Haggling in Turkey, need tips!

We will have two days in Turkey and just wondering, what some of you experiences are with haggling. Did you haggle with street vendors and in the bazaars? how much did they come down? also, what are some of your favorite things you have found there?

thank you!

megan

Only been to Turkey 3 times, and have always haggled with bazaar and small shopkeepers, (they expect you to)

Always aim for half the asking price or slightly above. Leather goods including shoes are a good buy. I always return home with at least 2 new handbags.

Good Luck.

I love haggling, wish we could do it at home.

After I've asked the price I usually cut it to something ridiculous - like a 3rd (at which we all laugh) which gives you room to manoeuvre. Keep it fun and when you're ready to move on, ask for their best price which will usually be as low as they're prepared to go.

Haggling is the rule of the game except for while shopping in really upscale establishments. I recollect that they are generally happy to get about half of originally quoted price -- just remember: they are much better at it than you could hope to be, so every time you do buy something you can be virtually certain that you have paid more than their "best price". That said, leather goods: gloves, hand bags, wallets, etc. and woolens are things to look for.

our guide in istanbul told us that you should only start bargaining if you are serious about purchasing...that it is considered rude if you get someone to substantially reduce their price and then walk away.

his words not mine...

Actually, once you start to bargain on an item or items you must be prepared to walk away if you do not get the deal you seek. It is give and take, but the merchant always has the advantage in that they know the lowest price they can afford to accept. Sometimes the best deals do not happen until you walk. If they let you leave then you know that you have truly gone below their best price. A wise Turk once told me that if they close the sale you have paid too much :). DW considers it all a lot of fun, and once spent more then an hour (and several cups of tea) haggling for just a 2 x 2 carpet (high quality) to be used as a wall hanging.

On the other hand, sometimes they can truly win. One time DW was in the Grand Bazaar and wanted to buy several silks scarves. When she did not get the price she wanted, we walked and spent a couple of hours shopping for other things and also looking for comparable scarves. In the end, DW did not find anything she liked better then at that first store and so we returned to close the deal. When DW finally agreed to pay the merchants price he just laughed and said his price had increased $5! We all had a good laugh, bought the scarves, and paid that extra $5. So much fun :)

Hank

our guide in istanbul told us that you should only start bargaining if you are serious about purchasing...that it is considered rude if you get someone to substantially reduce their price and then walk away.

 

his words not mine...

And if they offer you tea, and you accept this hospitality, it's pretty much understood that you will be buying something.

Remember,

If you spill the tea on the carpet you just bought that carpet. Tim

Be very careful to smell the leather goods and for that matter most things you buy. Sometimes the leather has an 'off odor' that is very hard to ever get rid of.

We find simply walking away works best if you reach an impasse.

I start with 75% and make a offer .

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We find simply walking away works best if you reach an impasse.

Just walking away also can work if you don't feel comfortable haggling. The merchant usually comes down, you can shake your head no and they will usually come down some more. You can keep this up until you are satisfied (one way or the other).

I once offered half the opening price for a fairly expensive carpet and they accepted the offer immediately (oops!). :)

I bought decorative pillow covers in Ephesus. They are made from fabric squares and trimmed in braid. They come in a variety of colors and patterns. They are flat and easy to pack.. I just buy the pillow insides at Michael's Craft stores. They add a lot of color and texture to living room. Don't remember what I paid but couldn't have been much as I bought 6 and gave some to my daughters.

We will have two days in Turkey ... what are some of your favorite things you have found there?...

Hi Megan,

One of the cutest things I saw in Kusadasi was a huge, professionally printed sign over a shop door proclaiming "GUARANTEED FAKE WATCHES".

Scott & Karen

We will have two days in Turkey and just wondering, what some of you experiences are with haggling. Did you haggle with street vendors and in the bazaars? how much did they come down? also, what are some of your favorite things you have found there?

thank you!

megan

Megan, I have been to Turkey many times and this is my approach.

Know what you want.

Remember that an item that looks similar might sell for different prices but if you look very closely at its quality it does vary. So, before you start negotiating examine the item carefully to make sure this item is of the quality you want.

And as to price. Figure out what the item is worth and in the end that is the price you want. So, if the item is worth $50.00 to you it doesn't matter whether they start at $150.00 or $100.00 or whatever. You want to get it for the price you have in mind and that means as part of the negotiations you have to offer less than $50.00 so they have room to come up.

And remember. This is their living and they do this all the time so they are far better at it than you will be but this approach has served me well.

Keith

our guide in istanbul told us that you should only start bargaining if you are serious about purchasing...that it is considered rude if you get someone to substantially reduce their price and then walk away.

 

his words not mine...

Your guide was right. It's only OK to walk away when the vendor won't budge on price.

All the above tips work well for places other than Turkey where haggling is the norm.

It may be rude to walk away, but if I know what the item is worth and they won't come to a price I will pay, I will walk away. I bought a few things in Turkey. Overpaid for a jacket, but it is very nice. Paid about what I would expect for pair of belts for DH. Vendor wanted more, I took all the cash I had, including all the change, and said this is all I have. It was about 10 TL below what he wanted, so about $5. Seller didn't look happy, but he could see I had no more cash, and I d on t think he wanted to pay the up charge on me using a card.

OTOH, DH and DS got a great price on a t-shirt because all they had was 20 TL!

what are some of your favorite things you have found there?

My favorite purchase was an inlaid wood and mother of pearl chess set with pewter figurines. I love it and I love seeing my kids intently playing with it.

Several ideas to keep in mind:

1. It should be fun for both buyer and seller, and any bystanders. Keep it light and joking.

2. Make the first offer a _slight_ insult. Try about 1/3 your intended price. The seller will go slightly apoplectic but then should come down a bit in a counteroffer. Repeat with a slightly higher counter-counteroffer; repeat as necessary.

3. Always compliment the article but then note a small imperfection or unfortunate property in it ("it might not match the carpet/drapes/my daughter's complexion"). Create a stock of ready-made excuses as to why seller's price is too much ("Think of what it will cost to ship back--extra luggage costs on the airplane!" or "I have two daughters/sons-- if I pay that much I won't have enough for a gift for the other one!").

4. If you have any firm grasp of their native language, interject a few appropriate terms, like "awfully expensive" or "I don't have enough (money)" or "I can't do that". Always learn "please", "thank you", "i'm sorry", "hello", and "goodbye" in the local dialect--it puts people on a better attitude toward you and your bargaining. Using the native language numbers will also help, if you are sure of them--and you can always count on your fingers in the seller's language to back it up.

5. Use non-verbal clues for your seller to pick up on. Shrugging, looking like the offered price is _almost_ acceptable, and such. Use your fingers to echo what amount you are offering. Try to NOT look like you REALLY want it.

6. Keeping money in several places to be able to empty _that_ pocket and do the "This is what I've got" routine with several options for different price offerings.

7. Having an accomplice with you to add pressure to you to "forget it, dear; it's really nice, but we need to be going" may make the seller more eager to close the deal before he loses the sale altogether.

8. In Turkey, especially Instanbul, cats are treated well and are found roaming free in public areas; if you have cats as pets, you might consider slipping that into the conversation during the bargaining. If you don't like cats, keep that to yourself.

9. If you do leave without meeting the seller's price, "make your exit" slowly and with apologies and statements that you "Really do like it, but..." and do not _hurry_ away. DW walked away from a street merchant in Cairo, and he hustled on after her to bring her back to bargaining; she bought the article and the seller got a fair price for it.

10. One more tactic is to try to make a "package deal" --"If I buy this and this, and this, would you take 20 for all of it?"

11.To emphasize Rule #1--it should be fun for everybody. If you aren't in the mood to haggle, smile sadly, thank the seller, and depart.

I usually offered about 1/4 of the price and ended up at about half. But as someone said, if you finally get an agreed upon price, you must buy. No walking away at that point. We bought nicely caved wooden boxes filled with spices. Anything leather, like wallets, purses or carved wood is a good deal. The also had some nice crocheted "flower" necklaces that were popular back here.

I have found I always comment something like, 'the piece is lovely but I'm not sure it is worth that much to Me. I am sure to someone it is worth that much but I have to decide how much $$ I love it. :)" Vendors seem to like comments of that sort that do no insult their merchandise or them but show you are not willing to pay whatever They want you to pay. :)

It does no one anything good to be insulting.

Several ideas to keep in mind:

1. It should be fun for both buyer and seller, and any bystanders. Keep it light and joking.

 

2. Make the first offer a _slight_ insult. Try about 1/3 your intended price. The seller will go slightly apoplectic but then should come down a bit in a counteroffer. Repeat with a slightly higher counter-counteroffer; repeat as necessary.

 

3. Always compliment the article but then note a small imperfection or unfortunate property in it ("it might not match the carpet/drapes/my daughter's complexion"). Create a stock of ready-made excuses as to why seller's price is too much ("Think of what it will cost to ship back--extra luggage costs on the airplane!" or "I have two daughters/sons-- if I pay that much I won't have enough for a gift for the other one!").

 

4. If you have any firm grasp of their native language, interject a few appropriate terms, like "awfully expensive" or "I don't have enough (money)" or "I can't do that". Always learn "please", "thank you", "i'm sorry", "hello", and "goodbye" in the local dialect--it puts people on a better attitude toward you and your bargaining. Using the native language numbers will also help, if you are sure of them--and you can always count on your fingers in the seller's language to back it up.

 

5. Use non-verbal clues for your seller to pick up on. Shrugging, looking like the offered price is _almost_ acceptable, and such. Use your fingers to echo what amount you are offering. Try to NOT look like you REALLY want it.

 

6. Keeping money in several places to be able to empty _that_ pocket and do the "This is what I've got" routine with several options for different price offerings.

 

7. Having an accomplice with you to add pressure to you to "forget it, dear; it's really nice, but we need to be going" may make the seller more eager to close the deal before he loses the sale altogether.

 

8. In Turkey, especially Instanbul, cats are treated well and are found roaming free in public areas; if you have cats as pets, you might consider slipping that into the conversation during the bargaining. If you don't like cats, keep that to yourself.

 

9. If you do leave without meeting the seller's price, "make your exit" slowly and with apologies and statements that you "Really do like it, but..." and do not _hurry_ away. DW walked away from a street merchant in Cairo, and he hustled on after her to bring her back to bargaining; she bought the article and the seller got a fair price for it.

 

10. One more tactic is to try to make a "package deal" --"If I buy this and this, and this, would you take 20 for all of it?"

 

11.To emphasize Rule #1--it should be fun for everybody. If you aren't in the mood to haggle, smile sadly, thank the seller, and depart.

Good advice! You must be a pro!

Agree that bargaining should be fun, but also remember that if you come to agreement then it is really rude not to buy once you agree on a price. I hate to say this, but the men in the Turkish bazaar tend to really like Western women, especially if you have light hair and light eyes. If someone in your party fits the profile then let them do the haggling. :) I have bought lots of fun things in the bazaar and before even haggling I set a price in my mind and leave it there. Let the merchant make the opening offer so you have somewhere to start.

I have been to the bazaar many times and there are plenty of merchants who offer the same items, especially items in the below $100 category. Don't buy from the first merchant you see. Be sure to walk around and check multiple vendors before deciding.

My favorite thing to buy in Istanbul is Turkish delight. There are plenty of vendors selling nasty pre-packed Turkish Delight, but I found a vendor selling fresh turkish delight by the pound (maybe it was a kilo) for maybe 30 or 40 Lira which is around 20 USD. Sounds expensive, but I saw others selling inferior quality for more and this stuff was heavenly and I got to pick out exactly what I like. Can you tell I like pistachio?!?!

image by nolatravelgirl, on Flickr

Lots of good tips here. My rule of thumb is to ask myself three questions first:

1. Do I really want this item?

2. Would anyone else want this as a gift?

3. How much am I willing to pay?