Highball

A term used in car sales, the practice of stating a very high trade-in price to a customer who is known or expected to be shopping around, comparing prices. When the customer finds that other dealers cannot match the trade-in price, he will return to the original dealer, only to be told that the inflated figure was a mistake (e.g., based on wrong assumptions as to the trade-in's clutch condition, etc.). Many customers will then accept a new, lower price because they are tired of shopping around. See also lowball