 700 at -30%

However you can always reply that "is in good conditions" and that your price won't move of cent.

Yes, they have an account to say 100 and an other account to say 900.
People that lives with those games, you know.
Ignore them.

Some people are just testing...to see how desperate you are to sell the item. I routinely just ignore them.

Ignoring the low ballers is the way to go ..

Offer the piece at a flat, fair, 'no offers' price. Done.

I hate when sellers downplay defects and cosmetic issues. 'It has a few small nicks in the headstock' Really? Because those don't look small to me! Or they go into great detail on the fantastic condition of a mic pre and then add at the last minute, 'it does have a hum when used over 45db.'

Yeah...Hmmmmmmm.

It's just haggling. Sometimes the seller just wants to get rid of the item. Sometimes if his item doesn't sell he gets back with a low counter offer.
If that didn't work, people wouldn't do that.

On the other hand, some sellers keep up a high price... and the item never sells. They are saying, I don’t really want to let go of this piece, but for the right price you can have it.

On Reverb, it only makes sense to list an item at a price you're willing to take if you need to move it fast.

Blaming my generation for “wanting everything free” (which is a load of b/s in the first place XD) is hardly the problem. Tough s**t Janet it’s not my generation that throw a tantrum and demand a manager when the supermarket won’t accept my expired coupon.

It also wasn’t my generation that actually wanted the music (and subsequent millions) for free by failing to pay their artists…

But of course. Stupidly low offers on vintage gear. How insulting.

Don’t tick "make me an offer" or choose to run an auction and set a starting bid price. It's not rocket science.

Well, here's my take. I sell regularly vintage gear internationally and locally. These kind of extensive "haggling" requests started definitely about a year or two ago. Somehow right after the first wave of Boutique mass-production gear to hit a broader market of a new generation of musicians who could suddently afford to build up a sound studio with hardware for somewhat 1500.-- Euros.

After a while however reality takes place and it turned out that the all the marketing promises did not quite catch up the expectations....hmmm...somehow it doesnt sound right...isnt it?

Thus, there are a lot of aspiring new musicians who realized that they got stuck with mediocre gear (that is now all over ebay for pennies on the $) and medicore sound as a result. Now they come to realize that quality actually comes at a certain price (with little exeptions).

Bottom line and message to all free-**** feel-good x-gen lowballers. Get yourself a god damn job even if it hurts if you strive for bigger things. Learn to save up money and stop harrassing sellers of quality gear with unrealistic lowballing requests.

Quotes:
"I'm a apprentice. Would you please..."
"I'm unemployed but would like to have..."
"I am offering you (50% less) ...I think thats a fair price..."
"would you trade for 3 korg volcas and boutique xxx"
"I've seem them going for as much as xxx"

I collect these kind of requests on a weekly basis...

You really need to get that pink plug out of your butt and stop whining. "Make your studio great again" and that by the means of your own hard work...or stick to what you can afford.

Well it could also be a reaction of sellers systemically buying pro vintage gear to up the prices.. The increase we've seen the last 10 years is crazy. But yeah i do get the OP, i think it has allot to do with its so easy to just send an email, it takes 10sec. I have lowballed and bought gear really cheap though (for what they gear was worth) , as long as you make somewhat reasonable offers. Evilbay, VK and such isn't setting standard prices, it's usually overpriced by a couple of k's and private sellers usually let the gear go for allot less. That includes a risk ofc compared to buying from Vk.

It's just like selling a car these days. Just don't answer to those, Hey i can only offer you this or that..

X Gen? Wow! I was born in 1971, am now 47, a proud X Gen who has been working for the past 30 years. Since then we have had Y and Z Gen. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you are now in 2018. Those socialists must have transported you into the future with their evil socialist ray gun. I think its time you handed the iPad back to your grandchildren. But if you insist on using the fan-dangled internets thingy those pesky kids are all hung up on then please don’t tick "make me an offer" or you can choose to run an auction and set a starting bid price. And how much do you seriously expect for your old crappy Akai S900 sampler anyway? I mean i can't even load a whole song onto those things. It's not vintage. Its rubbish! Don't test me man or i will tell you what happens in the last episode of Melrose Place! I mean it, I have the VHS right here. I can press the play button any time my evil socialist brain commands!

Um, how do you know the age of those who are lowballing you? And how is this a socialist plot? Lowballing is a centuries-old haggling strategy which would have been abandoned generations ago if it didn't sometimes work. You have no complaint. You can somply reject or ignore their offer - Problem solved. You're welcome.

Paging FlowerPot...Mr. FlowerPot.

Stop appropriating vintage prices aRRrggghhhWaaa!
I refuse to sing on that German mic!NOooooooargWahWah!!!!
Will you take $100 for it?

Haha just did the same the other day. Not in a hurry to sell, though, so I bumped up my minimum. Still a good price for something in like new condition. Lowball me and I'll ignore or raise again.

i just went on reverb for my revive La 4 i saw it also advertised on ebay..i called reverb said "if you lower the price i'll buy it..went on ebay and they lowered the price from $749 to $675..so i bought it ..it also was listed for over a year on their site so they made a good deal

On Reverb, when someone makes you an offer you can submit a counter-offer. When I get lowballed, I counter with a million bucks. Usually don't hear from them after that.

I find that there plenty of lowballers on my Craigslist items..doesn't bother me, i respond politely always..you never know what happens if you're conversational with some of them...100 bucks on a 1000 dollar item ..of course i dont respond to those

I also find that there a lot of guys who are selling things at MUCH higher prices than actual market value and when you make offers..anything you offer is declared a lowball offer cause they don't live on this planet, and they get nasty and pissy..i luagh, it;s laughable...and the stuff turns into a two month listing..

I also finds that a lot of American (kids) listing stuff do NOT understand that haggling is not sposed to be or intended as, insulting..they take personal offense to it in the most normal of circumstances.,,and im american.

Well that is just a very reasonable counter right!? Being listed for over a year you probably coulf have it less, like around 500$. (y)

Im fine paying good money for an item even happier if i make a good deal, which still can be made even today. I paid like 2k for a dead mint pair of km84s, 6k for a very nice u67 etc. Private sellers though! I get the sense that if people feel that you're nice they'll be nice to you. The whole almost semi aggressive lowballing probably doesn't work.

It's not rocket science, but it is enabled by default now, and the option to turn it off is hidden at first. You have to know where to look to turn off offers.

What's worse is that if/when an item auto relists (after ending with no bids), offers are re-enabled whether you wanted it that way or not.

That said - I never, ever accept offers on either eBay or Reverb. I can count on one hand the number of remotely sensible offers I've ever received.