I hate haggling. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

skizziks · 10-15-2008, 10:38 AM

Haggling over a price is just clownshit. I freakin hate haggling over a price, which is why i hate buying cars. I did it in Thailand, got good at it. I did it in the Mid east, i was ok. here in Mexico I suck at it. and I hate it. why can´t people just tell me what something is worth, why do i have to fight to buy something. Iknow people see it as cultural, a way to ¨get to know¨people, a social thing, but fuck, i always feel like i´m getting ripped off, and i am, cause i don´t know what i´m doing. it´s harder when you don´t speak the language or have the cultural background, which i don´t, so i´m at a serious disadvantage. it´s like fighting with a one armed, one legged, blind guy. sometims it just seems greedy, you make me pay this huge price, just cause I´m not from here, i dont´know what stuff goes for, and when i try, you stonewall me.

at least, today i got one whole dollar off my room price, so it finally worked. but still, i hate haggling.

Patient Kain · 10-15-2008, 10:52 AM

Lol, me too. Why doesn't everyone just price things fairly and buy things at a fair price.

Haggling fairly is not so bad, but when you don't know the person, it's more likely someone trying to rip the other off. You're right, it's annoying.

snowy · 10-15-2008, 10:59 AM

My dad is a legendary haggler. He loves it. He's also very good at it. He will haggle over any major purchase, be it houses, electronics, appliances, cars, etc. It makes my mother nervous; she just wants whatever Dad is haggling for, and wants it to be done and over with. Because they've been married for 26 years now, though, Mom understands the pleasure Dad gets out of haggling and gets out of the way.

My dad's favorite trick is to find used Volvos at non-Volvo dealers. Typically these cars have been picked up at auction or as a trade-in. One way or another he figures out about how much they probably paid for the car at auction, and offers them only a little more than that--enough for them to keep their dignity. He really lowballed the guy one time when he was trying to buy a Volvo 960 wagon (it had higher mileage than the advertisement had led him to believe), to the point my mom thought the guy would turn him down. Instead, the salesman replied that he would have to check with his supervisor, but he thought it would work. In reply, my dad asked if they took American Express.

Recently, he managed to get a special order counterdepth Bosch refrigerator (a very spendy fridge) knocked down considerably, using their own advertising against them. Lowes said they would beat anyone's price, and so Dad kept his eye on the ads looking for a fridge. Sears advertised this Bosch fridge he wanted, and so he called up Lowes and asked if they would beat the sale price at Sears. The person on the phone said yes, so my dad headed on up to Lowes to make the purchase. Now, my folks live out in the boondocks, so the trip to Lowes is an hour each way. He gets up there and the salesperson he talks to in appliances says what he heard on the phone is wrong, that they can't offer that deal on a special purchase, but my dad isn't just about to go home after driving an hour because some asshat on the phone said they would beat the price. So he insists on speaking with the manager, despite the salesperson's protests that they can't do anything. The manager gave my dad the deal.

My other favorite is how he got his LCD television. It's a big fancy Philips, purchased after a power surge wrecked my parents' electronics in a bad storm a couple years back. He had x amount of money to spend from the insurance company on a new television, and it was considerably more than he had spent on the television he was replacing, and so he decided it was time to upgrade. He is a savvy shopper, obviously, and looks around for all the deals. We're kind of a Philips family (my great-grandfather was an accountant for them) and so he's predisposed to this big fancy Philips only available at the Costco furniture store, with a coupon. So he and Mom head on over to Seattle (1.5 hours away) to acquire it. While he's there, he finds out that he needs to spend an extra $100 on cables to get this thing hooked up correctly. He is not pleased. He says to the salesguy he needs to go price the cables before he commits. The salesguy throws in the cables free in order to make the sale.

I can haggle. I don't like to, but I've obviously learned a lot of tricks.

Lasereth · 10-15-2008, 11:48 AM

I was in the market for my current car a couple of months ago. I drove to the dealership knowing that the same car an hour away was $22,900, but their price was $24,500. I test drove the car and then told the salesman I wanted to keep the payment at around $360 a month. He was like OK no way that is happening, up front. I only had $500 down. So I said ok sorry but I'm outta here. I tried to get up and he said ok ok ok hold on let me get the manager. The manager came in and was like sir, you're not getting a 2008 mazdaspeed 3 for $360 a month, it's just impossible, sorry. We're the only one on the east coast with a white one so we can't let it go for any lower.

So I said ok thanx for your time, cyaz. Then the next day a different salesman called me back and said "$22,500, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, $360 a month if you come back right now." I went back and got the car for $360 a month with a 100,000 mile full warranty at $22.5k.

They couldn't stand that they lost a sale and would do anything to get it back. It was great.

Anormalguy · 10-15-2008, 02:26 PM

YouTube - Life of Brian - Haggle

Tully Mars · 10-15-2008, 04:06 PM

I like to haggle myself. My last few trucks I bought for cash. I usually do some research on what I want to pay for it and search out several lots that have one. I talk polite with the salesman and eventually get around to telling him/her "OK I'll take it, here's what I'm willing to pay for it." Usually they laugh, sometimes they act stupid and do the "Whoa, I gotta take this offer to the boss" routine. I always stop them, hand them my business card, tell them I don't have time to mess with it at the moment and ask them to call me if they get my price. Usually within a day, sometimes within hours they call with some price, always higher then the price I gave them. I tell them thanks but no thanks. Eventually one of them will call with my price. Sometimes it takes a week. Sometimes it takes longer. The last truck I bought, the one I'm driving now, the salesman called after about a week and cheerfully said "Good news Mr. Tully, my boss is real close to your price we just...." I stopped him and said "That's great news, have him call me when he gets there" and hung up. Five minutes later he called back and all he said was "come get your truck." He wasn't nearly as cheerful during the second call.

When I got the the dealer he said "Ok, here's the options on the undercoat..." We had a little back and forth I told him I wasn't buying any extended warranty, clear coat, undercoat, nothing just the truck thank-you. He started saying something about how important the clear coat is to protect the paint. I said "Are you saying there's something wrong with the paints that's on there? Like it's going to fall off if I don't get the clear coat? Maybe I don't want this truck." After that it was basically "Here's your keys, now please leave."

samcol · 10-15-2008, 04:18 PM

Haggling helps set the price for items. I don't have a problem with it. Sure you can pay sticker price for items, but if they have too of the widgets sitting around it probably isn't worth msrp.

I don't understand how pricing is supposed to be set without it. Manufacturers are trying to maximize their profits and consumers are trying to minimize their spending. Without this competing force the system can't work. Any engineering of these prices through government manipulation causes the system to falter and eventually fail.

Redjake · 10-15-2008, 05:11 PM

I hate haggling for the sole reason that it doesn't always work and is not appropriate in every situation. People seem to have different opinions about whether something is "eligible" for haggling - and I've been burned in the past by trying to haggle with something that was actually "rude to haggle for."

canuckguy · 10-15-2008, 05:32 PM

You want a nickel from me? It will cost you a dime.

I'm an account manager aka salesdork, taking on professional hagglers of fortune 500 companies is what I do. Technology is only expensive because I like my commission cheques too be large.

The funny thing in my personal life it's a 50/50 split if I haggle or not. Sometimes I am content to just pay sticker, others I want your kidney and maybe your first born before I'll buy.

samcol · 10-15-2008, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redjake

I hate haggling for the sole reason that it doesn't always work and is not appropriate in every situation. People seem to have different opinions about whether something is "eligible" for haggling - and I've been burned in the past by trying to haggle with something that was actually "rude to haggle for."

It doesn't always work, but even if it isn't eligible for haggling you can almost always buy it for the price they are asking anyway (if you HAVE to have what they are selling...). So, what is the loss by trying to haggle?

NoSoup · 10-15-2008, 06:28 PM

I'm also a big fan of "haggling"

I've purchased a number of vehicles for friends and family, often walking away with a final sales cost of several thousand dollars less than they were able to get.

My most recent triumph - I just bought an Audi TT Quattro. When we finally got to the "lowest" price the salesman could possibly go, I asked if it was customary to tip the sales guy (Porche dealership) He said that it happened quite often - and I made him a deal. Whatever price I got below the "lowest" price he could get, I'd tip him, in cash, 50% of what he'd saved me.

Low and behold, I got another $1750 off the car - saving me another $875 smackaroos.

canuckguy · 10-15-2008, 06:31 PM

That is awesome NoSoup!!!

NoSoup · 10-16-2008, 02:14 PM

Lol, Thanks

Redjake · 10-16-2008, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samcol

It doesn't always work, but even if it isn't eligible for haggling you can almost always buy it for the price they are asking anyway (if you HAVE to have what they are selling...). So, what is the loss by trying to haggle?

offending the other person! I can't think of anyone that doesn't consider offending another person to be negative.

Fotzlid · 10-16-2008, 06:13 PM

I hate haggling. I get bored with it after a short time and if its an item I want, I'll just pay whatever just to get it over with so I can get on with my life.

skizziks · 10-17-2008, 09:16 AM

Ok, one thing is buying a car, yeah, I understand and all, but Im really talking about buying food and lodging on streets in various countries. No matter what, I ALWAYS feel kinda ripped off, Iknow i cant compete with them in thier own language. And here in Mexico, when they know I´m clueless, and won´t lower the price, it just seems greedy. Of course, they might not be lowering the price because it´s not negotiable, I can´t quite tell when it´s time to haggle or not. Hence the frustration.

Cernunnos · 10-19-2008, 11:30 AM

Is there some sort of unspoken minimum price tag before haggling can ensue? I've always believed that haggling for an item that is reasonably inexpensive to begin with is considered bad practice, especially at locations where there is a set standard, such as national chains.

I would appreciate some opinions, as I am most definitely inexperienced at this type of social situation.

Kaimi · 10-19-2008, 11:38 AM

I despise haggling and hagglers all the same. I yield on only the rarest occasion.

mixedsubstance · 10-19-2008, 01:46 PM

It's pretty much kosher to walk into a dealership with a set price in mind. You push your way to talking it down from there. It makes the salesperson work harder, and you really get to know the manager that way, as he has to approve the selling price. I always bring my brother along when buying a car- he's so great at it. Best line for haggling when buying a car 'Sorry, that price won't work for me.'

The other haggling- which I consider doing at garage sales- is touchy. People who haggle everything, irritating to no end. But sometimes you make the call and haggle with the buyer...just to make a sale.

That's all I would haggle on. That's about all people will haggle on in the US. But for other countries, I guess you would have to know their culture, market value of items, etc. before you really feel comfortable haggling. I know I couldn't just go up to a Mexican street market and swindle a deal right away.

10-15-2008, 10:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
skizziks Insane Location: out west	I hate haggling. Haggling over a price is just clownshit. I freakin hate haggling over a price, which is why i hate buying cars. I did it in Thailand, got good at it. I did it in the Mid east, i was ok. here in Mexico I suck at it. and I hate it. why can´t people just tell me what something is worth, why do i have to fight to buy something. Iknow people see it as cultural, a way to ¨get to know¨people, a social thing, but fuck, i always feel like i´m getting ripped off, and i am, cause i don´t know what i´m doing. it´s harder when you don´t speak the language or have the cultural background, which i don´t, so i´m at a serious disadvantage. it´s like fighting with a one armed, one legged, blind guy. sometims it just seems greedy, you make me pay this huge price, just cause I´m not from here, i dont´know what stuff goes for, and when i try, you stonewall me. at least, today i got one whole dollar off my room price, so it finally worked. but still, i hate haggling.

10-15-2008, 10:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	My dad is a legendary haggler. He loves it. He's also very good at it. He will haggle over any major purchase, be it houses, electronics, appliances, cars, etc. It makes my mother nervous; she just wants whatever Dad is haggling for, and wants it to be done and over with. Because they've been married for 26 years now, though, Mom understands the pleasure Dad gets out of haggling and gets out of the way. My dad's favorite trick is to find used Volvos at non-Volvo dealers. Typically these cars have been picked up at auction or as a trade-in. One way or another he figures out about how much they probably paid for the car at auction, and offers them only a little more than that--enough for them to keep their dignity. He really lowballed the guy one time when he was trying to buy a Volvo 960 wagon (it had higher mileage than the advertisement had led him to believe), to the point my mom thought the guy would turn him down. Instead, the salesman replied that he would have to check with his supervisor, but he thought it would work. In reply, my dad asked if they took American Express. Recently, he managed to get a special order counterdepth Bosch refrigerator (a very spendy fridge) knocked down considerably, using their own advertising against them. Lowes said they would beat anyone's price, and so Dad kept his eye on the ads looking for a fridge. Sears advertised this Bosch fridge he wanted, and so he called up Lowes and asked if they would beat the sale price at Sears. The person on the phone said yes, so my dad headed on up to Lowes to make the purchase. Now, my folks live out in the boondocks, so the trip to Lowes is an hour each way. He gets up there and the salesperson he talks to in appliances says what he heard on the phone is wrong, that they can't offer that deal on a special purchase, but my dad isn't just about to go home after driving an hour because some asshat on the phone said they would beat the price. So he insists on speaking with the manager, despite the salesperson's protests that they can't do anything. The manager gave my dad the deal. My other favorite is how he got his LCD television. It's a big fancy Philips, purchased after a power surge wrecked my parents' electronics in a bad storm a couple years back. He had x amount of money to spend from the insurance company on a new television, and it was considerably more than he had spent on the television he was replacing, and so he decided it was time to upgrade. He is a savvy shopper, obviously, and looks around for all the deals. We're kind of a Philips family (my great-grandfather was an accountant for them) and so he's predisposed to this big fancy Philips only available at the Costco furniture store, with a coupon. So he and Mom head on over to Seattle (1.5 hours away) to acquire it. While he's there, he finds out that he needs to spend an extra $100 on cables to get this thing hooked up correctly. He is not pleased. He says to the salesguy he needs to go price the cables before he commits. The salesguy throws in the cables free in order to make the sale. I can haggle. I don't like to, but I've obviously learned a lot of tricks. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

10-15-2008, 04:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tully Mars Living in a Warmer Insanity Super Moderator Location: Yucatan, Mexico	I like to haggle myself. My last few trucks I bought for cash. I usually do some research on what I want to pay for it and search out several lots that have one. I talk polite with the salesman and eventually get around to telling him/her "OK I'll take it, here's what I'm willing to pay for it." Usually they laugh, sometimes they act stupid and do the "Whoa, I gotta take this offer to the boss" routine. I always stop them, hand them my business card, tell them I don't have time to mess with it at the moment and ask them to call me if they get my price. Usually within a day, sometimes within hours they call with some price, always higher then the price I gave them. I tell them thanks but no thanks. Eventually one of them will call with my price. Sometimes it takes a week. Sometimes it takes longer. The last truck I bought, the one I'm driving now, the salesman called after about a week and cheerfully said "Good news Mr. Tully, my boss is real close to your price we just...." I stopped him and said "That's great news, have him call me when he gets there" and hung up. Five minutes later he called back and all he said was "come get your truck." He wasn't nearly as cheerful during the second call. When I got the the dealer he said "Ok, here's the options on the undercoat..." We had a little back and forth I told him I wasn't buying any extended warranty, clear coat, undercoat, nothing just the truck thank-you. He started saying something about how important the clear coat is to protect the paint. I said "Are you saying there's something wrong with the paints that's on there? Like it's going to fall off if I don't get the clear coat? Maybe I don't want this truck." After that it was basically "Here's your keys, now please leave." __________________ I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

10-15-2008, 04:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
samcol Junkie Location: Indiana	Haggling helps set the price for items. I don't have a problem with it. Sure you can pay sticker price for items, but if they have too of the widgets sitting around it probably isn't worth msrp. I don't understand how pricing is supposed to be set without it. Manufacturers are trying to maximize their profits and consumers are trying to minimize their spending. Without this competing force the system can't work. Any engineering of these prices through government manipulation causes the system to falter and eventually fail. __________________ It's time for the president to hand over his nobel peace prize.

10-15-2008, 05:11 PM	#8 (permalink)
Redjake I'm a family man - I run a family business. Location: Wilson, NC	I hate haggling for the sole reason that it doesn't always work and is not appropriate in every situation. People seem to have different opinions about whether something is "eligible" for haggling - and I've been burned in the past by trying to haggle with something that was actually "rude to haggle for." __________________ Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

10-15-2008, 10:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
Patient Kain Upright Location: Georgia soon, please	Lol, me too. Why doesn't everyone just price things fairly and buy things at a fair price. Haggling fairly is not so bad, but when you don't know the person, it's more likely someone trying to rip the other off. You're right, it's annoying.

10-15-2008, 11:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	I was in the market for my current car a couple of months ago. I drove to the dealership knowing that the same car an hour away was $22,900, but their price was $24,500. I test drove the car and then told the salesman I wanted to keep the payment at around $360 a month. He was like OK no way that is happening, up front. I only had $500 down. So I said ok sorry but I'm outta here. I tried to get up and he said ok ok ok hold on let me get the manager. The manager came in and was like sir, you're not getting a 2008 mazdaspeed 3 for $360 a month, it's just impossible, sorry. We're the only one on the east coast with a white one so we can't let it go for any lower. So I said ok thanx for your time, cyaz. Then the next day a different salesman called me back and said "$22,500, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, $360 a month if you come back right now." I went back and got the car for $360 a month with a 100,000 mile full warranty at $22.5k. They couldn't stand that they lost a sale and would do anything to get it back. It was great.

10-15-2008, 05:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	You want a nickel from me? It will cost you a dime. I'm an account manager aka salesdork, taking on professional hagglers of fortune 500 companies is what I do. Technology is only expensive because I like my commission cheques too be large. The funny thing in my personal life it's a 50/50 split if I haggle or not. Sometimes I am content to just pay sticker, others I want your kidney and maybe your first born before I'll buy.

10-15-2008, 06:28 PM	#11 (permalink)
NoSoup Non-Rookie Location: Green Bay, WI	I'm also a big fan of "haggling" I've purchased a number of vehicles for friends and family, often walking away with a final sales cost of several thousand dollars less than they were able to get. My most recent triumph - I just bought an Audi TT Quattro. When we finally got to the "lowest" price the salesman could possibly go, I asked if it was customary to tip the sales guy (Porche dealership) He said that it happened quite often - and I made him a deal. Whatever price I got below the "lowest" price he could get, I'd tip him, in cash, 50% of what he'd saved me. Low and behold, I got another $1750 off the car - saving me another $875 smackaroos. __________________ I have an aura of reliability and good judgement. Just in case you were wondering...

10-15-2008, 06:31 PM	#12 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	That is awesome NoSoup!!!

10-16-2008, 02:14 PM	#13 (permalink)
NoSoup Non-Rookie Location: Green Bay, WI	Lol, Thanks __________________ I have an aura of reliability and good judgement. Just in case you were wondering...

10-16-2008, 06:13 PM	#15 (permalink)
Fotzlid Junkie Location: Greater Boston area	I hate haggling. I get bored with it after a short time and if its an item I want, I'll just pay whatever just to get it over with so I can get on with my life.

10-17-2008, 09:16 AM	#16 (permalink)
skizziks Insane Location: out west	Ok, one thing is buying a car, yeah, I understand and all, but Im really talking about buying food and lodging on streets in various countries. No matter what, I ALWAYS feel kinda ripped off, Iknow i cant compete with them in thier own language. And here in Mexico, when they know I´m clueless, and won´t lower the price, it just seems greedy. Of course, they might not be lowering the price because it´s not negotiable, I can´t quite tell when it´s time to haggle or not. Hence the frustration.

10-19-2008, 11:30 AM	#17 (permalink)
Cernunnos Insane Location: Orlando, Florida	Is there some sort of unspoken minimum price tag before haggling can ensue? I've always believed that haggling for an item that is reasonably inexpensive to begin with is considered bad practice, especially at locations where there is a set standard, such as national chains. I would appreciate some opinions, as I am most definitely inexperienced at this type of social situation.

10-19-2008, 11:38 AM	#18 (permalink)
Kaimi Crazy	I despise haggling and hagglers all the same. I yield on only the rarest occasion.

10-19-2008, 01:46 PM	#19 (permalink)
mixedsubstance Crazy Location: Where the wild things are.	It's pretty much kosher to walk into a dealership with a set price in mind. You push your way to talking it down from there. It makes the salesperson work harder, and you really get to know the manager that way, as he has to approve the selling price. I always bring my brother along when buying a car- he's so great at it. Best line for haggling when buying a car 'Sorry, that price won't work for me.' The other haggling- which I consider doing at garage sales- is touchy. People who haggle everything, irritating to no end. But sometimes you make the call and haggle with the buyer...just to make a sale. That's all I would haggle on. That's about all people will haggle on in the US. But for other countries, I guess you would have to know their culture, market value of items, etc. before you really feel comfortable haggling. I know I couldn't just go up to a Mexican street market and swindle a deal right away. __________________ Well, isn't that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?!? Without energy, there would be nothing. Last edited by mixedsubstance; 10-19-2008 at 01:48 PM..