mlm

If there is reason to believe the individual is OPEN to reasonable offers and is not sure about the selling price (I start on this assumption set), I contact them and ask for detailed information about the piece needed to estimate value. From the condition information, I suggest a value range then close with, "I will offer you $X based on the condition. This is about 80% of the common sales price of your item and I might offer more if it were in front of me. If you receive another offer, consider contacting me because there is a strong likelihood I can beat that offer. If there is any other information that you have to encourage me to make a higher offer, let me know and if you have a counter offer I want to hear that, too. Thanks for describing your gun to me."


That is how I handle nebulous requests for offers. In the two situations I recall, the seller offered a price when I contacted by phone in one instance. In the other case, the person had little valuation information to go on so I suggested references then described what I thought the value range was. Before the end of the conversation, he had offered the gun at a fair price for the condition.


A few years ago, I called and tried to get a figure from the seller and he wouldn't so I started with a low offer (around 70% of typical retail) as there is no way to know just what else the guy might have been trying to hide. The guy rudely scoffed at the price so I knew he had a price in mind, just wanted to see if he could get an offer more than that or some such weirdness. He may still have that gun, I don't know. I am not into playing games.