OK, you've all convinced me :) Especially MooseOutFront's link, which laid out a negotiation strategy that I very much did not follow.
I have a spotty memory. When the HR rep and my future supervisor called me on the phone a few days ago, they suggested 55K as my starting salary. I believe I responded with something like "That's very generous, thank you," but I also asked if the compensation was negotiable, to which they responded "Well, everything is negotiable..." I didn't get the sense that they WANTED me to negotiate that, but that's what they said.
They mailed me a letter with 55K, and other benefits, described. To accept the job, I need to sign the letter and mail it back to them. They said several times that I should do this as fast as possible, and the letter says I have 5 days to decide, or refuse.
As many of you have said, on the one hand, I don't have much to negotiate from. Yes, they want to hire me... but they also have me over a barrel because I (stupidly) acquiesced to their request to list all the salaries I made for the past five jobs. That really pissed me off at the time, but it really felt like I could choose to either tell them, or retract my application. Live and learn, right? Also, the "minimum" salary range I gave them was 40k. 55k is much higher than that, and they know it.
I don't want to be greedy, but on the other hand, like many have also said, your incoming salary negotiation is one of the best ways to maximize over-all earnings. If I can secure a 5-10% bump over 55k, then every additional raise, be it 1% or 10%, will compound with the initial bump. So I don't want to do myself the disservice of cowardly saying "I'm screwed, thank you kind employer for allowing me to take this job at all!"
On the third hand, I think that regardless of me, regardless of the company, it's just flat out policy for the company to low ball and then the potential employee to negotiate up. If they offered me 50, I would ask for 55. if they offered me 60, I would ask for 65. For the same job for the same person. I think that's just standard - am I wrong to think a company would never offer the max amount they will pay, first go?
So, hm. Now I don't know what to do. Maybe something like this:
"Hi (HR). Thanks for sending me the offer, and for answering my questions yesterday.
I know my unique combination of instructional design, process analysis, and organizational change management experience will help the learning team transform (COMAPANY) into a learning-centered organization.
I would like to request the compensation be increased to $60,000, and to be given the $1,000 "relocation benefit" as a signing bonus expenses related to starting the new job.
Thank you,
(ME)