Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark17
I agree. A selling situation is, by definition, adversarial. The seller, naturally, wants the sale price to be the highest number possible, and the buyer, naturally, wants the price to be as low as possible. I've been involved with many such negotiations, and it is very easy for the situation to become testy. The seller values his item and wants to feel good about making a nice sale, and the buyer starts to point out flaws that should bring the number lower.
The OP may have lost out on a card, but, depending how he ultimately chooses to look at it and how he chooses to react, he may have saved a friendship.
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I can definitely appreciate that it’s not a simple situation. At the same time, with a decent relationship and two sides willing to be adults, it doesn’t have to be all that challenging. I’ve certainly done a number of deals and also passed on a number of deals with friends with very similar facts.
Usually the friend tells me how much they need for their piece, at which point either I pass, take the offer, or counter. If it’s something that I really want, then usually I’m willing to pay just about any price, at least within reason. But maybe that’s what helps with my situation. Often I’m willing to pay a lot for my grails, so it’s less likely to result in tension with my friend as the seller. And if I’m not willing to pay the asking price, then we’re adult enough to stay friends even if the deal on the table didn’t work out.
And I can appreciate that it doesn’t always work out so neatly. But I can virtually guarantee that if my friend sent the piece to auction, he would tell me about it, if for no other reason than wanting me to aggressively bid on it to help maximize the final auction price.