25 replies to this topic

[iwanttogoback]

I will admit, I am useless at haggling. I paid pretty much what was asked for most of the stuff I bought. but then again, I didn't think the prices asked were unreasonable (to me). the only price I bargained down was a silver torque I bought in agra, and I suspect I still paid too much! don't come shopping with me!

do you have any good haggling stories - ripped off; won hands down; or just plain memorable?

[neeleem]

We Indians generally think that if you haggled and the negotiation was easy, it was a bad deal. You could have got the price down some more .

One great place to see haggling is fish markets in Kolkata where it is almost entertaining to watch some people bargain.

I once bought a pair of handcarved wooden elephants outside the Mysore Maharaja Palace. The chap said something like 450 rupees for the pair. I said 150 (how shameless of me ). He finally sold it for 175. Think of the profit he would have made if I had accepted his original price.

[jyotirmoy]

Golden rules for haggling:-
1.Banish the word embarrassment from your dictionary.
2.Learn to hide feelings. Appear unimpressed even if you have liked the stuff.
3.In places like Janpath & Palika Bazar in Delhi start by quoting half .
4.Show signs of getting up & leaving few times during the process of haggling.
5.At one stage take out exactly the amount which is doing the round & tell the vendor to take it or leave it.
6.When settlement is reached buy it & leave cursing yourself for not pressing further.

[Yashodhara]

jyotirmoy, on Nov 22 2006, 11:08 AM, said:

Golden rules for haggling:-
1.Banish the word embarrassment from your dictionary.
2.Learn to hide feelings. Appear unimpressed even if you have liked the stuff.
3.In places like Janpath & Palika Bazar in Delhi start by quoting half .
4.Show signs of getting up & leaving few times during the process of haggling.
5.At one stage take out exactly the amount which is doing the round & tell the vendor to take it or leave it.
6.When settlement is reached buy it & leave cursing yourself for not pressing further.

Jyoti-Da, you certainly seem to be "an old hand" at haggling . Thanks for this set of rules. I might ask for your company when I set out for an extended shopping tour in Delhi. Meals and drinks will be on me of course.

Rule No. 1 seems hardest for me, I guess it is a mentality thing, but I understand one must get over this.

[jyotirmoy]

Rule No. 1 seems hardest for me, I guess it is a mentality thing, but I understand one must get over this.
but Yash that is the first step

[neeleem]

Jyoti Da what perfect rules. You really can't go wrong if you follow these.

[kirsty112]

Definitely don't get embarassed! I always treat it as a game to see who cracks first. You just have to take it at a slower pace than shopping at home.

I used to live in Morocco and haggling is a national sport there. The whole point in Morocco is to have a big argument over the price, the shopkeepers really are disappointed if they don't get their argument, their day is not complete. The last time I was there my daughter was 5 months old and we bought a carpet using the tactic 'But look at the baby, if we pay your price she will not be able to eat. Could you be so cruel and heartless to let a poor baby starve because your shop is so expensive.' Pretty shameless I know, but it worked, after many cups of tea we paid a fraction of the original price. Thinking about it we negotiated our room rate the same way in Palolem a couple of years back

The first time I visited India I was a bit disappointed as the haggling etiquette wasn't quite so aggressive. I remember arriving in Parharganj and arguing about the price of a loo roll until the guy pointed out the MRP sticker.
I generally find there's less room for negotiation in India, there always seems to be a point at which they won't go any lower. I've certainly not been chased around a bazaar conducting negotiations about the original item in a completely different shop.

As for bargaining as entertainment I have a friend who insists on going shopping with me in India because he finds the whole process so amusing. He just sits back drinking free tea laughing as I start getting feisty examining seams and craftsmanship. I love bargaining, I only wish it was possible here in the UK.

[Yashodhara]

kirsty112, on Nov 22 2006, 01:48 PM, said:

Definitely don't get embarassed! I always treat it as a game to see who cracks first.

kirsty112, you must be a natural from the enthusiasm you write about your shopping victories! I feel usually us Westerners are not used to haggling at all, that is why we are ashamed. Most of the time people don't even speak with the shop assistants/sellers at all, that is my experience. After more than 30 years in Germany even my Dad - originally from Iran - feels reluctant to haggle and has perfectly adjusted to the Germany way of standing in line quietly and paying what you are asked to . In Iran he is often laughed at by the family because he obviously lost the skill (or habit?) of haggling. Once he returned from the market with a hilariously overpriced rice cooker.

[priya]

I can haggle quite openly in my home country, without any embarrassment and if I think I'm being ripped off I just walk away. India was a different story altogether - I think most of the vendors have a Masters Degree in Marketing and make our vendors here seem like amateurs, and let me tell you, our ones can be pretty convincing too.

Oh, I was 'taken' in India, many times, and only just before I left did I get the gist of how I was supposed to negotiate. I guess if I ever do get back there, I'll have to start from scratch and learn all over again.

[neeleem]

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I love bargaining, I only wish it was possible here in the UK.

Kirsty, You can still do it in summer in your local Car Boot Sale .

[kirsty112]

You're right Neelam, I could get my fix at a car boot sale, but I don't think the British are particularly good with the concept of haggling. They get affronted if you try to knock 50p off. You only have to see the inept attempts at price negotiation on Bargain Hunt (embarassingly I have watched it!) I think we're so accustomed to standing in line and having our card swiped at the checkout that we just expect to be told what to do. It always amuses me to watch the Brits Abroad at Anjuna Market paying ridiculous figures for things.

Maybe you have better car boot sales in West Wales though

[neeleem]

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You're right Neelam, I could get my fix at a car boot sale, but I don't think the British are particularly good with the concept of haggling. They get affronted if you try to knock 50p off. You only have to see the inept attempts at price negotiation on Bargain Hunt (embarassingly I have watched it!) I think we're so accustomed to standing in line and having our card swiped at the checkout that we just expect to be told what to do. It always amuses me to watch the Brits Abroad at Anjuna Market paying ridiculous figures for things.

You are absolutely right about the British being a bit embarrased by the idea of haggling. But I think with people travelling more than ever before, it will increase as outside influences come in. At the end of the day, haggling mostly helps customers get a better price. Pricematch schemes on electrical goods, consumer electronics, furniture and computing equipment seems to be on the rise. So a well researched person can almost always get a good price on these things. It's coming.... you won't have to wait long before you can walk into your local Tescos and bargain hard to get 10p off the price of a loaf of bread .

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Maybe you have better car boot sales in West Wales though.

Probably, but when the weather allows for it to happen. It's a very wet part of the country here.

[kirsty112]

You don't need to tell me about the weather in Wales. My husband's from Cardiff. I never believed it was possible to rain that much!

[neeleem]

We are about 100 miles West of Cardiff and 6 miles from the Irish Sea. It's 3.40 pm now and it's dark and depressing outside. Last 2 days have been that way.

Back to haggling, another place where you can haggle a bit is the Billingsgate fish Market in Canary Wharf in London. You have to wake up very early to get there from Nottingham though .

[digital drifter]

it depends on the person's age for me. Last time I fell for it....hard, was buying oranges in season( about Rs 15 for a dozen) in Madurai.

Going home, stopped by an old lady, buck toothed, betel stained and wearing beer bottle bottom glasses. Rs 25 for a dozen. just couldn't bring myself to open my mouth, bought 2 dozen, thinking I saved the world, related to Mother Teresa and all that jazz.

Then getting the jackass of the day prize from Dad and 2 brothers.

Moodily and to spite them all, ate the 2 dozen in a span of 20 hours.

Stomach was slightly distended and burping from all orifices was manageable.

for me at least.

[Shiver me Timbers]

I found the guys in Morocco and Turkey to be more cunning than the Indian lads, who tried to use intimidation a bit more.

[H.Nick]

It wouldn't be any good trying to tell my [Indian-origin] London Ex-GF that there is no bargaining in UK!

This pricematch thing is a bit of a scam though:

Many internet businesses have physical retail shops too. The shops carry goods at the 'normal' retail prices. But all you have to do is say, 'this is what you are offerring on the net' ---and you get that price! Often a hefty discount!

The scam is that they are obviously very happy to sell at full price to those who have not done their internet homework.

[cyberhippie]

I remember in Aswan, Southern Egypt I went into a shop and as the rest of the customers disappeared. The shop owner went over closed the door and drew the curtain. He then motioned me over to the counter. with much ado he buried under a pile of cloths and brought out an old wooden box.
After a quick inspection of the door and shop he opened it. Inside was a stone scarab beetle. He delicately fished it out, seeming lost in admiration

" I found this while digging new foundations for my house, very old, from Pharoe time"

"oh" says I

" Don't want to sell but for you special price 3000 EP"

"two much for me"

"in your country worth more"

"yeah but it's still too much, I don't have that kind of money"

"okay okay 2500"

"forget it way too much for my blood"

"2000EP he says hopefully"

"nope I'm a poor man"

"no you from Europe you are RICH man"

"well no not exactly"

"okay you are friend, last price for you only but tell no one 1500EP"

"no chance,actually I already have a stone scarab"

"but NOOO this is ancient scarab from tutenkamun time, very old"

"perhaps but I don't want it, it costs too much"

"No I give you good price"

"Ok last price 800 EP and perhaps sir has some . on video camera which he can give"

"no too pricey and no . either"

"ah sir your are missing good good deal"

"perhaps but I'm not buying it and it's time to go thanks"

"but siiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

"no goodbye"

As I leave I catch him tossing the scarab back into the box and flinging it up on the shelf rather roughly, so much for antiques huh!!

[iwanttogoback]

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who tried to use intimidation a bit more.

yes, I felt quite intimidated at times.

what I found really frustrating was that there was heaps of stuff I would have liked to look at, probably even buy, but the constant attention from the shopkeepers put me off browsing.

I like a nice quiet browse on my own, and then i'll buy. I found I was just walking away because I couldn't look in peace.

[kirsty112]

I forgot to say before, my number 1 rule is never to buy anything or even start bargaining if there's anyone else in the shop. Especially if they look like they have more dollars than you. The shopkeeper will be reluctant to go to a lower price if he thinks he might have to do it for the next customer.

The guys in Morocco, Egypt etc are more cunning, but I think it's a cultural thing as they have no qualms about confrontation. In morocco I used to get stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work every morning, everyone would be beeping their horns, a couple of guys would get out of their cars and the arguments would start flying. As soon as the traffic started to move again they would shake hands and smile and get back in their cars????
In my experience Indians dislike confrontation and don't like to cause a scene so bargaining transactions tend to be gentler. This can of course also work to your advantage... no tourist quota tickets to your destination for a week, trains completely booked up and you need to travel tomorrow? Girls, start blubbing, it gets what you want everytime. Admittedly thats usually because I've fractious kids in tow and I'm about to blow anyway, but it has worked. I told you I'm shameless!