The Art Of Haggling

In the Arbat, with.. yes.. a cow.

Unfortunately, where I live haggling isn't really done. In fact, until I went to Russia last year I'd never really heard of it before (shock horror!) so I have to admit I wasn't very good at it which sucked for me because I would be cheerfully going along buying all my souvenirs whilst my friends would be getting the same Russian dolls for a third of the price. And that made me think, for people like me, are there tips on better haggling?

The Arbat street in Moscow is littered with small souvenir shops that are filled with all things cheap, tacky but remarkably colourful and sparkly. You can walk out of one, look down the road (or even next door) and see another totally identical with exactly the same stock. The trick is, to pay the least amount of money for the same thing! Because, after all, you're there for a bargain.

"2000 rouble. All three item 2000 rouble."

My friend looked at the zippo, hip flask and russian hat she'd aligned on the table. She pondered, bit her lip in an over-exaggerated fashion and sighed loudly.

"Mmm.. I don't know.. no. No. I just haven't got that much.." She turned and headed to the door with  the shop keeper on her heel, desperately trying to change her mind.

"1700 rouble. 1700 rouble Miss! Miss ... 1500 rouble ?" My friend was still striding towards the exit, clearly uninterested. We were just stepping outside, back into the cold, when..

"HALF PRICE. TODAY. EVERYTHING IN SHOP HALF PRICE. JUST FOR YOU."

Now that is more like it.


So how did she do it? To be honest, it beats me! I still can't do it after a few pointers:

1. Don't be polite. - Well, obviously don't be rude or you won't get anything! But don't have it in your head that by charging you the full whack the guy's going to be able to put bread on his table. Be ruthless - the idea is to get a bargain for you! (This is the part where I struggle most. I can't help but thinking: it's just easier paying the extortionate amount than embarking on an argument.. isn't it? The answer is no and keep telling yourself that!)

2. Don't care what people think of you. - So what if the guy selling melons thinks you're a melon head? It doesn't matter, you got the melon for half the price! Plus, are you ever going to see that Puerta Rican vendor again? .. Nah I don't think so.

3. Haggle the right price. - Easier said than done, particularly if you don't know the value of what you're haggling for. If you don't know, -30% is always a good shout but if you're confident to go lower then why not! But beware, don't go too low or the vendor will just scoff your offer.

4. Hesitate. - Um and ahh. Bite your lip, "Hmm.. I don't know". Use long awkward silences of 'deep thought' whilst you sit on the fence and 'can't decide' (even if you know you're buying it regardless). The seller will get nervous (in their eagerness to sell it to you) and drop the price further.

And don't be afraid to walk away. Just because you've haggled it down (but not quite as cheap as another stall or shop is) doesn't mean you've got to stick it out. Sometimes if you're walking out the seller will call you back with an even better price (as I discovered in the Arbat) - this can also be used as a sly haggle technique as well!

So really, it's a win-win! Heheh.