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

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.

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.

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?

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.

@ Backpack Foodie…I’d have to disagree with you. As harsh as this sounds, the locals are not looking to make friends with you, they want your money plain and simple. If you want to shoot the shit and make friends with the shopkeepers then you should frequent the more expensive stores that don’t deal in haggling. I’m not saying you should be outright rude to them, but being bubbly and friendly simply paints you as an easy target. You can joke around with them, but always keep the appearance that you are in control.

This article could have been written by my dad its so accurate. Good work! One of my favorite parts about traveling is haggling with the locals, and I chalk that all up to my dad’s hard bargaining ways!

All I’m saying is, if you approach this like a hard-nosed negociation, you’ll get ripped off. Vendors are good at acting like victims of your hard bargaining skills, while ripping you off on the side. I’ve seen it.

I’ve lived 3 years in Mainland China, and trust me: go at it with a smile and a sense of humor, and by the end the vendor will be happy to sell you the lowest price he’s sold all day. The best bargainers I’ve met have gotten invitations to dinner out of it. The worst were the hard bargainers who treated the vendors like dirt.

The other part, which is hard to digest at first, is that there is a certain gweilo premium – this becomes especially apparent going out to eat with locals who always manage to haggle for better deals (even on food!).

Moral of the story – don’t be afraid to ask, worst they can do is say no…