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Post by rockjunquie on May 25, 2019 15:54:34 GMT -5
Carryover from another thread and question: If you are a seller who enjoys haggling and a potential client approaches you without trying to haggle, what do you do? Do you give them your best price, anyway, or let them pay full price- snooze/lose. I'm just curious. I don't like to haggle in person. I'm only a little better online. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 25, 2019 16:22:50 GMT -5
I'm not a haggler either, but Vince is.
If someone doesn't ask, I won't offer. Why should I? I generally will only consider giving someone a break on the jewelry I make if they are purchasing more than one or are a good return customer.
Stones, it depends. Slabs I will generally.
True story: A few years ago we were doing a show at the Square and this woman was interested in one of my wrapped pendants. I hated that pendant. Thought it was ugly, but she put it down, came back later, did the same thing again and was a general PITA. Vince asked me if I was going to lower the price to entice her to buy it. By that time, she had aggravated me enough that I told him no. If she wanted it, should could pay full price for it. Eventually she did buy it and I was happy to not have to look at it any more.  |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 25, 2019 16:32:01 GMT -5
I'm not a haggler either, but Vince is.
If someone doesn't ask, I won't offer. Why should I? I generally will only consider giving someone a break on the jewelry I make if they are purchasing more than one or are a good return customer.
Stones, it depends. Slabs I will generally.
True story: A few years ago we were doing a show at the Square and this woman was interested in one of my wrapped pendants. I hated that pendant. Thought it was ugly, but she put it down, came back later, did the same thing again and was a general PITA. Vince asked me if I was going to lower the price to entice her to buy it. By that time, she had aggravated me enough that I told him no. If she wanted it, should could pay full price for it. Eventually she did buy it and I was happy to not have to look at it any more. LOL! I can relate.  I suspected as much. I sorta feel like the non smoker who doesn't get paid for smoking breaks. I know a lot of places do or used to do that. When I quit, I didn't say anything. I kept getting my breaks. Maybe, I should at least ask for their best price? Would that be sufficient? |
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Post by greig on May 25, 2019 16:40:57 GMT -5
Another approach is to throw in something else. It will make you feel better and they will be super happy.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 25, 2019 16:47:15 GMT -5
I'm not a haggler either, but Vince is.
If someone doesn't ask, I won't offer. Why should I? I generally will only consider giving someone a break on the jewelry I make if they are purchasing more than one or are a good return customer.
Stones, it depends. Slabs I will generally.
True story: A few years ago we were doing a show at the Square and this woman was interested in one of my wrapped pendants. I hated that pendant. Thought it was ugly, but she put it down, came back later, did the same thing again and was a general PITA. Vince asked me if I was going to lower the price to entice her to buy it. By that time, she had aggravated me enough that I told him no. If she wanted it, should could pay full price for it. Eventually she did buy it and I was happy to not have to look at it any more. LOL! I can relate. I suspected as much. I sorta feel like the non smoker who doesn't get paid for smoking breaks. I know a lot of places do or used to do that. When I quit, I didn't say anything. I kept getting my breaks. Maybe, I should at least ask for their best price? Would that be sufficient? It never hurts to ask. The worse they can say is no. |
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Post by stardiamond on May 25, 2019 17:25:03 GMT -5
To haggle/negotiate a person needs to know the value of something. Art/crafts is difficult. Car buying was a game where the buyer doesn't know all the rules. One Christmas eve, my wife decided to go piano shopping even though she didn't play. The salesman asked her to make an offer. She offered around half price and after a short delay it was accepted. I think she got a good deal.
The latest was having my sewer line replaced. Roto rooter came out to clear the line and offered a free video inspection and that turned into a negotiating session. The rep pinned me down to a range and then made an offer within the range. I felt like I was buying a car. I knew what repairs was likely to cost and accepted the offer. I felt kind of foolish, but when the work was done it wasn't simple and took over a week. I felt good about the deal.
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on May 25, 2019 23:46:55 GMT -5
Knowing the value (including labor) of a piece of jewelry is important. If it's rough rock or a loose stones it's a little easier. Either way, it's good to know what a "fair" price is so you don't offend a seller by lowballing and killing any chance of getting a break.
My goldsmith pal used to quiz me back when I first got into this. He'd pull a piece out of his cases when I'd walk in and ask me what it should retail for. Mind you, retail is the key word here. Not keystone pricing, or the total value of the casting and stones individually. Being a long-time friend, he was always a good sport about how I'd usually hit 'em within about $50 of his tag prices.
Point is, if you do your homework it will be much easier to negotiate for whatever you're considering purchasing. |
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Post by fernwood on May 26, 2019 5:19:50 GMT -5
I have sold many items on web sights. The latest was a 1990 limited edition print, which was nicely framed/matted, had a pencil remark, postage stamps, coins and artists autograph. I knew what the value was, but priced less than value. Accepted a little less than what I had offered it for. The buyer was knowledgeable and I knew it was going to a good home. He looked at the print in person. Had been trying to sell this print on and off for about 4 years, so I was happy in the end.
I am a firm believer that pricing of anything should take into account the market it is being sold in/at.
Items in a specialty internet store like Etsy, should be priced higher than the same items at a craft sale. Why? Target audience, potential number of buyers and knowledge level of those buyers.
Something is only worth what another will pay for it.
The biggest questions I ask myself when someone wants to purchase something for less than what it is offered for:
How long do I want to keep this item and wait for a better offer?
If something I made, does the offer cover my costs incurred and a little profit?
I have not had many people try to haggle with me in person on jewelry and lapidary items.
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