There are good deals to be had online, but when you’re buying using a site like Craigslist you can often encounter a stubborn seller who just won’t budge from a price that’s just too high. You can always give up, but you can also be a little bit evil.
This tip comes from reader Nitesh, who’s discovered that with a little manipulative negotiating you can often get a seller to lower their price on a given item:
If you see something you like on Kijiji, Craigslist, or whatever equivalent, try using two (or more, if you have the patience) email accounts to make the poster think their item is worth less. Make a really low-ball with the first account, and if they decline shrug it off and respond saying it isn’t worth it. Then, offer a better but still low-ball price with the second account. It has worked for a few things for me, I just got a Arc Touch for 15 bucks nearly new.
With this trick you’re essentially fooling someone into believing their item is worth less than they are asking, and this can be a hard thing to justify for legitimate reasons. Perhaps they’re the only one selling the item and it’s ridiculously overpriced, or maybe you’re just getting them to lower their item to the lowest amount they’re willing to accept without the ongoing hassle of bargaining and waiting around. Whatever the case may be, this might be one you only want to use under the right circumstances. What those are, however, is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.
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