Traveler's tips: How to negotiate with locals
One of the most important things while traveling is learning to negotiate. No surprise - locals will always try to legally strip you down. Yup... they can smell tourists and money from far away. Nothing wrong with that.
However, none of us want to over-pay for stuff. From my personal experience, I can tell that there are some universal tips how to negotiate, look cooler, wiser, and impossible to rob.
Learn the freaking language
If you come to a market, wanting to buy something, and you cannot say a shit in local language - be prepared to pay more. It is enough to be a tourist. Acting like one will not help. So just take your time, don't be ignorant, and learn those few words. To negotiate, all you need to say is "Hello", "How are you", all the numbers, and "cheap", "expensive".
Tip: try to use as many International words as possible. So often locals will understand you.
Do your research before
It is easier to negotiate when you know the actual price. Every little thing is on the internet those days, so there is no excuse for being unprepared, except of ignorance.
When you know that something is worth 20 dollars and you are being charged, you can just laugh and say "no". In most of the cases, merchants feel those smart people and they don't try to trick them anymore.
Don't fall for cliché phrases
Things like "special offer just for you, my friend", "The only one, original, made by my own hands, and designed by professionals just for 5 dollars", "Only now", "Best quality in whole market" don't exist. I am still amazed how people fall for it. Do you seriously believe that someone will make a special offer just to you, because they see you for a first time and give no shit about you? Well, good luck in life.
Merchants will tell anything to sell their stuff. Always remember to ignore lies and only believe in things you see with your own eyes.
Act cool
This one should not work, but once again, so many things should not happen in the world. Yup, acting cool helps. If you pretend that you don't really need the stuff, and that you have all life figured out, somehow merchants are more likely to negotiate. However, remember that there is a small line between being cool and being a douche. What happens with douches? They are just told to GTFO.
And never ever show that you found what you were looking for all your life. Everyone smells your needs and takes advantage of it.
Go all the way
Probably the most difficult tip of all. Yes, sometimes it is very hard and even embarrassing to negotiate and keep pushing for a lower price. From my experience, sometimes it is not even worth it. However, if we are talking about negotiating - going all the way is really important.
Extra tip: if you are super confident about the situation, just pretend to be leaving the shop and wait for the merchant to give in. If he doesn't, you will be super embbarassed to come back to the shop, so only use this technique when fully confident.
Be nice
Yes, one might look at negotiation as a fight, but you still have to be nice. It helps... just like anywhere else in the world. Always try to get what you need for a price you need, but avoid getting rude and angry. This will only create more hostility and ruin the mood for everyone.
Always imagine that you are on the same boat with a merchant, and failing to fulfill either one's wishes will only sink that boat. Do you want to drown?
Don't be greedy
Robbing and negotiating is completely different things. If you are trying to get something for unreasonably low price, you are being greedy, and negotiations will fail most of the time. And it should. Once again - everyone has to come out as a winner in a successful negotiation. If it does not happen, universe will find its way to correct things. Sooner or later.
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everyday is a "haggle' when you live in Egypt - fun sometimes, headache others...
Haha, I can only imagine. I am originally from Europe, so we don't have much of this kind of negotiations. I had to learn it all in South America, tho
Good Advice.
Learning some of the language is the important part.
In China there are 3 prices. One for locals and one for non-locals that speak some of the language one for complete tourist passing through.
I noticed a huge difference in haggling after i could argue the price in their language.
Thanks! I feel that it is pretty similar everywhere in the world. At least in South Amercia for sure! And it is not that hard to learn those few words lol
oh and haggling is one of the best ways to practice learning the language. ^^
That and taxi drivers
Lol nice pic, but you must be someone.
My problem is I leave near the border so when we go down to Mexico these stand want your money. A problem I have learned over the years, since I speak Spanish, but no one I have gone with does. I learned if I'm with people who speak English only, stick with English even if I also understand Spanish, don't let the sellers know you understand them speaking to others who work there as well, or they do rip you off. Listen to what they say in both languages, sometimes they do actually say their purchase price specially if you stick to one language whether it be English or Spanish. From what I have seen they use the language you don't speak in thinking you do not know it.
That is also great advice! Sometimes they slip on a flat surface lol.
My Colombian friend told me that she is not allowed to speak in Cartagena, because people can feel that her dialect is a little different, and they will try to rip her off. So yeah, you either speak only one language or another.