When traveling, one of my favorite things to do in any given city is go to a market. There, you can find authentic souvenirs and food that won't necessarily break the bank. In many countries it is acceptable to bargain or haggle for the price that you want. Many vendors expect this and will mark up prices, giving them room to still make a profit if buyers bargain. There are many tricks to ensuring that you get the best price for what you want. This list will teach you some of them, as well as tell you what to avoid.
DO: Do research.
Haggling is more acceptable in some countries than in others. Make sure you do research to figure out whether or not bargaining will be considered offensive in the country you are in. As a general rule, Western countries are less accepting of bargaining than many Asian and South American countries. In almost any country you go to, bargaining will be acceptable at most open air markets, but with varying degrees. The safest bet is to try to bargain in one stall of the market- if they seem somewhat accepting, then there is a good chance the rest of the market will be as well.
DO: Know your top dollar.
Know approximately what you want to pay for any specific item. Have a "limit" where you say to yourself "I will not pay over X amount of dollars for this item". If the vendor continues to exceed that price, walk away.
DO: Remember that, as the customer, you have the power.
You can always walk away from any vendor. Unless the item is handcrafted, you will more than likely find something similar at another stall. If the price exceeds your top dollar, walk away.
DO: Remember that people do this for a living.
While you are trying to get a fair price by bargaining, you won't get anywhere by being a cheapskate and refusing to work with the seller. The people who run these stalls have families to feed and bills to pay, just as you do. Don't pay more than you need to, but remember that haggling is all about flexibility.
DO: Start much lower than what you actually want to pay.
It seems obvious, but once you put out a price, the seller will counter with another, higher price. In order to get the your ideal price, start much lower than you want to pay, but never by more than half of what the item is priced as. As a quick example, if I wanted to buy an item that's priced at 40 dollars, and I want to pay no more than 30, I would start my haggling at 20. Lower than that, the seller is likely to walk away. They would probably counter with 35, I would come up to 25. In an ideal world, we would split the difference at 30, but more often than not, I would have to fight dollar by dollar to get to my price.
DO: Bundle.
If you want more than one thing from one vendor, bundle it, and you're more likely to get a deal. Also, the higher the price (generally), the more wiggle room you have to bargain.
DON'T: Bargain for (cooked) food.
There are certain things you just should not bargain for and food is one of them. While haggling for raw ingredients, such as fish, might be acceptable, if you don't prepare it yourself, don't try to bargain. It wastes time and effort, and because of local prices, it is harder to figure out whether you are being overcharged. Also, bargaining for food will annoy many cooks/chefs/waitstaff. Do you really want annoyed people handling your food? Didn't think so.
DON'T: Carry large bills.
When you're bargaining, there is nothing worse than settling on a price, then having to give the seller a larger bill that they must break up. It's just seen as a bit insulting. What you're saying by paying with the larger bill is "I could have paid you more for this, but I just didn't feel like it". While some people might argue that that is the point of haggling, it is better to keep that more subtle. Asking for change after an intense bargaining session will just make you look inconsiderate. To avoid this, carry plenty of smaller bills and coins, so you will almost always have exact change.
DON'T: Try to bargain on anything that has the word "firm" on it.
The word (or symbol) that means firm, means just that: that the seller will not come down in price. If you want it that badly, you will have to pay full price for it. Most often, this is seen on handcrafted items that are labor or time intensive. Trying to haggle will just waste everyone's time.
Now that you know the basic do's and don'ts of haggling, go out and try it! Good luck and happy bargain hunting!
