You post a dress for GH₵180. Two minutes later the message comes: "Last price?" How you answer that one question decides whether you keep your profit or give it away. This guide shows you exactly what to say — with word-for-word replies you can copy into your own chats.
"Last price?" is a buying signal, not an insult
Some sellers get tired the moment they see those two words. Don't. A customer who asks for last price is a customer who wants the item. Nobody negotiates for a dress they don't plan to buy.
In Ghana, negotiation is part of how we shop. It happens at Makola, it happens at Kejetia, and it happens on WhatsApp. The customer isn't disrespecting you — she's telling you the sale is close. She wants to feel she got something. Your job is to let her win something without giving away your margin.
The sellers who lose money on "last price?" are not the ones who negotiate. They're the ones who negotiate without a plan — tired, at 11pm, typing "ok 150" because saying yes was easier than one more reply.
Decide your floor before the chat starts
Here is the rule that changes everything: know your lowest price before anyone asks.
For every product you sell, write down two numbers:
- Asking price — what you post. For our dress, GH₵180.
- Floor price — the lowest you will ever accept and still make the profit you need. Say GH₵160.
Write the floor down — in a notebook, a spreadsheet, anywhere outside your head. When it lives only in your head, it moves. At 10am your floor is GH₵160. At 11pm, after a long day, your floor becomes "whatever ends this chat". That drift is where profit leaks — GH₵10 here, GH₵20 there, forty times a month.
Work the floor out from your real costs: what you paid for the item, transport, packaging, data, your time. The floor is not "a price I'd grudgingly take". It's the line below which the sale isn't worth making. Once it's written down, the negotiation stops being emotional. You're not deciding under pressure — you decided this morning.
Come down in small steps — and attach a reason to every discount
Two mistakes kill margins on WhatsApp. The first is dropping too far, too fast. The customer asks last price on a GH₵180 dress and the seller replies "160" — the whole room, gone in one message, and the customer still pushes for 150 because a fast drop tells her the prices are soft.
Come down in small steps instead: 180 → 175 → 170. Each step small enough that stopping feels natural.
The second mistake is giving a discount with no reason. A discount without a reason says "my first price was fake". A discount with a reason says "my prices are real, but I'm doing something for you":
- "GH₵170 because you're taking it today."
- "GH₵170 and I'll cover delivery within Osu."
- "GH₵175 because you bought from me last month."
The customer gets a win she can feel. You get your margin. Nobody is cheated.
Five replies that hold your price politely
Copy these, change the numbers, use them tonight. Scenario: dress posted at GH₵180, your floor is GH₵160.
1. The first "last price?" — small step, with a reason: > "For you, GH₵175 — and that's because you messaged early. It's original fabric, and I have your size ready."
2. When she counters with GH₵150 — hold, don't scold: > "150 I can't do on this one, sister — that's below what I paid plus my cost. GH₵170 is my best, and I can send it out today."
3. When she says "add small thing for me" — trade, don't subtract: > "The dress I can't come down again. But take the headwrap with it and I'll do both for GH₵200 instead of 215."
A throw-in feels generous and usually costs you less than a cash discount.
4. When she keeps pressing — repeat calmly, same words: > "GH₵170 is where I can go. I want you to buy from me again, so I won't sell you something at a loss and then vanish."
Repetition is not rudeness. Calm, identical answers tell the customer the price is real.
5. When she goes quiet or says "let me think" — close the door gently, leave it unlocked: > "No problem at all. GH₵170 stands — I'll hold your size till tomorrow evening. Send me a message when you're ready."
When to walk away (and why customers come back)
If a customer will only buy below your floor, let the sale go. Politely, warmly — but let it go. A sale below your floor isn't a sale; it's you paying someone to take your stock.
Here's what surprises new sellers: customers respect a firm price more than a soft one. The buyer who walked away at GH₵150 often returns two days later at GH₵170, because she checked around and your price was fair — and because you were pleasant when you said no. And the ones who don't return? They were never your customers. They were your loss, avoided.
Every firm, friendly "no" also trains your regulars. Slowly, your shop becomes known as a place where prices are honest and negotiation is fair — which means shorter chats and better margins on every future sale. That reputation is worth more than any single order. If you're still setting up your WhatsApp shop itself — catalog, greeting, payment flow — start with our guide to selling on WhatsApp in Ghana.
What if you're asleep when they ask?
Everything above works — when you're awake. But "last price?" doesn't keep office hours. It comes at 11pm, during church, while you're at the market sourcing stock. By the time you reply with your careful script, the customer bought elsewhere.
This is the exact problem Vendwa was built for. You set your floor price once, per product, in writing — and Vendwa negotiates every chat for you, day and night. It comes down in small steps, attaches a reason to every discount, and holds your floor like a wall: however hard the customer pushes, it cannot agree to a pesewa below the number you set. The floor is enforced by the system itself, not by the AI's mood. See how Vendwa's negotiation and floor prices work.
Your 2am customers get the same polite, firm negotiation your 2pm customers get. And your margin stays yours — even while you sleep.
Common questions
What should I reply when a customer asks "last price" on WhatsApp? Come down one small step and attach a reason: "GH₵175 because you're taking it today." Never jump straight to your lowest number — a fast drop invites more pressure.
How do I set a floor price? Add up what the item cost you — stock, transport, packaging, your time — then add the minimum profit that makes the sale worth it. Write the number down per product. Never negotiate below it.
Is it rude to refuse a customer's price? No, if you do it warmly. "150 I can't do, but 170 is my best and it's ready today" refuses the number, not the person. Firm and friendly beats soft and resentful.
Can an AI negotiate for my shop? Yes. Vendwa negotiates on your WhatsApp and Instagram using floor prices you set. It concedes in small steps with reasons, and the system blocks any deal below your floor — even at 2am.
Put a negotiator on your WhatsApp tonight — L0.