Conscience vs. Good Business

[Ruth C.]

Let's say you're driving down the back roads and see an egg parked at the end of a driveway with a For Sale sign on it. It looks to be all original, old (late 70s) but in good condition. The fellow is asking $950 but seems like he'd negotiate. Do you

1. Talk him down
2. Pay his asking price
3. Tell him he could triple his price on e-Bay

Hubby and I disagreed on this one, and neither of us can believe the other would think that way!

[jack maloney]

Only if the seller was clearly a vulnerable person - elderly, confused or impoverished - would I raise my offer to a fair but modest price. Otherwise, I'd gratefully pay his low asking price. In a world of caveat emptor, caveat vendor applies as well.

[Byron Kinnaman]

If the seller gets what he's asking and the buyer gets a bargin, are they not both happy?

[MKohlman]

Let's say you're driving down the back roads and see an egg parked at the end of a driveway with a For Sale sign on it...

I really don't see any conflict here, unless the buyer is obviously not of sound mind and body. Of course I'm a fairly big believer in a market economy as well.

If the seller has something that they believe they have set a fair price for, and the buyer is willing to pay that price (high or low), then there was honesty in the transaction. If you feel the price is way too low then it might possibly be a little rude to try and further bargain the price down (i.e. simply offer the seller his asking price on the spot and you'll both likely walk away feeling good about the transaction).

- Michael

[Andy Earthman]

I think the important thing is the capacity of the seller. The price is not as important. If the seller is of sound mind and selling to get rid of it, you try and buy at lowest price possible. If they are hurting for money,,,depends... I'm hurting for money too. We all are to some degree.


Don't take advantage of someone. But don't be taken advantage of. Karma


As a smart ass car salesman. When asked what the best price was for a certain car? I'd reply with a smile... That's the price your willing to pay, and my boss is willing to accept.

As long as both parties are happy, what else matters?

[Darwin Maring]

As far as paying an advertised price, I see no problem. Some people just want to get rid of something and price it to sell. Tell them they are wrong and you will pay more just does not make good sense to me as I know of no one that will turn down “Free” money.

I sold my last 3 cars by under priceing them and they all went in short order.

Here is something to Ponder:

We have a local preacher that has purchased (2) campers, both from 2 different Widows, at a great price. (He told me that in his own words.)

What do you think he did?

1. Took advantage of a widow during a grieving time.
2. Paid the fair price, which would have been the wholesale price according to NADA.

They were an Argosy, the first one and an Air stream the 2nd.

I do not know the answer to the above, I just speculate.

[BobB]

Ruth C,

2. Pay his asking price.

That way both parties are happy. Neither should worry about the "coulda done better" issue. That can drive you crazy!

[Donna D.]

I was raised according to the Golden Rule....I would have to consider all the factors mentioned by the other members. I plan to live a very long time inside my skin and couldn't live with myself if I tried to take advantage of a situation. If the trailer was for sale for more than I could afford and the situation was such the seller needed every dime, it would be easier for me to walk away..or tell them to try eBay, than to always wonder what circumstances I had placed the seller into.

[Dan Quinn]

there is alot of people that just dont no what these trailers are realy worth if it wasn't for this site i would not have beleaved how much people will pay for a egg..if he is of sound mind go for it but remember one thing always be fair.....

[Roger H]

The trailer was worth to the seller exactly what the seller was asking. If it was a bargain to you, then you're both happy!

I've bought several trailers that way, and we were all winners!

Roger

[Time K]

Conscience vs. Good Business

Ruth, they always go hand in hand. If I purchase something that is "under valued" I will mention it to the seller. When the seller gives me the green light and acknowledges the deal I will sleep better...always. Sellers will generaly sell regardless to an honest buyer!

[Mike Watters]

For me it would depend. If I were in the market for the trailer (being 'in the market' CAN be affected by how good the deal is), I'd pay what the guy was asking and be pleased at getting a good deal.

If I were NOT in the market, I'd pass it by but pass the information on to someone else who might be in need of such a bargain. I wouldn't buy it with the sole intention of selling it again later however.

Mike

[Frederick L. Simson]

Hubby and I disagreed on this one, and neither of us can believe the other would think that way!

There are 2 of you disagreeing; yet you give [b]us 3 answers to multiply choose...

Here is my $0.02 worth on this issue. Darwin touched on my thought briefly. (My employer has a PhD degree in Finance; and this is one lesson I learned from him.) It is a universal truth that [b]there is a time value to money as well as money's intrinsic value. A lower amount will satisfy a need for instant gratification, more than a higher amount will continue to be satisfactory after a delay. Lottery Payouts are a prime example of this phenomenom.

I would say to pay the seller's asking price, and be happy.

[Ruth C.]

Good, varied responses. Thanks, all!

Frederick, you're right; I did give three options, but #s 1 and 2 kind of went together at the time. I asked Ken that if the guy is asking $950, does that mean he's expecting to come down on his price, meaning we offer less, or would we pay the asking price. Ken practically had an apoplectic fit (whatever that is) because he felt it was our duty to enlighten an obviously misinformed fellow egg lover, fellow human being, fellow American (and the band strikes up a patriotic tune......)

I was just checking with you all to see if I was the only one who didn't see it that way.

[Pete Dumbleton]

As I slowly grow up, one of the rules that I developed for situations like these is "How will what I am about to do make me feel ten years down the line -- Will I remember my actions with a little pride or a little shame?"

In this case, presuming the seller seemed competent, I would just pay the asking price -- It's not my job to do his homework for him, but it's also not my job to make matters worse for him by trying to negotiate the price down.

[Time K]

Ruth we are all asuming that the seller is not hiding a serious flaw!

[Roger H]

And frankly, up until just the last couple of years you COULD by an old Boler, Scamp, or Burro for $950. In fact, that was just about the going rate! I bought a '61 Airstream Bambi 16' in 1998 in excellent, useable condition for $1100!!! Now just try finding one for less than $10k in trashed condition!

[Gigi]

I see these dilemmas regularly in my design business. You really see the character of a person. For example, there was one of my clients who asked me for roofer recommendations. Just the day bedore, a young couple called me and asked me to send any work I could their way as they were ready to lose their farm. I put the two together, the roofer does wonderful work, the client could get it done right away. It was so disappointing to learn that the client asked the roofer to take less money than he normally charges. The client could afford to pay the regular rate. but, I think he saw the situation of the young roofer, knew they needed the money, and absolutely short changed the young couple.

If I saw the people were in need, I may suggest they raise their asking price and offer some ways to help market the camper.

[Ken D]

As I see it no-one has raised the question of "why the low price?" is the seller the legal owner????

Any time I have seen something that seems 'too good to be true' it seems there is a good chance that there is a reason. (other than a feeble mind)

Ken D.

[Brian B-P]

I would simply pay the asking price. It would not be worth the stress and perhaps later regrets to pursue a lower price, but at the same time I would certainly regret offering a higher price then finding later that there was a good reason (such as that hidden problem mentioned earlier) for the "low" price.

The eBay comparison means little to me. There is a huge difference between taking immediate cash in a certain personal sale, and going through the processes of both an auction sale and an on-line transaction. Personally, I have never purchased through eBay, and have never considered selling that way, but I'm glad that it works so well for others. The seller may well have decided that the potential price difference is not worthwhile, and it is not my place to try to override that decision.

Without a personal relationship with the seller, I have no reason to think that anything I might say about potential eBay values would be welcome.

I did pay substantially less for my trailer than local advertised asking prices for the same model; we offered $200 over the asking price to beat another offer, but it was still not much more than half of the asking price for generally comparable units.

I realized that the owner had priced low for a quick sale because they had already purchased the replacement and was short of cash. I certainly did not take any advantage since they seller was well aware of market values, and the trailer I later realized (as I suspected) that it did have more than one flaw which they did not reveal (including some which they may not have been aware of). I have no regrets with the way we handled the purchase.