Euros in Grand Bazaar and Spice Market in Istanbul?

[vickykay]

Just wondering if one can use Euros in the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market in Istanbul or only TL? Also, any tips on bargaining?

 

Thanks, Vicky

[cruisemom42]

Most places in the bazaars will take euros, Turkish lira, even dollars. But it is up to you as the customer to figure out if you are getting a reasonable rate of exchange. Conventional wisdom is that bargaining in TL probably gets you the best exchange rate.

 

That said, I would also recommend using a credit card for any expensive purchase, especially if you have a credit card that offers some consumer protection. Unfortunately, one reads stories of people who overpaid significantly on rugs or bought jewelry that was sold as one thing and turned out NOT to be legitimate.

 

Bargaining -- I'll let someone else go there as I'm not fond of doing it. Some things seem to have a lot of bargaining "wiggle room" and others not so much (e.g., the price of gold is the price of gold -- but the cost of workmanship is significantly less in Turkey than in, say, Italy).

[Hlitner]

Keep in mind that the Turks probably wrote the book on "bargaining" and they are very good :). If you make a deal it means you probably paid too much. In the Grand (Covered) Bazaar, bargaining is the norm and it can be lots of fun or miserable depending on your attitude and point of view. DW once fell in love with a very small (about 2 foot square) high quality piece of carpet that she just knew would make a great wall hanging (and she was right). Bargaining for that teeny piece of carpet took about 1 hour out of lives, two cups of tea for DW and a beer for moi, and the life story of owner of the small shop. And yes, DW got her small carpet. And then, when she mentioned we had to leave to look at some purses we got a very fast "I have a cousin" and this shop owner was ready to run us around to all his friends who sold purses. For us, it was so much fun and we probably overpaid, but it was worth it for the fun conversation.

 

Hank

[hawkeyetlse]

For small purchases (trinkets like keychains and necklaces, etc.), there is not much room for bargaining, unless you are buying large quantities. If the price is announced as 5 TL and you ask to pay in euros, they will probably round it up to 2 euros. If the price is announced as 2 euros and you ask to pay in lira, they will probably round it up to 6 TL :D So it's best to be prepared with both!

 

For larger purchases, if you want to pay in euros, do the bargaining in euros. The merchant may announce an opening price in lira. Convert it roughly to euros and continue from there, in euros. The merchant may try to switch back to lira because he knows you will feel less comfortable with that, and because in the end, when you have agreed on a price in lira, he will have the opportunity to inflate the price by applying an unfavorable exchange rate. So don't let that happen, do everything in euros from the start.

 

Have fun bargaining for small stuff (10, 20, 50 euros). Even if you end up paying too much, it's no big deal. If you want to buy big ticket items (carpet, jewerly, antiques), but you actually have no idea how to tell the good/real stuff from the junk and how much the good stuff is worth, my best advice is do not buy at the Grand Bazaar. Enjoy browsing, enjoy chatting with the merchants, but do not engage in bargaining for expensive items unless you know exactly what you're doing.

[dabear]

We've been to the grand bazaar multiple times and agree that bargaining is a way of life and the Turks are very good at it. For larger items (not jewelry, which is a blind item & let the buyer beware), if you've paid more than between 33% and 50% of the original asking price, you probably have overpaid.

[maryann ns]

For smaller things there are many shops selling the same thing. We wanted four inch square blue ceramic tiles. We bargained in a couple shops and by the third on we knew that the bottom line was so many TL so we bought. The seller had to run around to several other shops (likely ones we had been in) to get a good selection for us.

 

I feel it is a courtesy to deal in local money and it makes things much easier. For a large purchase using a credit card gives extra security.

Edited January 29, 2015 by maryann ns

[vickykay]

Thanks everyone!

[24butterfly]

I have found that the Turks would rather have euros or US dollars instead of their own $. Also, some shops will charge you extra if you use a credit card, so ask (it's the %age they lose, so you make it up)....Also, in regards to bargaining--they're used to people bargaining with them by now--especially tourists. If you go in high season, the prices will be higher than if you go when the tourists are not there....

[4774Papa]

Keep in mind that the Turks probably wrote the book on "bargaining" and they are very good :). If you make a deal it means you probably paid too much. In the Grand (Covered) Bazaar, bargaining is the norm and it can be lots of fun or miserable depending on your attitude and point of view. DW once fell in love with a very small (about 2 foot square) high quality piece of carpet that she just knew would make a great wall hanging (and she was right). Bargaining for that teeny piece of carpet took about 1 hour out of lives, two cups of tea for DW and a beer for moi, and the life story of owner of the small shop. And yes, DW got her small carpet. And then, when she mentioned we had to leave to look at some purses we got a very fast "I have a cousin" and this shop owner was ready to run us around to all his friends who sold purses. For us, it was so much fun and we probably overpaid, but it was worth it for the fun conversation.

 

Hank

I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years and learned that you never, never pay the first asking price. Usually, even half the asking price is too much.

Of course, bargaining takes patience and spending the time to develop a mini relationship with the shopkeeper.

 

Also, I have many oriental carpets that I purchased in the middle east and find that now you can buy oriental carpets for nearly the same prices in the USA. If you buy a carpet, turn over the carpet and see how tight the knots are on the carpet. Also, read up on oriental carpets, since the doubleknoted carpets are thicker and more expensive than single knots.

 

Always bargain and threaten to leave the shop at least once before you buy.

[UUNetBill]

I've also heard that the starting price will vary based on which ship you've come in on - so-called 'premium' or 'luxury' cruise line passengers may have a higher quoted price than the 'mass-market' lines.

 

Not sure if that's 100% true, but I did have one vendor in Ephesus tell us that after the sale that he'd have charged us more if he knew we were with Regent...but I was hung over, so he may have just been messing with my head, who knows? Either way, I don't talk too much when I'm bargaining there - where we're from, what we do, etc...I try and keep the conversation strictly on the item for sale. Of course, after a few apple teas or beers, sometimes you let your guard down. :)

[Hlitner]

As we previously said, bargaining can be fun (if you have the right attitude) but sometimes does not have the correct outcome. A few years ago DW and I stopped at a market in Beijing and DW bargained for a few silk scarves. She got to a point where there was about a $5 difference between the owner/lady and DW (and this was for a few gorgeous scarves). So DW simply walked away and we spent a couple of hours shopping at other stalls for similar scarves. But in the end, DW realized that the best scarves were the ones from the place where we had walked...so we returned. When DW told the lady/owner that she would take the scarves she was surprised when the lady smiled and said that the price had gone up $5! DW and both laughed and paid the higher price as DW said the proprietor, "good for you."

 

Hank