"What's your best price?"

If you have spent enough time vending at card shows, you have probably heard that question hundreds of times.

And if we are being fair, it can be annoying.

A vendor might have spent hours pricing inventory, checking recent sales, organizing cards, and setting what they believe is a reasonable price. Then a customer walks up, picks up a card, and asks for the best price without making an offer or even appearing to check a comp.

A lot can go through a vendor's head in that moment.

Did you even look at the price?

What do you think it's worth?

Why am I negotiating against myself?

Those reactions are understandable. But they may also cause vendors to misunderstand what is happening.

"What's your best price?" is not always a demand for a discount. It is often the customer's way of opening a negotiation.

There Is Actual Research on This Exact Question

In 2023, researchers published a study in Negotiation Journal called "What is Your Best Price?" An Experimental Study of an Alternative Negotiation Opening.

The researchers studied 227 buyer and seller pairs negotiating the price of an item. Instead of having the buyer make the first offer, some buyers simply asked the seller for their best price.^[1]

The question worked as a real negotiation tactic.

By asking for the seller's best price, the buyer could get the seller to make the first move. The research also found that this approach was especially useful when there was more uncertainty about the price. When buyers had clearer pricing information, the effect of the question became smaller.

That sounds a lot like a card show.

A customer may know that a card sells somewhere around $200, but they may have seen recent sales at $180, $195, $210, and $225. Another vendor may have it priced at $220. Your sticker might say $215.

So what is the "real" price?

The buyer may be asking you.

The Customer May Be Trying to Find Your Real Selling Price

There is an important difference between an asking price and a selling price.

Card show customers know this.

If your card is marked $250, they may assume you built negotiation room into that number. They do not necessarily believe that $250 is the amount you expect to receive.

So when they ask, "What's your best price?" they may really be asking:

"What number would actually get this deal done?"

That is not necessarily disrespectful. It can simply be information gathering.

Consumer research shows that buyers carry what researchers call a reference price. This is the price they expect something to cost based on past purchases, prices they have seen, and what they know about the market.^[2]

Trading cards make this even more complicated because there is rarely one perfect comp.

The customer may have a number in their head. You have another number in yours. "What's your best price?" is sometimes the fastest way for the buyer to find out how far apart those numbers are.

Sometimes They Are Testing You

Of course, not every customer asking the question is confused about market value.

Some know exactly what the card is worth.

They may have already visited four other tables. They know another vendor has the same card for $190. Yours is marked $200.

They could say, "The vendor over there has it for $190."

Instead, they ask for your best price.

Why?

Because they want to see what you say before giving you information.

If you immediately respond with $180, they just found a better deal.

If you say $195, they can decide whether buying from the other vendor makes more sense.

The customer is gathering information while keeping their own position private.

That is negotiation.

It does not automatically make the customer cheap, rude, or dishonest.

And Yes, Sometimes They Just Want a Deal

There is also a simpler explanation.

Some customers enjoy getting a discount.

A $100 card for $95 feels better than buying the same card for $95 when the sticker already says $95.

The final price is identical, but the first customer feels like they accomplished something.

Research into price fairness has found that buyers do not judge a transaction only by the final number. How they believe the price was determined can also affect whether they view the deal as fair and whether they want to buy.^[3]

This matters at card shows because negotiation is part of the experience.

Sometimes giving a customer a small win is enough to close the sale.

A vendor asking $110 might be completely comfortable taking $105. The customer gets $5 off. The vendor gets the number they were willing to accept. Both people leave happy.

That is not losing a negotiation.

That is completing one.

Do Not Let the Question Make You Defensive

The biggest mistake a vendor can make is answering the customer's question emotionally.

"What's your best price?" can easily sound like, "Your price is too high."

But those are not the same statement.

If a vendor becomes sarcastic, defensive, or irritated, a customer who was genuinely interested in buying may simply move on.

Remember the goal. You are not trying to win an argument about who understands comps better.

You are trying to determine whether there is a number where both sides are willing to make a deal.

You Also Don't Have to Negotiate Against Yourself

Understanding the customer's motivation does not mean immediately giving them your absolute lowest price.

If a card is marked $200 and you would accept $175, jumping straight to $175 gives away $25 without learning anything about the buyer.

They might have happily paid $195.

Instead, keep the conversation moving.

You might say:

• "I have a little room. What were you thinking?"
• "I'm at $200 on it, but I could work with you a little."
• "Are you looking at just this card or putting a few cards together?"
• "I could do $190 on that one."

Each answer does something different.

The first gets the customer to reveal a number. The second lets them know you are open to negotiating without immediately discounting the card. The third can turn a one-card negotiation into a larger sale. The fourth works when you already know the number you are comfortable taking.

What you probably want to avoid is turning a normal negotiation into a confrontation.

Find Out What the Customer Is Really Asking

The next time someone asks, "What's your best price?" do not assume you know why.

They may not know the comps.

They may know the comps better than you think.

They may be comparing your card against another vendor's card.

They may be trying to find out whether your sticker price is firm.

They may simply enjoy negotiating.

Or they may genuinely want the card and are trying to figure out whether the two of you can reach a number that works.

The question itself does not tell you which customer is standing in front of you.

Your response can help you find out.

The Question Is Usually the Beginning, Not the Problem

Vendors hear "What's your best price?" so often that it can start feeling lazy or irritating.

Try looking at it differently.

The customer stopped at your table.

They found a card.

They picked it up.

And now they are talking about price.

That customer is much closer to buying than the person who walked past your table without saying anything.

The question may not be phrased the way you would prefer, but it has opened the negotiation.

Understanding why they asked it helps you avoid reacting emotionally, protect your margin, learn what the buyer is thinking, and move the conversation toward a sale.

The better question for the vendor may not be:

"Why do customers keep asking me for my best price?"

It may be:

"How can I use that question to find the number that closes the deal?"