Bargaining

For most people especially from developed countries, bargaining is not something they are used to. I mean think about it?

How often do you walk into Wal-Mart and bargain for your shopping? The closest most people get to bargaining these days in eBay.
In Africa bargaining is a way of life and in fact for most small scale sellers selling their wares. It is something you will come to find in your Africa travel. This is a common practice of starting high expecting the buyer to bargain with you.

Bargaining therefore is an important skill to learn, since every time you pay that ‘special’ price you are not only getting a bad deal, but you are also making things more expensive for tourists after you who will find it harder to bring down inflated prices.

Bargaining when done properly can be a lot of fun!

Just remember that when you are bargaining you are not begging the seller to sell it to you at a lower price you are simply saying that the item is not worth the price quoted.

The golden rule to remember is NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL.

Also

Know your limit – If you have an idea how much an item costs before hand it will usually help because then you can offer to buy the item at the standard market price. A little research by asking locals would help. In most places you as a tourist will be expected to pay higher but even so there are prices that locals will often find a fair price for you as a tourist.

Dress and Act as a Local – The longer you spend in a place the more you wise up to what is a rip off and what is not. Also if you can master a few words in the local language you may be surprised how useful it can be when bargaining. Words like ‘Hello’ and ‘too expensive’ when said in the local language goes a long way not only to impress but also create the impression that you know your stuff. The less you behave and look like a tourist the easier it will be for you to get a decent price for the goods you are buying.(Avoid those safari clothing and hats that locals may find silly or even swimming costumes and bikinis )

Indifference - This perhaps combined with a little charm (and skill ) could get you just about anything. If the seller knows you are hooked onto something it becomes very difficult to bring the price of the item down. If you like it don’t show it.

Bluff - Some of the best bargainers are also the best at bluffing. If the price is high and the seller won’t go down and you know the standard price of an item you can bluff by telling the seller that you know a place where you can get it for, then quote the standard price or even cheaper. Another thing you can do is, thank the seller for his time, get up and start walking away. Most times than not if you have offered a reasonable price for the item, the seller will sell you the item at that price.
Should it not work or should the item be unique then you can always return the next day.

Buy Bulk – Striking a good deal is often easier when you are buying a lot.

Show me the money! - No one wants to leave cash. It’s easier for a seller to assume that you were not going to buy it anyway when you walk away than it is to see you walk away with money, especially if you were offering to buy at a considerable price.