Bartertown.com

I put on quite a few Ads here looking for White Lions... And in one I placed an expansive off the top of my head list of what I know i have to trade.. I have gotten probably 10 or so people asking about one piece or another like this.

Im Interested in getting your *Insert Item Here*.

Thanks,

Which Leaves me having to reply to them asking them if they Have white lions? If not what are your thinking to offer for it. I get back.

I don't have any White Lions. I was interested in buying it.

... Leaving me to ask again What they are offering in exchange.

Is this normal? Are people afraid to make offers or something? Im just trying to figure this out as It seems like a lot of wasted time spending 12 hours+ in a conversation just to start hammering out a deal.

You will find most people wont put themselves out on a limb.

In my experience. These are the rules. (Meant in jest and in sarcasm, but strangly usually true)

1. Don't make an offer... Let the other person make the offer because they may not know how much the thing is worth and give you more than you would have asked.
2. Never give your full list out. Only the stuff that you really want to get rid of.
3. If you have multiple items on your trade partner's list only tell him you have one, and see how really bad he wants it.
4. Never get back to a person when you only marginally want something they have. Wait for a better offer.
5. If you have to make the offer always low ball.

Maybe someone else can finish the list and make it a top 10

6: Always hide your location so potential traders will have no idea how shipping/customs is likely to impact the trade.
7: Make a small list of wants "priority" then a large list of "low priority" so you can inflate the value of your item.

Others??

Hell yes I am going to lowball, this is Bartertown, not Full-Retail-Pricetown or Don't-Bother-Negotiatingtown.

After I give a lowball offer comes the part where you suggest something more reasonable, then we go from there. Isn't that what haggling is about?

Norseman wrote:You will find most people wont put themselves out on a limb.

In my experience. These are the rules. (Meant in jest and in sarcasm, but strangle usually true)

1. Don't make an offer... Let the other person make the offer because they may not know how much the thing is worth and give you more than you would have asked.
2. Never give your full list out. Only the stuff that you really want to get rid of.
3. If you have multiple items on your trade partner's list only tell him you have one, and see how really bad he wants it.
4. Never get back to a person when you only marginally want something they have. Wait for a better offer.
5. If you have to make the offer always low ball.

Maybe someone else can finish the list and make it a top 10

I have to disagree with some of this list
firstly number 4
Thats just plain rude,and personally after you have done it to me more than twice,your going to end up on my "Do not trade list",ALWAYS get back to anyone who wants to trade with you,even if its a simple "No thanks"

second Number 5 low balling
Of course you want the best deal for you,thats just normal,but lowballing is again for me personally plain rude,i had one guy offer me $15 for over $140 worth of stuff,i just laughed and replied "no thanks"
Offer the lostest price you woud be willing to accept if you yourself were the seller,and then go from there

Thirdly number 3 "offer one thing on the list"
When i get home from work after posting the night before,i read all the Pm's before i get back to all the people who send them,and if trader A is offering 3 items on my want list and trader B is offering one,i'm going to reply to trader A first and tell Trader B, "I already have a offer pending" but if it falls through,i'll get back to you"

As you can see by my refs Number,i've been pretty good at this,and the key to me is the old golden rule "treat people as you would like to be treated"

Cheers
Steve

Steve? Tap-tap.
It was sarcasm..

You meet all kinds here. Sometimes you have to help your trade partner through the door. Sometimes they don't know what they want or have. Sometimes they don't even read the posts all that well. I have had guys offer me items that I was trying to trade (because they just SAW the item that they wanted to get rid of and thought I WANTED it).

There can be a LOT of honest mistakes before you get to actually trade or sell the items you have.

Try to make your posts as CLEAR as possible. I have seen quite a few posts where I couldn't tell which was their haves or wants.

You will get crazy offers when you post. Just laugh it off. I NEVER understood people who get upset if they get lowballed on an item. Big deal. Say no. Chuckle and move on to somebody who will offer you what you are looking for. Sometimes, when you lowball, you might get a counteroffer that works for both traders. That's why it's Bartertown (although Sid stole my thunder on that one).

You certainly will get traders who send a PM and then dissapear. It's rude and I don't like it, but hey. Not everybody can be chivalrous.

Karl

insidius wrote:Hell yes I am going to lowball, this is Bartertown, not Full-Retail-Pricetown or Don't-Bother-Negotiatingtown.

After I give a lowball offer comes the part where you suggest something more reasonable, then we go from there. Isn't that what haggling is about?

QFT

One of my biggest pet peeves since joining the site...

QFT

QFT?

What's that?

Karl

Adunaphel wrote:

QFT

QFT?

What's that?

Karl

I should imagin its "Quite &^%$^ True"?
at least that how i read it,,,and you still haven't returned my PM from last night Karl

Does that mean that Jeramakus doesn't like lowballs or is tired of hearing people gripe about it?

As for PMing you back Steve, I have a WHOLE lot of books to go through and other than ONE specific book, I am NOT exactly sure what you were interested in.
Kind of like my above post...

Just kidding.

Karl

Adunaphel wrote:

QFT

QFT?

What's that?

Karl

Usually means 'Quoted For Truth.'

insidius wrote:

Adunaphel wrote:

QFT

QFT?

What's that?

Karl

Usually means 'Quoted For Truth.'

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

Adunaphel wrote:Does that mean that Jeramakus doesn't like lowballs or is tired of hearing people gripe about it?

Neither. I'm tired of people not haggling...

i agree with both norseman and robh. [honsetly nm.. i agree with ya.]

people who pm me with that; either get sarcasm in reply, or 1-2 word answers; like "no", or if i'm in a good mood, "no thx".


this might be bartertown, but, it's not haggle town.
barter means to trade 1 good or service for another, not negotiate incessantly.

i make an offer or list a price, i consider reasonable. you either either like it or you don't. simple. no offence taken or intended.
you send a pm with a assinine lowball price, expect to get the above.


i've just listed 2nd ed rules, asking for serious offers; meaning no i won't send them to you for shipping or $5 +shipping.
i've had no responses.
now i know alot don't like 2nd ed.. they're [the players] too new and it's too complicated for them. [those who do like it probably have it.] but at least i haven't gotten the 'qwuarter' i hear at flea markets and swap shops. [or how much for cash?{insert whiney, nasely accent}]

.

Jeramakus wrote:Neither. I'm tired of people not haggling...

Move to the Middle East. They love to haggle over there. Some places it's considered rude not to haggle.

Actually I have had some great trades work out after a lowball offer, myself being on both sides of the lowball offer. You can't blame a guy for trying.

Just so PMystic knows "the rules" I wrote, are not the rules that I follow. They were observations and stereotypes that I have noticed in the last 5 years of trading. Over all, there are alot of great traders out there, a few bad ones, and every now and then a good trader plays a few games to get a good deal. When we really don't want to trade the LE figure for that squad of ork boys, we would much rather trade the squad of 2nd ed empire spearmen. "Hey they are both on his want list!"