It was the absolute key moment of the transaction. All of the work up to this point would depend on what happened in the next few seconds. Around us, the Ladies Market swirled with the sound of deals being made on toys, sneakers, and even silk pajamas. The mouth-watering smell of noodle stands serving late lunches wafted over it all. So many dollars and cents being spent along more than a half-mile of Tung Choi Street in Kowloon. The afternoon was hot, and I drew a long, humid, Hong Kong breath.
At stake: some very cool Ray-Ban-style sunglasses. Together with two friends, I had ventured to the market without a shopping list, just looking to wander and observe a bit of the customary mayhem here. But now we coveted the glasses. We picked them out. We tried them on. But after an initially promising back-and-forth on the price with the wizened older woman who owned that particular stand, we had reached an impasse. Loggerheads. Taking the lead in the bargaining, I made my final offer, but it wasn’t enough. No deal.
“Okay, we’re walking away,” I said, collecting the three pairs—orange, red, and blue shades—from my friends, handing them back to the vendor. She accepted them, reluctantly. As we made an intentionally slow exit, one friend rasped in my ear, “But I want those glasses!” Wait just a moment, I warned him. And don’t move too fast.
Sure enough, it happened—the woman sprung up and called us back. The deal was on. She offered the sunglasses for just a small, salutary sum more than our last offer. Hong Kong dollars changed hands. And we strode back to the Star Ferry looking just a little cooler than we had a couple hours ago on the short voyage over.
It’s a situation that strikes fear into the hearts of most North American travelers. In a culture where the price is simply the price and we just pay the amount listed on the shelf, a market where no amounts appear can be rather distressing. But in many parts of the world, the cost of an object requires agreement.
After visiting more than 100 countries, I’ve learned a lot of good and useful bargaining practices—mostly by trial and error. From the sprawling night markets in Chiang Mai to the small shops selling pashminas in Delhi, the price isn’t the price until we have a discussion about it. Early on, I needed to get comfortable with the fact that, for these vendors and the locals who buy from them, this is how business is done.
When you walk into a store or a market stand without price tags, they’re inviting you to bargain. It’s required. And they'll never, ever sell you anything for less than an amount they deem acceptable. Their costs and effort, plus a sufficient profit. Anything less, and there won’t be a transaction at all.
Something that I learned the hard way: Sellers are also perfectly happy to charge you a lot more than an item is actually worth. That is, of course, if you’re willing to pay it. A couple decades ago, when I was young and very green as a backpacker on a day trip to Tangiers, I boarded a ferry across one of the narrowest stretches of sea between Spain and Morocco.
The city enchanted me, from the scents of saffron and other spices to the call to prayer ringing out from minarets. I visited rug shops and got the hard sell, but all of the items were well above my price range anyway—no stress. I lunched on couscous and lamb and wandered the little lanes, imbibing the chaos and a little tea here and there.
But for reasons that I can’t reconcile now, the souvenir that I desired most from this brief, first experience in North Africa was a T-shirt. One with the Moroccan flag on it. And a bit of Arabic writing. The problem was that I had almost run out of time—my ferry back to Europe would be leaving very soon.
Entering a shop, I selected one—just a simple white shirt with the red-and-green flag on the front. I quickly made my first mistake. The shopkeeper handed it to me, and I took it. Once you have the merchandise in your palms, it’s much tougher to give it back.
We bargained. All of the elements that have since become familiar in markets on different continents were there. The offer of a “special price.” (Trust me: You’re not special. Every single customer with potentially sufficient funds in their pocket gets the “special price.”) The big calculator. He typed his offer. I cleared it and countered with my own.
But I was an unworthy adversary, unseasoned. A Little League hitter trying to swing at a big league fastball. He trotted out all the customary arguments. That, yes, it’s more expensive than other ones you may have seen, but this particular item of clothing was actually made of superior cotton. No way, it isn’t just a cheap tourist shirt. You can wear it for years! And the design, so unique—you’ll never find this anywhere else.
Don’t you want a high-end item to take home from this amazing day you’ve had in our city? Sir, you may only visit once in your entire life. Make sure you buy a quality item that you’ll cherish forever.
And so, I paid way too much, rather quickly acceding to the price he was typing on the slightly dusty, oversized calculator. And, rushing to my ferry, I literally bumped into a man pushing a cart—selling T-shirts. Right there, I saw that his featured item was the exact same shirt I had purchased a moment ago. For half the price.
A Few Tips
The first rule of bargaining is to decide in advance how much you think the item is worth and determine a ceiling. Then stick to it. While it’s easy to be swept up in the heat of a good back-and-forth haggle, having this anchor price will prevent you from paying way too much.Then, wait for the vendor to make their initial offer. When you respond, offer them half of that. Usually, the price will settle somewhere in the middle—but each deal is different.
Don’t be afraid to walk away. The seller will call you back if you’re somewhere in the right ballpark, pricewise. If not, the purchase just wasn’t meant to be.
