One of the things that most caught our attention on our first trips to Asia was how widespread the bargaining culture is. It is not that to buy a lettuce you have to bargain (that too!) But that practically all the prices of the services that the tourist needs are susceptible to being bargained. At the beginning it may be a bit difficult to understand the real prices of things or that deserves to be haggled and not ... but once you get into the routine you will see that it comes out alone.
Next we are going to leave you a bargaining guide, with keys on how to do it and methods to avoid being scammed every two times
| THE RETURN IS NORMAL
In Southeast Asia and China it is not a secret that bargaining is used, so the seller will assume that you know it and that you will bargain, which is why he will tell you a much higher starting price than the object is worth / service in question (and beware that there are tourists who sting and pay!). From there you will give your price, the seller will lower his starting price a little, you will raise yours, he will lower more, you will rise and so on until you find a point of agreement that satisfies both of you.
| EXIT PRICE vs FINAL PRICE
You have to know that in general you can get what you want at least 50% of what they were asking for at the beginning, and I say at least because in some cases, as in the Beijing Silk Market, the starting prices usually Be so high that after haggling you can get a 90% discount !!!
| RETURN YES, RETURN NO
It is true that almost everything can be haggered, but usually in restaurants with menus or street food you have fixed prices. It is clear that in super tourist sites (for example Angkor) the prices for eating are abusive, so there, always with a lot of tact and with a smile on the face, you can try to get some discount. But the old lady who asks you 1 euro for a pad thai does not seem very ethical!
| DON'T MISS, BE JUST
Ok, it's true that they just asked you for a lot of that shirt, but you can't offer him 10 cents either! You have to be objective and not propose impossible prices, which can also offend the seller. If you think it is worth € 3 start the bid for € 2 and so on up to a fair price.
| DON'T BE A SCRATCH, DON'T BE PIECED
We have seen tourists fight with locals for 5 cents, seriously! It's okay to try to get good prices, but also keep in mind that it's not about winning and humiliating anyone. Are 5 cents really so important?
| Get informed
Have you seen that necklace and do you think it would look great on your neck? All right! But don't be impulsive. Do you know how much it can cost? And how much are you willing to pay? Find out before in other stores testing prices and comparing them to get an idea. Smile at all times, be kind and polite before, during and after the sale.
| WIN THE SELLER
Learn to say "very expensive" in the local language, the seller will laugh and be more friendly when it comes to haggling. Try to ask him something personal, what his name is or how old he is, differentiate yourself with the rest of the buyers to get him to make you a special discount.
| BE THEATER
We already know that lies are not good, but in this case they are liars without a bad thorn 😉 If the seller tells you a price that does not convince you, tell them that they have offered it to you in another store… probably the seller will tell you to go to the other store, but when you start your way he will call you to negotiate again ... and with better prices!
Another innocent lie is that if you have bags with purchases and they ask you how much you paid for this or that, you tell them a slightly lower price (neither exaggeration, they are not stupid): they ask you to test what kind of bargaining-men they have of front!
| BECOME THE UNINTERESTED
The last thing you have to do is show that you want that necklace like crazy! On the contrary, pretend that the necklace does not exist: ask how much those earrings that do not interest you cost and when the seller tells you a price that will surely be high, you do as if you are going to leave saying that your budget does not reach as much. Before leaving, ask the price of the necklace that really interests you ... the seller will give you a lower price than what he would tell you from the beginning because he is interested in staying in the store as a potential buyer ... and that's when you start haggling.
| IT'S FOR A GIFT
When you haggle and the starting price is very high, release the necklace and say that it is for a gift and that you will not pay much since you do not know if the recipient will like it or not.
| SET AN EXIT PRICE AND ONE FINAL IN YOUR HEAD
How much do you want to pay $ 2? Start haggling in half, offer $ 1 and go raising the bid bit by bit ...
| BE READY
If you had set $ 2 as the final price and the starting price that the seller gives you is just $ 2, don't be satisfied ... if something is clear, the seller will NEVER lose money with you, and if he offers you something for $ 2 is that you can get it for $ 1 and it has cost as much as $ 0.5!
| BE PATIENT
There will be cases in which the seller will become angry (it happened to us almost every time), he will even treat you badly or tell you that you are crazy, do not lose your patience: he has nothing against you, it is his way of acting. If you can't stand the “theater,” just leave calmly, you will see that the seller will follow you and will probably calm down, or directly ignore you waiting for someone to arrive sooner than you.
| BUY FIRST OR LAST MINUTE
It may seem silly but if you go early the seller will be more willing to haggle because he wants to guarantee sales (we have even heard the theory that if you are the first customer he will want to sell if or if for superstition issues). And if you go at the last minute it will be even more since it will be one of the last occasions of the day to inflate cash!
| REGATEA WITH THE LOCAL CURRENCY
Forget euros and dollars, the local currency for you is more profitable!
| GO AWAY
If you have reached the limit you want to pay and the seller does not access your offer, go. Many times the seller will call you when you have left your store and will accept your last offer. And if he doesn't do it, maybe the money you really offer is little ...
We hope ourhaggling guide it has been useful to you 🙂
