I am gonna vent

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

If you have cake, you can end a sentence in a preposition.

"Where are you at?"

"Don't end sentences in a preposition."

"OK: where are you at, jackass?"

On the OP, I agree w/r/t eBay listings with a Best Offer. My opening price is my offer, so I am soliciting actual offers, not requests to revise my offer. Not something to get bent out of shape about, though. The world is full of trolls, so just politely tell them to make an offer and you will consider it. Also, make sure you put a floor on your best offer by automatically rejecting anything below a specific level. It will weed out the bottom feeders. Eventually these trolls quit or make an actual offer. I had one of these perpetual tire-kickers who finally made an offer and it was more than I'd have accepted for the item, so you never know. Sometimes they will dust the cobwebs off their wallets and step up.

I also hate that "what's the best you can do" inquiry. It is one of those down-home-isms that creeps into commercial language because it feels less confrontational than asking a more direct question. Marty (hi Marty) has the best response: The best I can do is my listed price. Instead of that silly question I now ask "what is the absolute lowest price you will sell this for?" It is more direct and sort of rude but at least it is honest. Yes, I am aware that I end the sentence in a preposition; saying "for which you will sell this item" sounds like I am having tea with the queen.

I also agree that the "you paid this" tactic is annoying. It is also a bad negotiation technique. If I know what you paid and when you bought something, why would I let you know that I know? Divulging information about your strategy or resources gratuitously gives your opponent potentially useful data in countering you. The better strategy would be to offer something reasonable without explaining it. Account for the low price the seller paid to tempt the seller to accept and generate a quick profit. If I see a dealer pay $250 for a $1000 card I may offer him $750 to sell it immediately. I get a substantial discount to market and I put him into a quandary. A smart trader understands that a quick flip at a good profit and putting that money back to work is often a better strategy than sitting on inventory hoping for a top price buyer. I know I consider how much I paid and how long I held an item when I try to sell it. I learned that watching Alan Rosen in action at a show in San Francisco in the 1980s. He bought a great collection of 1950s cards for $5400 and within hours wholesaled pieces of the deal to other dealers. He didn't retail the cards to eke out top prices over the course of a year, he got in and got out and put the money back to work. Of course, that assumes you have the faith that you will continue to get deals. If you treat every deal like a live-or-die one, you can't take a reasonable offer and you end up with a lot of inventory.