Comments on: Let’s Make a Deal: Haggling Abroad

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:58:32 +0000

One trick I used in Iraq and Afghanistan is to keep small amounts of money in different pockets. That way, when I finally got the price down, I didn’t pull out a big wad of cash and show him that I had the money all along. This is also a technique that will make a potential pick-pocket incident less painful.

By: Vaarok

Vaarok — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:34:41 +0000

There’s also the hard-haggle and the soft haggle.

You can criticize, carefully, the flaws in the merchandise, the height of the price, or express your limited time or marginal need of the item in order to force the seller to come down, throw something in, or sell you something better instead. Opening negotiations on a lesser item and then changing your mind reluctantly to what you really want often adds incentive for the seller to be reasonable.

Likewise, you can compliment the merchandise, express your eagerness or use for it, but then lament the price or dismiss your own stated goals, putting the onus on the seller to do better.

It’s a very ritual practice, but it’s both a compliment to the seller and a means of getting better merchandise and a lower price.

By: Robert Elwell

Robert Elwell — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:00:49 +0000

Was I the only person who balked at the misspelling of nunchaku and its subsequent mislabeling as a Chinese objet d’art?

Doesn’t sound like the author is practicing their own advise of researching.

By: senatorrosewater

senatorrosewater — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:39:57 +0000

As a sailor, I’ve bought junk all over the world. The article is pretty good, but there’s one thing you missed… tell the merchant that the guy on the next street over is offering the same thing for $X. Can you beat his price? This works every time if you name a realistic price.

I’ve actually found lower prices by naming my price, walking away, and coming back later. If I make it known the ship is leaving that day, so much the better.

Also, consider haggling in US dollars. many world currencies are hard to do the math on, and are very volatile from day to day. People in the 3rd world treat USD like gold. Just make sure your dollars have no rips or tears. People are very suspicious of old money, and most won’t accept it.

By: Patrick B.

Patrick B. — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:22:59 +0000

Sure it may be “fun” and “customary” to haggle with street vendors overseas. But, come on. What difference does a few dollars in price really mean to you. So you have a story about how you bargained the third worlder down three whole dollars. That cannot even buy you a cup of coffee in The States, but it could feed his wife and four kids dinner that night. Pay the poor guy and walk away with a momento of your trip and knowing you helped an impovershed person make ends meet for that day.

By: Christatos

Christatos — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:03:08 +0000

The key to haggling everywhere in the world is to never question the quality of the merchandise unless the merchant can’t deny that they were trying to bilk you. You want to respect them, but when it becomes clear the emperor has no clothes, don’t be afraid to go for the throat. Sometimes this will still get you thrown out of the shop, but that is the price of wisdom.

As to the question of dressing down, my view on it, as a man who considers being well dressed a requirement, is that the better dressed you are the gentler a technique you must cultivate. A man in a $2000 suit has no business playing hard ball over the price of an apple, but gently nudging it down if it is bruised a bit is acceptable. Don’t dress down to get a deal, act like who you are, and represent the money in your bank account with honesty. There is a fine line between going for a deal, and being a shark. One is the key to being a responsible but classy man, the other leads to being a greasy shill.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:58:46 +0000

Dane, I’m not sure how much you’ve traveled (perhaps not a lot from your comment), but haggling isn’t one way to do business in street markets it’s *the* way to do it. It’s a cultural thing-that’s how everybody does it from the tourists to the locals. If you read Backpacker’s comments you’d see that in a place like China it’s insulting not to haggle. You don’t do it in America, one because it’s not part of the culture, and two, because things are generally priced at market value. If you go to a street market things are overpriced on purpose. You’ll find a cheap wooden box for $40, when it costs a couple dollars to make. The seller knows this and you know this. All haggling does is get it down to around a fair market price. To me it’s more insulting to treat a vendor who is trying to run a business as a charity. I don’t think they need your pity.

By: Dane

Dane — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:25:04 +0000

I’m not really excited about this post. I’m assuming that if you’re traveling, and don’t know the local culture, you must have money to spend on luxuries. You’re not in danger of going without food and housing. Can you say the same for the vendor? Certainly, in many cases, you may well be dealing with a well-off businessman who sells cheap junk to dumb tourists for a huge profit. But there is also a good chance you’re dealing with someone making a modest living off of what they are selling you. Do you really need to save $5 by haggling down somebody who eats for a dollar a day? Is it manly to save a relatively little amount at a relatively significant detriment to the other person?

I just want you to think about this when you want to haggle. Why not exercise some generosity and pay the asking price if it is reasonable? If you’d be willing to pay the price for the same thing off a shelf in the US, then why not here?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:53:10 +0000

I like the advice about “dressing down”. But my question is this: where is the line between deserving of respect and being a rich snob? I would want to dress down to avoid appearing wealthy, but on the other hand, if you look like a complete slob, you might not be treated with as much respect.

By: Backpack Foodie

Backpack Foodie — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:45:20 +0000

I’m not saying you’re there to make friends. I’m saying this:

In a place like the States where you don’t usually bargain, the buyer is in power, as he can buy or walk out. So the seller has to play it up, put up a facade of friendliness, and pretend to be friends. He needs, in other words, to build rapport. The impetus for this is entirely on the vendor.

But go to a country where bargaining is the norm, and suddenly it’s a two-way street. Act like a jackass, and chances are the vendor will just mark up the price. He’ll set his mental ‘low sell point’ much higher, because he doesn’t like you. But act friendly, establish rapport, and suddenly the vendor will concede a lot more.

The way business is done in the Middle East and in Asia is not as distinct from social exchanges as it is in the West. Vendors expect bargaining because it’s a form of social interaction. Not bargaining is rude, because you’re basically saying you don’t want to interact with someone. It’s like having a nice chat before you enter a business contract.

So yeah, the end result is, the vendor is there to make money, and you’re there to save money on your purchase. But if you go into it ‘strictly business’ with the clear intent of being a hard negociator and not getting ripped off, you WILL get ripped off. I’ve seen vendors RIP OFF tourists so bad because these tourists thought they should speak as little as possible and act like they were negotiating with terrorists or something.

Now, if that doesn’t explain my point, nothing will.