I can see that, but try to flip it around. Is the seller being a cheap beggar by asking more than you'd like to pay? Or, are they only communicating what they'd like to be paid before you get a chance to communicate your preference?
Look at it this way: my only way of "communicating" is to go somewhere else (in the sense of communicating a price signal).
This stems from several reasons:
  • As an introvert, I optimize for having fewer interactions with people. So I will simply look for a better apparent offer and accept that (possibly) I could've haggled even more.
  • I work under the assumption that the seller should know best what their product is worth. Highballing and betting that the buyer is not aware of the "real" price is scummy and I wouldn't want to deal with this person anyway.
  • Living in the EU, I am used to price arbitrages being pretty much gone and price of everything being very close to "optimal", so there isn't much room for negotiation anyway.
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