What is dickering? Build camaraderie while standing your ground to get the best bargain in a country negotiation for used farm equipment, livestock, and more.
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If you homestead out past the pavement, chances are you’ve got a few “horse trades” under your buckle. Country folks are legendary for being hard bargainers who work for every cent in the final price. There’s a real art to “dickering.” If you’re new to rural dealings, bargaining is a skill worth cultivating.
What is Dickering?
“Dickering,” if you get all technical, is working a price to the place you feel comfortable paying. It’s not so much about the price as the journey to that mutually acceptable number. Unlike fancy penciled figures on slips silently pushed across boardroom tables, out here in the timothy, we look you in the eyes when talking money. Watching good bargaining, as a tractor jockey once told me, is like watching a really slow wrestling match. The buyer has a price, and the seller has a price. No one hurries, and both parties circle the subject, noting the other’s words and considering compromise carefully.
When dickering, “slow” is the watchword. High speed is for internet connectivity, not dickering.
Toe-digging and rocking on the heels are part of the sale. Some people will stand square and look off as the discussion swirls, while others never blink. Country people enjoy the careful sparring it takes to get the baler out of the driveway.
Buying anything is a complex process, and often, a sale goes off the rails because of misunderstandings, poor explanations, or vague questions. If it’s worth buying, it’s worth being serious, so leave the jokes for later. Being sassy or, worse, offensive in any way is a poor attitude. You have the chance to get this person working with you, not wishing you’d leave. Good, honest bargaining leaves both parties, if not happy, at least somewhat satisfied.
How to Negotiate the Best Price for Used Farm Equipment
When setting up a meet, I simply ask for a time and a place with clear directions — no “past the red barn” guidance. I also avoid all off-site negotiations. The telephone is no place to dicker, nor is email, since you’ll need to gauge the reaction to your offers and the other party’s counteroffers.
Don’t be too critical; instead, be constructive to work the price to your satisfaction. A careful bargainer will get involved physically to review the item in question. A thorough hands-on examination can reveal issues or reinforce the item’s worth. Avoid being too aggressive or loud. Try to get a feel for the seller’s mood: Are they in a foul state or feeling generous? Some country folks, myself included, are quiet around strangers. However, given the chance to get a moderately successful horse trade underway, we get mighty chatty.
When dealing, it’s best to involve only the buyer and seller. With extra people standing around, things can get off-book quickly. Extra opinions can irritate both parties and make the dickering difficult. At most, bring a mechanic or other service person to check on the item’s mechanical condition. If you find you need to have another set of eyes after your first visit, arrange for a later visit, and be clear that you wish to bring a professional.
Look for indications of the sale’s seriousness. A table saw buried deep in an old poultry coop or a cultivator in the neighbor’s shed miles away doesn’t indicate a serious sale, but a set of tractor chains laid out by the shed point to an eager seller.
After the initial price is established, some buyers immediately lowball, but I prefer to gently guide the talk with questions to get the seller working with me. Make it clear you want to buy; don’t waste daylight yapping. We all price high expecting to deal; that’s how it works. Bargain for a while to gauge the seller’s seriousness on the price they’ve pitched, and always be looking at the item with positive interest. If you’ve worked with similar equipment, mention that to prove you know the score. Make it clear you’re there to buy but not throw money away. Talk about your intended use, indicate how it’ll improve production, or even discuss how you’ll modify the tool. Be positive if you want a positive conclusion.
Any purchase these days benefits from a clear receipt. It needn’t be a formal lawyer document; a few lines will do. Some folks may balk at the request, but try to stay within the law’s parameters; a receipt is pretty much required to legally license an item. A simple receipt should list the item, the names of the buyer and the seller, the date, and the amount exchanged.
Audio Article
Decent Dealing: Knowing When to Step Away
If you’re at loggerheads and your preferred prices are increasingly further apart, at what point does dickering become pointless? This does happen, and it might spell the end of the potential deal. Some hard-headed sellers won’t budge, seeming to relish the confrontation. Better to thank them politely, leave, and let it go. Strong-arm tactics have no place in country bargaining, and a reputation of being honest and respectable is worth preserving at the cost of lost purchases.
Good negotiations are about learning the other person’s notion of value. Say the price is one grand; OK, now we both have a starting point. Don’t throw out a dollar amount; instead, gently get the seller talking about the condition, age, or model to find common ground. Old-timers often introduce themselves, outline their interest, and then spend considerable time identifying connections. Maybe both parties have worked on a nearby ranch and know the same folks. Establishing common connections may make the bargaining go more smoothly — you wouldn’t get all belligerent with a friend. You’d treat them as an equal, because you now know them, at least sort of.
Modern buyers or sellers are all about speed, with an almost annoyed tone, rushing to close the deal and quickly move on. This is a shame, as few pleasures were so enjoyed by past generations of homesteaders as dickering. Granted, many times, someone lost and someone won, but there was always another day to deal up better.
Now, who wants to buy a good used tractor?
Farm Auction Etiquette
Casual country bargainers are sometimes overwhelmed by crowded farm auctions, but the lure of unexpected treasure keeps them showing up. If you’ve never stood before the hammer, the following suggestions will ensure an enjoyable day.
Get on-site early to peruse the inventory. Make notes on items that interest you and write down the correct auction number along with the opening bid amount. Once the auction is underway, don’t bid too soon, always bid in short increments, and stay steady, ignoring the excitement around you. Long pauses in bidding are OK; they give the initially enthusiastic an opportunity to count coins. Don’t leave too soon or get frustrated waiting for a sale item; fortune rewards the patient. Dress in appropriate seasonal footwear, bring a lunch, and remember to have fun.
Auctioneers and their assistants are as busy as bees in the blossoms and have little time to waste, with a full array of items to move quickly. Any unusual motion can lead to an unintended bid on your part. Don’t wink or clear your throat, and never nod your head! It sounds funny until a roaming bid watcher is standing over you holding their card high and pointing at your surprised face. It happens more than you think! Actually, most auctioneers understand, but who wants to be the person who holds up the day’s business?
When not on a tractor or chasing potato bugs, Cary Rideout can be found writing about the rural world he loves. The award-winning Canadian writer is the fourth generation to work the fields and woods of his “hundred and half.” His work is a celebration of the beauty and strength of the country world he shares with his artist wife, Lorain.
Originally published as “The High Art of Going Low” in the March/April 2023 issue of Mother Earth News and regularly vetted for accuracy.
