Haggling: how low do you go? Blog & Poll discussion

Fran

I'm intrigued how you (Martin) got the American couple to believe you. "Listen, I'm a Money Saving Expert"? "I'm on the tele so I'm right?" or a flirtatious manner with Mrs American? Or Mister?! :eek: Or did you tell them you'd give them a weather forecast to prove your credibility? :cool:

nej

You can always pay less. If they don't want to sell it at that price, they won't, simple as that. They will um-and-ah and make you think that they now won't be able to feed their family because of this deal, but it's all con. They are making a profit.

A couple of years back in Kuala Lumpur I went with a local friend there to buy some fake watches from Chinatown. Because he knew the guy on the stall, the price instantly dropped from over RM1000 they were marked up as to about RM100 each for their best quality ones. I bought 6 and paid for 5. Someone else I know bought one similar to one of mine off the internet from the US and paid about 4 times what I paid, and it's nowhere near as good.

A bit later on in Phuket my wife say this thing she liked (some kind of fabric wall decoration or something) and they started at such a ridiculous price that I actually laughed at the woman and started to walk out. Of course, we settled on a far more realistic price.

For those who never haggle cos it's "rude" can you tell me where you live so I can come and open a shop near you, please?!

DKLS

Sarah-Jane wrote: »

I wouldn't haggle anywhere, in this country or abroad. I think it's rude. If you want something just pay the asking price

Its not rude, Its a game, and a big part of some cultures, I haggle at every chance I get, I haggle on holiday in UK or abroad, and am haggling constantly at work. I love haggling at car dealers, I make it my mission to beat them into submission, and get the best deal possible, never works at an Audi dealer though :rolleyes:

This is a rough guide to haggling:

"Ten for that you must be mad"

MSE_Martin

I'm intrigued how you (Martin) got the American couple to believe you. "Listen, I'm a Money Saving Expert"? "I'm on the tele so I'm right?" or a flirtatious manner with Mrs American? Or Mister?! :eek: Or did you tell them you'd give them a weather forecast to prove your credibility? :cool:

Actually I didnt say what I did; I just suggested. Afterwards the woman said - are you a professional negotiator - do you do it for your job? To which I replied "something like that."

JimOllerhead

I owe a lot to you Martin because I HATE haggling but it was hardly an effort even in the UK.... my significant other's MG needed 2 new tires which would have been a fiver short of £200 at full price and all I said was "could you do us some kind of deal for 2" and the guy came back with £175 for the pair all inclusive (valves balancing etc.) not a massive saving I know but better than nowt.... THEN we part-ex'ed the MG for a Suzuki Ignis and the bloke offerred 3500 tops and the Ignis was 3995 and all I said was "we were hoping you might be able to meet us half way" and we got it for 3750!! Prior to listening to your advice I would never have dreamed of doing anything like that but it equated to something like £20 a word for one sentence! Not even haggling in the harsh sense!

blu-k

This might be a bit contentious but a local in one country I was in warned me that sometimes sellers could be a bit sexist... I was having trouble haggling, even when I would walk away - they were calling me back but still at a high price so I kept on walking.
The next day I went back with my OH and I still did most of the haggling, but when it got to where they wouldn't budge I would look to him for 'approval' - 'they want this much dear, what do you think?' He would shake his head vigorously and say no. Suddenly they were dealing with the man and the prices went down much quicker/easier!
I hate to say it but we seemed to have a lot more success this way. Maybe gender had nothing to do with it and it was the team thing.. I don't know but thought I'd add my experience anyway.

madkitty

Ive found the problem in turkey now is that people dont haggle enough and so it has really pushed the prices up over the last couple of years

caffeinehit

I'm happy to haggle over souvenirs but I wouldn't try it again over small items like bus fares or cans of drink - chances are you'll just end up looking completely mean spirited. While I was in Kenya a local woman told me vehemently that I mustn't pay more than 20 shillings for a particular journey so when the driver asked me for 30 I refused. Of course all the locals getting on the bus after me paid 30 and I felt like a prize twit.

niceguyed

An interesting topic. I don't agree entirely with Martin's suggestion of pushing the price down as low as possible, this has a bit to do with being well travelled and also the set of morals I live by.

Of course I agree haggle!! But bear in mind in some destinations you are dealing with an impoverished host community. They may be reliant on your spare souvenir cash to: Eat, put their kids through school, medical care and all the other things us Westerners take for granted.

Sure, we should screw back the banks and corporate money making machines but screwing the margins of the little guy selling souviners to save a few spare quid and even pence in the local currency is frankly something I find abhorrent.

When you go to some of the local places look around and see how the people are living. Of course I'm not saying pay the asking price but in some cases I have known locals having to accept next to nothing and making very little mark up because they have mouths to feed.

Yes haggling can be a game but it is also someones living. Pay what you think is a "fair" price, perhaps ask around first. But do we always need to push and push for the lowest price regardless of the circumstances?

Just food for thought and no offence intended....

John_Pollock_2

While I admire Martin's work, haggling in some cultures can get out of hand, frankly, and there's research that supports it - particularly with street sellers, clearly quite far down the food chain compared with, say, bazaari rug merchants.

So, for example, in Gambia, one of the very poorest countries in the very poorest continent, gleeful tourists sometimes get carried away leaving poor kids - yes, really really poor kids - to make very little or even a loss on what they paid (for the fruit, sculpture, whatever) because a) they need money to eat that day and/or b) they feel humiliated.

There is an imbalance of power and wealth in many poor countries between rich healthy wealthy tourists and the locals in the beautiful country they've come to visit (and that beauty is in large part often made up by the people of course), and while haggling in a genial fashion can be enjoyable, it shouldn't become a blood sport where everyone loses: you, because you've got over-worked up about really quite small amounts and the other, because you've got over-worked up about really quite small etc.

Lots more if you're interested at the home page of Professor Harold Goodwin, Britain's leading expert on responsible tourism: http://www.haroldgoodwin.info