Post-agreement negotiation is not negotiation. It is risk testing.
Once a buyer agrees on a price and then tries to reopen it, they are checking whether your price was real or just a starting point. If you fold, you teach them that your listings are soft and your time is optional.
The response is not emotional and it is not long. It is procedural.
First, recognize the categories of this behavior.
Some buyers do it automatically. They ask for a final discount because it has worked before.
Some do it because of buyer’s remorse.
Some do it because they intend to push further after payment.
Your job is not to diagnose. Your job is to hold the line.
If the price was already agreed to, the correct response is simple and consistent:
The price agreed upon is the final price.
No justification. No explanations. No re-selling the item. Any extra language invites another angle.
If they continue pushing, stop engaging. Repetition signals weakness. Silence signals closure.
There are only two cases where revisiting price makes sense:
- You made a factual error in the listing
- New, legitimate information materially changes the item’s value
“Can you do better” is not new information.
Many sellers fear losing the sale. In practice, buyers who renegotiate after agreement have a higher probability of future problems. Returns, partial refund requests, and negative feedback cluster around this behavior.
Walking away is not lost money. It is risk avoided.
A clean rule keeps this tight:
Once a price is agreed to, the transaction moves forward or it ends.
Sellers who enforce this consistently attract cleaner buyers over time. Sellers who don’t spend their days negotiating the same item multiple times.
Your time is part of the price. Do not discount it after the deal is already made.