Am I being too rigid?

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Hi Guys,
By day I work in estimating, sales and project management for a building supplier. Every skill I use at work has benefited me greatly on Etsy, however there is one aspect I am concerned about, and it is the way I handle discount requests or pricing negotiations.
At my day job I politely say 'we always want to put our best foot forward with you and for that reason we have already issued the best price possible on item x' when it comes declining pricing negotiations. So I have done the same on here. Some sales follow through anyway, others don't.
My Question is - am I being unreasonable and rigid? (and I really mean it as a question not as an "I know I'm not but I want you to agree with me") if someone asks me to better the price should I throw them a bone like a 5% discount as a good will gesture or behave like I would normally and decline to haggle in a polite way?
Thanks
Paige

[HanoverMerryMakers]

In the past I have said politely this is a new listing and cannot give a discount at this time. I have had the sale go ahead as well at full price.

[HoneyThistle]

Hi Paige,

No it's not too rigid at all :) You own your business, and you need to be profitable at it, which involves pricing at the right level. There's a reason certain items are priced the way they are, and they're not meant to be affordable for literally everyone to buy. You sell luxurious bridal wear, so that's even more the case.

Also think of it this way, if you offer 5% off to someone, then that makes it unfair for the next person or previous person who buys/bought it at full price. If you're going to give a price break/have a small sale, then it makes sense to offer it to everyone.

Hope that helps, and lovely shop!

[OneFairfaxRoad]

I generally don't offer a discount, I just politely respond that I'm unable to offer a discount but will refund excess shipping charges if more than $2.

I have agreed to a discount (when asked) for large orders (more than $200) or if I've had the item for awhile (and am considering a price adjustment). I can't blame people for asking, as it is a common practice for vintage items in antiques shops and markets.

Pretty shop, Paige!

[ConcertinaPress]

I'm in the wedding biz too (invitations) and I almost never discount my items. The only time I've offered a discount is if they buy save the dates, invitations AND thank you notes from me, all at once. If someone asks for a discount I offer suggestions on how they could purchase the same thing with fewer options (plain envelopes, or no backing layer) rather than give an arbitrary discount.

You have lovely hair accessories!

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Thanks for all the advice! I am on a few of the forums and I am always shocked to see some of the hits people are willing to take to their profit margin to keep from getting a bad review or to get the sale in the first place. My knee jerk response is always 'stand behind your product. If it is good quality you dont have to worry about haggling.' Then I started to wonder if I was being stubborn or arrogant (on occasion I have been known to be both) by not discounting because it pops up so frequently but I really appreciate the input and advice on how you guys run these situations.

[fishcouple]

I usually don't give out discounts but I do give out about 5% or so for large orders when potential buyers ask.

I think of this way. large orders will save me time on finding different cardstocks; it also save me time on packaging (if I had sold those in small orders, I'd have to package them individually many times ...)

For some nice and easy clients who ask for custom order, I always like to give them good offer (like reduced rate on each pennant that I am charging for a banner, etc.) Again, being an easy client, they save me lots of time communicating. :)

[SageNThymeDesigns]

I've been getting a lot of requests for discounts as well lately and it's starting to make me grumpy. I'm wondering if there are so many other Etsy sellers that say yes that people are coming to expect a discount just for asking.

The tone lately has also been more aggressive. I had a lady yesterday tell me she had twins and wanted to know "what discount will be given on the second item". Ummm, two ain't a bulk order lady. She was the second request of the morning.

I usually respond with my standard "I happily offer bulk discounts on orders of 10 or more of the same item". The irony is that people who are purchasing large orders are never the ones asking for a discount.

[fishcouple]

Actually, for me, people who asked for discounts were all from bulk orders.

There was only one lady who asked for discounts because the other seller's item priced so low. I told her that she will like my work and didn't want to match her price. However, since she was trying to order a variety of items from me, I did reduce a little for her.

Last week, a lady inquired about my pencil pinwheels and she said she was comparing prices because she needed couple of hundreds. She sounded like she was going to order from me but obviously, someone went much lower than me.

Well, I don't regret a bit because that's a lot of pinwheels to make, (Whew!) and I didn't want to sell short of myself. :)

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

I agree entirely. I buy quality tools to create my pieces and I spend the time I need to get them right rather than just getting them done. If someone else is doing it cheaper good luck to them but I stand behind knowing I produce something worth the price I've set and am not interested in matching what another seller is doing. However I am also fairly black and white in how I do business so it's always good to check in with others and make sure I am operating effectively.
How rude that she would demand a discount like that! I understand when people inquire (never know if you don't ask) but it makes me Rage Paige when they just expect it. Luckily I have only ever had polite customers so far

[WilliamsGiftshop]

I have never honored a discount request in my almost ten years of selling on Etsy.
My customers could either pay the price that I know my work was worth, or leave it. Period.
As long as you bring that in a polite way and do a little explaining as to why your products are priced the way they are, people tend to understand.

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Thanks Bea, it's comforting to know these are the kind of practices to adopt if I want to have the kind of longevity and success someone like yourself has had.
In my not-so-humble opinion, there is a reason they are haggling with me instead of buying the cheaper one they saw and it's because they like my product. Life isn't cheap and I completely understand the urge for a bargain but that is good advice to use it as a spring board to discuss the quality of the product. Thanks :)

[WilliamsGiftshop]

I'd like to ad this: never lower your prices to match the budget of customers, but instead find the customers who are willing and able to pay the right price.
Unique handmade quality products come at a certain price and therefore require a certain customer market (no bargain hunters).

[JewelMeShop]

I don't feel you're rigid . If the problem is budget I would try to recommend another listing with lower price. If possible, you can also make a custom listing that requires less work or cheaper materials.
I don't think it's fair at a lower price just because someone asked that. At least it's unfair for people who have already paid the price you're asking for.

[ForestsOfWildflowers]

Thanks Georgina for the great ideas. I like that they are solution based responses, I will be sure to remember them in future

[mirrymirry]

You should do whatever you feel is right for you. No obligation to discount. & like you say, some follow through, some don't & if you don't mind losing the ones that don't then all's well :)

Last night i bought £190 worth of earrings (5 pairs). I need them by a certain date. only the express shipping was a lot more than i could bring myself to pay. I told the seller i was going to ask in the forums about their experience of shipping time to see if i thought it worth the risk. If not i wouldnt buy them. I didnt ask for a discount, just said i'd come back if the shipping was likely to be reliable enough. But she kindly offerred to upgrade the shipping for me at her expense - said she would happily give discounts to purchases over £150 ( mine was £190) . So she got the sale - & i'll get my lovely earrings. But i wasnt expecting a discount, & really wouldn't have minded if one hadn't been offered.

Sometimes i'll offer a little something off on multi buys too, sometimes not, just depends. It's very rare i'm asked though. If i was going to lose a good sale due to something like high shipping, i too might discount that. Just depends. It's nice we have the freedom to choose :) :) :)

[DarylArtDigital]

To me, it's a customer by customer and item by item basis. Sometimes you may encounter an avid collector who knows what they're talking about with pricing, so if they are polite and ask with the best intention (and not being rude, cruel or threatening to abuse the review feature), then yes I would give a small discount. Customers also need to understand it costs us to run our shops and it's not all profit. Much of what we make goes to keep it running. I'd remind them of that too. If they decline buying it, another customer will come along and get your item :)
On a side note, it sounds like your skills in your day job serve you well and you're doing something right!

[AScatteredCreative]

When you feel like you are being rigid or arrogant, think of this; I was in a lecture on pricing your work some years ago. The lecturer (I can't remember now who it was) said "when you sell something you've put work, time and your heart into at a price lower than your formula tells you it needs to be, you are subsidizing someone else's lifestyle and sacrificing your own. Are you willing to sacrifice your lifestyle to improve the lifestyle of a perfect strange?"

[StuckOnSilver]

I have read that gender has something to do with pricing. Women tend to under price our work. We also tend to dislike negotiation.

If you went into a shop and asked for something at a discount, you would most likely not get it.

Take a deep breath. If you want to discount your work, do so. If you don't. This doesn't indicate "rigidity" on your part but the way you run your shop.

I'd say, don't let this mess with your mind!

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Bev said: "I have read that gender has something to do with pricing. Women tend to under price our work. ..."

So true!