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Great post, VIArail. Anyone needing an introduction to haggling should print that out!
My experience from living abroad tells me that shopkeepers are more inclined to give you a fair price if they know you know the going rates. Being in Asia, the first price I was given was always the "rich tourist" price. When I countered with a few phrases in the local language, the price came down right away. I agree that any haggling should be done in the local currency... I remember overhearing American tourists asking a merchant if the price of 200 on a fake North Face jacket was "in American or Chinese dollars". (facepalm)
Originally Posted by kkmail
(Post 20562198)
Wish I had as much time as you, wow VIArail !! Good job !
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Originally Posted by Jenbel
(Post 20297848)
It was China I learned that it could be fun. Until China, I had the guilt thing some people above have talked about. In China, it was just a battle - one I was always going to lose technically, but would still pay what I wanted for the items and so I could win too.
What I found hardest in China was going out from Beijing to the hinterlands, where they were not so used to tourists, asking the price of something and it starting below what I had already decided was my maximum price :eek: I found it really hard to haggle hard when I was already happy to pay the price at the opening offer :o With that said, when I went to the pearl marked and asked for their prices I was shocked. I buy freshwater pearls directly from the factory in China. I can promise you, they DO earn a lot even after you think you have gotten a good deal... :-D Xx. |
Originally Posted by Jenbel
(Post 20263196)
If they aren't making money on it, they won't sell it. I don't have regrets about haggling (except I'm never as good as I think I'll be) and never will do. They're in business, not charity.
If you give in too easily, they'll see the next foreigner as an easy mark, and increase the price by 10%. We have a duty to other tourists to haggle to the bitter end. It's not about ego, it's about ensuring our money isn't screwing up the economy as well. I've used the 'I'm not an American' feigned shock line when they tell me the opening offer on several occasions though, fairly successfully ;) ;) |
I go to markets to have fun and people watch. I take my time to watch and price out things before I start to bargain. The huge Chinese markets like the weekend "antique market" in Beijing are the most challenging as they deal with so many tourists. I frequently find similar things in smaller cities for a much better price.
And when I'm seriously looking for a big item like a custom made leather jacket or a suit, I shop the fabric market to see what I like and then send in the calvary. My partner is Chinese and will go do the hard bargaining. But for everyday small items I do the bargaining with the techniques you all have discussed. |
I find the phrase "very expensive" is alway a good thing to mutter in the local language before starting the negatiation. I always start with a ridiculously low price and work up without wasting too much time if they dont come near your perceived value. After about four bids I will start to slowly waqlk away as many people here suggest. You get the best price bid when you are about 10 meters away and you see them heading into their stall. Thats the time to buy or move on.
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Wow, religious references in a topic started by a handle of FlamingPanties! I love FT!!
I hate to haggle for anything, can't the world just put a price tag on it and be done with it? Cheers! JudyJFLA |
A grim religious lecture kind of sucks the fun out of the topic, don't you agree?
I'm back from IST for a while now, and here's my observations on what works: The bundling method worked. I got a better deal when I agreed to buy a few of whatever. A couple of sellers haggled very weakly and gave it to me at my requested price almost right away. I didn't use the walkaway method. Didn't need to. The last few lira in the wallet method works. It really was my last few lira, so there was no choice. The Grand Bazaar really had better money exchange rates than anywhere else, including outside in Beyazit. GB money exchangers have variable rates among them. You may get better deals by going out of the central tourist area. I took a ferry to Kadikoy and headed to the Sali Pazari in Asia. The prices were better than in Sultanahmet. After several days of looking at stuff and haggling, I made last day purchases at the GB for stuff I came for and hadn't bought. I found a few no haggle vendors that I liked dealing with. After shopping around I knew the prices, and realized they were giving me a good deal. I am so eager to return to Istanbul and tour Anatolia. |
We were in IST a few years back and I saw some beautiful scarves. The sign on the stand said 2 for $20. There was a man in our group who said to the seller, "I'll take 3 for $20" and got it. So I went up and said the same. I probably would have taken the 2 for $20, but I needed 3 for gifts. I guess you can just stand back and see what others negotiate for and ask for the same deal.
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Originally Posted by uszkanni
(Post 20263160)
+1. My little "moment" came on the streets of Bangkok. On certain days, people line some streets near the Palace to sell wares and, in some cases, personal items. Basically they just setup a small table or lay down a blanket on the sidewalk. One girl was selling some family goods including an old cast bronze Buddha, for which she wanted 2,500 Baht (about $50 or $60 at the time); not at all cheap for something being sold on the street. I got that reduced to 2,000, saving myself a whole $10. Absolutely nothing to me but assuredly a lot to her and her family. At the time, I didn't realize how hard it is for a Thai person to sell such a statue so, for me, it was just a good bargain. When I found out the implications - that she and her family were probably very poor and quite desperate - I felt like absolute sh*t (and still do). I guess without regrets we'd never learn.
I tend to work way off the beaten path. When I am in some horrible place in Africa I won't haggle. What is $5.00 to me? I'll never miss it. But to some poor family it means a ton. Now in some places I will drive a hard bargain. |
Originally Posted by flamingpanties
(Post 20260484)
IST...ugly American (or Canadian or general loathsome foreigner
haggling is part of the business model and culture in many countries. like no price tags and initial stated price is irrelevant. |
I'm quite terrible at haggling... But I've had some skilled companions on my travels that could get a bargain at the market/bazaar. They're always ready to walk away, using some sort of 'poker face,' making them just appear slightly interested, and persistent with a "no, no. too expensive."
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Originally Posted by Gamecock
(Post 20590948)
Please don't take this as condescending, but you sound like a kind, decent person.
I tend to work way off the beaten path. When I am in some horrible place in Africa I won't haggle. What is $5.00 to me? I'll never miss it. But to some poor family it means a ton. Now in some places I will drive a hard bargain. |
After several years of reading FT intermittently, this is the first thread on which I have felt compelled to post. The comments have been superb.
I travel to Asia regularly, with home base in Kathmandu, for my business of buying ritual objects, jewelry, and assorted art work. While haggling is an essential element to all aspects of business there, I have developed a set of operating principles that work for me. 1) It's all about the relationships. The purchase of product means nothing without seller and buyer respecting each other and experiencing joy in the transaction. 2) There is no formula for where I start the bargaining or at what price it concludes. As long as I can make a profit on resale, and the seller can make enough to stay in business, it's all good. 3) I learned this motto from older and wiser traders than I - "Trade not Aid." How I interpret this is that I would much rather "overpay" for an item than to simply throw money at a charity - especially if my purchase allows the seller to improve his life and that of his family. A small purchase can make a world of difference for someone who earns less in a month than I do in a day. 4) There is no right price. I sometimes buy from poor and disabled street vendors an item I purchase in quantity from the same producer from which the street vendor is supplied - and at a price which provides the street vendor a small profit. Locals call me crazy, but I call the interaction priceless. 5) At the end of the day, of the year, perhaps of life, I will remember the relationships far more clearly than the bargains. Just my two rupees worth! |
Originally Posted by hastakala
(Post 20592277)
After several years of reading FT intermittently, this is the first thread on which I have felt compelled to post. The comments have been superb.
I travel to Asia regularly, with home base in Kathmandu, for my business of buying ritual objects, jewelry, and assorted art work. While haggling is an essential element to all aspects of business there, I have developed a set of operating principles that work for me. 1) It's all about the relationships. The purchase of product means nothing without seller and buyer respecting each other and experiencing joy in the transaction. 2) There is no formula for where I start the bargaining or at what price it concludes. As long as I can make a profit on resale, and the seller can make enough to stay in business, it's all good. 3) I learned this motto from older and wiser traders than I - "Trade not Aid." How I interpret this is that I would much rather "overpay" for an item than to simply throw money at a charity - especially if my purchase allows the seller to improve his life and that of his family. A small purchase can make a world of difference for someone who earns less in a month than I do in a day. 4) There is no right price. I sometimes buy from poor and disabled street vendors an item I purchase in quantity from the same producer from which the street vendor is supplied - and at a price which provides the street vendor a small profit. Locals call me crazy, but I call the interaction priceless. 5) At the end of the day, of the year, perhaps of life, I will remember the relationships far more clearly than the bargains. Just my two rupees worth! Welcome to FT!:) |
If the vendor doesnt haggle you offered too much.
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