I also have a suspicion that people even find haggling rude. I also think others are confused by it, like the choosing beggar subbredit seems to often just be bad attempts at haggling
Maybe we just set the initial price differently?
Do you consider that to be good faith negotiating?
And maybe you work with them on that and they’re like, “ok but I actually have a commitment tomorrow and can only meet at 3:30am and if there’s a waning crescent moon hovering above us…”
The demands get longer. It’s clear they’re not actually interested. They’re just testing their own waters and are time wasters.
I do. Or used to. Then I kinda learned how it all works. If I had an item that could sell for say, 100 on ebay, I'd list it for 80 to get a quick sale without shipping. Then people offering 50 seem rude or crazy to me.
Then I learned to just price it high. So now, that item I'll list for 120, and 'fine, final offer' it to 80 and that works way, way better.
I think people just want to feel like they won, more than about values of items.
Another protip: Never list anything for free. You'll find the worst in society. List it for 5 or 10 dollars, then just tell the buyer it's free when they come.
So I could see a situation where most buyers with actual intent to purchase are only searching in the "Furniture" section. And the chairs in question might not have been nice enough to attract interest from the "flippers" in the free section.
Underpricing something is as bad (or worse) than overpricing it
If I think that chair is worth $50, and you're giving it away ... I think there's something wrong
If I think it's worth $50, and you ask $20 ... I think "he must not want it - this is a great deal!"
It is insane how true this is. If I put something on Craigslist for $10 that I was thinking about throwing away, someone polite will buy it within a week and show up on time. The first time I put something in the "free" section instead, someone sent me a legit hate email because they didn't like the item I was giving away for free... wtf?
I get a lot of low effort people who want you to drive everything to them and pay bottom dollar (even though I’m very centrally located). Super annoying.
So you most likely are getting those responses because a large chunk of the CL buyers are in the market for prices at that level. A 20% discount feels like something you can get from the retailer if you just wait for a sale. But I guess, CL is popular enough where if you have the time to wait it out, you might eventually find a a buyer. But still seems insane to me that anyone would take that deal considering the risks.
Also, FWIW, there is no reason you can't counter offer in those cases. Considering the amount of time and effort it takes to meet in person, it is probably better that the price be pre-negotiated via e-mail before meeting in person. I certainly would never show up in person and try to get a lower price on the spot. The few times I have lowballed via e-mail (I was/am looking for a really niche item, and the only suitable listing has been sitting on CL for weeks) I got counter offered. It was still too high for my tastes, but the listing is still there so I might try again in a few weeks!
"$800 firm" means something. The alternative to "sell at a fair price on both sides" is "no sale", not "sell at a stupid price." I kept the camera and still use it instead. I was getting rid of it because it wasn't 100% what I wanted in my studio space, but it's fine (just not delightful) as a B or a C camera; 80% of what I could optimally do with a different model is worth way more than taking an extra $300 bath. Eventually I'll sell on eBay and get what I'm looking for that way--I didn't want to bother with shipping, but wasting my time with unserious offers makes that a lot more appealing.
(And we aren't even getting into the significant mental effort of engaging with the ridiculous set of scammers trying to get you to fall for their fake-Zelle-notification stuff.)
But you are tangibly hurt by systemic discrimination. Otherwise qualified people give up their career choice to avoid harassment or because of inequitable salary. Then we are left with less qualified and motivated people staffed in important positions. Your work, health, or other aspect of your life are affected, just not in ways you can easily see or measure.
Of course in this era of ultra-sensitivity to racist issues, your seller's phrasing seems problematic. But the ability to recognize the difference in cultures is an asset, not a liability.