The Key to Haggling in an Asian Market!
As you may know, you have to haggle for everything in Thailand - whether that's buying water or booking a tour. To prevent yourself from getting ripped off you will need to barter. For Thai people, this is a way of life and how they make a living, so unsurprisingly they are very good at it. For us, we have found that the best way to arrive at a price that both you and the vendor are happy with, is to not be afraid and have fun with haggling! Usually the vendor will quote an outlandish price, often double the value of the product. Here are a few tactics we apply to make sure we get a good deal!
1. Know Your Price
This is a really important step, as you need to weigh up how much this item is worth to you and how much you are willing to pay out for it. If the vendor is not budging on his price, then this usually means this is the rock bottom and the correct price. Or, they have just had a really good day and don't need to sell you anything!
2. Shop Around
Every market is pretty much the same (especially in Thailand) with lots of vendors selling the same old tourist tat. Wander around the market and ask about for prices. You might get a variety of prices for the same thing, but this means you won't have to haggle so hard with the people offering a lower price. If you don't manage to get your item for the price you want, don't be downhearted as there is probably another market, in another town, selling the same stuff. A good example of this is when we wanted some novelty shaped animal mugs (I know) which we saw in Phuket, however, we weren't able to get a fair price for it so had to walk away (which was hard...we wanted those mugs!). Luckily for us, in Chiang Mai there was another market selling the exact same mugs which we managed to get them for half the price. BARGAIN!!
3. Be Prepared to Walk Away
As we mentioned before, don't be afraid to walk away. Either you will find it in another market, or there is a chance that the vendor will chase you down and usher you back to the stall to sell it for the price you are after.
4. Remember the Currency Exchange Rate
I know that I am someone who has done this, but it's so easy to get lost and totally immersed in the country that you forget the value of the currency. You may find yourself in a bitter haggle match over 10 Baht, which is actually only 22p, but remember money goes a lot further for people in Asia and 10 Baht makes a difference.
5. The More You Buy the Better the Discount
Even at home we have this, the more you buy the better the discount - and this applies to Asia as well. Can't choose between the red Michael Kors bag or the navy leather Mulberry bag, then don't and get both! I got a much better discount and I left a very happy girl.
Just in case you are wondering what our amazing novelty mugs look like...
