Lowballing is the act of offering a seller considerably less money than their listed price. It has become a sport on Facebook Marketplace. Some people do it to save money, some do it out of habit, some do it for the thrill. Whether you are the buyer or the seller, understanding the art behind lowballing can make the experience of shopping or selling online much smoother.
There are two general types of lowballing; manipulative lowballing and strategic lowballing. Manipulative lowballing is a careful operation. Usually a manipulative lowballer will get on a brand new account and send you a price that seems completely ridiculous. After you obviously deny them they will get on another account and offer a price that seems slightly more reasonable. If you deny this attempt they will repeat the process of ridiculous offers until you eventually accept something much lower than your initial asking price. The reason manipulative lowballing works is because when the seller sees all the fake offers come in from different people, they tend to think the value of their item is much lower than their asking price, and they start to doubt their judgement. One way to avoid manipulative lowballing is to get an official quote from someone who knows the true value of your product before listing it online. The simpler way to avoid getting manipulated however, is simply just to stick to your initial price and have strong will.
The other type of lowballing is called strategic lowballing, this type is what is most present on Facebook Marketplace. Strategic lowballing is when a lowballer finds offers that have been on Facebook for a while, typically three or more months. Once they find this victim, they will offer to come pick it up for a lower price. If you deny them they will just wait another week or so. They repeat this process with all the longer listed products until they eventually get the price to where they want it. Strategic lowballing works because sellers typically list things on Facebook Marketplace because they don’t want it anymore or it’s just taking up space. The longer it sits there the more the seller gets tired of it being there, eventually dropping to the lowballer’s offer just to get it off their hands.
While lowballing seems chaotic, there is actually a sort of etiquette. Being respectful and explaining your budget or offering to pick the item up right away can make a seller more open to lowering the price. Lowballing as an artform is not about being rude. It is about starting a conversation, even if the conversation begins with an offer that makes the seller raise their eyebrows. Sometimes lowballing can work out for everyone. Sellers who need to get rid of things quickly often appreciate someone who can show up fast. And sometimes buyers and sellers both end up happy, feeling like they got a good deal. When it works, lowballing can actually bring people together.
