Crafting price negotiations, or lack thereof. A small rant.

[SwdVengeance]

Maybe I didn't clarify what my actual issue was. I'm absolutely not upset over someone wanting near MB prices or even declining to haggle any. That's all perfectly reasonable and I have no problems there. What baffles me was the lack of responses and flat out just ignoring when I attempted to haggle. There's the handful that reacted rudely and the other handful that were perfectly polite about it, but 80% just flat out wouldn't respond to inquires when I either offered, what I would surmise, below what they wanted or counter offered. I've never been so nearly universally ignored when I attempted to do so elsewhere, hence my concern that the crafter scene here generally acts different than I'm used to. I've got no misgivings as to pricing or why someone wouldn't want to haggle, just be the general, what I consider, unsociable behavior when attempted to negotiate.

[Khalithar]

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I can understand why they'd act that way actually. As I stated in my post above, your request was in fact unreasonable, very unreasonable. Making an offer like that, I'm guessing they thought you were either trolling or your request came across as so absurd they didn't even want to bother responding.

[SwdVengeance]

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Maybe that is telling then. I'm aware 20% markdown is unreasonable, 5-10% markdown isn't considering that's not much even beyond tax saving. Asking 20% as an opening offer isn't unreasonable, expecting 20% is. That's the essence of negotiating, I'm not going to open talks with what price I expect to get, just as I don't expect sellers to be asking literal MB prices either. If what you're saying is correct it would just mean negotiating isn't common practice here, which what originally worried me.

[Khalithar]

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I've seen people negotiate prices (purely anecdotal I know) but asking for that much initially when you're expecting them to spend their time and their materials crafting an item that costs a decent amount? It's not surprising (to me) that they don't want to bother negotiating or even talking with someone making an offer like that off the bat. If you're absolutely set on them providing their own materials and paying less, then my advice is offer 5-10% initially and ask if they're willing to go lower. If they're willing to go lower, great. If they're not and 5-10% is all they're willing to do, I'd say take the deal anyway.

[SwdVengeance]

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I completely understand that crafters need to have a decent profit margin on things, especially those in which they're providing the materials. Believe it or not, I do do a decent research of costs before asking something like this. Avg final product prices, mid way material prices, base material prices, sale speed and avg price history, etc. I don't want people here to be under the wrong impression that I'm trying to shortball or scam someone out of their work and money.

That said, let's work with the specific example I gave for a minute. Average completed product ranges from 100k-160k going by avg sale history. Lets say 150k a piece for ease, that's 2.4m for a full set of them, per MB pricing. Base materials, combined, average out to be around 1.3-1.4m. Just as reference material, there's the numbers as of right now. Given that, you're telling me that it's unreasonable to open with a 2m offer on a combined finished product, that is asking for slightly under a 20% markdown. I hardly feel that's anywhere near, "That person must be trollin', I'm just going to ignore," levels. Profit margin is solid, yes I'm asking for more than the 5% tax to be knocked off, but that's a very solid opening offer.

Once again, I'm not expecting to actually pay that price, I intend to negotiate from there. My issues remain, not the price, but the fact people ignored me for either asking that offer outright, or attempting to haggle theirs down. To be clear as well, both in PF and in my /tell responses, included that I was willing to negotiate. Anyone and everyone that simply replied it was too low or they didn't want to haggle, I have absolutely no issue with nor why they said that.

If you're absolutely set on them providing their own materials and paying less, then my advice is offer 5-10% initially and ask if they're willing to go lower. If they're willing to go lower, great. If they're not and 5-10% is all they're willing to do, I'd say take the deal anyway.

I don't want to seem rude, but that's a completely backwards way of doing things. Why would someone agree to lower a price when someone just stated they would pay higher. I've never heard (anecdotal as well here) of that situation ever actually working out in the buyers favor. I doesn't benefit the seller to do so given the person just said, "Hey, here's a reasonable offer I'm willing to spend right now, but could you go lower?" Although I free admit, I may be applying far too much real life logic to this situation, but depending on a sellers kindness in order to get a price below the max you were reasonably going to spend doesn't seem wise.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

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Thing is, you need to be mindful of the market. I don't particularly mind if someone wants to haggle, yet at the same time, I may not bother with the transaction because I can just as easily put the item on the MB and get a better price. People likely aren't responding because they, too, can't be bothered with someone fighting them on a price. Most crafters already have a set number in mind and aren't interested in offers below it. This is largely due to the fact they know they'll sell the item eventually. So they don't need to deal with someone haggling them.