Why are so many people so cheap these days?

[neveriiold]

I thought it was only at yard sales and on Craigslist that shoppers want everything for nothing.  I am findng the same mentality on eBay now.   I have been selling for about 10 years through various avenues and have never seen anything like this.  Have a brand new in package $175 quilt for sale on Craigslist (right now won't even think about listing it on eBay because of shipping costs) and am asking only $40.  Email I get yesterday only asks, "How low will you go?"  Really?  I know some people like this "game," but I am really tired of all the lowball offers.  

[moondogblues]

"I think more people are looking for quality these days.

I bought a pair of leather boots from wally, made in china, 25 bucks.
I don't know what they treated the leather with, but it made my feet burn.
Bought a pair of "Carolina" USA boots, they have lasted 20 years."

Yet another reason to shop the thrifts, esp the ones that don't toss things every week, and look for the Made in USA label.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Every thrift hire a professional antique dealer in the know? A bit expensive. Dealers are dealers because they want to be. If they wanted to work at a thrift store....probably a failed dealer. 

I sure hope you don't think one can just "google" decades of knowledge. Easy things you can, many unmarked and obscure things -not so much. 

Anyway. 

Most of what comes into any thrift on any day is low end. 

There are 1,000,000 and 1 tricks to know this business. Nobody ever learns it all. 

[retrose1]

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@emerald40 wrote:

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@moondogblues wrote:
"What could you possibly pick up at a thrift store for .59 and get $100 for?"

A painting...a button (real diamonds), a rare book. They can't know about everything that comes in.

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Then hire someone who does.  Or google it.

When this happens you are throwing away precious $$$s that could go a long way to help those in need.

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Not always. 

I sell vintage clothing on the other site - I have a friend that also sells on the other site and for the most part she can't give away vintage and often she will hand an item to me and I can sell it in a week and she tried for months.

Was the item unsellable?  Same site, same item and for the most part the same style of listing and presentation.  The difference - our regular buyer base.  Mine are vintage, hers are alt crafty.

That is pretty much what happens at a lot of thrift stores.  The don't know what they have and if they don't have a customer base that is interested in, say antiques, their customers only want new and trendy, it can sit on the shelf for weeks until someone who does know what it is buys it.

I walked into a church rummage bag sale and found an incredible designer vintage 2 pc 50s item (from the first 6 months of designing and she was making clothes herself) that was just hanging on the rack.  It had been there for a day and a half and even the dealers that came through didn't recognize what it was and buy it for $2!!!!!  I got it for about 50 cents and it's been on loan at a museum before I sell it.

The thrift shop got items for nothing, in most cases they are happy to get what they get for them and if some person is hard up and knows more about the item buys it and can flip it for a profit, then they are putting food on that persons table and I am sure they are happy with that.

[moondogblues]

"I have been buying for 17 years and have bought some fine diamond jewelry I could only dream of in the real world. But with anything you have to put in the time to do your daily searches and be willing to be near your computer when auctions end."

I have to agree with emerald on that one. I've gotten some incredible jewelry here that was appraised for 10 times or more than I paid. I do my due diligence and the bid as high as I am comfotable with and have been shocked at some of the wins. Lovin' it.

[coolections]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

Most means most, as in more than half. Most means nearly all but not quite.

 I think a better word for you to have chosen would be SOME.

 Marketing tricks only work on some people, not most and definitely not all.

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Certain people who claim in "every" post that a buyer is a scammer chooses to use the word "most".  It allows for no responsibility for claiming "all" buyers are scammers.

[neveriiold]

No, I don't see the world in terms of "black and white," but I do clearly see the difference between negotiating a better deal (when it is warrranted) and making lowball offers that attempt to "steal" others' merchandise.  Big difference seems to me.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@neveriiold wrote:

No, I don't see the world in terms of "black and white," but I do clearly see the difference between negotiating a better deal (when it is warrranted) and making lowball offers that attempt to "steal" others' merchandise.  Big difference seems to me.

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Making a lowball offer is hardly akin to theft, or even attempted theft. When someone makes a lowball offer, you can say NO.

When someone steals from you, you don't have a choice in the matter.

Again, if someone lowballs you, just tell them no. How hard is that? Why get all up in the air and offended?  I'll say it again...I just don't get it.

[neveriiold]

I understand your point.  Mine has always been I just don't appreciate the mentality of some buyers who  try and waste my time and make ridiculously lowball offers.  I am not here to try and convince you of my position.  Obviously this conversation has touched a raw nerve with many sellers.  

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@neveriiold wrote:

I understand your point.  Mine has always been I just don't appreciate the mentality of some buyers who  try and waste my time and make ridiculously lowball offers.  I am not here to try and convince you of my position.  Obviously this conversation has touched a raw nerve with many sellers.  

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Oh, for sure, it's aggrivating, annoying, irritating and is a time waster. But it's also incredibly easy to say no and block.  I guess, just like you don't appreciate the mentality of lowballers, I don't appreciate the mentality of sellers who don't want to sell, because that hurts all of us in the long run. 

I don't try to figure out why people do what they do or try to change that.  Some people are just cheap. Some people are just looking for the best deal they can get and are willing to negotiate. Some are resellers who want to flip.  Some people are from a culture where haggling is commonplace. Some people are just...morons. Not my place to figure them out. If an offer is too low, counter or decline. If it's way too low, decline and block. If it's something you can work with, work with it. But there's no reason to take it personally, because it isn't. It's business, and you can't let personal feelings run a business.

The one thing I love most about the internet is it's incredibly easy to ignore someone who's an irritant, unlike in person when they're all up in your business.

[18704d]

"Then hire someone who does.  Or google it."

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Ever get a chance to peak at the store / donation room of a few of those thrifts?

(or their garbage dumpster?)

One of our local ones has a stack of bagged / boxed items 12 feet tall, running the entire 60 foot length of the back room.

Yes, that's twice as tall as a person.  One huge pile.

They have a lot of free help, church volunteers etc, and they're lucky just to get the clothing and kitchen items sorted and priced.  They don't want to waste time resetting the price on their price sticker gun, so.. once it's on 49 cents, they'll spend the next half hour marking items 49 cents.  There's no way they can tell if that small knick-knack is rare or not.  I've even peeled back the 99 cent sticker on the bottom of a metal candlestick  holder and read "sterling silver" beneath it.

Time and manpower are the problems.

And then every couple weeks, they'll make it so all kitchen ware is a dollar a bag, or twenty dollars a shopping cart, and they still can't make a dent in their storeroom inventory.

And it's not just this one thrift, even our local GW is like this.

They cherry pick the best stuff for the floor, and over 50% of all donations, end up in their dumpster.

Lynn

[emerald40]

If they are going to keep the sticker gun on .49 when it is a sterling silver candle holder then all I can say is I am glad I do not donate to them anymore and maybe others should give to places that do a better job of pricing their items.

[mg152]

My 23 yr old son finally got a job after 2 yrs of applications & interviews. The job is at Dollar General. He's tickled to have it & they call him in every time someone calls out. He's 5 minutes away so he gets lots of work & he really likes it.

[gagnon234]

. . . Email I get yesterday only asks, "How low will you go?" . . . .
My response would have been: How high will you go & perhaps we can agree to meet somewhere in the middle.
(and that's only because I desperately need shelf space)

[18704d]

"If they are going to keep the sticker gun on .49 when it is a sterling silver candle holder.."

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They didn't know it was sterling silver.

They didnt' read it.  They didn't have time.  They are picking up items, nonstop.. hundreds per hour and tagging them.

They dont' have the time to do more than a one or two second 'survey' of what it is they're holding.

That's how quick they must guess.  They have furniture deliveries and pickups to do, and more donations are being dropped off by the car load.

They can't hire more help, especially not expert help because... employees are an expense.

And they must keep expenses down.  It's more expedient to keep the core employees and volunteers they have, and make their thousand dollar a day store sales quota this way.

Lynn

[neveriiold]

 Hey, to anyone still reading this long conversation.  Happy to report a happy ending.  Had an antique chest listed on Craigslist and eBay for a while now.  No interest until this week - got two lowballers from Craigslist (to whom I politely said, "thanks, but no thanks.")  Just sold it to someone via eBay (who lives near my home actually) who paid full price and loves it!  Win, win for both.  

P.S.  Isn't that always the way - no interest in an item for a year and then in 2 days, 3 different people are interested in buying it.