Haggling

[Don Taylor]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

[JimLucas]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

[shelly0312]

"Is that negotiable?"

 

I need to practice this very innocuous line. I realize now that the last concertina I bought, I think seller was expecting a "haggle". And I didn't provide one. So there was some "throw-ins", that I really didn't need.....interesting.

[asdormire]

I know the local music shop we deal with expects some haggling, sometimes on price, sometimes on free accessories like a strap, picks or an extra set of strings.

 

Alan

[richard]

Hi

 

If you want the best "deal" I think you are looking at this potential acquisition from the wrong perspective. Any reputable merchant should give you good value in general as opposed to a bum deal. I think the best way for anyone looking for a good value is to know what you are looking for as in knowing what type,and maker, and from what manufacturing period, is the one you want.

 

As someone new to concertinas educating yourself about concertinas and what would be the optimal instrument for you (with your budget), seems a much more important priority than getting a few dollars off the asking price of something that happens to be available at that moment. If you know what you want (that can sometimes take years) then you will be fortunate and grateful to eventually find it.Whether you pay a bit more or a bit less will seem not so important if you have an instrument you love and you understand why you love it.

 

My own experience is a good example. For my first real concertina I asked the dealer for a Wheatstone, and he had one. But I didn't understand enough to ask for or look for a Wheatstone of a specific period of manufacture. I got an instrument I liked very much. But in retrospect I realized how green and naive I was about the instruments.

 

Richard

Edited June 12, 2012 by richard

[cjmiller]

There's another side to this that's worth a mention.

 

I can go to Theo's website, look at his inventory, see exactly what he's selling, and next to the description is a price, the price is in black and white, and the price is the same for me or the 100 people who visit his website after me. I can do the same at Wakker's website, or Hobgoblin, or most other websites. The system is open and transparent.

 

I'm not trying to pick on Chris at Barleycorn, but that's not the system he uses. If you email him you get a selection of instrument photos with prices attached. I assume basically the same thing happens if you visit. I have no idea if the price he's quoting me is the same price he quoted you last week. I have no idea if it's the same price he'll quote next week. I have no idea if the price he quotes when he has to deal with wire transfers and ship it halfway around the globe is the same price if you pick it up in person with a pocket full of cash.

 

(Of course the flipside to this is that with Barleycorn's system it's more about the instrument and matching the instrument to the buyer, and the price is secondary, and there's a lot to be said for that, it's just that when the price is there in black and white it works to the benefit of both buyer and seller.)

 

Again, I'm not saying Chris is anything but straight and honest, or that his prices differ from one customer to the next, my point is, which system is more likely to invite haggling and/or insultingly low offers?

 

I suspect that the dealers who price their items clearly are rewarded with better behaved customers and deal with far less haggling than those who don't.

[Jim Besser]

 

(Of course the flipside to this is that with Barleycorn's system it's more about the instrument and matching the instrument to the buyer, and the price is secondary, and there's a lot to be said for that, it's just that when the price is there in black and white it works to the benefit of both buyer and seller.)

 

 

It all depends on what we are seeking from a dealer.

 

I bought from Barleycorn because I trusted his ability to find an instrument that met my specifications and desires, and because I wanted the reliability implied by his reputation. I didn't haggle; I know I paid a premium, but I did so knowing what I was getting in return for that extra money. It would be different if I was buying from an individual I didn't know, or a big music store, situations in which price is more of a determining factor.

 

 

[Dirge]

It all depends on what we are seeking from a dealer.

 

I bought from Barleycorn because I trusted his ability to find an instrument that met my specifications and desires, and because I wanted the reliability implied by his reputation. I didn't haggle; I know I paid a premium, but I did so knowing what I was getting in return for that extra money. It would be different if I was buying from an individual I didn't know, or a big music store, situations in which price is more of a determining factor.

I don't think so. If you want to pay full price wherever you go, fine. I'm sure Chris was delighted to take your money. But I don't think you gain anything because I doubt he would even remember whether you 'tried it on a little' or not. It'll be happening to him all the time, and he'll be doing the same when buying, inevitably. The people he WILL remember adversly are the ungracious arses who are mean, petty, downright rude or, worst of all shifty with it. The dim ones smirking to themselves because they think they've found a way of 'putting one over him'. The GPandA types perhaps?

[Boney]

I think the various answers in this thread support my view that it's not a "one size fits all" situation. It depends on the individual you're dealing with.

 

Still, I don't think it's drawing back from what I've already said to suggest that a friendly "Is that negotiable?" shouldn't offend any serious seller (or buyer), as long as you're willing to gracefully accept "no" as a possible answer.

 

I'm glad we've all proved you right, Jim, and I'd just like to thank you for explaining it too. I might not have understood otherwise.

 

I wish I was as well off as Dirge, but it hasn't quite been explained well enough for me. I'm wondering if you (Jim and Dirge, especially, but everyone) feel there's a difference between those who sell new and used items? I think that distinction may even cross most cultural boundaries.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Boney