“Is the $100 a set price or is there haggle room“ – an excerpt from a message we received from someone on Ebay
What is it about the book business that makes it such a fertile place for potential customers to feel they can shamelessly inquire about a ‘better’ price for an item?
Time and again, whether in the shop, through an online sales channel or at a book fair we are faced with this disease of the trade. Is it due to the “used” tag that accompanies most bookshops? Sort of a flea market mentality inherent in the concept of “used”?
As a bookseller who consciously tries to price an item fairly to begin with I find this mode of bartering insulting. Especially so when it comes from someone we never have done business with
My stock answer:
All our books are priced fairly to begin with. Over time we treat all our better customers very well
I thought about this as our new tag line:
Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers
New, Used, Rare and Out of Print Books
Bought, Haggled then Sold
Keep in mind this has no relation to the process where you see someone showing interest in an item you have had forever and you, without prompting, offer him/her 40% off!