Do you bargain with Instagram vendors?

[bright&shiny]

I negotiate in person for estate pieces, but I haven’t yet purchased anything from an online vendor. Of course, I’ve found something and am considering it, but the price seems higher than the quality might command…but it’s hard to tell online.

The seller has sent me photos and a video has communicated openly, so no problem there. Just wondering about negotiating. I feel like such a nube

 

[Cerulean]

I think it depends. If it feels like it’s really priced fairly, or the description or policies say pricing is firm, I won’t.

But if it’s truly out of budget and I won’t buy it if the price doesn’t come down, I try to negotiate. Or if it seems like it’s priced too high.

For me, it’s been 50/50. For example, I’ve rarely negotiated with wholesalers as they are already selling well below what I’d pay retail anyways

Either way, they aren’t going to block you for trying, they usually just politely say they can’t

 

[bright&shiny]

I think it depends. If it feels like it’s really priced fairly, or the description or policies say pricing is firm, I won’t.

But if it’s truly out of budget and I won’t buy it if the price doesn’t come down, I try to negotiate. Or if it seems like it’s priced too high.

For me, it’s been 50/50. For example, I’ve rarely negotiated with wholesalers as they are already selling well below what I’d pay retail anyways

Either way, they aren’t going to block you for trying, they usually just politely say they can’t

Thank you for such great delineations. I need to check if there is a policy listed regarding negotiations.

In this case, because it’s vintage jewelry, I’m assuming it’s not wholesale. But I’ll review the site and make sure I agree with my own opinion before proceeding.

 

[LilAlex]

Yes but not until I have established some rapport, provided my name (or some approximation thereof) and state/country (there are locations that some will not work with or ship to), expressed a willingness to pay by wire transfer (if they are legit), and made clear that I am a serious potential buyer. They all have > 10,000 followers and are besieged with "So pretty! How much???" DMs from lookie-loo randos. I start off with a question or two that I need answered -- treatment, report, dimensions, etc. -- and get some sense from the response there. (Many intentionally omit these obvious details from their teaser posts, presumably to elicit maximum response.) Slow response is OK. Terse, unhelpful response and I know this will not be a productive relationship ("Only the uninformed buy my product!").

As often as not, I am looking to test a potential longer-term relationship with a lower-stakes initial purchase.

I buy few things now and have one or two people/places that I rely on almost exclusively. I tested the waters on IG before and during the pandemic, without a ton of success. YMMV

About your question -- some have been amenable to price cuts and others have not. I don't think anyone has been insulted but who knows. As a rule of thumb, if they don't say "firm," etc., there may be wiggle room. If you are solvent, not a PITA, informed but not too informed, and a potential repeat customer, you are more likely to be successful. They would rather give you a small discount than get returns from five other clowns month after month. Or, wait for the inevitable last email: "Can I pay some by Venmo, some by PayPal, and the rest in rare Pokemon cards and unused postage stamps...?"

I feel more comfortable if something seems to have languished a bit in the inventory. And, as alway, anything that seems too good to be true of course is. And I do not go after things that I can not afford in the hope that there will be some miracle discount. Although I guess that can happen on awful eBay where some things look like they are marked up a hundred-fold. (Sort by price high-to-low on any gem name and get ready to laugh.)

 

[lovedogs]

I snorted at "rare pokemon cards"

 

[bright&shiny]

@LilAlex - even more great points! I also got a kick out of the description of the last email and splitting the bill

 

[bright&shiny]

I snorted at "rare pokemon cards"

Me too - it startled the dog!

 

[bright&shiny]

Yes but not until I have established some rapport, provided my name (or some approximation thereof) and state/country (there are locations that some will not work with or ship to), expressed a willingness to pay by wire transfer (if they are legit), and made clear that I am a serious potential buyer. They all have > 10,000 followers and are besieged with "So pretty! How much???" DMs from lookie-loo randos. I start off with a question or two that I need answered -- treatment, report, dimensions, etc. -- and get some sense from the response there. (Many intentionally omit these obvious details from their teaser posts, presumably to elicit maximum response.) Slow response is OK. Terse, unhelpful response and I know this will not be a productive relationship ("Only the uninformed buy my product!").

As often as not, I am looking to test a potential longer-term relationship with a lower-stakes initial purchase.

I buy few things now and have one or two people/places that I rely on almost exclusively. I tested the waters on IG before and during the pandemic, without a ton of success. YMMV

About your question -- some have been amenable to price cuts and others have not. I don't think anyone has been insulted but who knows. As a rule of thumb, if they don't say "firm," etc., there may be wiggle room. If you are solvent, not a PITA, informed but not too informed, and a potential repeat customer, you are more likely to be successful. They would rather give you a small discount than get returns from five other clowns month after month. Or, wait for the inevitable last email: "Can I pay some by Venmo, some by PayPal, and the rest in rare Pokemon cards and unused postage stamps...?"

I feel more comfortable if something seems to have languished a bit in the inventory. And, as alway, anything that seems too good to be true of course is. And I do not go after things that I can not afford in the hope that there will be some miracle discount. Although I guess that can happen on awful eBay where some things look like they are marked up a hundred-fold. (Sort by price high-to-low on any gem name and get ready to laugh.)

Thank you - also great information and considerations. It occurred to me I hadn’t introduced myself in the communication so far, so I’m going to do that and clarify I’m serious and can pay all in one go. I am indeed testing the waters with a less expensive item, but probably won’t declare that but I might mention a piece that caught my eye that I think sold already.

BTW I’m still laughing at the Pokémon cards - so I’ll add a rare Beenie Baby (sp?) to the mix

 

[kgizo]

If they have an Etsy/ebay/online shop I check that to see if the IG price is the same or discounted. In my limited experience, fewer and less of a discount that on the other platforms.

 

[bright&shiny]

If they have an Etsy/ebay/online shop I check that to see if the IG price is the same or discounted. In my limited experience, fewer and less of a discount that on the other platforms.

Very interesting! So to clarify - generally less (or no) discount on IG vs other platforms? I wonder if that’s due to fees or other costs associated with IG presence.

In this case, they do have presence on more than one platform…. I’ve been viewing on Etsy but communicating via IG (my Etsy password wasn’t working, but now it is - Eyeroll). My r I should shift back to Etsy for continued communication.

 

[kgizo]

It would be interesting to get a vendor’s perspective on this. My experience, with vendors on multiple platforms, is that ebay has the highest fees and the price would be a little higher than their Etsy price, and item often listed on IG at a little more of a discount (often as a “special” price before being listed on the other platforms). But, the market seems to be changing and I haven’t bought anything off of IG this year. Good luck with your purchase!

 

[bright&shiny]

Update: I Re-introduced myself on Etsy and we had a wonderful ‘conversation’. I asked about a discount, was given two options, and I chose the ‘riskier’, but least expensive option because this wasn’t a big spend. The main CS has inclusions, which was my primary hesitation, but great color which was my primary interest, and if I don’t like it, it’s not a major loss. The vendor was delightful and I’m sure I’ll be purchasing from that shop again.

My new - to me- treasure arrives Wednesday or Thursday .

I am so grateful for all the input above! To clarify my approach: I made sure to ask reasonable questions, made my intent as a serious buyer known, and asked politely for consideration of my concerns.

This was for a pre-owned CS ring. No info on the stones was available, nor did I request any. I was after a color and hopefully I’ve got it right. If not, it will be disappointing but not devastating. But I’m hoping to fall in love.

Thanks again everyone for your input! I’ll post when the treasure arrives.

 

[bright&shiny]

It would be interesting to get a vendor’s perspective on this. My experience, with vendors on multiple platforms, is that ebay has the highest fees and the price would be a little higher than their Etsy price, and item often listed on IG at a little more of a discount (often as a “special” price before being listed on the other platforms). But, the market seems to be changing and I haven’t bought anything off of IG this year. Good luck with your purchase!

It would be super interesting! Although some of the references above seemed super specific, so perhaps they have already…