# Buyers who think your prices are too high ...



## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

I keep running into this in both real life and on eBay. 

I sell vintage/antique/collectible dolls and accessories, and some of my prices are admittedly high. It's what the market will bear, and I generally paid a fair amount to purchase the items (usually in big lots or in sleeper auctions) in the first place. 

I can just ignore (and block) eBay buyers, but what do you say to people in real life who are incensed that you're charging what they perceive as high prices? 

I took my booth down at the resale store today, and a customer started haranguing me that my prices were too high and that was why I had to leave. Err, no, the reason I was leaving was (A) loss of profits due to shrinkage or breakage (and at least half my merchandise had gone missing, and that was a LOT of merchandise) and (B) I wanted to focus my time on my eBay store ... where my prices were about double what I'd been charging in the resale store. 

And then today I had a would-be customer contact me on eBay with a message stating, in part, [Snip] bionic fashions manufactured in USA, are worth between US$20-$30 [SNIP] anything removed from packets looses between 50%-75% value, a bionic dress with matching shoes in mint condition worth between $10-$15 however, the shoes alone, worth approx $3-$5 G/Ex, there is no way a pair of Kenner shoes are worth more than sealed outfit.

Bye!
​I have no idea how old his books are, but Bionic Woman fashions routinely sell in the low three figures ($100-$300) MOC, and loose fashions are starting to push $100. I just sold a pair of hard to find shoes for $39.99. The shoes HE wanted and thought I should charge $3-5 for were $34.99 and they are for a Sears-exclusive mail-order only fashion that is incredibly hard to find. I should probably raise the price on them, honestly, but the fashion is so rare that I haven't seen any recent sales of it to get comps. 

There's also a sizable market for minty, deboxed/decarded items, to the point where I routinely debox lower end collectibles. If a fashion was genuinely only worth $30, I would definitely remove it from the card before sale. Box collectors are incredibly picky about the condition of the box. (Or card.) People who collect loose fashions are generally people who want to dress their dolls up and display them, rather than having a wall of shelves that looks like yesterdays toy store with boxed toys. For a fashion in very good condition, most will pay close to the MOC price. The only time I see a real difference in price between MOC or loose is when it comes to extremely rare, extremely valuable, or older (early 60's or older) fashions. 

I'd much rather sell a loose fashion to a collector who wants to display it and is delighted to get a crispy-new feeling outfit vs. sending a MOC card fashion to someone who's going to complain that the card has a microscopic scratch in it. 

(Plus, from an archival standpoint, cards are generally not the greatest way to store items long term. Cardboard is acidic plus the paint on cards often transfers to the widgets touching it. So from a conservation standpoint, it's better to store stuff loose, in, say, archival quality baggies.)

For generic, run of the mill, modern Barbie shoes in common colors, my prices start at $4 ... sometimes on sale for $3.

Obviously that message got him blocked from buying from me, but I get the same feedback from people in real life all the time.

Do any of you guys have a good, polite but firm, to the point answer for someone who says, "The BOOK says the price should be ..." or who says, "Your prices are too high ..." 

I can't be rude to people who I talk to in real life (small town) and I do pick up the occasional sale locally, but I'm tired of getting flack.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

Reminds me of the time a customer was haranguing my wife at a show trying to lowball her on an item. While he was arguing that the price was much too high another customer walked up to me, pulled out the posted price and walked past the the still jabbering gentleman. My wife looked at him and said " I'm sorry the price was too high.... for you."
If your prices are right you'll sell your items. That's the best answer.


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

mmoetc said:


> Reminds me of the time a customer was haranguing my wife at a show trying to lowball her on an item. While he was arguing that the price was much too high another customer walked up to me, pulled out the posted price and walked past the the still jabbering gentleman. My wife looked at him and said " I'm sorry the price was too high.... for you."
> If your prices are right you'll sell your items. That's the best answer.


Oh, I know success is the best revenge. 

But I still have to be polite :hairto the people who think a $50 widget should be a $5 widget because this "isn't eBay" and/or they don't believe the items would sell for that much anywhere -- I DO lower my prices for in-person sales because there's less risk with cash in hand vs. selling on eBay, and generally less work involved. 

But I'm not going to sell something for pennies on the dollar when, with fifteen minutes of work, I can sell it on eBay for a premium. 

On the flip side, though, there are the people who think their widgets are worth dollars when they're only worth pennies. Don't get me started on people who think they have 1960's Barbies because the doll's tramp stamp says 1966.


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## farmrbrown (Jun 25, 2012)

The answer to your question?
You already answered it yourself. Stop dealing with people in person and sell on ebay.
If not, there will never be a day in your life that someone WON'T come up to you and say your price is too high.
If your sign on the door says "OPEN", it WILL happen, guaranteed.
What am I saying?
It happens to everyone, everyday, and it never stops, that's just the way they are.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I would not worry about what people say concerning your prices. If you have done your research and compared your prices to other similar products and are comfortable with them (and after all the idea is to make a profit) then I would just advise the critics that they are free to shop elsewhere. If you really are over priced you will find out soon enough because you will not sell anything.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

"Duly noted" (sometimes with a smile,sometimes not) was my response to almost everyone from patients to fellow nurses who were either blowing off steam or complaining about something that I could not, or would not, change. Not every complaint deserves a full on explanation, but this way it's at least noted.

'Thanks for your input'.... another non-answer response. You really don't owe anyone an explanation on how you run your business.


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## Ceilismom (Jul 16, 2011)

"I have all the sales I can handle at my current prices." It's funny, every antique dealer I've talked to in the past 10 years has lamented how ebay drove prices down and killed their sales. 

I remember seeing a sign in antique stores many years ago (next to the one that says that unattended children will be caught and sold as slaves) that said something to the effect that "I found it, bought it, hauled it, cleaned it, fixed it, polished it, stored it, and priced it. How could I possibly take any less for it?" It's a bit long-winded, but I think it makes a valid point.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

I've been known to tell someone who says they can buy the same thing at a third of the price I'm selling it for to please go do it. Then bring it me and I'll give them an extra 10% on top of what they paid. I've never had one come back to sell me their bargain. 

You'll never convince someone that they know less than you. Don't even try. Smile, hold your ground and your prices, and don't take things personally.


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

I just tell them very nicely "thank you for viewing my listings" and leave it go at that. I refuse to enter into a price discussion with anyone.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

My mom and dad did a lot of flea markets during the time they were traveling all the time. Mom heard a lot of "I can get that cheaper at Walmart". She would smile sweetly and tell them that they should go to Walmart then.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I run into this problem from time to time. 

When I get a person you says your price is too high, I simply say, thank you for that information.

When someone says I had no idea ___ was so expensive! I respond, I felt the same way when I bought my first ___ but I realized later it was well worth the price.

When someone says I cant afford that. I say I saved X months for my first ___. It was a hard step to make but I never regretted it. 

If I get one of those I can get it cheaper at walmart people, depending on my mood I either give them directions to the nearest walmart or make some snide comment about China junk, LOL. 

The older I get, the less I care about offending someone in that manner. They get it, and more often than not, people that think my prices are too high come back to buy at a later date when they figure out what I have wasnt such a bad deal after all...


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## Becka (Mar 15, 2008)

I smile and say, "Yes, we get what we pay for, homemade vs. China junk."


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## beenaround (Mar 2, 2015)

been buying and selling for years and for the most part, they are right, it isn't worth that much.

I don't set prices based on what the market or I can get for it, I base it on wanting to see them be happy. I do limit my customers and have my own set of rules as to who I deal with. Profanity is not good in my book for starters.

When everything goes bust because of the way people treat each other, then tell me it was worth it. 

Today it takes a billionaire to be as well off as a millionaire was in the early 1900's. In other words, we've really devalued a buck following "the market".


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

sisterpine said:


> I just tell them very nicely "thank you for viewing my listings" and leave it go at that. I refuse to enter into a price discussion with anyone.


This is the same thing my wife does with her Etsy Shop... 

If she gets someone that is trying to low ball her, she states the price is firm.. take it or leave it... Then she'l often times end up selling the item not long afterwards to the person trying to low ball her...

My wife prices her items very fairly, but she also won't give them away. She works hard to find the items, clean them up, and spend her time researching and listing it.... It's not a low overhead business selling old items..


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Cygnet said:


> I keep running into this in both real life and on eBay.
> 
> I sell vintage/antique/collectible dolls and accessories, and some of my prices are admittedly high. It's what the market will bear, and I generally paid a fair amount to purchase the items (usually in big lots or in sleeper auctions) in the first place.
> 
> ...


just tell them politely that if they dont want to pay your prices they are perfectly free to buy from "the book" or any other source that they find cheaper. I am reminded of the sign that used to hang in our local feed store: "we have no quarrel with those who sell for less.... they know what their product is worth".


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I just posted a pickup on a sale site. The price is $3,500 or best offer.

Immediately I got a comment. $1000

I replied "no" 

I'm not going to waste time with someone who isn't serious.

What you are selling is not food or life saving medication so if someone is willing to pay a high price why not let them.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

When I get my things set-up and I got a few more expensive pieces---example a piece marked $600, another $500 etc---I get my wife to walk around and offer me a price a little lower than marked. When a customer offers me $300 for a marked $600 item---I kinda Laugh-----not alot---and tell them I had a better offer earlier----I tell me my bottom dollar-----and if they say no---I tell them to check back in 6 months and if I still got it----I might drop a little. Thanks


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Haggling is a religion. Some people will offer ten cents for an item priced at a quarter just because they stand an off chance of getting the item at that price.

On the other side of the coin, I see movie posters on ebay that are given astronomically ridiculous prices. I have an original "Star Wars" one sheet with provenance. I've seen people try to sell junk ones for $5,000 when even mine would max out around $2K.

Collectors ALWAYS think what they have is extremely valuable and what YOU have is worth very little - unless there is heated bidding.

You can say "My prices are firm." with a smile, or commiserate that "Yes, the price is high, but I just had to pay $7,000 to the emergency room to have a hangnail removed, and the dealer wants another $5,000 to repair my car, and ... BTW ... you aren't a doctor or car dealer are you? I may have underestimated my price."


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## edcopp (Oct 9, 2004)

Often it works out for me to answer a comment with a question. (or 2).

I remember when land was $100 an acte around here.

How much did you buy? Usually the answer is none. I then ask why he did not buy any land? The answer often is "too much". Sometimes I ask if they have any to sell. Most of the time the answer is no (I don't have any to sell) or if the do happen to have some land you can bet that it will be a lot better than yours and therfore more pricy than yours.

When advised by some expert that mine is only worth say $15 when I know the going price is $85, I often thank them kindly for that information and follow up with my question: How many do you have to sell at $15? I am very interested. Here we are talking about U.S. Silver Dollars, and yes I can remember when you could go to the bank and get them for $1 each, and then complain about them being too heavy to carry. That was a while back.:thumb:


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