I had a customer contact me over a year ago that wanted a couple 1x12x14'. I told him I don't stock any 14' material but would be happy to saw them for him and gave him a price. He said no I need them dry and need them now. Ok
Fast forward nine months...
A customer sends me a text that says "I want that lumber" I have no idea what there inquiring about but find out it's the same guy. So I tell him the same exact thing but add in that I had a price increase and the order will be $15 more than the original quote. He proceeded to tell me that if I honored the price I gave him over nine months ago he would take it. If not he was going to get it from another mill he found.
So I told him to give the other mill the business.
Fast forward another six months...
I get a inquiry through Facebook from a gentleman wanting some 1x12x14.
I give him a price and he says he'll take it.
I give him my cell number and tell him to text me when he's on his way.
When he texts me to let me know he's on his way I got a good laugh. It has been the same guy all along.
It sure is a good thing he didn't give the business to that jerk that wouldn't honor a price that was over a year old :D
But I still got his money 8)
I like gouging those types. Your time is worth nothing to them.
That a good one. Our local counselor called me up about firewood,( prior to these he was also involved in upping all home taxes, from 0 tax to min $1400) So I told him 1400 for 2 cord, he nearly had a fit. well I said you upped my taxes by $1400 I thought that was only fair. Well he did not like the price so hung up. Some time latter we ran into each other at a store, and he asked about the price of firewood, told him, and he figured I needed to sharpen my pencil, I informed him, with 3 strangers standing there listen to this conversation he started, that that was my price and just because he was my counselor I was not prepared to give him a better price than anyone else. That shut him up in a hurry.
I had a guy order some 2" thick 60" live edge slabs that were less than 12" wide (to fit through his planer). He then called back and ordered some additional 2" lumber. He is an acquaintance who I hoped would be a repeat customer. So I agreed to a 10% discount.
I sawed all he wanted, stacked, strapped and put it on a pallet. When he came to get it he brought his buddy that he builds rustic furniture with. His buddy started to haggle on price. The load was on the forks of my tractor ready to go on their truck. After the second time I told him the price, I put the pallet back under the shed when he started again by saying, "I get slabs like this from "real" sawmills for free." I told him to go get them I would burn them before I gave any additional discount. He handed me the cash as I sat in the tractor seat.
I consider haggling just part of the deal on a lot of stuff, but if someone ever tried to haggle on a previously agreed to price it would go up 10% per offer😉
I also had a customer like yours. He came to buy a 2 in. by 24 in. white pine live edge slab, 8 ft long. I told him it was $80. He told me he was offering $20.....I told that man that I did not need his money to have food on my table, and for $20 I would prefer to carry that slab and put it in some mud hole on my land so the tractor would not get stuck. So he told me *you would not put such a nice slab in mud ??? I told him that if it is so nice the price is $80 and showed him how to get out of my land..... :D
I have dealt with people.
If they have it's worth top dollar,if you have it,it's worth bottom dollar.
I work in a hardware store. Some will drive an hour,one way,to get it $5 cheaper.