Grab a few euros by trading on Le Bon Coin!
You have everything to gain by negotiating!
… and nothing to lose!
We live in a world where all prices are displayed (except at the Saint-Ouen flea market, and again) and where no one dares to negotiate their purchases.
In many countries, it is still the norm, but not too much in our standardized Western cultures.
And that’s a shame.
at 40€ the Italian coffee maker, you’d better negotiate before buying because there you’re getting a little pigeonholed anyway 😕
Imagine: you sell a table that has become bulky on Le Bon Coin for 10€ (or via another ad site if you like things to go slowly).
Someone calls you, offers you 8€ and comes to get rid of it right away.
You are then tempted to sell it for €2 a month, because you will get rid of it more quickly and then €2 is not much.
The buyer will have gleaned 20% of the price of the object, which is appreciable.
Thinking about it, it’s not your A booklet that will bring you such a high return for so little effort 😀
You see what I mean ?
Being nice always works
When you buy something on Le Bon Coin, try to negotiate. It costs you absolutely nothing, and as long as you’re friendly and courteous, the seller has a very good chance of accepting.
Offer 15-25% off. If the seller is hesitant, lower your requirements a bit. Even if you only get 10% off, it will still be worth it.
Imagine getting 10% off a $100 bike.
You will therefore have gleaned €10 effortlessly, just by negotiating.
And 10€ is more than 1 hour of work at minimum wage. It’s a coffee tour, a small cinema, a pizza.
I like this trick because it doesn’t cost anything, and although it seems a little superficial, it has the merit of being simple to implement, it works in most cases, and it saves you a few pennies for allow you to better enjoy yourself next door.
So negotiate! You’ll see, it’s fun 😜
And don’t forget that small streams make big rivers.
Sellers: don’t be fooled either!
Update of September 3, 2023:
I see a lot of comments from readers who are fed up with buyers who negotiate too much, or who say “ok for 50€” on the phone and come to the appointment with 30€.
So yes, I get drunk too when a buyer comes with 10 € less than what we had agreed.
Before, I was having it.
Now, I say “no, 50€ is 50€, not 45. We said 50, if you don’t want 50, I’m out”. Point bar.
Nothing prevents the buyer from negotiating, and that’s part of the game, but nothing prevents the seller from refusing or raising his price upstream.
As a seller, be firm and know how to say no, otherwise the buyer will take advantage of your weakness!
I will talk about negotiation in other contexts in future articles. In the meantime, like, share