do you haggle?

[back alley]

of course you do, in a camera store or at a garage sale or maybe the second hand store...it is expected.
at least i do anyway - but i grew up in new york, where if you did not haggle you were thought to be a fool or worse, a tourist!

but i'm talking about here on the forum.
i just developed a curiosity about this and felt a strong urge to ask.

if you see a great lens or camera body advertised here but think it's a bit too much, do you email and ask for a lower price?

or if you are selling and setting a price, do you set it thinking that others will try to negotiate for a better price?

i hope this is not too personal a question and please just ignore me if you think this out of line to ask.

joe

 

[VictorM.]

"...but i grew up in new york, where if you did not haggle you were thought to be a fool or worse, a tourist!"

Hey, you tryin ta tell me sumptin?

 

[VictorM.]

Seriously, my answer is sometimes (when I buy). I almost always forget to ask for more money when I sell, just in case the buyer wants a break.

 

[ch1]

of course you do, in a camera store or at a garage sale or maybe the second hand store...it is expected.
at least i do anyway - but i grew up in new york, where if you did not haggle you were thought to be a fool or worse, a tourist!

but i'm talking about here on the forum.
i just developed a curiosity about this and felt a strong urge to ask.

if you see a great lens or camera body advertised here but think it's a bit too much, do you email and ask for a lower price?

or if you are selling and setting a price, do you set it thinking that others will try to negotiate for a better price?

i hope this is not too personal a question and please just ignore me if you think this out of line to ask.

joe

Well, although born and raised in NYC and still haunting the place, I have to be honest. In person I haggle but not here.

Earlier today a fellow posted a listing for a 105mm AIS Nikkor lens at a stated price. I wasn't really interested (and maybe that's key) but his asking price was only a few $$ off of brand new from the B&H catalog.

I says to myself - say wha'? No way, Jose, am I gonna even start talkin' to this Dude 'bout this here lens. He's like from Hoboken or sumpin' wid dat price!

So no, Joe, I do not "haggle", as you put it, on this gentleperson site.

Psst...wanna get a deal on a Nikkor lens? I can get it fer ya' cheap!

😀

 

[back alley]

"...but i grew up in new york, where if you did not haggle you were thought to be a fool or worse, a tourist!"

Hey, you tryin ta tell me sumptin?

for you victor, a special deal!

joe

 

[Joerg]

Sometimes.
If I feel the price is fair I won't, but if the price is out of my preconceived range I will ask.
I hope by asking in a polite and corteous way nobody will be offended and it is up to the seller to say no, counter offer or accept.

Joerg

 

[Chaser]

I'll politely send an offer but if it is refused I don't try to haggle. The only place that i ever really try to haggle is at the local pawn shop, and mostly because its a rush (they are a bit creepy not quite Zed and Maynard from Pulp Fiction but strange enough that it makes it fun to haggle over prices just to see reactions.)

 

[JoeFriday]

haggling isn't as common over here in Cheeseland.. altho I'd certainly do it at a camera show or a garage sale.. maybe in a camera store, depending on how reasonable the asking price is.. most people in the midwest don't expect haggling, so they have mixed reactions when you suggest a lower price.. the trick is how you counter-offer

here, I probably wouldn't haggle, unless the item hasn't garnered any immediate interest.. but if I'm interested and think the price is a little high, I'd PM the seller and say I'd be interested at a specific price.. I wouldn't do it in an open thread, tho

 

[celluloidprop]

Pretty much never. Probably a function of growing up in Texas - we're too laid back to haggle and it might seem impolite.

I don't give a second thought to for sale posts or items at a garage sale (etc.) that don't have a stated price.

 

[Flinor]

I generally don't like to haggle, if the price is right I buy it, if the offer isn't an insult I'll sell it.

 

[Flinor]

I generally don't like to haggle, if the price is right I buy it, if the offer isn't an insult I'll sell it. If I remember correctly, (increasingly dubious) I can't recall any major haggling either with buying or selling on RFF.

Joe, growing up in NY must account for why I liked you immediately.

 

[back alley]

I generally don't like to haggle, if the price is right I buy it, if the offer isn't an insult I'll sell it. If I remember correctly, (increasingly dubious) I can't recall any major haggling either with buying or selling on RFF.

Joe, growing up in NY must account for why I liked you immediately.

how so?
did you live there also?
or was it just my brooklyn accent?

joe

 

[trittium]

I was raised in NJ 35min out of NYC, and both of my parents are from Long Island. It is in my blood to haggle. I only haggle in person though. If I see something online and the person is asking more than I would want to spend, I let someone else buy it. In person I am ruthless. I started haggling when I was eight. I now have 12 years under my belt. So watch out, if you see me at a camera show!

 

[back alley]

let's see...8 plus 12 = 20!

a baby! i have shoes older than you!!

i used to watch my step dad haggle, everywhere, but especially in the diamond centre in new york. my mom loved jewelry for presents and we would go there for every b'day and christmas. she would pick out what she wanted and the old man would start.
he'd ask 'how much'? the seller would answer with a price and the old man would laugh.
it was pure entertainment.

joe

 

[jano]

My day job revolves around trying to keep the haggling to a min -- 99% of my clients come from cultures where it is *expected*. I come from an upbringing where it's a revolting practice, so there had originally been a fairly difficult transition -- however, the majority of my clients' attitudes have rubbed off on me. You'd think after a day of wheelin' & dealin' I'd be too tired to do so, but hey, it's actually kinda fun 🙂

 

[RJBender]

When to Haggle Chapter 1: The Midwest

Camera shows:
Yes, because the items are priced so the seller can lower them 10-30%, if necessary. If the item is a steal, I might buy without haggling before someone else buys it. 🙂

Camera stores- used gear:
If I know the item's been sitting on the shelf collecting dust, I'll have the sales clerk ask the manager for a better price.
"This has been in your inventory for a few months, hasn't it? If your manager can give me a better price, I might be interested."
Always ask to check out the junk bins. I got a nice Hasselblad neckstrap from a junk bin for free several years ago. 😱

Camera stores-new gear:
It doesn't hurt to ask if they'll match the price in another store's ad. Do your research, print out prices from the big NYC dealers and take all your paperwork along. It never hurts to ask.

Goodwill:
Never. They are a non-profit organization and their stuff is so cheap you don't have to haggle. :angel:

Flea market:
Same as a camera show only the sellers usually don't know much about the stuff they're selling. I bought an older Nikon FM for $25 once and a Nikon rangefinder with 3 lenses for $80 (shutter was roached). 😎

Neighbors garage sale:
Be nice. Don't be like some people who buy a vintage guitar at their neighbor's garage sale for $50 and then go back and tell them they sold the guitar on eBay for $2,000. 😛

Auctions:
Beware of shill bidders. Ask the auctioneer's assistant if they will combine some of the stuff you don't want into one lot. Try to act disinterested in the stuff you really want. 😱

R.J.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I always ask a local store (any local store) to match the lowest advertised price I can find. It works every time.

 

[Penguin_101]

When to Haggle Chapter 1: The Midwest

Camera shows:
Yes, because the items are priced so the seller can lower them 10-30%, if necessary. If the item is a steal, I might buy without haggling before someone else buys it. 🙂

Camera stores- used gear:
If I know the item's been sitting on the shelf collecting dust, I'll have the sales clerk ask the manager for a better price.
"This has been in your inventory for a few months, hasn't it? If your manager can give me a better price, I might be interested."
Always ask to check out the junk bins. I got a nice Hasselblad neckstrap from a junk bin for free several years ago. 😱

Camera stores-new gear:
It doesn't hurt to ask if they'll match the price in another store's ad. Do your research, print out prices from the big NYC dealers and take all your paperwork along. It never hurts to ask.

Goodwill:
Never. They are a non-profit organization and their stuff is so cheap you don't have to haggle. :angel:

Flea market:
Same as a camera show only the sellers usually don't know much about the stuff they're selling. I bought an older Nikon FM for $25 once and a Nikon rangefinder with 3 lenses for $80 (shutter was roached). 😎

Neighbors garage sale:
Be nice. Don't be like some people who buy a vintage guitar at their neighbor's garage sale for $50 and then go back and tell them they sold the guitar on eBay for $2,000. 😛

Auctions:
Beware of shill bidders. Ask the auctioneer's assistant if they will combine some of the stuff you don't want into one lot. Try to act disinterested in the stuff you really want. 😱

R.J.

I agree. I never do it in stores unless it is a price comparison with another store.

I guess it is just the Missouri in me. 😀

 

[Frank Granovski]

Of course I haggle! I grew up in Winnipeg and all Winnipegers haggle unless there's something wrong with them! 😱

 

[ch1]

let's see...8 plus 12 = 20!

a baby! i have shoes older than you!!

i used to watch my step dad haggle, everywhere, but especially in the diamond centre in new york. my mom loved jewelry for presents and we would go there for every b'day and christmas. she would pick out what she wanted and the old man would start.
he'd ask 'how much'? the seller would answer with a price and the old man would laugh.
it was pure entertainment.

"joe

Yes!

Good haggling requires a sense of humor and the resolve to be ready to walk away. The best deals come AFTER you start to walk off and the seller starts bargaining with you! 😀

It's an art - pure theater.

As in...

"Now, will you work with me to get you this lens or what? I'm stugglin' here to make it happen for you." 😉