Do you like to negotiate?

[RickLee]

I've changed from hating to haggle as a teen, to loving to haggle now. I've learned that more things are negotiable than they first appear.

Here's some beginner to advanced questions for those wanting to build their negotiation muscles. Try it at a low risk place, like a flea market. Then try it at a bank when renotiating a mortgage.

1. What kind of discount can you give me?
2. if I paid cash and bought it today, what is the least you would accept?
3. is that the best you can do?
4. If I paid a little less than that price could we still do business?
5. I don't in any way intend this as an insult, and I don't want to be presumptuous, but would you allow me to make you an offer?

Anyone else have favorite haggling tips?

[Jay_Lotz]

One thing I've noticed is that if you just ask for a discount, most of the time the sales person will give it to you. Whether its a major purchase or something small, it never hurts to ask.
Last night I was at the local pizza place standing in line to pay, and noticed the lady in front of me used a coupon to get $2 off her total bill. I didn't have the coupon, but asked the girl behind the counter if I could get $2 off too. Her response? "Sure!".
Just ask for the discount!

[amyschiff]

I am a somewhat shy person, so negotiating/haggling seems impossible for me. My fiance, however, successfully negotiated a great deal for our mattress & box spring. It was a little nerve-racking waiting for the seller's answer, but it was definitely worth it!

[the weakonomist]

I prefer to negotiate in two methods. The first is to play competitors off of eachother. The second is to just say it's a little more than I'd like to pay and inquire about a discount that way.

I was able to get a great deal on my car by playing dealerships off eachother. I was able to knock quite a bit off the price of my fiance's engagement ring and my wedding ring by saying the price was more than I wanted to pay and asked about discounts and lowered prices.

Where neither method worked recently was negotiating an apartment. We already had a good deal for a unit but I wanted to get it lower. Neither method worked.

I also prefer to negotiate via email. It takes the emotion out of it and doesn't allow for a sales person to get the upper hand.

[kim-mm]

I was never a fan of haggling. I always thought it was a hassle. But, in times like these, I have learned that haggle is pretty easy as long as you know how to communicate with the person running the business.

My line always goes like this: "If I buy more than one, how much discount are you willing to give?"

[hermione]

Originally Posted by amyschiff

I am a somewhat shy person, so negotiating/haggling seems impossible for me.

Same with me. This is why I love online shopping - I can just shop around for the best deal without having to talk to people.

Coming from the business owner point of view, the OP's #5 is the best way. You shouldn't come off presumptuous because that just makes you annoying. I've had a couple of buyers approach me before when we used to sell on eBay, and it's really annoying when:

1. They send you a terse message practically demanding a discount.
2. You've told them how much you can sell for, and they come back with yet another ridiculous "offer" as if they haven't read your response at all.

I know persistence is sometimes lauded as a virtue, but that just made me hit the "block buyer" button. Some might think that's not good business tactics, but in a custom sewing business, difficult customers with poor communication abilities make doing business very unpleasant and are a higher risk for chargebacks, negative feedback, more unpleasant and time-consuming exchanges, etc.

So if you want to negotiate, be tactful and you'll probably see better results.

[singleguymoney]

Originally Posted by amyschiff

I am a somewhat shy person, so negotiating/haggling seems impossible for me. My fiance, however, successfully negotiated a great deal for our mattress & box spring. It was a little nerve-racking waiting for the seller's answer, but it was definitely worth it!

I'm pretty much the same but it depends on the situation. When I bought my car, I haggled for 4 hours because I knew the price was negotiable. When it comes to other things, I usually don't haggle.

[BGMeyer]

I do haggle at garage sales, where people just want to get rid of things. But at a store and for my own services I say this is the price. Period. I raised my price 8% for the first time in 20 yrs two years ago. I am ALREADY as reasonable as I want to be. I am polite about it: sorry, no, I say. I figure most of the time, you are already at best price. Or why be in business if you aren't?
barb

[starshard0]

I always feel kind of like a jerk for trying to negotiate. I don't want to be that guy holding up the line trying to get a discount. I suppose it can be alright in moderation though.

[ValL]

We've negotiated on car insurance costs and have received up to 30% discounts - it's always worth a try. If you travel to other countries on holiday, there's often a lot you can negotiate on - accommodation prices in particular.