I guess your answers would be different if you are selling or buying... My dad still sings to the fussy babies, "Buy Low, Sell High, Buy Low, Sell High, This is the Jewish Lullaby." over and over... We've teased him about that a lot - and yes I got educated on my Daddy's knee at a few months old. Was it really a shock when my oldest son tracked family roots back to the Jewish ghetto in Germany??? That said, negotiation is an art. Fix a price in your head. Walk if it isn't close if you are buying. When you sell you have to be realistic but so does the buyer. Some how you have to come to an agreement whether you are buying or selling. If you are buying one that has obviously been nicely set up and a decent price don't insult the person by offering half. If you read the ad and replied you pretty much thought it was an ok deal... If it is a wonderful machine and way out of line on the price, make an offer when you initially contact them. If they don't have a price on it, well you have to read their mind. They are asking for an insult IMHO. I have insulted some folks. There is one on CL right now I insulted 6 months ago... I'm not paying what he is asking and seems nobody else will either. At what point does reality settle in??? Oh and I have offered a very low price for an over priced machine and hit a home run before. Usually then I go pick it up in about 10 minutes or as soon as I can get some cash out of an ATM....