Negotiation
How to spot a lowball offer — and what to say back
List anything online and the lowballs arrive within the hour. A lowball offer isn't an insult — it's an opening move. Recognize it for what it is, and you can respond calmly, hold your price, and still close the sale.
What a lowball looks like
The tactics are predictable once you've seen them a few times:
- The anchor. An offer far below asking, dropped early to reset your expectations. If you counter from their number, they've already won.
- The sob story. A hard-luck reason you should accept less — designed to make declining feel unkind.
- The fake urgency. "I can pick it up right now with cash if you take half." Pressure to trade a big discount for a fast close.
- The nitpick. Inventing or inflating flaws to justify the low number.
- The off-platform pull. Pushing you to text or another app, often a prelude to a scam. Be especially careful here.
Why it works — and why it usually shouldn't
Lowballing works because sellers feel awkward saying no and worry no one else will offer. The antidote is a number you can defend. When you know your item's fair value, a lowball loses its power — you're comparing their offer to a real figure instead of a feeling.
Know your number before you negotiate
Run your item through the calculator first. It gives you a fair value plus a "list at" price with built-in negotiating room — so when the lowballs land, you're anchored to something real.
Five replies that hold your price
Stay warm, stay brief, and don't over-explain. A few that work:
- The firm-but-friendly: "Thanks for the offer! I've priced it fairly based on recent sales, so I'm going to hold at [price]. Happy to hold it for you if you'd like it."
- The small-give: "I can't do [lowball], but I could come down to [slightly under list]. That's about as low as I can go."
- The value reframe: "It's already priced below retail, and a private sale means no sales tax for you — so you're saving more than the sticker suggests." (More on that here.)
- The polite pass: "Appreciate it, but that's well under what I'll take. I'll keep your offer in mind if it doesn't sell."
- The floor card: "I've got a standing instant offer higher than that, so I can't go lower." (Works well if you've actually gotten one — see instant offer vs. private sale.)
When a low offer is actually worth taking
Not every low offer is a bad one. If the item has sat unsold for weeks, if you're mid-move, or if the offer is close to your "quick sale" number and the buyer is ready now, taking it can be the right call. The point isn't to win every negotiation — it's to never give up more than you meant to.
A lowball only works on a seller who doesn't know their number. Price with confidence and the awkwardness disappears.