How to respond to tyre kickers?
Discussion
For some reason I've been hit with a flurry of tyre kickers in the past few years and I'm convinced my ads are fair and honest.
"The clutch biting point seems high" or "This mark wasn't highlighted in the ad" etc etc.
What's the best response? I feel like I don't handle it well and often start apologising... haha
"The clutch biting point seems high" or "This mark wasn't highlighted in the ad" etc etc.
What's the best response? I feel like I don't handle it well and often start apologising... haha
If it's something you hadn't noticed, negotiate. If it's something already declared then as stated point out it's not a new car and that any known faults were taken into account when deciding the price. You know if you've priced your car competitively. If it's the most expensive one out there then it had better be the best.
Tyre kickers/crap ads is a vicious cycle IMO. Sellers are cagey with regard to details, buyers want a bargain.
It works both ways. I've been to see so many cars that are complete dogs where the seller wants competitve market value. One recently which was full of rot and the alloys had been painted with a brush. I imagine I was the tyre kicker when I walked away from that.
Nothing you can do apart from be honest, patient and reasonable. If you don't have the patience, WBAC.
Being a d
head is tempting, doesn't make me feel better, whether I'm buying or selling.
It works both ways. I've been to see so many cars that are complete dogs where the seller wants competitve market value. One recently which was full of rot and the alloys had been painted with a brush. I imagine I was the tyre kicker when I walked away from that.
Nothing you can do apart from be honest, patient and reasonable. If you don't have the patience, WBAC.
Being a d
head is tempting, doesn't make me feel better, whether I'm buying or selling.
Some people want the earth.
Recently i found a 20 year old car for the missus. The ad seemed honest, nice area, nice photos, car pretty much in line for 20 years old. Haggled on price due to 2 noises i found when viewing. Alloys could do with re doing, off the top of my head its the cupholder but it doesnt eject, theres a scuff on the sill and the driver bolster is a bit wor - none of which stated in the advert but f me, its 20 years old and a good honest car what do you want?
Missus loves it, runs like a dream and didnt cost the earth, unfortunately people want car play, pops and bangs, 4 refurbished diamond cut alloys and a full tank of fuel for £500.
Recently i found a 20 year old car for the missus. The ad seemed honest, nice area, nice photos, car pretty much in line for 20 years old. Haggled on price due to 2 noises i found when viewing. Alloys could do with re doing, off the top of my head its the cupholder but it doesnt eject, theres a scuff on the sill and the driver bolster is a bit wor - none of which stated in the advert but f me, its 20 years old and a good honest car what do you want?
Missus loves it, runs like a dream and didnt cost the earth, unfortunately people want car play, pops and bangs, 4 refurbished diamond cut alloys and a full tank of fuel for £500.
Hagus said:
“Ah well if it’s not for you no problem” lock it up walk back inside the house. I’ve had to do this three times, every time they shouted me back and paid me! If they don’t, well they didn’t want it did they and I didn’t waste any more time.
This is my preferred approach. At the very least it saves time arguing with the ones who were only interested if they could get the car for silly money.One easy technique you could use; when someone phones and says they are interested in viewing the car, explain you have priced the car very competitively and you have highlighted any issues in the advert, so that means the price is fixed. If they are happy to view on that basis, you are more than happy to see them.
That will weed out most of the time-wasters and chancers who don't value their own time and want to come and look at the car and then make silly low bids.
The downside of not negotiating in-person is that you will need to be prepared to review the price regularly, and if it isn't selling, keep adjusting it downwards until you find the right buyer.
That will weed out most of the time-wasters and chancers who don't value their own time and want to come and look at the car and then make silly low bids.
The downside of not negotiating in-person is that you will need to be prepared to review the price regularly, and if it isn't selling, keep adjusting it downwards until you find the right buyer.
aceofspades1 said:
For some reason I've been hit with a flurry of tyre kickers in the past few years and I'm convinced my ads are fair and honest.
"The clutch biting point seems high" or "This mark wasn't highlighted in the ad" etc etc.
What's the best response? I feel like I don't handle it well and often start apologising... haha
Increase the price by £100 at every comment, idiot tax "The clutch biting point seems high" or "This mark wasn't highlighted in the ad" etc etc.
What's the best response? I feel like I don't handle it well and often start apologising... haha
aceofspades1 said:
Hoofy said:
"I've tried to highlight everything for a car of this age and I feel the price is fair when comparing it to other similar cars on Autotrader... I mean Pistonheads."
"I'll give you X-40%."
"Sorry, that's far too low. I'd rather just take it to WBAC."
Thanks… I’ll try that!"I'll give you X-40%."
"Sorry, that's far too low. I'd rather just take it to WBAC."
Also if they say, "There's one in Sussex that's (20%) cheaper..."
"Cool. Give them a call then."
EddieSteadyGo said:
One easy technique you could use; when someone phones and says they are interested in viewing the car, explain you have priced the car very competitively and you have highlighted any issues in the advert, so that means the price is fixed. If they are happy to view on that basis, you are more than happy to see them.
That will weed out most of the time-wasters and chancers who don't value their own time and want to come and look at the car and then make silly low bids.
The downside of not negotiating in-person is that you will need to be prepared to review the price regularly, and if it isn't selling, keep adjusting it downwards until you find the right buyer.
In theory this should be how it works, but the reality is quite different. The moment you say the price is fixed and you won't entertain any offers or negotiation means you've instantly deleted 95% of your potential buyers. In the UK it's the norm to haggle a bit on the price of vehicles. It's just the done thing and to be expected, so you add £100 to the price under a grand or £500 to the price if it's over £10k and there's your haggle room where both parties leave happy.That will weed out most of the time-wasters and chancers who don't value their own time and want to come and look at the car and then make silly low bids.
The downside of not negotiating in-person is that you will need to be prepared to review the price regularly, and if it isn't selling, keep adjusting it downwards until you find the right buyer.
Selectively leaving things out of the ad gives you wiggle room on price too. If you mention all the bad points then you're leaving yourself no wiggle room and they'll still want money off regardless. Things like tyres getting low is a good one to use. They will comment on it, to which you can respond you'll knock a bit off. That's basically telling them that they've bought it, without actually saying it, which works in your favour to get it gone. If you say it's a service item and you're not knocking anything off and start walking back to your house then you've just lost a sale. Attitude and calling them all tyre-kickers and time-wasters because they're just going through their motions to chip a bit off the price so they can tell the wife they've got a bargain is just how it goes. You have to play the game. If they've actually turned up to view the car then they are serious, have money in their pocket and don't want to leave without it. You can refuse to knock off the £100 they want, but most of that will be eaten by ebay and autotrader listing fees if you have to advertise it for another month, plus at a lower price as the value has dropped slightly.
r3g said:
In theory this should be how it works, but the reality is quite different. The moment you say the price is fixed and you won't entertain any offers or negotiation means you've instantly deleted 95% of your potential buyers. In the UK it's the norm to haggle a bit on the price of vehicles. It's just the done thing and to be expected, so you add £100 to the price under a grand or £500 to the price if it's over £10k and there's your haggle room where both parties leave happy.
Selectively leaving things out of the ad gives you wiggle room on price too. If you mention all the bad points then you're leaving yourself no wiggle room and they'll still want money off regardless. Things like tyres getting low is a good one to use. They will comment on it, to which you can respond you'll knock a bit off. That's basically telling them that they've bought it, without actually saying it, which works in your favour to get it gone. If you say it's a service item and you're not knocking anything off and start walking back to your house then you've just lost a sale. Attitude and calling them all tyre-kickers and time-wasters because they're just going through their motions to chip a bit off the price so they can tell the wife they've got a bargain is just how it goes. You have to play the game. If they've actually turned up to view the car then they are serious, have money in their pocket and don't want to leave without it. You can refuse to knock off the £100 they want, but most of that will be eaten by ebay and autotrader listing fees if you have to advertise it for another month, plus at a lower price as the value has dropped slightly.
If you are comfortable negotiating, and you don't take it personally, and you don't get flustered when the potential buyer starts sucking through their teeth, that's fine. But in the OP's case, he clearly isn't comfortable with those things, hence saying the price is fixed on the initial phone call removes a lot of that pressure, and a lot of the people who would otherwise try and play hardball.Selectively leaving things out of the ad gives you wiggle room on price too. If you mention all the bad points then you're leaving yourself no wiggle room and they'll still want money off regardless. Things like tyres getting low is a good one to use. They will comment on it, to which you can respond you'll knock a bit off. That's basically telling them that they've bought it, without actually saying it, which works in your favour to get it gone. If you say it's a service item and you're not knocking anything off and start walking back to your house then you've just lost a sale. Attitude and calling them all tyre-kickers and time-wasters because they're just going through their motions to chip a bit off the price so they can tell the wife they've got a bargain is just how it goes. You have to play the game. If they've actually turned up to view the car then they are serious, have money in their pocket and don't want to leave without it. You can refuse to knock off the £100 they want, but most of that will be eaten by ebay and autotrader listing fees if you have to advertise it for another month, plus at a lower price as the value has dropped slightly.
Also there is still nothing to stop him giving a little bit to close the sale when then have turned up and viewed the car.
But with the way I've described, the up-front offer price needs to be very competitive. It won't work if you try and charge too much, as the car then just don't sell.
I should also add, what I've suggested isn't how I sell my cars privately. For me personally, I quite like selling cars privately, I enjoy the process, and the negotiation. I prefer to get as many people to come and view the car as possible. And I don't mind if they say they are going to walk away, as I know I usually have someone else lined up to come and view the car. As a result, I've always sold them quickly, and I have always achieve my asking price (or very close to it).
The other problem is that a large proportion of buyers believe they are a trader/side hustler after successfully buying a mispriced PS5 from HotUKDeals and selling it for £200 profit. Add to the 'old 'owt yer 'and from watching too many YouTube videos and they think every time they view something they can score the vehicle for xx% under the advertised price. Even if they broke even on buying and selling a car, it's likely that they made "fah-sunds" on the deal to their mates.
Depending on the car, I agree with some negotiation, so price it accordingly with the market and what you want. And only entertain offers if they've actually bothered to view the car.
Depending on the car, I agree with some negotiation, so price it accordingly with the market and what you want. And only entertain offers if they've actually bothered to view the car.
I have sold 5 cars in the last 12 months, Giulietta Cloverleaf, BMW 650, V8 Vantage, TVR Tuscan and Volvo V70 T5 - all sold to first person to turn up / enquire, all within at worst a few hundred £ of asking price.
Decent advert with detailed description, I always put issues / defects first, lots of images, a realistic price and a willingness to discuss any queries / questions.
Four out of the five buyers declared that I had "undersold" the car bought - makes negotiation a lot easier
Decent advert with detailed description, I always put issues / defects first, lots of images, a realistic price and a willingness to discuss any queries / questions.
Four out of the five buyers declared that I had "undersold" the car bought - makes negotiation a lot easier
Once you've decided they're a tyre kicker, simply ignore... it doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. However, the curved ball comes when they "appear" to be a tyre kicker initially so you're on the cusp of writing them off, but something makes you reconsider and next thing you know the car is away, full price paid and the easiest sale to date. It's a tricky one to call, every situation and every buyer is unique and you also can't judge others by your own standards. Part of me thinks if they won't pick up the phone, then move on but I've bought cars off the back of a few texts previously so how do you call it? Aside for the obvious "Swapz for a stolen Staffy / best price 4 cash m8" types.
If something like that is brought up, I go straight to asking what their offer is. (Depending on if what they're bargaining on is bullit or not). If it's ridiculous, you know to politely thank them for coming to see the car and to wish them a safe journey home. If it's reasonable, you know you have some room to try and meet them in the middle somewhere and you'll likely be able to do a deal.
When they bring it up they're angling for a bargain, so you might as well cut to the quick and find out what they're really offering.
it or not). If it's ridiculous, you know to politely thank them for coming to see the car and to wish them a safe journey home. If it's reasonable, you know you have some room to try and meet them in the middle somewhere and you'll likely be able to do a deal. When they bring it up they're angling for a bargain, so you might as well cut to the quick and find out what they're really offering.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff