How to Learn the Art of Haggling
For many Americans, haggling and bargaining is a completely foreign concept. Most U.S. citizens are accustomed to paying a set price for any purchases, and unless you're visiting a swap meet or yard sale, haggling doesn't usually take place. However, when traveling the world, or just visiting that local flea market, there is a way to haggle your way successfully into a good deal. Learn the art to haggling and avoid paying full price.
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Instructions
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Know your prices. Before you can begin to haggle successfully for a purchase, you must know how much the item should reasonably cost. This can involve minimal research to physical comparison of prices. An awareness of prices can serve as ammunition when it comes to the actual process of bargaining. If the price of a teapot at another location is less expensive than the price of the teapot you actually want, tell the person selling the teapot that you can get it at another place for less money. This will encourage the seller to lower the price.
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Act as though you are not very interested. If a seller knows that you desperately want an item, he most likely will not lower the price. The seller is watching you at all times, and the price will only go up the more interest you show.
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Keep what you're actually looking for in mind. A salesperson's job is to get you to spend money; she doesn't care on what you spend it. Remember what you're looking to buy, or you may end up leaving with a bunch of junk you don't really need just because it was a cheap purchase.
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Start with a low price, but not too low. Offering a quarter for a sofa might be considered rude, but do offer an almost insane amount. Try dividing the seller's original price by half and then subtracting just a little more as a jumping off point. Usually the seller will counteract with a number somewhere between the original offer and your offer, which means, at worst, you could get the product for 25 percent less than the original price.
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Don't be afraid to walk away if the seller is not adjusting her price to a range in which you are comfortable. Many sellers will offer to lower the price as you are walking away because the last thing a seller wants is to lose a sale. Simply walk away and say "I'll think about," or "too expensive, no thanks." Be prepared the seller may not change her mind, and you may be left without a purchase. If it's an item you really want, and you don't think you can find a better deal, don't walk away just because the seller won't reduce the item another dollar.
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Tips & Warnings
Be courteous at all times, most sellers will not respond well to aggression.
If a guide or driver takes you to a shop, that person will usually be receiving a commission off the sale, meaning the prices will be higher.
References
- Photo Credit David Sacks/Lifesize/Getty Images
