@Ray1 Ha ha.. Why you against it, it is not kind of bad thing either? Actually how to know if the seller is selling the product at right price? I am talking about unknown place where we don't have idea if they do bargain or not. So what to do in this case? I don't think trying that thing is bad.
Some people have turned this into an art form. They are just really good at bargaining for great deals. I know some people who do it like it's a sport for them, ha ha. They go to the farmer's market, flea markets, consignment shops, and more and they do their best to come out with a great deal. I think it gives them a rush. One of the best tricks for getting a great bargain is bundling. If you "bundle" lots of stuff together, you're more likely to get a discount on the total price. People don't want to miss out on a big sale, so they'll give you a break if you plan to buy a bunch of stuff. This method can be used more widely than typical haggling. I've even seen sites that offer discounts if you add on to your purchase.
@thisnthat I can understand people doing that in places like you have mentioned in your comment but when it comes to shopping for clothes or daily use unbranded gadgets/accessories then I fail to understand the reason for people going to stores which invariably indulge in malpractice of quoting higher price. I always avoid such places but go to places with "Fixed Price" display card and nothing moves them an inch however smart one is at bargaining.
@Ray1 Well for something I think going to such market can be worthy in the end. I am not talking about everything. But here we have a place where phone accessories is getting sell really in cheap price. Same thing is available in the normal (where the prices are fixed) market with really high price. So going for that one is like paying high price for that product even when we can have it with less price.
I am very shy and poor at bargaining. Although what I do is have a general idea of the cost of an item before I go purchasing. You can even get cost of items online. This gives you a rough idea incase you feel that the shopkeeper is obviously looting you. That's when I can actually bargain but otherwise I may just not buy if I feel that the price is beyond my budget.
Frankly speaking, I used to hate bargaining. But I have seen that some can actually get to buy the stuff at 90% off after bargaining, and I was the one who just paid without bargaining. Actually I don't like to bargain, and don't really enjoy shopping at these places. There were several times my mom asked me to bargain, as she doesn't speak English, so I just helped to translate, but I totally do not like the feeling. But, as you said, you can really save a lot if you bargain at some places.
A lot of people don't like the feeling. They don't like to ask for anything, and some may feel like they are asking for special treatment. They don't want to be seen as cheap either. The truth is that anyplace that allows bargaining or haggling, has come to expect people to do so. With that in mind, you shouldn't feel bad. They know people are going to ask for a lower price, so they raise their prices to adjust for it. You are actually just getting a fair or good price by asking, instead of paying the highest rate. They have a built in "cushion" on prices to account for the hagglers.
I wish you knew that most of our markets were the real bargaining centers that need lots of bargaining skills if you were to get a thing at the right price but knowing it full well I still prefer the stores with fixed price. I am considered a top salesman but when it comes to buying I am probably the worst. My wife often says that I spend 10-20% extra but I know she is paying extra for what she considers getting at cheaper price.
Yes, I agree that bargaining saves money, especially when it comes to buying from roadside vendors where there is no standard pricing. Some people are very good at it, and could pursue a skillful bargain.However, some cannot make it in a proper way and mess up the whole thing. I have seen people to save a substantial amount on a good bargain.
@kaka135 Why hate it? well, at some places it is necessary to do it as otherwise we will end up in paying more. It is okay and I think everyone should try it. Even I am not good, but I always try for it. It is always good to have discount whatever we get.
@naruto100 That's nothing wrong about it, but I just don't like it. Why can't the seller just be honest to label the price they want, so we just pay for it without bargaining. Well, this is real life, right? That's why I always prefer buying things in supermarket or shopping mall where the price is labeled, and we don't need to bargain for it. Of course, I do enjoy discount, but I don't really like to ask for it. Perhaps it's my personal limitation.
@kaka135 Ha ha.. yes that's the life. And I don't think its going to change anyway. Yes super market shopping is kind of straight and forward, nothing kind of bargaining and all. Even I was used to prefer same in the past when I was bad in it. But now I am doing it at some places.
@kaka135 I agree with you and perhaps that's the reason I avoid shops where bargaining is required to bring the prices at right level. It shows that these shops have set their prices too high and trying customers' bargaining powers. Everyone is not as good at bargaining so the chances are if 20-30% customers will get at right or almost right price the rest will be paying more than the actual price. In any case the shopkeeper is at an advantage. After all he would never sell at lower than his purchase price.
I feel awkward if I try to get a price down on some item. I've only done it successfully once and that was on a car. The price was too high so I asked for a lower price, the guy said no, so I started to walk away. He called me back and agreed to sell at the price I asked. Sometimes it's good to call their bluff.
@littlewitch66 On a car!! I didn't know that even car showrooms accept the bargaining. That's surprising. Or you are talking about toy car. Lol. Well, we should try it, we have nothing to lose of we don't get any discount but we are in benefit if we get it. So at least we should try.
@naruto100 It was a used car .. can't you get the price down where you live? It's quite common practice here. Probably not on a brand new car but buying a used car from a small dealer or even privately we do it all the time.
@littlewitch66 Yes, I agree one can do that on used items but getting into a showroom and start bargaining is not my idea. I would rather avoid all such places where bargaining is name of the business. As far bargaining on used items is concerned that is very much fair since even the seller doesn't know the real price of that item at the time of selling so a price mutually agreed is very much acceptable. We have a site called GUMTREE here that clearly indicates about "Negotiation"
@Ray1 Yes I have bought and sold cars on Gumtree. To be honest the last car I bought there was a bit of a disaster and I lost money on it. It's always a risk with used cars. I got it at a bargain price but the starter motor went after I had it a week and as it was a Smart car it would have cost almost as much as I paid for the car to fix so I decided to scrap it. It actually hurts to think about it!
@littlewitch66 Yes doing it on used car it is okay. But even I have never seen someone doing it at the show room. Yes for used item we can ask for bargaining and have some discount. And many time it works too.
@naruto100 I've never been lucky enough to be able to afford a new car so I googled it and apparently you can still negotiate a price. You have to find out the recommended value of a car and then if it is priced higher in the showroom, mention it to the dealer and try to get it down. I wouldn't be brave enough to do that!
