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How to play the individual sale game
By Barr Hayoun

I have only five attempts to get the item. Is there any reason to feel pressured?

The rules of the individual sale game state that the consumer can make only five offers, in the hope that in one of the last tries he will offer a price above the target set by the seller. The idea is to create the impression that if you didn't reach the target price, you will not get the product.
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But there is no need to be pressured. First, on most of the sites, unless you make ridiculously low offers they will allow you more than the number of tries promised. On Olsale, for example, you will get five tries plus five additional ones, with the excuse that the system has identified you as a "choice customer."

Aside from that, if you didn't succeed, never mind. You can try again. And probably even before you have time to do so, a representative will call you to finish the deal.

When will a representative call me and how should I react?

If you came close to the target set by the seller but didn't reach it, expect a phone call. The bargaining will help to lower the price in many cases (have the lowest price presented on Zap and/or in individual sales elsewhere on hand) and you can also ask for time to think about it. There are enough competitors so that the seller won't be able to push you to the deal.

If the representative calls and claims that at the moment the product is not in the inventory and tries to sell you another product, tell him that it's illegal and report to Emun Hatzibur or the Israel Consumer Council that the site is trying to bait and switch.

Some of the sites show a stopwatch that does a countdown to the end of the sale. What does that really mean?

In most cases, nothing. It's simply another way to spur the consumer to buy.

Does the number of payments I offer affect the sum of the purchase?

Yes. In most cases you can choose between one and 36 payments, with the price increasing as the number of payments go up. On Walla Shops, for example, for one to five payments you can receive the lowest price scale.
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