Haggling with souvenir vendors in ports

[K32682]

In most Caribbean and Latin America countries the docks and surrounding streets are filled with souvenir vendors and street hawkers. Haggling on price is expected and some cruisers seem to delight in badgering a vendor down to a very low price and then boast about it when they are back on the ship. 

 

Haggling in developing countries with street vendors and small shopkeepers is not something I enjoy and I have probably over paid for the few items I’ve purchased in ports. I have a mild sense of discomfort knowing that relative to the person on the other side of the transaction I’m very wealthy and the money I spend on trinkets is far more important to them than it is to me. 

 

Does anyone else feel a bit reluctant to haggle down a vendor too far at a cruise port in a poor country?

[KP@Sea]

Yes, I do. Like you, I have probably overpaid for souvenirs and such. I feel fortunate that I am able to afford my vacation and a few extra dollars means far more to them then it does me. 

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

In most Caribbean and Latin America countries the docks and surrounding streets are filled with souvenir vendors and street hawkers. Haggling on price is expected and some cruisers seem to delight in badgering a vendor down to a very low price and then boast about it when they are back on the ship. 

 

Haggling in developing countries with street vendors and small shopkeepers is not something I enjoy and I have probably over paid for the few items I’ve purchased in ports. I have a mild sense of discomfort knowing that relative to the person on the other side of the transaction I’m very wealthy and the money I spend on trinkets is far more important to them than it is to me. 

 

Does anyone else feel a bit reluctant to haggle down a vendor too far at a cruise port in a poor country?

I always pay the asking price.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I always pay the asking price.

I am not inclined to pay the asking price right off the bat, but I usually have better ways of spending my time than haggling:  so if there is an item I am interested in, I will make an offer:  essentially take it or leave it.  When you get right down to it, I very rarely see a souvenir (especially in the Caribbean or South America) which I really must have.

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I am not inclined to pay the asking price right off the bat, but I usually have better ways of spending my time than haggling:  so if there is an item I am interested in, I will make an offer:  essentially take it or leave it.  When you get right down to it, I very rarely see a souvenir (especially in the Caribbean or South America) which I really must have.

I normally only buy tee shirts .On my last cruise I bought a supposedly hand carved wooden turtle from the guy who supposedly made it.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, K32682 said:

In most Caribbean and Latin America countries the docks and surrounding streets are filled with souvenir vendors and street hawkers. Haggling on price is expected and some cruisers seem to delight in badgering a vendor down to a very low price and then boast about it when they are back on the ship. 

 

Haggling in developing countries with street vendors and small shopkeepers is not something I enjoy and I have probably over paid for the few items I’ve purchased in ports. I have a mild sense of discomfort knowing that relative to the person on the other side of the transaction I’m very wealthy and the money I spend on trinkets is far more important to them than it is to me. 

 

Does anyone else feel a bit reluctant to haggle down a vendor too far at a cruise port in a poor country?

We've not bought many things from the vendors on the street on our cruises, but we have gotten a few.  Typically I'll ask what they are selling the item for and decide if it's worth that to me.  I know a couple of times the price was so ridiculous that I just said NO and started to walk away.  They then came down by at least 20% in price, but I just offered what I was willing to pay (usually another 20-30% less).  If they said no, I'd turn to walk away, but they'd always stop me and agree to my price.

 

No, I didn't feel bad about doing it.

[bonsai3s]

3 Things:

 

* We stopped buying souvenirs many years ago...but will readily admit that our house is full of "conversation pieces" from all over the world. (On my wall: marble statue of the "Discus Thrower", purchased while backpacking through Europe almost 40 years ago...price in Lira still visible underneath the base of the statue.

 

* There are many  places or countries where we know haggling is fully expected...China, Turkey, Mexico, and Thailand comes to mind...and you'd be stupid to pay the asking price.

 

* That said, I had to politely tell a couple to stop haggling. Let me explain...we were in Peru, in the middle of nowhere...this couple kept haggling trying to save a few dollars. I whispered and told them: "This family probably see a tourist bus only once a week...it is crazy for you to even haggle". Of course they didn't speak to me for a couple of days...then perhaps after some reflection, they finally said: "You're right...that was a mistake haggling".

[Aquahound]

In the very rare occasion that I see a souvenir I want, I have no problem haggling the price.  Timing and location are key though.  You kinda just know when haggling is or isn't right.  

 

As is usual on these boards, people tend to think their culture is the way the rest of the world works....or should work....because they see others as less fortunate.  In many places, haggling is totally normal, and expected.  In fact, if you pay full price and don't haggle, you're probably getting laughed at as you walk away.  

 

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I always pay the asking price.

 

 

Me too.  If I think it is too much I don't buy it.   

[Gwendy]

In Copenhagen on a very hot day, my hat was in the hotel room so I decided to buy one from vendor near canal.  €25  was asking price, thanks but no thanks, she then decided €10 would be ok.

Happens everywhere.

[Markanddonna]

In some countries, you are considered rather stupid and easy to deceive if you don't haggle somewhat. That said, I use the technique of just politely walking away.  If they offer a lower price, like Gwendy mentioned, then I accept it. I really hate the process of haggling.

[K32682]

1 hour ago, Markanddonna said:

In some countries, you are considered rather stupid and easy to deceive if you don't haggle somewhat. That said, I use the technique of just politely walking away.  If they offer a lower price, like Gwendy mentioned, then I accept it. I really hate the process of haggling.

 

My approach is to refuse the first quote, take the second. That way I'm not seen as entirely easy to deceive but haven't wheedled the vendor down to a price that doesn't leave him with much to feed his family. 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by K32682

[lynncarol]

My husband and I often travel independently. throughout the world. If the vendor is asking a reasonable price for something I really want, I pay. If not, I haggle but you need to keep the conversation pleasant and be non-confrontational.  I always learn a few words of the local language and start by greeting him in that language. Then I switch to English and  praise the merchandise, but say it is above my current budget and could he do better? If I like the new price, I pay.  If not, leave with a regretful expression which often lowers the price to one I want. (I do this in the USA too at flea markets, estate sales etc.)

My solution to hiring taxis for a local tour is to ask someone at the front desk in our hotel (whom I tip) what is a reasonable price to pay for the tour I have in mind and have them write it down on a piece of paper in both local language and currency. Then I go where there is a line of licensed cabs waiting, see if the driver speaks English, and show them my slip of paper. We always pay after the tour is completed and tip generously too if the driver makes a special effort. This has worked for us for years, even in third world countries.

One disclaimer: I do ask the hotel to call for a cab if timing is imperative such as getting to the airport or we need it late at night.

[NevadaCruiser2023]

21 hours ago, K32682 said:

In most Caribbean and Latin America countries the docks and surrounding streets are filled with souvenir vendors and street hawkers. Haggling on price is expected and some cruisers seem to delight in badgering a vendor down to a very low price and then boast about it when they are back on the ship. 

 

Haggling in developing countries with street vendors and small shopkeepers is not something I enjoy and I have probably over paid for the few items I’ve purchased in ports. I have a mild sense of discomfort knowing that relative to the person on the other side of the transaction I’m very wealthy and the money I spend on trinkets is far more important to them than it is to me. 

 

Does anyone else feel a bit reluctant to haggle down a vendor too far at a cruise port in a poor country?

Not in the least. There's a difference between haggling and negotiating.  The art of negotiation is to ensure that both parties feel good about the outcome of the transaction. Recognize that the vendor will always price high expecting the purchaser to offer a lower price, to eventually agree to a price that's mutually agreeable to both parties. As a purchaser, you do factor into it that the vendor does have to "cover his nut", so to speak and realize he (or she) will never go below what is acceptable to them. You reach the equilibrium in just a few offer/counter offer bids. This is not the vendors first rodeo and they're probably better negotiators than 90% of the people walking off cruise ships. I pay what I perceive the value to be. If the vendor disagrees, we don't have a deal and the person walking behind me who feels a completely unnecessary sense of guilt will happily pay what the asking price is. 

[pdmlynek]

On 3/2/2023 at 5:44 PM, K32682 said:

In most Caribbean and Latin America countries the docks and surrounding streets are filled with souvenir vendors and street hawkers. Haggling on price is expected and some cruisers seem to delight in badgering a vendor down to a very low price and then boast about it when they are back on the ship. 

 

Haggling in developing countries with street vendors and small shopkeepers is not something I enjoy and I have probably over paid for the few items I’ve purchased in ports. I have a mild sense of discomfort knowing that relative to the person on the other side of the transaction I’m very wealthy and the money I spend on trinkets is far more important to them than it is to me. 

 

Does anyone else feel a bit reluctant to haggle down a vendor too far at a cruise port in a poor country?

 

I totally understand your feeling.  I often have the same feelings as well.

 

I understand it from the other side, too.  Before escaping from my country, spending time in a refugee camp, and getting an asylum in the US, I too considered the foreign tourists as obscenely rich.  

 

However, in my view, if you do care about the feelings of the people that you are dealing with (which is the underlying basis for this post), the best way to treat a person from a poor country is not to be patronizing or deal with him out of pity.  Although I understand that your heart is in the right place, it is demeaning to close a deal out of pity or feeling sorry for the businessman.  Sure, he may laugh all the way to the bank for your stupidity/generosity, but it is like being condescending to your waiter while tipping well.

 

My suggestion is to treat him like you would any other businessman: negotiate hard, but don't be a jerk.

 

[Ashland]

My family is sure there's a picture of me at the Science & Technology Market in Shanghai as a known haggler from my 5 trips there. One of my favorite places to shop.

[pdmlynek]

19 hours ago, Gwendy said:

In Copenhagen on a very hot day,.....

I wonder what the temperature in Copenhagen must have been if a person from Brisbane considered it a "very hot day"!  

[pdmlynek]

On 3/2/2023 at 9:27 PM, Shmoo here said:

We've not bought many things from the vendors on the street on our cruises, but we have gotten a few.  Typically I'll ask what they are selling the item for and decide if it's worth that to me.  I know a couple of times the price was so ridiculous that I just said NO and started to walk away.  They then came down by at least 20% in price, but I just offered what I was willing to pay (usually another 20-30% less).  If they said no, I'd turn to walk away, but they'd always stop me and agree to my price.

 

 

I think that a lot of cruise customers getting 20% is a good deal.  It may be, but I doubt it.  There have been times when I bought some items for 15% of what they were initially asking, i.e., 85% below their asking price.  And no, I am not some skilled negotiator.  

 

[dolittle]

Great post I hate haggling ,to me it is work .Many times in Europe I wanted to buy a fake Rolex but was not up for the haggle.

[cruisemom42]

I agree with much of what @pdmlynek has said. 

 

One of my main goals when traveling is to try to exist within the local culture, whatever that may be. It's not for me to assume "my" way of doing things is better, and I feel it is wrong to inadvertently change things for those who live in a place while I'm just passing through it.

 

Haggling or bargaining is a part of the culture in many places, as is being persistent in trying to make a sale (thinking of the carpet touts in Istanbul). I have learned it is best approached as a friendly negotiation, sometimes involving lengthy chatting, cups of tea and friendly "walk offs".  I no longer shop much when traveling, but my two cardinal rules are: 1) don't engage in a serious negotiation with a seller unless you really ARE willing to purchase at the right place, otherwise you are wasting his time that could be spent making a sale to someone else; and 2) there's no sense getting angry or aggressive during any negotiation. Smile, be pleasant and be firm.

 

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, dolittle said:

Great post I hate haggling ,to me it is work .Many times in Europe I wanted to buy a fake Rolex but was not up for the haggle.

 

Price would depend on if it was a genuine imitation Rolex.  

[ldubs]

20 hours ago, NevadaCruiser2023 said:

Not in the least. There's a difference between haggling and negotiating.  The art of negotiation is to ensure that both parties feel good about the outcome of the transaction. Recognize that the vendor will always price high expecting the purchaser to offer a lower price, to eventually agree to a price that's mutually agreeable to both parties. As a purchaser, you do factor into it that the vendor does have to "cover his nut", so to speak and realize he (or she) will never go below what is acceptable to them. You reach the equilibrium in just a few offer/counter offer bids. This is not the vendors first rodeo and they're probably better negotiators than 90% of the people walking off cruise ships. I pay what I perceive the value to be. If the vendor disagrees, we don't have a deal and the person walking behind me who feels a completely unnecessary sense of guilt will happily pay what the asking price is. 

 

"better negotiators than 90% of the people walking off cruise ships"

 

A lot of folks claim they know how to outmaneuver the car salesman.   Good luck with that. 

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

"better negotiators than 90% of the people walking off cruise ships"

 

A lot of folks claim they know how to outmaneuver the car salesman.   Good luck with that. 

I once did that but I can never go back there😀

[Gwendy]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Price would depend on if it was a genuine imitation Rolex.  

I know my Rolex is genuine.  I bought it in Turkey from the genuine fake watch stall.  After two years the “gold’ did start to peel off though.

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, Gwendy said:

I know my Rolex is genuine.  I bought it in Turkey from the genuine fake watch stall.  After two years the “gold’ did start to peel off though.

Uh oh.... I'm getting some uneasy feelings about my Bulovar.