Negotiate

The number comes from the ceiling

The app writes the first message with a number that is never above the ceiling: if the ask is under it, you meet the ask (a pounce is a pounce, do not insult a good price); if the ask is over it, you offer the ceiling, rounded to $5 so it reads like a person wrote it. That is the whole strategy. You are not trying to win; you are trying to buy at a price that makes money.

The message

"Hi! Is the iPhone 15 Pro still available? I can pick up today with cash near Salt Lake City. Would you take $350?" — available, cash, today, near you, one number. Sellers answer this message because it removes every reason not to. Do not write paragraphs. Do not explain the market. Do not say "lowest price?"; that is what everyone says and it gets ignored.

In person

Inspect first, in silence about money. Then one number, once, with the reason if the reason is a defect: "the battery is at 79%, that is a $90 battery; I can do $300." Then stop talking. The silence is the negotiation. If they counter within $20 of your number, take it and move on; your time is worth more than $20.

Walking away

Have the walk-away number before you arrive; it is in your envelope. When the seller will not meet it, say "no problem, thanks for your time" and go. Half the time they message an hour later. The other half you saved yourself a loss. Both outcomes are wins.

What not to do

• Lowball more than about 25% under the ask unless the unit has a defect; it ends the conversation
• Negotiate over message after you agreed a price; renegotiate only for something you found in person
• Tell a story about why you need it cheap. Nobody cares and it weakens the number
• Bring up the ceiling or the app. Your number is your number