I made an offer on eBay...
Stooge
Posts: 4,673 ✭✭✭✭✭
...and it didn't turn out.
I need a 1996-W Roosevelt in a PCGS MS68FB which there are 251/0 in this grade. I contacted a seller that has 5 of them and was asking $125, then $120, then $115, then $113, then $112.50. This has been over a few months that I've been tracking it.
I sent him a nice short note asking if he would take $100. Here was his response.
Sorry : WE can not sell at that price.
I see others at 175.00
WE are the lowest
THANKS
Well I can accept that, so I wasn't going to sweat the 12.50 any longer and just pull the trigger, so I went to the auction and found the price had been bumped to $139.85.
Some sellers just don't want to sell I guess.
Later, Paul.
5
Comments
you will just have to wait a few months again
Gotta love it. I would have emailed him back and asked if he would have sold it for the old price.
I haven't given a response. Not sure if I will.
Later, Paul.
I can see the seller feeling frustrated that his cache of high-grade special Roosies aren't finding buyers like he thought they would when he hoarded them. He needs to decide whether he wants to sell or hold, though. It doesn't look like he's made up his mind.
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
...don't ever show your hand buddy...reply back using the original offer message and tell him you will give him $110 shipped...watch him bite
...it's eBay so he could start buy listing them 1 at a time...with a pop of 251/0...I would think taking the other 4 down may increase some potential interest...it's a numbers game and some people like holding casino chips more than cash
I have seen this happen before from both the buying and selling side.
As a seller, it is a bit frustrating when you have the lowest price and someone wants a huge discount on top. In your case, I think the $100 offer on a $112.50 coin is fair. I would more than likely take that or counter at $105-$110.
Raising the price does work occasionally. There might be a lot of watchers waiting for the price to drop, then they see it increase, and suddenly wish they could have bought at the original pricing (which may still be possible). Some of those people may even give in and buy at the higher price (I have seen it happen).
@U1chicago I appreciate the comments. I thought $100 was fair, but at the current price of $139.85, he will not get a sale. I have waited for 3 yrs since I got back into collecting Roosies, I can continue to wait.
Later, Paul.
It seems to me that you were close enough for a deal and the coin sat long enough to justify the deal; but that is easy for me to say since I am not a party to the transaction.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Love it....buyers seem to think that negotiations only go in one direction.
Well lets see...savings add up. If I made this deal every week for the savings of just a small $12.50, over 52 weeks what would that be?
Negotiations ended when he went to $139 instead of attempting to make a deal. I was willing to pay the $112.50, but not now.
Rich Uhrich just sold one to me for less than $112.50. Done deal!
Later, Paul.
@Stooge
I know in my initial comment I said to ask if he would take the old listed price of $112.50, but I think if it were me I would just sit and wait. IMO the problem with many if not all top pop moderns is that there are bound to be more of them down the road, which in turn will continue to drive prices down. I no longer have any major interest in trying to build a set of top pops, lesson learned a few years ago when I was building a birth year set for myself in MS and proofs. In many cases most of them tanked in value because so many of the populations have grown a great deal. If I make a top pop through submissions then fine but I refuse to pay big sums of money for something like that, I would rather put it in to something much older and desirable.
Ever since I started selling beanie babies online when ebay was free and paypal didn't exist, the customer who speaks always the trouble maker.
Btw, one major reason ebay becomes popular today was because beanie babies and Pat sajak. Why? Because Pat asked for one beanie baby during the show and everyone went on ebay to look for it. lol
Exactly! There are 251 of these and I was told by 2 very reliable high end Roosie collectors that the most they would pay for a '96-W 8FB was less than $100 by a considerable margin. Not sure if that is possible, and I have waited 3yrs for one to come along, so I attempted to make a deal.
I'm not into chasing registry points, sets, or super expensive coins. I'm done with that.
Later, Paul.
Very odd sales strategy on the seller's part but now you have the coin he's still trying to sell, so win-win for you.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
It would be logical on Amazon when a seller raised the price or deleted the stock when a customer asked too many questions since there is no blocking. Any seasoned sellers would consider it the best approach when customer started to ask or made comment before purchase.
No sin to give it a try. Sometimes though things backfire. Glad that you got your coin!
I was and am following a piece that was offered as an auction starting at $1,500. I waited because I thought it might not sell and would be relisted at a lower price. I was half right, it was relisted but at over $10,000!
I have an MS66 I purchased years ago... and two still in cello.. One of those looks like it could go top pop.... maybe will send it in one day. Cheers, RickO
Any pics @ricko ?
Just kidding
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
@1630Boston.... Who knows, maybe a candidate for my 50K post....
Yeah, right....Cheers, RickO
I've had similar things occur with sellers increasing their price (sometimes dramatically) after a coin doesn't sell. My thought is that they are hoping people will not look at EBay's history, and will then add a big discount / sale (back to the original price they want) in order to entice buyers. I haven't seen it work very often, but I rarely track too many sellers that employ this technique, especially with fairly common coins.
I also have made legitimate offers that don't work out because a seller says it's too low, only to wait a couple of weeks, see it go to auction, and buy it for much lower than I originally offered. As others have stated, just being patient can save you a lot of money.
I have had items on my watch page for yrs. just to see the items never move. Sellers never change the pictures, price, description, nothing. If you aren't doing any research in buying, you may be giving money away.
Later, Paul.
I guess if u did not jump on the coin when it was $112.50 and tried to haggle over $12.50 I would have probably upped the price to $175. You must have not wanted it very badly. Haggle over that - really lol? That's less than the price of a lap dance!
But thanks for the story it makes for interesting convo with some of the girls I meet at Ritz Houston.
I once had a commem CAC in ebay auction starting at Bluesheet. PCGS 66 York. No bids and in disgust threw it back in store at full retail. It sold 2 weeks later, so unbelievable delightful. Perhaps he us thinking same.
My policy on offers like that - just tell them "unless item BIN / make offer already at our best price."
I know a few guys who went to their graves , clutching their stuff. I heard one say, after he got what I thought was a reasonable offer on one item : "Over my dead body". I think you might have better luck buying a 1996 Unc Mint set for $20 and submitting the coin yourself. It would take less time and you might get a 69.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Paul
If you want to spend $100 for one then go find a seller who has one for a hundred bucks, as simple as that.
You should be able to find one. Maybe you will just have to get a raw one in a pcgs amos coin holder to find
in your budget.
a.k.a "The BUFFINATOR"
And what will be your giveaway for your 50,000 post? Surely at least a picture of a toned coin.
I have done that before. It amazes me how cheap some people want to buy stuff. Not too long ago I accidently priced a coin for 1/2 what it was worth with a best offer. LOL to the idiot that made me an offer!
Are they really hard to make? Seems I remember sending two in and getting 68fb on both....obvioulsy hoping for a 69...
More than 10% of those graded got the 68fb. With a good eye I think you could do it cheaper and have more fun.
Try buying one raw and submitting.
bob:)
This same seller had a coin up for sale at $169 or best offer. I made a not unreasonable offer of $145 and they countered at $168.
$1 off...sounds like you found the right seller!
Later, Paul.
I had one fellow on the Bay try chisel me down on a $38 coin trying offer $33. Told him "priced as marked." A week later sold to a real buyer at $38 asking price. Don't let them talk u down.
I have to laugh at these people - do they try chisel down the Walnart cashier?
Use your eBay bucks!
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
You should counter with $146!
I never responded to the seller...now after I bought one, he has now listed one for $0.99 opening bid.
I will be bidding $99.99 and not a cent more!
Later, Paul.
no no no.... for a collector of your status, the 50k post/ contest ...... bigger silver, a year younger with the same W mint mark.. hint! hint!
Shopping at Walmart is in no way comparable to purchasing collectibles on eBay. There could be a lot of legitimate reasons why a seller may not want to go lower or they could be unrealistic in their pricing. You cannot make sweeping generalizations either way.
@TurboSnail ....
Not likely...maybe for my 100,000th post I might consider that... 'might' being the operative word... 
Cheers, RickO
Just remember that the seller may being greedy but if he thinks it is worth his price, he is clearly mistaken.
It does not matter if the buyer is wanting a coin, gun, stamp, comic book, medal, statuette, house, car
marbles or anything else on this planet. I started with collectibles when i was 8 and am now 60 so i have
seen a lot of water go under the bridge and have had 52 years experience in collecting and trading
off my bits and pieces to better my own personal set of buffalo and V nickels. Please
note all buffalos had in my eyes, approximately 85% horns visible. However when i offered my
collections to my children to carry on and they screwed up their faces and said what do we want with
that S@@T dad ,that told me that the younger generation has no interest in what we had of yesteryear
and the people of present days they have them, need to sell them off. It did upset me at the start but
i have come to deal with it now....
I feel that no matter what a buyer offers, that price should be considered very carefully as , our kids are
just going to throw them away or simply melt the silver and gold.... You can thank the latest crazes, mobile
phones and the computer age for all this. The item for sale is only worth what a person is willing to pay
for it and not a penny more. So that clearly says a person reneggs on a sensible price that a buyer offers
( AND NOT A STUPID LOW PRICE , LIKE IS EBAY ) they do not want to sell anything and is only wasting
both the buyers and their time, Hope i have not ruffled any backs here but i am saying it how it is on
todays younger generations...If you readers of this are old enough, the Jetson type household is
not far away...Have a nice day you all....OIO
No matter how badly you want it, you should go back to the seller and just say forget the entire offer. Personally , I can see the seller is possibly regretting his greediness as he / she did not want to leave any meat on the bone for you. If you ever watch american pickers, Frank uses that terminology often....Please remember a deal is not a deal unless both buyer and seller are content. We are not talking about a plate 77 GB penny red stamp that only 3 are made. ( 1 is in the royal collection and the other 2 are in museums..) This is just a coin of higher grade then normal with possibly mintage in the tens to hundreds of thousands..Compare 3 items to tens of thousands. I know what i would prefer. Personally i would counter with 2 words...They are "KEEP IT" As a retired dealer, there is nothing worse than a customer saying KEEP IT. I learnt that in my late teens , early 20;s. You can do as you wish but if it was me, i would prefer just to spite him to pay a bit more from someone else and not let the person have the sale.... With the difference in the money, what i do is imagine i have gone out for dinner and i do know where the dinner will end up eventually. Now if i am happy to pay $50.00 ( incl wine ) for dinner and it ends in the toilet , then i am happy paying $50 more from another seller...Have a nice day ...OIO