Do you bargain with buyers?

[odie]

I've always felt that an artisan who bargains is giving up a bit of integrity........

During the time when I participated in some arts and crafts shows, I don't recall anyone ever making offers on my bowls. When I was showing in a few art galleries, it wasn't possible, because there was no connection between me and the prospective purchaser.....the price was the price. (If any bargaining went on there, it was between the customer and the gallery, but I suspect that none occurred.)

In the two years I've been on Etsy, two times, someone tried to bargain with me. Both times were with my highest priced bowls. Both times were with male purchasers. The first time was with a customer who had already made a couple purchases prior to his making an offer. My response was that I don't bargain on my bowls.......and, I never heard from him again. The second time was from a buyer I'd never dealt with before. He offered $425 for a $500 bowl, and I accepted the offer. Since then, this person has bought three more bowls at the stated price.....no more bargaining.

Hard to say if my experiences with bargaining are typical, but wondering what others do.....what they feel about it.....and how the deal worked out for them........

ko

 

[hockenbery]

We had a deal with one gallery that they could do a 20% discount to their “favored customers”
It include them taking 10% less commission too so they ate a little more of the discount than we did.

When friends and some of our good customers would by from us at shows we would give them a 30% discount which was what the non profit gallery was taking.

My favorite discount story-
every December the Annapolis woodworking club would host a one day show and sale and invite the woodturning club and carving club to participate. It was mostly a social event with demonstrations. We might sell a couple of ornaments. One year I brought a hollow form I had priced at $450. One of the woodworkers said “you don’t expect to sell that here do you?” I told him I just brought to show.
A guy driving by stopped in and asked me if I would take $400 for the piece. I told him I had just finished it and didn’t think I would have any difficulty selling it. He then said “I don’t think you will either” as he handed me the $450”

Al

 

[John Torchick]

Food City, Walmart, McDonald's, Stevie B's Pizza, Target, and Big Lots don't bargain. I would ask the customer if they bargain at those places. I don't bargain on my custom fishing rods, either. If you sell a piece for $100 when asking $125 then when you have a similar piece for $125, the customer will say- You sold it to my sister for $100 and you are asking more from me for the same piece?

 

[idahohay]

I like to bargain. I don't sell on line, mostly at 4- two day shows per year. Bargaining can stimulate sales and creates cash flow that would have only gone to other vendors. It's a good feeling when the 4 containers of stuff you brought now fits easily into one. The bargaining is usually me offering, not someone else making a low offer unless I request them to make an offer. Now you go make more stuff.

The big box stores might not bargain but what about a car dealer that sells 50 cars at full price then bargains heavily on a couple for cash flow during a slow spell?

The gallery items I produce are never discounted.

 

[dbonertz]

What John said is partially true. Those stores may not bargain once your in the store but they do offer specials/bargains all the time to get you in the store, 20% off your purchases, discount on lead in items and etc. All businesses offer discounts to generate new business in hopes of gaining a customer who will make future purchases. Nothing wrong with folks asking for a discount or offering you X when priced at Y. You have a buyer, now all you have to do is decide if that amount is acceptable, if yes accept if not decline if close counter. Kind of fun bargaining and add a little humor and you may gain a customer for life. Last thing you want to do is act insulted for it will blow a deal most every time.

 

[john lucas]

I hate arguing price. I won't even do it at flea mkts myself. If I don't like the price I don't buy it. When I sell my work I put what I think is a fair price and won't take less. I had a lady one time offer $85 for a Windsor stool I had priced at $125. She came back again on Saturday, same deal and I still refused. Came back Sunday morning, same thing, When we getting ready to pack up the booth on Sunday evening she came in with a check for $125 and bought the stool.
I have on occasion priced pieces down that didn't seem to sell. One on occasion i actually priced things higher just for the hell of it and low and behold a few of those pieces sold. I'm just the worse at pricing things.

 

[odie]

In the two years I've been on Etsy, two times, someone tried to bargain with me. Both times were with my highest priced bowls. Both times were with male purchasers. The first time was with a customer who had already made a couple purchases prior to his making an offer. My response was that I don't bargain on my bowls.......and, I never heard from him again. The second time was from a buyer I'd never dealt with before. He offered $425 for a $500 bowl, and I accepted the offer. Since then, this person has bought three more bowls at the stated price.....no more bargaining.

ko

What John said is partially true. Those stores may not bargain once your in the store but they do offer specials/bargains all the time to get you in the store, 20% off your purchases, discount on lead in items and etc. All businesses offer discounts to generate new business in hopes of gaining a customer who will make future purchases. Nothing wrong with folks asking for a discount or offering you X when priced at Y. You have a buyer, now all you have to do is decide if that amount is acceptable, if yes accept if not decline if close counter. Kind of fun bargaining and add a little humor and you may gain a customer for life. Last thing you want to do is act insulted for it will blow a deal most every time.

Thanks, Dale.......

This is exactly the conclusions I'm leaning towards. It appears that I've made a dedicated customer with my second encounter, and lost a customer when I didn't bargain.

The only thing that worries me, is if an offer is accepted, the chances that particular customer will expect to pay less every time is almost a certainty. It didn't happen that way for me, but I might expect to lose that customer unless I bargain with him every time. At that point, the precedent has been set.

ko

 

[robo hippy]

My favorite story about bargaining... We get a lot of tourists from Japan here. I was at the local Saturday market, and a Japanese couple came through, maybe in their 60's or so. Their English was about as good as my Japanese. The woman picked out 5 or so small items, totaled them up with immaculate penmanship, the woman pointed to the total and asked in perfect English, "Discount?" Most of the time I don't discount unless they are a regular customer and buying a number of pieces. I do usually have some 'discounted' pieces on the shelves. When I did flat work, I would discount my display pieces, which would pick up character marks from traveling to shows, but other than that, no discount on the flat work. I did way better in hourly rates on my bowls than I ever did in my flat work.

robo hippy

 

[dbonertz]

Odie,
In my business I used to fear that as well. I found that happens rarely so it became a mute point. If that does happen you will have established a relationship with that individual where you should become more comfortable explaining that you have costs involved (without actually divulging numbers) and you try to price items fairly based upon those costs. You discounted the first item or two in hopes they would see your quality and understand why you need to price items as you do. If they insist on you discounting you are still in control whether to accept the offer or not. If the customer is making a habit of this then you may want to cut them loose. Remember most people need to feel they are important/special when purchasing something with discretionary money. Some need to bargain as a way to justify their purchase, this is me to the hilt . If you have a customer who has purchased from you in the past and constantly wants to bargain maybe your approach could be "Dale you have purchased from me a few times and we always have to go through the haggle process. I'll make you and offer, with your future purchases I will give you 5% (discount you choose) off of the listed price." Again you're in control and now they can choose to accept or not. They can calculate the prices for themselves and know what it is and whether or not it is acceptable and you should be able to live with your choice. If they don't accept then you probably don't want them as a customer anyway and if they do accept they feel special and will most likely purchase in the future. Only do this if you get tired of haggling with the person.

It is Ok to say:
"I would like to discount this piece for you but I have to much invested in this one to sell it at that price. Thank you for your offer."

 

[Raul McCai]

here's a WSJ article on that topic
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324009304579043172964729330

 

[John Torchick]

I know of one custom fishing rod crafter who does offer a discount for repeat customers. I can go along with that.

 

[Dean Center]

Odie,
Dale seems to have the knack of presenting his responses in a way that is inoffensive and keeps the dialogue going. (There's no way I would be so good at it.) With the customer you lost, it may not have been the refusal to discount but the way he took the words you used to convey 'no'.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Price

When I was selling and the "customer" opened price "negotiations" the game (in their eyes) was "on."

My uniform response was "If you're shopping for price, you're in the wrong place. Quality is value and there is only value before you. Granddad taught me long ago that if you want fresh clean oats, you expect to pay a higher price for top quality. On the other hand, if you're not so picky, and don't mind if the oats have been through the horse once or twice, you can usually get them for less."

I never dickered on price, as I made it a point to never communicate that I "needed" to sell something. Once the maker is willing to discount their own value, via the value of their product, they loose the "game". And a game it actually is. They think you've jacked up your price so that they can talk you down and feel satisfied that they got a better deal. Their interest is in the deal, not the object. I always looked for the person who saw and valued the object itself. The pride of ownership outweighed the art of the deal.

 

[odie]

Odie,
Dale seems to have the knack of presenting his responses in a way that is inoffensive and keeps the dialogue going. (There's no way I would be so good at it.) With the customer you lost, it may not have been the refusal to discount but the way he took the words you used to convey 'no'.

Yep.....Dale does sound a little smoother than I am. I can be a bit blunt sometimes, and I'm feeling similar to a few others who don't bargain.......It sure does seem like a loss of artistic integrity, or something along that line......

ko

 

[Chuck Lobaito]

I just did a show and there were 4 other turners there out of 100 vendors. They scoped out our stuff which were higher end kits and pieces. Most were selling 30% below us which meant little to no profit. We would not do it.