Rude to post a lower price?

[Rohanna]

Maybe the poster thought you meant the individual boxes, not the whole case?

[Audrey Quest]

I don't think it was rude.  Those are the breaks in the marketplace.  And honesty, how would you feel if you paid more for an item from a private seller when there were people who could have told you that you could get it 40% cheaper somewhere else?

Recently, I was looking at a purpe toaster on Amazon that was priced at $80.  One of the "reviews" was from someone who had purchased it and then had seen the same toaster at Target for less than $20.

It was good information for me because I now have a $20 purple toaster!

If a person is going to sell something they have to be prepared for competition.  If she had posted it on your own personal Facebook page, then I would think she had crossed a line.  But, she posted it on a posting you made in a group and there it is fair game.

[LazyDaisy]

I'm pretty steamed right now. 
Mr K bought several large cases of a particular children's snack that normally sell for $5 a box.  The cases contain 5 boxes.  We got them for $5 a case.  Awesome price. 
Naturally, Mr K bought too many cases, as he is prone to doing.
The cases expire in a few months and LK doesn't eat them that much (I do, but I probably shouldn't).

Anyway, I posted 2 extra cases on my local Mom2Mom facebook group for $5 a case, firm.  Basically, just asking what I paid for them.

I had some interest at first, but then someone asked where I got them from.  I told her where and what the "normal" price is and that I'm just asking what I paid for them. 
But then someone else posted that they sell for $3 a case, which isn't what I paid for them.  Now everyone has lost interest.

I found that to be intolerably rude of her!  I don't go on to her postings and say "Hey you're asking $x above what is a normal sale price for this item."  That's just rude.  At least, I think it's rude.

Is it rude?  Or am I being too sensitive?

I did reply back that "They aren't always available and they are rarely that low in price, though. Normally they are $5 a box in the grocery stores and the cases contain 5 boxes. I haven't seen them available for less than $9 in a little while. Actually, I haven't seen them at all for a little while. Anyway, I am willing to meet anyone part way if they don't want to or can't drive to where I am."

I don't think she was rude either. I know it seems on the surface that the loss of interest is directly related to the other poster giving a lower price, but it's possible that there are many other reasons including your response, which sounded a little defensive instead of persuasive: paying full retail price on top of having to pay for shipping or take time to pick up (even half way); their children also won't eat it either before it expires; concerns about buying food items from strangers over the internet; they did their homework and in their area it really is less expensive...

I think your selling error was telling what you paid for the item and letting it be known that you aren't really willing to negotiate. I usually assume that someone trying to get rid of an item would rather get some of their money back instead of nothing and be willing to negotiate. Those interested would probably have stayed interested if you had used your response as a opening to negotiate, "I'm willing to sell them at 4.00 if buyer pays the shipping or can pick up in the next 3 days." or "I think my price is fair but I'm willing to split up the cases if no one will need that much."

[Sharnita]

Yeah, when I use gas to drive to the store and by the item it isn't a big deal because I am buying other things as well. If I use gas to go to you or meet you it might not seem worth it because the only thing I am getting out of that trip is the one item. If I am looking at total expense it might be cheaper for me to spend slightly more the item during a trip I would make to the store anyway rather than making a special trip for your lower priced item.

[onyonryngs]

I'd want to know if someone was selling me something for a higher price than I can buy elsewhere, but I'd also do my own research.  I'm voting for not rude, but helpful to the rest of the group.

[squeakers]

Pretty much!  I'm not lowering my items to the price she quoted.  It's a ridiculous price.  Heck, it's a sale price for a single box of the snacks, forget an entire case of them.   I figured, hey, I got these items on sale, they aren't priced that low anymore, I'm not going to use them, might as well pass the savings on to someone else.

If anyone is wondering, the snacks are baby mum-mums.

So a box of baby mum-mums on sale would cost $5 and what you are selling is a case of them (we'll say 10 boxes in a case).  People would have to pay at the store at least $50 and you are selling them for $5.

I would edit my original post and emphasis that the price is for a case (# of boxes here) of the cookies. Throw in some nice wording about how there is a bit of confusion going on and what a great deal this really is.

[bah12]

I understand why you are upset, but I don't think it's rude. 

My guess is that this woman believes that these items sell for $3/case.  She may be wrong (or mistaken for the per box price), but assumming she thinks the price is lower, then I don't think it's rude to point out that they people can get them cheaper.  I'm thinking she may have thought you were trying to sell them for more money than others can get them and make some kind of profit and she was 'warning' the others.

I don't think it would have been out of line to reply with something like "Where have you seen them for $3/case?  In the grocery stores around here, they are normally $5/box, so getting them for $5/case is a great deal.  It would be helpful to know where these are cheaper as my DD loves them."

This makes it clear that you are not intentionally posting something for more than they normally sell for, and asks the woman to be specific in her claims without sounding defensive.  And I do think that everyone should do their own research.

Now, if she were posting on your listing to sell her own cases of snacks or was purposely posting false information to dissuade peope from buying your snacks, it would be different.  But do you think that is what she was doing?

[Knitterly]

I'm pretty steamed right now. 
Mr K bought several large cases of a particular children's snack that normally sell for $5 a box.  The cases contain 5 boxes.  We got them for $5 a case.  Awesome price. 
Naturally, Mr K bought too many cases, as he is prone to doing.
The cases expire in a few months and LK doesn't eat them that much (I do, but I probably shouldn't).

Anyway, I posted 2 extra cases on my local Mom2Mom facebook group for $5 a case, firm.  Basically, just asking what I paid for them.

I had some interest at first, but then someone asked where I got them from.  I told her where and what the "normal" price is and that I'm just asking what I paid for them. 
But then someone else posted that they sell for $3 a case, which isn't what I paid for them.  Now everyone has lost interest.

I found that to be intolerably rude of her!  I don't go on to her postings and say "Hey you're asking $x above what is a normal sale price for this item."  That's just rude.  At least, I think it's rude.

Is it rude?  Or am I being too sensitive?

I did reply back that "They aren't always available and they are rarely that low in price, though. Normally they are $5 a box in the grocery stores and the cases contain 5 boxes. I haven't seen them available for less than $9 in a little while. Actually, I haven't seen them at all for a little while. Anyway, I am willing to meet anyone part way if they don't want to or can't drive to where I am."

I don't think she was rude either. I know it seems on the surface that the loss of interest is directly related to the other poster giving a lower price, but it's possible that there are many other reasons including your response, which sounded a little defensive instead of persuasive: paying full retail price on top of having to pay for shipping or take time to pick up (even half way); their children also won't eat it either before it expires; concerns about buying food items from strangers over the internet; they did their homework and in their area it really is less expensive...

I think your selling error was telling what you paid for the item and letting it be known that you aren't really willing to negotiate. I usually assume that someone trying to get rid of an item would rather get some of their money back instead of nothing and be willing to negotiate. Those interested would probably have stayed interested if you had used your response as a opening to negotiate, "I'm willing to sell them at 4.00 if buyer pays the shipping or can pick up in the next 3 days." or "I think my price is fair but I'm willing to split up the cases if no one will need that much."

Actually, I let that be known in the original post.  I stated the price as "firm".  I did a little more research, and it turns out that the normal cost of one of these cases is $15.  A normal case of one box inside the case is $3-$5 depending on the store. 

It's generally a very congenial group.  Sometimes posters will put things up for sale that are really overpriced (ie, asking the original cost of something that is used, like $60 for a used exersaucer when that is the price of the same one brand new in box, or $300 for a used carseat).  Even then, I've never seen them called out for it.  Which is why I felt really taken aback.

After reading other posts, I've decided that she wasn't really rude after all.  She took an approach that is rarely (if ever) seen in this group, but that doesn't make it rude, I guess.  I'm still a little irked over it.

I just want to clarify one thing, though.  What she did is not usually "done".  I've never seen it done.  Not even when someone wants full price for an item.  That's why it struck me as rude.

To me, what she did would be like walking up to a vendors booth at a Mom2Mom sale and telling the customers right in front of the person selling that the person selling is selling their items higher than someone else.

Maybe it's not technically rude, but it still doesn't sit right with me.  You can say it in private (private messaging is totally an option - the woman could have send a pm to the woman who wanted to know where you get the cases), but saying it right there in front of the person offering the item just seems.... really weird and wrong.  Generally speaking, even haggling is done off-board.  If someone is interested in your item and wants to talk you down, it's done by private message.

I understand why you are upset, but I don't think it's rude. 

My guess is that this woman believes that these items sell for $3/case.  She may be wrong (or mistaken for the per box price), but assumming she thinks the price is lower, then I don't think it's rude to point out that they people can get them cheaper.  I'm thinking she may have thought you were trying to sell them for more money than others can get them and make some kind of profit and she was 'warning' the others.

I don't think it would have been out of line to reply with something like "Where have you seen them for $3/case?  In the grocery stores around here, they are normally $5/box, so getting them for $5/case is a great deal.  It would be helpful to know where these are cheaper as my DD loves them."

This makes it clear that you are not intentionally posting something for more than they normally sell for, and asks the woman to be specific in her claims without sounding defensive.  And I do think that everyone should do their own research.

Now, if she were posting on your listing to sell her own cases of snacks or was purposely posting false information to dissuade peope from buying your snacks, it would be different.  But do you think that is what she was doing?

I don't know what her motivation was.
Someone asked me *where* I got the item.  I replied where and what the "normal" price that I've seen them at is.  Person (let's pretend that's her name to make it easier) replied with the SAME where but said that she sees them for a lower price.  I've seen them at that price precisely one time.  I didn't buy them at that price because we'd just gotten a bunch of boxes at the previous higher-but-still-stupid-cheap price.  I've never seen them that low before or since.  That was why I replied as I did that they "are rarely that low in price and aren't even always available." 

I figured the person asking where I got the cases from hadn't seen them at the store I got them from because they have not been available in a while.

I should probably also mention that I feel really weird about people talking really loudly in a store about the prices and how X store has a certain item for a cheaper price.  Maybe not rude, but still feels off to me. 

[Jones]

The fact she posted incorrect information and didn't apologize is IMO rude.

[Otterpop]

The fact she posted incorrect information and didn't apologize is IMO rude.

This.  She may have seen them at that price one time, but they are not available at that price now.  So she screwed your business deal for nothing.

(Hey, I bought a 10 gram gold bracelet for $120 in 1992, so if you're paying over $12 a gram you are getting ripped off! )

[LazyDaisy]

You aren't doing the other moms a favor by posting the items for sale just because you've done research and they've sold for more and are getting hard to find. You have the problem of too much stock and apparently are finding little demand at the price you have set as firm. That's business feedback, not personal. I wouldn't take her input as a personal attack on you. You might have thought you got a great deal at $5, but it could be because the store had more than they had demand for and wanted to get rid of them; and stores may have stopped stocking them because they can't sell them, and now you're finding out the same thing. Just because something is rare, doesn't make it valuable.

I'm surprised though that you would rather the woman contact the potential buyer privately and not in the open. By posting it in the open, she allowed you the opportunity of a response. That to me is more polite than whispering behind someones back. At a vendors booth at a Mom2Mom sale, saying something like that out in the open would give the seller the opportunity to point out why theirs is better, or open a negotiation. It would be far worse to have the seller go all day wondering why no one is buying her product and find out after it's over that someone else was selling the same item for less, when finding out earlier in the day would give her the chance to alter her selling strategy.

[Rohanna]

What if the woman has a similar item she'd like to sell, so by scuttling the OP's sale, she can post hers up a few days later? That's why it's politer to approach in public first, unless you are going to back up your claim with evidence (a link to the website- a flyer, etc). It sounds like the OP *did* have interest until people were told they were being "overcharged", but from teh sounds of it they aren't. Basically it sounds like it probably played out like this.

OP: I have X item for sale- $5
Poster1 : I'll take one
Poster2: I'll take three.
Poster3: You can buy X item for $3 at Derpmart.
Poster1 and 2: Nevermind, we'll buy them at Derpmart, thanks anyways OP.

Then Poster 1 and 2 go to Derpmart- and they aren't on sale anymore, but it's probably just easier to shrug and buy them full price than risk that the OP has gotten rid of them, or remember to go back online and look for the post.

[Onyx_TKD]

[snip]
Anyway, I posted 2 extra cases on my local Mom2Mom facebook group for $5 a case, firm.  Basically, just asking what I paid for them.

I had some interest at first, but then someone asked where I got them from.  I told her where and what the "normal" price is and that I'm just asking what I paid for them. 
But then someone else posted that they sell for $3 a case, which isn't what I paid for them.  Now everyone has lost interest.
[snip]

By my understanding:
1. You posted an item for sale at a firm price, assuming that people could figure out for themselves whether the item was worth your price to them.

IMO, someone replying to this listing that they sold elsewhere for $3 would be a bit off. You never claimed you were offering the lowest price and your listing isn't the place to advertise someone else's prices. People can do their own research to decide if it's a reasonable price.

2. In response to a question, you specified where the item came from and what the normal price was. At this point, you have explicitly or implicitly (depending on wording) claimed that your price is a good deal compared to normal retail pricing.

IMO, it is reasonable for someone to respond and either support or refute that claim if they have additional information. However, their rebuttal should be a statement that can be fact-checked and rebutted by the seller if false.

• "I've seen them sold for $3" can't be fact-checked--the seller can't prove that no one has ever sold this item for $3 (nor is it really relevant unless they are currently available for $3 or will be in the future). I think this would be rude. It implies the seller is trying to pull something fishy without offering any actual evidence that the item is actually available for a better price than the seller's. If (g)you think the seller's "deal" is actually an inflated price and want to respond, then do the research to actually show that the item is or was available at a lower price.
• "Actually, [Store] currently sells them for $3" is a factual statement that can be confirmed or disproved by checking [Store]'s listed prices. If true, it proves that the seller's statement is incorrect (or at least very misleading, depending on the wording) and the "deal" being offered isn't as good as claimed, whether by ignorance or malice. IMO, correcting a seller's factually incorrect claim is not at all rude.
• "[OtherStore] sells them for $3" is also a verifiable factual claim. If true, it doesn't mean that the seller's claim was false (since the seller only stated the normal price at [Store]), just that the "deal" may not be as good as implied. I think this is also a reasonable and polite response.

I'm not quite sure which one the other poster used. In either case, it sounds like the OP got the chance to rebut by spelling out the facts a little more explicitly (reiterating that she is selling cases of X qty, not boxes, that she does not know of anywhere they are currently sold for <$5/case, etc.). The only thing I might have added is giving a link showing the current price for a case of the item, if that information is on [Store]'s website.

[yokozbornak]

I think the way she handled it was rude especially since her information was incorrect.  I think you should respond back, "I have seen boxes selling for $3, but I have never seen a CASE (5 boxes) for that price.  Where did you find such a deal?"  and then see how she responds.  I imagine she will either admit she was wrong or not answer back.

[Iris]

I think the way she handled it was rude especially since her information was incorrect.  I think you should respond back, "I have seen boxes selling for $3, but I have never seen a CASE (5 boxes) for that price.  Where did you find such a deal?"  and then see how she responds.  I imagine she will either admit she was wrong or not answer back.

This. I actually DO think she was rude because she ruined your sale with no benefit to anyone. If her information had been "Actually, these are currently on sale at XYZ store for $3 a case, here is the link" then I would have had no problem with it. But unless they are on sale either right now or regularly at the lower price this is information that does harm but no good. It harms you because you miss your sale and it harms your potential customers because they will now end up missing a good deal and paying a higher price.