price haggling! yay or nay?

[Staticsteele1860]

Just wondering if haggling prices from vendors on the beach or taxis is appropriate around the port and orient beach?

 

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[danzig1989]

Yay![emoji1303]

 

 

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[Karysa]

Just wondering if haggling prices from vendors on the beach or taxis is appropriate around the port and orient beach?

 

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Taxi prices are set by the government so no I don't think haggling for that is appropriate. Haggling with vendors on the beach on the other hand is expected and the reason that their first "cost" to you is higher than what they expect to sell it to you for.

[Karysa]

Just wondering if haggling prices from vendors on the beach or taxis is appropriate around the port and orient beach?

 

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Pretty surprised that you only got 2 answers on this one.

 

I was actually curious myself what people's views on this were.

[gtaylor]

Pretty surprised that you only got 2 answers on this one.

 

I was actually curious myself what people's views on this were.

 

Well, I was at sea when this went by, so forgive me. :)

 

My take is:

 

Taxi, bus, restaurant, beach bar, grocery store -- no.

 

Impromptu tour, beach vendors, jewelry stores, beach rentals -- yes.

 

gary

[SnorkelAway]

You always can haggle if you want - sometimes it clearly is a waste of time. When you are at the port with the dispatchers, I doubt it makes sense to try to haggle but otherwise, go for it. If you want to try to hire taxi driver to do a tour or more than just a basic A to B fare, sure, haggle if you want. Same with vendors or in the stores. If you do not try to haggle in a jewelry store you will be thought very odd - but very popular with the clerks.

Edited December 21, 2016 by SnorkelAway
Typo

[Karysa]

Well, I was at sea when this went by, so forgive me. :)

 

My take is:

 

Taxi, bus, restaurant, beach bar, grocery store -- no.

 

Impromptu tour, beach vendors, jewelry stores, beach rentals -- yes.

 

gary

 

Nope not this time, it was still on the first page. :D

[rjrpar]

Pretty surprised that you only got 2 answers on this one.

 

 

 

I was actually curious myself what people's views on this were.

 

 

Why? The third post gave the correct answer. How many times do you want to hear the same thing

 

 

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[Karysa]

Why? The third post gave the correct answer. How many times do you want to hear the same thing

 

 

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I think that was my post.:D I was interested in other opinions. I guess we have 3 more now with your post.;)

[gtaylor]

Why? The third post gave the correct answer. How many times do you want to hear the same thing

 

 

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The third post was correct, but not complete.

 

Also see my post, above, where I added some information from my viewpoint.

 

Do you have anything to add?

[Karysa]

The third post was correct, but not complete.

 

Also see my post, above, where I added some information from my viewpoint.

 

Do you have anything to add?

 

Hey I take offense to that.:D I don't think that my answer was incomplete! I answered the question, I just didn't go for bonus points.:)

 

 

Questions such as How much is the price of the all day water taxi? and Are there taxis available at the port? get more answers and discussion than this interesting topic which really DOESN'T have a 100% right or wrong answer like those two examples.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Karysa

[eyern1]

Well, how about this to add to the thread count, Karysa. I never thought about haggling on a watch, since they area available only from certified retailers I thought. Jewelry, sure, but not a watch such as Seiko, Citizen and so forth. Should I have tried to bargain on my watch? I had already priced it on the ship, which was a little more expensive.

[Karysa]

Well, how about this to add to the thread count, Karysa. I never thought about haggling on a watch, since they area available only from certified retailers I thought. Jewelry, sure, but not a watch such as Seiko, Citizen and so forth. Should I have tried to bargain on my watch? I had already priced it on the ship, which was a little more expensive.

 

Yes. What's the worst that can happen? .... They say no. :)

Edited January 15, 2017 by Karysa

[eyern1]

True. I just figured they wouldn't at the price I had found.

[Karysa]

True. I just figured they wouldn't at the price I had found.

 

I find in St. Maarten even if they don't drop the price of a watch they will throw something in like a bracelet or a pair of earrings.

[eyern1]

Hmmm. Oh well.

[Karysa]

Hmmm. Oh well.

 

They may not have offered you anything extra if they knew that you really wanted the watch and that their price was unbeatable.:)

[SnorkelAway]

A watch for which you would expect to pay more than $125 (just to pick a number out of the air), I would consider "jewelry" that will be sold in a "jewelry" store in St Martin and in my opinion, the sales people in the store would be at least a little surprised if a potential buyer did not try to get a better price than the first price stated on such a watch in their store. Our experience in the front street jewelry stores in Philipsburg is that the first price drop on any jewelry is easy and essentially automatic - after that is when the real "haggling" begins. Every regular visitor to SXM I know has a favorite jewelry store where you get to know the people there and develop trust in getting a good, reasonable price from the store.

[Karysa]

A watch for which you would expect to pay more than $125 (just to pick a number out of the air), I would consider "jewelry" that will be sold in a "jewelry" store in St Martin and in my opinion, the sales people in the store would be at least a little surprised if a potential buyer did not try to get a better price than the first price stated on such a watch in their store. Our experience in the front street jewelry stores in Philipsburg is that the first price drop on any jewelry is easy and essentially automatic - after that is when the real "haggling" begins. Every regular visitor to SXM I know has a favorite jewelry store where you get to know the people there and develop trust in getting a good, reasonable price from the store.

 

I googled if a watch is jewelry last night and most sites said that watches are functional and therefore MOST are not considered jewlery. In St. Maarten we frequent Boolchands, mostly for camera accessories but they also sell, tablets, electronics and cheaper jewelery and some watches with brands such as Citizen and Movado that sell even in St. Maarten for well over $125.

[SnorkelAway]

Oh yeah - there are lots of Citizen or Movado watches selling for hundreds or over a thousand dollars - also some cheapies. I guess it just seemed to me that the poster was talking about really nice watches that you would find in the jewelry stores and, for sure, you should/would try to lower the first stated price. Shoot, my wife tries to get a better deal in Kenny's on t-shirts and other souvenirs - she almost always gets at least a marginally better deal. I cannot recall ever buying anything in Boolchands - which sells pretty much everything, does it not? I have never bought any electronic stuff on island - have bought jewelry for the wife and a couple watches.

[Karysa]

Oh yeah - there are lots of Citizen or Movado watches selling for hundreds or over a thousand dollars - also some cheapies. I guess it just seemed to me that the poster was talking about really nice watches that you would find in the jewelry stores and, for sure, you should/would try to lower the first stated price. Shoot, my wife tries to get a better deal in Kenny's on t-shirts and other souvenirs - she almost always gets at least a marginally better deal. I cannot recall ever buying anything in Boolchands - which sells pretty much everything, does it not? I have never bought any electronic stuff on island - have bought jewelry for the wife and a couple watches.

 

Boolchands is not a department store. No clothes, linens, kitchenware ect. To DH it's the camera store of choice on the island.

The poster only commented that the watch was also being sold on the ship. As we all know their watches range from $10 to over a thousand. My husband likes to barter to. I'm not as comfortable with it as he is.:)

[lenquixote66]

I never haggle.It takes away from the relaxation of a cruise.

[Karysa]

I never haggle.It takes away from the relaxation of a cruise.

 

Haha perhaps you should try it just once. If you save $200 by haggling you can use it for a spa treatment back on board to relax. :D

[SnorkelAway]

Some people enjoy haggling over the price of something and it is not at all stressful for them. Others hate it and if you are one of those, just do not do it - but, if you do not want to do it, I do not think you should buy jewelry in a Caribbean store - go to Costco or online. One of my daughters likes to haggle to the point that she sometime is not really that interested in buying the item but figures if she can drive the price down to a super low level, she will get it.

[eyern1]

Yeah, I was talking about a little nicer level of watch. I think I saw it on the shop for $225 and found it on the island for $212 maybe, so I assumed it couldn't be had cheaper and I had looked at some prior stops (where I didn't think about haggling either).