Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The art of the haggle

I stopped in a local pawn shop the other day. I just listened in as a customer worked the pawn broker on a 1911. Got him to come down $40.00 on it. It was a Rock Island. I wonder how many folks never make an effort to save themselves a little money on these deals? It always seems like reasonable brokers are willing to budge a little bit.

Jeff, ever see a bidder jump the bid at an auction? We did on a farm.

They probably gave the previous owner $125 for it.


I never pay a Gypsy their asking price. I will walk out. I didn’t need when I walked in.

From the other side of the counter, I expected people to come in and haggle on the price so I always left myself room to bargain. Usually made more money on the sale that way and customers would come back because they got a "good" deal. Sell people what they want, not what they need. Just like slumlord said.

Art of the haggle ???
Wtf is that????

Jenna Jamison videos for 2 dinars

Mr Douglas, what I have here is:
A genuine, fur lined bong, for your marijuana smoking pleasure.

I think most people try to get a better deal.

The Art of the Hag.

I always ask, “what’s the best you can do on that price?”

The most solid way to get a deal is to have ten times too many of whatever is for sale and have the seller come begging to you to sell it. Oh, that's a pawn shop, never mind.

25 years ago I went to the pawn shops every week while on lunch break, shopping for used guns.


I made a lot of offers.
After a while I had their policy mapped out.
If they ask the boss, the answer is no.
There is an offer they will accept.

A pawn shop in Bothell would take 10% off any gun not on consignment.

A pawn shop in Lynnwood would take 25% off any gun that I could point out something wrong with it.

A gun store in Lynnwood, where I was making offers to the owner, there was no predicting what he would take. Sometimes 0%, sometimes up to 25%.

The key is that employees have been told what offer to take as a percentage.

Did you ever just pay what they were asking or are you that guy? The one that never pays whatever they're asking, no matter how fair?

I made an offer just a little under the asking price on a scoped rifle once, like $20 less than asking price, and the guy was so insulted he grabbed it off the shelf and was headed to the back room with it. Whoa whoa whoa, that's fine, I'll pay that!

On the other side, did a job for a German woman once. $4750 was what we verbally agreed on. No contract. When I got done, she said, "I never pay full price for anything", and handed me a check for $4600. I've dealt with German women before and I padded the bill in case. Good thing. When she called to have me back I ignored her calls.

Don't be that guy, it is not to your advantage in the long run.

I used to get some real good deals at the privately owned shops.
Since most are now nationwide chains---not many deals at all.

I'm too Norwegian to be a decent haggler.

LoL!!! He's in the wrong business if he gets triggered like a small child over somebody making an offer less than the hang-tag price.

A lot depends on how many times its been pawned. If they've made money off the gun several times already...they may cut you a heck of a deal. Never hurts to ask. I go in knowing I don't have to have it. I picked up a like new s&w 36 snub for 200otd the other day...but this same place will ask 149 for a used marlin 22 you can get from academy for 129...and they'll let it sit for 2 years.

I was dickering at pawn shops.
I was dickering at gun shows.
I was dickering at car buys. "If you will come down on your commission, I will buy it right now."
I was dickering at real estate. "I got the seller down as far as he will go. If both you salesmen come down on your commissions, this deal will go through right now."

Then I got so old, I don't dicker any more.

I hate haggling, but I'll do it. Better yet, I send my wife in...

Dick-er-ing, on the other hand.....

Wait that came out wrong...


I'm going to quit digging now!

Down here we call it “jewin someone down”

I haggle over price anywhere, and with anyone, that I possibly can. My old Daddy would roll over in his grave if I did otherwise.........

If someone offers me too low of a price initially on something, I'll not come down a nickel. I get tired of people acting like they are Pawn Stars or Richard Rawlins. I don't price my stuff with a big cushion to deal with jack wagons offering half and other such nonsense.

If I see something I want, I'll offer a fair price or say what will you take for it right now ect.

Dealing, Haggling ect is fine but just hoping someone will sell something for half of a fair price is insulting at least to me. That said some idiot offers you a rifle at the range for cheap because they can't hit anything with it is great. Always keep cash with you for those situations and if it's a car or motorcycle ect. do the paperwork and get it out of there before they get SHEET in their neck as my old boss would say!

When I started remodeling the house, I went to the closest building supply store and talked to the manager. Told him that if we could reach an agreement on a discount, I would buy all the materials from him, if he had them or could get them. He refused, so I thanked him for his time and left.

If I need a small item, rather than drive the extra distance, I'll stop in a get it there. After a few months of me buying a few building supplies, the manager asked me why I didn't buy more from him. I reminded him of the discount I asked for and told him that another building supply store had worked with me. Just to rub salt in the wound, I also told him that I had spent over $40,000 at the other building supplier and that could have been his business, if he had wanted to work with me. He just shook his head and walked away.

FWIW, the discount the other place gave me was what they call the contractors discount. It's not a lot, but in the long run, it has saved me a few thousand dollars.

Always ask if they'll take less, ask for a rebate, special price if you buy a certain number of items, or a reach a certain dollar amount. The worse they can do is say 'No'.

I do it all the time on major items... My wife hates to haggle.. I love it...

If it's priced well and obviously in good shape, I have no problem paying their asking price. But if it's a pig in a poke, like an old snowblower that they can't even show running, then my price drops substantially. And since I don't need another project I can walk away easily if they won't sell at my offer.

My last best deal was on an 11-87 Sporting Clays (1997 manuf.) in excellent condition. I was actually looking for a youth gun for my daughter and stumbled on his ad. I said "really nice gun but I'm looking for a youth gun for my daughter. Oh well, best of luck selling it."

I waited a day.

I emailed again saying "Damn, that's a really nice gun. Too bad my gun budget isn't anywhere near your price."

His reply "How much is your gun budget?"

I said honestly "only 70% of what you're asking."

His reply "If you want to split shipping, it's yours."

Sold!

I walked away from a deal on a place yesterday because two realtors and a seller couldn't figure out how to structure the sale to meet our needs. The asking price was fine, but it required some very minor creative paperwork, and no one was motivated to do it. I wasn't asking for anything illegal.

you should see my brother.

Pawn stars??? Pffft

I know of NO pawn shop around this military base that says “hey I wanna give you best price, lemme bring a consultant in”


BWAHAHAHAHA


Blood suckers here will tag a used pos savage axis for higher than a new one off the rack at Walmart.

Used to go to a shop that had the price they paid for used guns as part of the stock number. Interesting once I figured it out.

That'd be good information to have!

If I'm traveling and want to stay in a mid-sized town I look for a decent looking Indian owned motel. If the parking lot is only about half full and it is late afternoon they will deal for cash. If it's a chain like Holiday Inn Express they usually won't take cash and don't deal. Very often lodging will come down in price if you point out you're over 65 and won't be tearing up their room. It never hurts to ask if they will take less for cash.

The best are on the FB sale sites when someone low balls you and you either say no or counter with a small price reduction, then they say "but I know a guy selling the same thing for half that and it's in nicer shape than yours! So that is what I'm willing to pay!"



Well dipshit, go by the nicer one for half price then!

I always check the tag On used guns for that reason. A shop I used to work at did the same thing.

Used to be a pawn shop in Zachary, La. that had a sign, 'This aint Wal Mart'. He'd have a beater rifle for sale and ask more for it than a new one. IIRC, the owner went to the pen for some kind of firearm dealings. It had something to do with fully automatic firearms, I think.

Save $30

Catch bedbugs

Sounds like a great plan.

Ask the Amish,

Geno

Haggling and negotiations are both science and art.

My grandfather would have my brother and I split a candy bar. One would cut it in two pieces. The other would choose which piece.

I stopped at a shop just before Christmas just for the heck of it. A sign on the door said 50% off store wide. They had a mid 60’s vintage M700 long action rifle that was tagged $550. He offered it to me for $275. I didn’t need the rifle so that’s as far as it went. If it would have been a short action I would have left with it.

Didn't some old wise Jewish guy want to do that with a sword and a baby?

Geno

Maybe. Grandad was Lutheran and his name wasn't Solomon.

Guys that offer you a $200 gun straight up for your $1300 rifle or the ones who want pictures, all info, load data, a dozen or so texts about your rifle for sale then say it's even nicer than you described but don't make an offer at all.

I remember the day I quit doing gun shows. I was selling silver and had about 2000 ounces with me. Spot was $14 and I was asking $14.50. All the other guys there were at $16. One guy kept coming back and hanging out for ever saying he'd buy some if I have it to him at spot. I said I already know I have the best price anywhere. He must have thought spot meant retail because he kept saying he never pays over listed price.

This went on for about 4 hours and my friend said you've got to do something to get rid of this guy. So I said watch this to my friend, then I told the guy OK I'll sell at spot. He then got all excited and took $14 out of his wallet and bought 1 ounce. My friend said your lucky he didn't take it all. I said, I'm surprised he bought one. He'll go sell to the other dealer for $14.10 and brag all month how he made easy money. My friend said you should have done that 4 hours ago. I said yes but at least now he earned his 50 cent discount.

I then packed up my display about 3:00pm on the first day and never did anything that show again. I've got nothing against haggling as long as it's remotely close to reasonable. Not like at an Oregon swap meet where some gomer wanted to trade an old rusty steak knife with a broken handle and a broken bike chain for a 1 ounce gold eagle.

Bb

We had dinner at some people's house. Our kids played. The wife's talked, and I was stuck talking to the guy, a heart surgeon who seemed too smart to talk to me. His parents were at Auschwitz. He was handsome.... then we talked about his remodelling. He said he was paying cost plus. I asked how the materials were priced. I said that a lumberyard may have a walk in price to the public, a lower discount price to contractors, and a higher official retail price [double the contractor price] that might show up on his invoice. The doctor who had been making me look so stupid a few minutes earlier stared at me like a deer looking into the headlights.

True "cost plus" like honest contractors do is THEIR cost of materials and their labor costs for paying their help. The PLUS is then added to that as the contractor's fee/profit.
I provide receipts for all material I purchase, which shows what I paid for it including my veteran's discount. Then I add my fee.

I Have a couple friends who own pawn shops. They set things aside with my name on them. Those items always are "I will take them at their price" eg: Model 52 B bull barrel schuetzen butt unmolested offered to me for $800. 870 marine magnum dirty but not messed up $250. Jackson Hole Arms switch barrel with three barrels and a hard case Rifle is 95% $700. Some others.

That's great for you. (seriously) but I think that is a big reason why pawn shops always carry the same crap every time you go in. The good stuff is in the back on the buddy system.

Just to make sure I was getting a discount and not just pencil pushing, early in the remodel I had my wife go buy some 2x4's. She got an invoice that looked normal.... # of items, item, cost per piece, and total for the item, subtotal, tax, total.

Then the next day I went in and bought the same number of 2x4's. Everything looked the same, except my invoice had an extra line showing the discount, and my total was less. It's a straight %age discount before tax.

That's how both of those places worked. I used to get a heads up when something good would be available and it could come out for inspection before the pawn was up. That's how I got the switch barrel.

One of them used to sell reloaded ammo he took in. I tried and tried to talk him out of doing that. One day he took in a bunch of 38 special ammo that was reloaded and he decided to run it through his carry piece. No powder and it stuck in the barrel. After that he listened and I just tore some of it down to make sure it was safe whenever he took in more.

I'm pretty good at it. I got that way by becoming friends with everybody I might want to buy something from.

I did a few gun shows from the back side of the table selling off some my stuff I just didn't need. Everything on the table was priced with haggling in mind. The guy on the table across from me had an old duck call I really wanted. I worked him all day Sunday trying to get him down a bit. He ended up selling it to me right before he left for a little discount. Haggling is fun, and I expect everyone to do it.

Took my Marlin JM 336, 35 Rem to the gunshow, asking $500, willing to take $475, forend was boogered up, nice but not original.........

Traded for an old Belgian, underlever, hammer, La Facheux action, 16x16 damascus, with a dent in one bbl + $225..............

Took the sxs and $225 and traded for a sporterized Krag w/ fancy mannlicher stock........

Went to my local GS and sold the Krag for $600................

Is that 'haggling'??????

Naw, that 'horse trading'.

So, the story goes. There was a rancher that got all the ranchers in the valley to put a train load of cattle every year to ship to the stockyards in Chicago.

On year the landed on a bad week, in a bad year, the market was low. The original Swift, I think, had already gone through the train load, and made the rancher an offer on the load. Our rancher thought the offer was too low, and they went through pen, by pen, and agreed an a price for all the cattle. The final bid was twenty dollars higher than the first bid.

The kidded the rancher for many years afterward about beating the old man out of twenty dollars on a train load of cattle.

My old man is a 'haggler'. If something is marked for $0.25 he'll try to get it for $0.24. It drives me nuts sometimes but then I catch myself doing it.

We had few spots bought up at a local swap meet last fall to try to get his garage cleaned up a bit. I was of the mindset that we're not taking it home and was dumping it as fast as people offered. Some of that schit was sitting on a shelf in the garage for 20 years. He'd have it priced sky high because "I might need it someday," which is how we got there in the first place.

Nobody pays asking price at those things.

"$120 less than nothing."

That was my Dad's typical reply when I asked him the cost of a new-to-him firearm. He would go to a gun show, buy and sell, buy and sell, come out ahead on each deal and end up with a free gun and $120 in his pocket. He was a master haggler.

I've always like $50 bills.
Something about the works for transactions. Not sure if it's cause you rarely see them or what.
I like to pull out a stack and tell the preson "I'm going to lay down some bills, when I fell like that's my end I'll pick them up and leave. If you want what's on the table you need to take it".
Then I count them out, full Mississippi's.

I've never once brought bedbugs home. However my wife's sister stayed at some swanky high dollar joint up in NYC and ended up with a house full of them.

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