Negotiation Range Calculator: Offer Floor and Counter Script
Calculate a cost-and-ROI price floor, target close price, live accept/counter/decline decision, and editable buyer response script with optional fee-basis add-on before replying to an offer.
Item Details
Your Strategy
The floor protects your cost-and-ROI target. The target close adjusts for listing age, urgency, and buyer interest without dropping below the floor.
Offer $80.00 nets $28.72 (72% ROI). Profitable, but below your target close price.
Suggested counter: $90
"Thanks for the offer. I can meet you at $90. That keeps the deal workable on my side. Would that work for you?"
Your Negotiation Range
3 Counter-Offer Zone Scripts
Copy a script, then edit for item specifics, shipping promises, and platform message tone.
"Thanks for the offer. My lowest workable price is $70 based on the costs for this item. If that works for you, I can move forward."
"Thanks for the offer. I can meet you at $95. That keeps the deal workable on my side. Would that work for you?"
"That works for me. I can accept $90. Thanks - I will get the order ready promptly."
Offer Response Guide
Offer Reply Guardrails
Set the floor first - If an offer does not cover cost, fees, and ROI, decline or state your floor.
Use comp claims only when verified - Reference sold comps only after checking exact model, condition, date, and shipping terms.
Do not invent urgency - Keep scripts truthful instead of claiming another buyer or fake scarcity.
Counter from the target close - One clean counter is usually easier to defend than repeated discounts.
Do not double count shipping - Seller-paid shipping is a cost; buyer-paid shipping belongs in the fee-basis add-on only when the platform charges fees on it.
Recheck fee pages - Category, account, promotion, and tax rules can move the real payout.
How to Use This Tool
Enter your ask, current offer, item cost, seller-paid shipping, packing or promotion costs, and listing age. Choose a platform, verify or edit its fee estimate, and enter a fee-basis add-on when the seller fee applies to buyer-paid shipping, tax, or handling.
- Enter the list price and every cost you still pay after the sale.
- Select a platform, check its official fee page, and adjust the fee rate when your account differs.
- Add buyer-paid shipping or tax only when the platform includes it in the seller fee basis.
- Set your minimum ROI, urgency, and the amount of real buyer interest.
- Use the live-offer decision or copy the matching zone script.
What This Calculator Includes
- Editable fee assumptions - start with a dated US preset, then replace it with the effective rate from your own payout when category, tax, promotion, or seller-status rules differ.
- Fee-basis add-on - adds buyer-paid shipping, tax, handling, or similar amounts to the percentage-fee basis without double counting them as seller costs.
- Absolute floor - the minimum price covering item cost, seller-paid shipping, packing and other costs, platform fees, and your ROI target.
- Target close price - a strategy price that responds to listing age, urgency, and buyer interest without ever dropping below the mathematical floor.
- Negotiation spread - dollar room between your floor and your asking price.
- ROI at every level - see your return at floor, target close, and full price before accepting a buyer offer.
- 3 zone scripts - polite decline, counter, and accept messages with your exact numbers pre-filled.
Common Mistakes
- No floor set before listing - deciding mid-conversation leads to emotional margin erosion.
- Forgetting fee basis - some platforms calculate seller fees on amounts beyond the item price, so check the official fee page or a recent payout.
- Double counting shipping - seller-paid shipping is a cost; buyer-paid shipping is a fee-basis input only when the platform charges the seller fee on it.
- Accepting below floor to move inventory - a fast sale that misses your cost-and-ROI floor is a markdown decision, not a normal negotiation win.
- Making unverified comp claims - only mention sold comps when you actually checked exact matches.
How the Floor Is Calculated
The calculator treats item cost, seller-paid shipping, and other costs as invested capital. Your requested ROI is applied to that full amount. It then finds the lowest sale price that still covers the selected fee rule, any fee-basis add-on, and the required profit.
Worked example: Mercari electronics sale
List price $120; item cost $55; seller-paid shipping $12; packing cost $3; minimum ROI 40%; estimated seller fee 10%; buyer-paid shipping in fee basis $10. Invested capital is $70 and required profit is $28. The floor rises because the seller fee is calculated on sale price plus the fee-basis add-on.
Fee presets are dated estimates, not guarantees. eBay varies by category and account; Mercari seller fees apply to item price plus buyer-paid shipping for current listings; Depop boosting is optional and separate; Facebook local pickup is treated as a direct local sale.
Tips for Resellers
- List with deliberate room - the calculator shows the target close, so you can choose an asking price that leaves room without hiding a bad floor.
- Set platform automations from the floor - use auto-decline below your floor and auto-accept above your target only after fee basis matches payout.
- Reference sold comps only when you checked them - use exact model, condition, date range, and shipping terms.
- Factor in relisting time - for high-volume sellers, accepting at the target can beat carrying stale inventory.
- Do not lower the floor just because a listing is old - age changes the target close price, while the floor remains tied to costs and required return.
FAQ
How does a negotiation range calculator work for resale offers?
It separates two decisions that sellers often mix together. The floor is mathematical: item cost, seller-paid shipping, packing or promotion costs, estimated transaction fees, and required ROI. The target close price is strategic: asking price, listing age, urgency, and current buyer interest.
What should my price floor include?
Include every cost that still belongs to you after the sale: acquisition cost, seller-paid postage, packing materials, authentication or cleaning, promoted-listing cost when applicable, and the platform fee. If the platform charges the seller fee on buyer-paid shipping, tax, or handling, put that amount in the fee-basis add-on instead of counting it as a seller cost. Apply the ROI target to the full invested amount.
Should I counter or decline an offer below my floor?
If the offer cannot cover your costs and minimum return, decline it or state the lowest workable price. Counter only when there is a realistic path above the floor. Avoid claiming that sold comps support your number unless you actually checked the same model, condition, date range, and shipping terms.
What does the live offer decision add?
The live offer input checks the actual buyer number against the cost-and-ROI floor and the target close price. It returns accept, counter, or decline, shows expected profit and ROI, suggests a counter when appropriate, and writes a neutral script.
Related Tools
Related Articles
One useful reseller email a month
Practical sourcing and resale-research notes. No hype, and you can unsubscribe anytime.