When Someone Asks for a Discount

Almost everyone selling gets asked. The request is rarely really about the money, because the amounts involved are usually small. It is about finding out whether your prices are a fixed thing or an opening position.

Answer the price, not the person

The listed price is the price. Said once, without apology, that is the end of it for most people. What invites a second attempt is a reply that sounds like the beginning of a negotiation, and long explanations sound exactly like that.

You can say no and still be warm

Declining is not rudeness. That one is as listed, but tell me if you would like something put together instead is a refusal and an offer in one line, and it leaves the door open without moving the number.

If you do want to move, move for a reason

Bundling is not discounting. Two items at a set price, or postage included, gives you something to offer that has a shape to it. What you want to avoid is the same item costing different amounts depending on who asked, because word travels and then the price is whatever someone is willing to push for.

Watch what happens next

The people who ask once and then buy are perfectly normal customers. The people who ask, get an answer, and ask again in different words are telling you how the rest of the arrangement would go. That is useful information and it arrived early, which is the best time to get it.