Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark17
When I go to a store, or a barber shop, or take one of my collies to the vet, I never make a counter-offer. I've never gone into a supermarket and asked them, "What's the best you can do if I take 5 apples..."
For some reason, people who buy cards and memorabilia have a completely different mindset.
I never list anything on ebay with an OBO because all that does is broadcast my listed price isn't real. I don't enjoy the haggling process. See the price and either pay it or move on.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark17
When there's something I want with an OBO, that tells me the seller will take a lower price. I decide what I'm willing to pay, submit that offer, and if it's rejected or countered, I walk.
I agree with you that this study makes assumptions on why a seller might delay responding. Among the reasons you mention having to do with different time zones, family activities and so on, I would add that all sellers do not approach the process the same. For example, several times when I've made my offer, the seller never replies. The study might suggest he was considering the offer, but the other explanation would be that he rejected it and letting it expire was his way of declining.
People go to Best Buy and never haggle over the sticker price of a TV or computer. The same people go to a car dealership and haggle over the sticker price of a new car. It's an oddity of our culture I suppose. In some situations, haggling is nonexistent; in others, it's a game that's always expected to be played.
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You're right that most of the time, negotiating over the price of something is not what happens in the US. However, in other countries, it is common to haggle over prices for many things.
I'm not sure why cards, cars and houses have an expectation of negotiation over the price (at least for most people), but it is definitely a part of US culture.