How to Bargain
Know the situations in which it is appropriate to bargain., Find out what locals pay., Determine what the item is worth to you., Have cash in hand., If an item is worth more to you than you paid for it, it doesn't really matter whether you paid more...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the situations in which it is appropriate to bargain.
Not all situations call for bargaining.
A bazaar in Morocco may be a great place to bargain, but Harrod's in London probably isn't.
What's acceptable is one place is bad shopping etiquette in another.
If you want to know whether it's acceptable to bargain, say something casual like "It's just a little too expensive for me." If the merchant makes a counteroffer, he's effectively opening the door to bargaining, in which case, haggle away.
If he stands pat, it's probably not okay to bargain at that location. -
Step 2: Find out what locals pay.
In most places where haggling or bargaining is common, there's a double standard when it comes to the price tag:
What locals pay is often far less than what tourists pay.
Even if you find that an alpaca scarf costs 60 Peruvian nuevo sol for locals but 100 nuevo sol for tourists, don't necessarily expect to be able to bargain down the price of the scarf to 60 nuevo sol.
Many vendors won't sell the "locals" price to tourists out of principle, although you may be able to get pretty close if you're skilled. , This is a tried and true shopping rule that applies to buying things in general.
But it especially applies to bargaining.
Many bargainers think that if they can cut the price in half, they've gotten a good deal.
But many vendors simply triple the first offer in anticipation of this, which means you'd technically be getting a bad deal if you were to buy.
If you know what the item is worth to you, it doesn't really matter how the vendor prices his or her item — as long as you're happy with the price paid. , In many places where it's common to bargain, cash is king.
Vendors either won't accept credit cards or will be displeased about them.
There are a couple benefits to carrying cash instead of opting for credit:
You won't be enticed to splurge on an item because you'll be limited by how much cash you have.Budget ahead of time and you're guaranteed to stick to your budget.
Reaching out with a handful of cash and exclaiming "It's all the cash I have" is a good trick that often works.
Vendors will be tempted to go ahead and grab the cash in exchange for the item. , By definition, you got your money's worth.
If the vendor you're bargaining with refuses to go down to the price at which the item is valuable to you, it should be easy to walk away. , One of the biggest mistakes people make is telegraphing their fondness for an item.
As soon as the vendor knows you like something, he has the upper hand in the negotiation.
On the other hand, if he believes you're on the fence for the item, you have the upper hand because you can always walk away, or at least pretend to walk away. , A good rule of thumb is to take whatever the first offer is, quarter it, and begin the bargaining process there.
Hack off a half from the first offer and you risk insulting the vendor.
Hack off only 10% and you're less likely to get a killer deal. , This trick works better than you might think at delivering the message that life's other responsibilities could easily get in the way of the sale.
Here's what you do:
Have a friend with you while you bargain.
If they pretend to be bored, worried you're spending too much money, or who has an appointment to catch, the vendor could cut straight to the chase and offer you near the lowest or the lowest offer., You'll get the lowest offer, or near the lowest offer, by being prepared to walk away.
As soon as you walk away, the vendor loses the sale, and people all over the world hate to lose sales.
They should offer you one of their lowest prices. , It's not unheard of to spend hours haggling about price.
Vendors in a position to bargain draw out the process because they understand that many people are simply impatient and are willing to pay more for the convenience of getting the item and being done with it.
Vendors can feign embarrassment, disappointment, and insult throughout the bargaining process, using emotion to draw the bargaining to an end.
Don't bite.
Keep steady and you should get near the price you were looking for.
The bargaining process might look something like this:
Seller: "That'll be $50, ma'am." Buyer: "I'll give you $20." Seller: "How about $45?" Buyer: "How about $20?" Seller: "Fine.
I'll be willing to settle for $35." Buyer: "And I can settle for $25." Seller: "$30?" Buyer: "$25." Seller: "I will take $27 dollars." Buyer: "And I will give you $26." Seller: "$27 dollars is my final offer." Buyer: "And $26 is mine." Seller: "$26.50?" Buyer: "$26." Seller: "$26 it is, then, ma'am."
This usually isn't the final offer.
They may be trying to convince you that that is as low as they'll go.
Tell the vendor your final offer, which should be $1-10 below, and work together from there.
If that doesn't happen, walk away.
He'll call you back and give you a killer deal.
After all, to him, although $50 is better than $26, $26 is better than $0. , Don't push it, or you'll ruin the whole deal.
Take your item and go.
Be pleased with your new acquisition and the knowledge that you can bargain with the best of them! -
Step 3: Determine what the item is worth to you.
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Step 4: Have cash in hand.
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Step 5: If an item is worth more to you than you paid for it
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Step 6: it doesn't really matter whether you paid more than the local.
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Step 7: Don't project fondness or over-enthusiasm for whatever you're eyeing.
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Step 8: Start 25% to 30% lower than the listed offer or the first offer.
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Step 9: Get a friend or spouse to work with you.
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Step 10: Don't be afraid to walk away from an item
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Step 11: even one that you love.
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Step 12: Be prepared to spend a long time bargaining.
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Step 13: When the seller announces his final offer
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Step 14: don't take the bait (optional).
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Step 15: When the vendor gets to a price you like
Detailed Guide
Not all situations call for bargaining.
A bazaar in Morocco may be a great place to bargain, but Harrod's in London probably isn't.
What's acceptable is one place is bad shopping etiquette in another.
If you want to know whether it's acceptable to bargain, say something casual like "It's just a little too expensive for me." If the merchant makes a counteroffer, he's effectively opening the door to bargaining, in which case, haggle away.
If he stands pat, it's probably not okay to bargain at that location.
In most places where haggling or bargaining is common, there's a double standard when it comes to the price tag:
What locals pay is often far less than what tourists pay.
Even if you find that an alpaca scarf costs 60 Peruvian nuevo sol for locals but 100 nuevo sol for tourists, don't necessarily expect to be able to bargain down the price of the scarf to 60 nuevo sol.
Many vendors won't sell the "locals" price to tourists out of principle, although you may be able to get pretty close if you're skilled. , This is a tried and true shopping rule that applies to buying things in general.
But it especially applies to bargaining.
Many bargainers think that if they can cut the price in half, they've gotten a good deal.
But many vendors simply triple the first offer in anticipation of this, which means you'd technically be getting a bad deal if you were to buy.
If you know what the item is worth to you, it doesn't really matter how the vendor prices his or her item — as long as you're happy with the price paid. , In many places where it's common to bargain, cash is king.
Vendors either won't accept credit cards or will be displeased about them.
There are a couple benefits to carrying cash instead of opting for credit:
You won't be enticed to splurge on an item because you'll be limited by how much cash you have.Budget ahead of time and you're guaranteed to stick to your budget.
Reaching out with a handful of cash and exclaiming "It's all the cash I have" is a good trick that often works.
Vendors will be tempted to go ahead and grab the cash in exchange for the item. , By definition, you got your money's worth.
If the vendor you're bargaining with refuses to go down to the price at which the item is valuable to you, it should be easy to walk away. , One of the biggest mistakes people make is telegraphing their fondness for an item.
As soon as the vendor knows you like something, he has the upper hand in the negotiation.
On the other hand, if he believes you're on the fence for the item, you have the upper hand because you can always walk away, or at least pretend to walk away. , A good rule of thumb is to take whatever the first offer is, quarter it, and begin the bargaining process there.
Hack off a half from the first offer and you risk insulting the vendor.
Hack off only 10% and you're less likely to get a killer deal. , This trick works better than you might think at delivering the message that life's other responsibilities could easily get in the way of the sale.
Here's what you do:
Have a friend with you while you bargain.
If they pretend to be bored, worried you're spending too much money, or who has an appointment to catch, the vendor could cut straight to the chase and offer you near the lowest or the lowest offer., You'll get the lowest offer, or near the lowest offer, by being prepared to walk away.
As soon as you walk away, the vendor loses the sale, and people all over the world hate to lose sales.
They should offer you one of their lowest prices. , It's not unheard of to spend hours haggling about price.
Vendors in a position to bargain draw out the process because they understand that many people are simply impatient and are willing to pay more for the convenience of getting the item and being done with it.
Vendors can feign embarrassment, disappointment, and insult throughout the bargaining process, using emotion to draw the bargaining to an end.
Don't bite.
Keep steady and you should get near the price you were looking for.
The bargaining process might look something like this:
Seller: "That'll be $50, ma'am." Buyer: "I'll give you $20." Seller: "How about $45?" Buyer: "How about $20?" Seller: "Fine.
I'll be willing to settle for $35." Buyer: "And I can settle for $25." Seller: "$30?" Buyer: "$25." Seller: "I will take $27 dollars." Buyer: "And I will give you $26." Seller: "$27 dollars is my final offer." Buyer: "And $26 is mine." Seller: "$26.50?" Buyer: "$26." Seller: "$26 it is, then, ma'am."
This usually isn't the final offer.
They may be trying to convince you that that is as low as they'll go.
Tell the vendor your final offer, which should be $1-10 below, and work together from there.
If that doesn't happen, walk away.
He'll call you back and give you a killer deal.
After all, to him, although $50 is better than $26, $26 is better than $0. , Don't push it, or you'll ruin the whole deal.
Take your item and go.
Be pleased with your new acquisition and the knowledge that you can bargain with the best of them!
About the Author
Joshua Knight
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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