Thursday, 19 March 2009

  • Here's a Useful Guide for Beginning Hagglers

    Here's a Useful Guide for Beginning Hagglers

    In certain countries, it is perfectly common to do some haggling when purchasing any items, especially since I'm always told, "You're American. They're going to raise the price double or even triple for you since they know you'll be a sucker!" 

    Ah ha! Thanks for the warning everyone!

    Here's an article on How to Master the Art of Haggling. I'm no stranger to haggling because I've done it before in numerous countries. At first you might feel intimidated and maybe a little ashamed at trying to rob these people of their hard earned money, but don't worry! I'm told on many occasions it's fine. And it gets easier after a while and even fun. It's a rewarding feeling when you purchase an item for less than half of what the seller initially quoted you. Makes you want to pat yourself on the back.

    Here is a quick list of the tips given in the article:

    1. Never Accept the Fist Price (Oh yes! This one is a given!)

    2. Quote Lower Than You're Actually Willing to Pay (This works quite well actually. You'll know you dared to go too low if they give you the evil eye. Ha!)

    3. Buy in Bulk (Okay, If I buy 2 then give it to me for this price... Okay, what if I buy 2 and my friend buys 1, will you lower it down some more? Yeah? Thanks!)

    4. Do the Fake: Act Like You're Walking Away (This move is gold. Works almost every time like a charm. Wait! Ma'am. Tell me how much you want it for?)

    5. Exploit the Threat of Competition (They'll seem not to believe you that the item they're selling is actually cheaper somewhere else even though they know it's very possible. It scares them that you've been shopping around for prices. If they don't believe you, try walking away again. That's what I do.)

    6. A Word of Caution (Remember to keep in mind exchange rates.)

    To read the article in more detail go here.

    Do you have any tips for beginning hagglers?

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Comments (12)

  • ELIZerson@xanga

    I do my best to go with a local person  :o) They don't even try to make you pay more then.
  • dannyb0y@xanga

    That's some great advice. I always watch my other people use those rules especially the locals but I never had the courage to try. I think next time I'll give it a shot.
  • Blueberry_xh@xanga

    It's hard for me to do that.

  • black_lie@xanga

    yep! i grew up in hk watching my grandma haggle over grocery prices in street markets. number 3 is THE MOST IMPORTANT tip. especially when selling tourist-y doodads, it's better for them to sell at very low to no profit than to not sell at all, so they try their hardest not to lose a customer =]
  • jleung87@xanga

    Your 4th point is spot-on! I have always walked away after not liking a price (400 yuan for a bag that's worth not even half) and bam! they chase after you like a bad smell, haha.
  • tigerdauphin@xanga

    Best advice was in the paragraph - don't feel embarrassed by it.

    I grew up (until 9) in Vietnam so I'm used to it.  When I went back to visit, I haggled better than some of my Vietnamese relatives hahaha.
  • studbeltsanddiamonds@lovelyish

    i suck at haggling. great tips! i am probably still feel intimidated doing it though haha.
  • namburgers@xanga

    Haggling is fun because I always win.  I always get the price I say.  Expensive or cheap, they'll go with my price.
  • x_last_first_kiss_x@xanga

    if you're somewhere that doesn't speak english, take a calculator to punch in the exact numbers of how much you are offering. the merchant on the side of the dirt road in an off corner of India might not be brushed up on his english


    If you're not sure if you're "allowed" to haggle somewhere, pick an item and pretend to think it over as though you're not sure you want it. Or ask how much it is and when they tell you, don't seem overeager. If they offer you a lower price soon after they quote the original price, you can probably haggle it down much lower than he originally said.


    Usually, if there are price stickers on individual items, it's not somewhere you can haggle much. If there's a sign that says "50 rupees" (or what ever kind of money it is) above a whole wall of items, or better yet, there are almost no prices listed at all, you're guarenteed a bigger deal with the more things you buy.


    If you go into a store that has a lot of cool stuff and you want to get more than one thing, haggle a little bit, but not agressively over each thing. Say, the total would be 400 baht. At the end say something like, "How about 250 for all of this?" and you can probably haggle further down on the total.
  • mayanao@xanga

    I've never haggled.
  • somethingbluee@xanga

    haha very true. i learned these when i was in china 3 years ago!
  • dearFLOPPY@xanga

    @Blueberry_xh@xanga - i have no problem doing it, but my bf gets so embarassed when i do LOL.

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