"If I offer you $900 can I come pick it up tonight?"
Well, that would be great, if I could actually pick it up tonight. I have to look into moving it and that's not that simple!
. If you're there with money, ready to make the deal and no one else is, you're in a stronger negotiating position. The seller has no idea if anyone else is going to make an offer, or make an offer that's as good. They risk loosing a sure sale for what might be.
True, but in the case that the offer is $200 below the asking price (like my $750), and the seller has more people looking at it, and still a good amount of time left, then it is likely that the seller will not accept a firm deal. I think this technique is the best idea when 1) you're 100% sure you want to buy the piano and 2) your offer is closer to the asking price).
it sounds like the OP may not have made a firm decision himself that this is the piano he really wants
This is correct at the time that I made the $750 offer. Also, the owner was already expecting more people to take a look at that point, so I think he would've waited on those people anyway. In any case, I would not hand in the money at this point, no matter what, since I still need to make arrangements to pick it up, so there is never a "binding transaction".
Update:The last person who saw the piano yesterday offered the asking price of $950, and the owner sealed the deal on the spot
. This at least shows that the owner was not bluffing.
Now I have to start my search all over again! If you know anyone in Manhattan selling a good DP, let me know!
