How to Haggle: A Foreigner's Guide

One night my friends and I were sipping martinis at Nic's bar on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills when a salesgirl approached our table and attempted to sell us a bottle of vodka. When no one spoke, I asked if we could try a sample first. Surprisingly, she returned a few minutes later with shots for potential buyers and I learned a great lesson: it never hurts to ask.

For many Westerners the concept of haggling may appear rude or shameful, but it's perfectly routine and even expected in other countries. In today's post I'll share a foreigner's guide on how to haggle, including what it is, when it's appropriate and best practices for successful haggling.

What is Haggling?

Simply, haggling is bargaining over the price of an item. You may have already haggled over the price of your car, house or expensive jewelry; or perhaps you haggled for smaller items at a garage sale. If you did it right, both you and the seller left the transaction feeling satisfied.

When Should You Haggle?

Typically haggling is encouraged when item prices are unlisted. In foreign countries you can haggle for goods and services from clothing to hotel room prices - check Google for "haggling customs [LOCATION]" to learn when haggling is appropriate.

5 Best Practices to Haggle Successfully:

1) Be Patient. Try not to buy anything from the first place you shop; instead, first look around at what's being offered at various shops and for how much to get an inside look at supply and demand.

2) No Touching. When asking for an item's price, don't touch it - just point to it. 2 reasons not to touch an item: 1) it shows interest so the owner will inflate the price, and 2) it creates an artificial feeling that you already own the item & makes you more willing to spend more to have it.

3) Stay Quiet. Don't make the first offer - it puts the seller in a position of power to charge you more. After the merchant names their price, ask for up to 50% off. When the seller makes a counteroffer, pause or say "hmm" before responding to make yourself seem less willing to buy.

4) Be Observant. Examine the item for imperfections, or use your earlier knowledge of going rates to justify your price and make you seem like a smart shopper.

5) Walk Away. Ultimately the goal is to leave satisfied, right? That includes walking away when an item's value isn't worth its asking price & 5 more minutes of back-and-forth won't achieve a happy medium for either party, so be prepared to walk away from a transaction.

BONUS TIP: If traveling between seasons (e.g. Summer to Fall), arrive early since merchants will happily sell their extra off-season goods in order to make room for new items. Alternatively, arrive an hour before the market closes to capitalize on merchants' eagerness to get rid of unsold merchandise and make an extra sale.

When traveling and shopping abroad, it doesn't hurt to ask for a lower price. Done right, haggling should be a fun and mutually profitable experience for both the seller and buyer. Have you ever haggled in a foreign country? Share where and what it was like in the comments!