How to bargain – haggling tips to help you get the best deal

Tips to help you negotiate a better price · Do your research · Have a good opening line · Be polite · Be aware of your body language · Look for ...  Skiptocontent   Skiptofooternavigation  Topofthecontent Shopping Everydayshopping Bargainhunting howtohaggle Howtobargain–hagglingtipstohelpyougetthebestdeal  Toptipsfrommarketingexperts,andwhybargainingisaboutmorethanjustgettingthelowestprice.  AlexCarlton RebeccaDouglas Lastupdated: 27November2020 Fact-checked Fact-checkedCheckedforaccuracybyourqualifiedfact-checkersandverifiers.Findoutmoreaboutfact-checkingatCHOICE. Australianstraditionallyshyawayfromtheartofnegotiatingwhenbuyinggoodsandservices. Butwiththepotentialsavings,plusthefeel-goodfactorofbargainingyourwaytoabetterdeal,itmightbeworthaddinghagglingtoyourlistofshoppingskills. CHOICETip:COVID-19isaffectingstocklevelsonmanyproductsaswellasincreasingimportandshippingfees,whichmeansdiscountssimplymaynotbefeasibleformanyretailersatthistime.  Manysmallbusinessesarebeinghithardsoitmaybeworthaskingyourselfifyoureallyneedadiscountorifyou'dfeelbettersupportingabusinessthatneedsyourhelpbypayingtheaskedprice. Tipstohelpyounegotiateabetterprice WeaskedProfessorHarmenOppewal,aprofessorofmarketingatMonashUniversity,andDrRobinCanniford,aseniorlecturerinmarketingattheUniversityofMelbourne,tosharetheirsuggestionsforsuccessfulbargaining. Herearetheirtoptips: Doyourresearch Beforeyoustartbargaining,researchthemarketandseewhatcompetitorsareofferingsoyouhaveanideaaboutwhatyouwant,whatareasonablepricewouldbeandanyreasonsthatmightpersuadeasellertoofferyouaspecialdeal. Haveagoodopeningline Initiatebargainingbyaskingsomethinglike,"Isthatyourbestprice?" Bepolite Duringthebargainingprocess,takeapolite,positiveapproachwherepossible,offeringasoundrationaleforthesellertomeetyouatahappymedium. Beawareofyourbodylanguage Bodylanguageandyourfacialexpressionsplayabigpartincommunicating.Lookinterestedenoughforthesellertofeelhopefulofmakingasalesothatit'sworthputtingintheefforttohaggle,butnotsoeagerthey'llfeelconfidentyou'llbuyregardlessofanyconcessionsontheirpart.Smileandbefriendly,butbepreparedtowalkawayifnecessary. Lookforopportunetimestobuy  Theendoftheday,orthemonth,orthefinancialyeararetimeswhenasalespersonmighthaveaneyeontheirsalestargetsandbekeentostrikealast-minutedealtouptheirtally. Thinkaboutthesituationfromtheseller'sperspective Whatreasonsmighttheyhaveforwantingtooffloadtheitemyouwishtobuy?Perhapsthatmodelisbeingdiscontinued,orhashadbadpressrecently,orthey'rereleasinganewversionsoon,makingtheolderonehardertosell.  Drawattentiontouniquefeatures Especiallyfeaturesthatmightmakeitunappealingtootherbuyers,butaren'tadeal-breakerforyou,suchasanunpopularcolouroralessattractivestyle. Askforadd-ons Whatsortofextraswouldberelativelypainlessforthesellertoofferinsteadofadiscount?Theymightnotbewillingtobudgeonprice,butmightbewillingtothrowinfreeinstallation,delivery,carrycasesoroptionalupgrades. Boostyourbargainingpowerwithmultipleitems Ifit'sinyourbudget,bundlingseveralitemsintoyourpurchaseboostsyourbargainingpower."WhataboutifIbuytwoofthem?"canbeapersuasiveargumentwhenbargaining,butbearinmindthatasellermightseektoclawbackprofitonthepricingoftheotheritems. Mentionacompetitor'slowerprice Thisisastrongbargainingmove;alittleresearchonlinebeforehandwilltellyouwhethertheretaileryou'retalkingtoisofferingyouagoodenoughdeal.Butbeawarethatcompetingoffersmaynotnecessarilybethelowestactualprice;theremaybehiddencostssuchasdeliveryorothersurchargesthatmeanthesupposedly'cheaper'priceyou'vefoundisnotinfactcheaperatall. Text-onlyaccessibleversion Hagglingtipstohelpyoubagabargain Researchthemarketsoyouknowwhatareasonablepricewouldbeandanyreasonsthatmightpersuadeasellertoofferyouaspecialdeal. Initiatebargainingbyaskingsomethinglike,"Isthatyourbestprice?"Takeapolite,positiveapproach. Bodylanguageandfacialexpressionsplayabigpart.Lookinterested,butnotsoeagerthey'llfeelconfidentyou'llbuyregardless.Smileandbefriendly,butbepreparedtowalkawayifnecessary. Lookforopportunetimestobuy–theendoftheday,orthemonth,orthefinancialyear–whenasalespersonmightbekeentostrikeadealtouptheirsalestargets Thinkabouttheseller.Whatreasonsmighttheyhaveforoffloadingtheitemyouwant?Perhapsthatmodelisbeingdiscontinued,orhashadbadpressrecently,makingithardertosell. Drawattentiontouniquefeaturesoftheproductthatmightmakeitunappealingtootherbuyers,butaren'tadeal-breakerforyou,suchasanunpopularcolouroralessattractivestyle. Askforextrasinsteadofadiscount.Theymightbewillingtothrowinfreeinstallation,delivery,carrycasesoroptionalupgrades. "WhataboutifIbuytwoofthem?"Bundlingseveralitemsintoyourpurchaseboostsyourbargainingpower. It'sworthdrawingattentiontoacompetitor’slowerprice.Butcompetingpricesmayhavehiddencostssuchasdeliveryorothersurchargesthatmeansit'snotcheaperatall. Whatisbargaining? AccordingtoCanniford,thebargainingprocessismorethanjustaback-and-forthoverprice,butanegotiationoverthewholepackage.  Buyerscanaskforaddedfeaturesandcustomisationstotheproduct,orserviceslikeinstallationanddelivery.Whentalkingaboutprice,youcouldpointouttothesellerfactorssuchasitbeingagoodtimetosellbeforethegoodsexpire,orthecolouroftheitempotentiallybeinglessappealingtootherbuyers.   Aggressivevspositive Cannifordsaysbargainingcanbeeitheraggressiveorpositive.  Aggressivetacticsinvolvepointingoutreasonsyoumayhaveforgoingelsewhereifyou'renotofferedadiscountorabetterdeal.Beingaggressivemighthelpyoureachagooddealnow,butcouldbackfirebygettingyourbargainingcompanionoffsideanddestroyinganyongoingrelationship. Theymightnotbewillingtobudgeonprice,butmightbewillingtothrowinfreeinstallation,delivery,carrycasesoroptionalupgrades Positivetacticsontheotherhand,helppreserveabusinessrelationshipbyfocusingonreasonswhyyoulikethesellerandwouldbeanidealbuyerforthisparticularitem. "Saying,'Icangodowntheroad'[is]amoreaggressivetactic,buttherearealsotacticswherebyyoucanbuildrelationships,"Cannifordsays.  "'Youknow,Ikeepcomingbackhere.Givemeadeal.Iwanttokeepworkingwithyou.Ireallylikethefactthatyou'reasmallbusinessandyouemploylocalpeople.'Therearepositiveandnegativewaysofbuildingtherelationshiptogetthesale." Bargainingmightbeaboutgettingabetterdeal,butdoitrightanditcouldbeafunexperienceaswell. "Befriendly,smile,knowthemarket,beanexpert,bepreparedtowalkaway,takeyourtime,buildrelationshipsandenjoyyourself,"saysCanniford."It'saboutaprocessofagreement,attheendoftheday.It'scordial." Readmore: ProductstoavoidintheEOFYsales BargaininginAustralia Thepracticeofnegotiatingalowerpriceforwhatyou'rebuying,orgettingsomeaddedbenefitsthrowninforfree,hasbeenlessacceptedherethaninEurope,BritainandmanyAsiancountries.  TheAussiemarkethastraditionallybeenontheendofalongsupplychain,withasmallerpopulationandacorrespondinglysmallselectionofgoods.Withlittlecompetitionamongsellers,therearefeweropportunitiestohagglesuccessfully,asit'softennotpossibletowalkawayfromanegotiationandbuythesameproductelsewhere. However,COVID-19restrictionsandongoingportstrikeshavemadehagglingevenharder,asmanyproductscominginfromoverseasareinshortsupply,sotheretaileryou'retryingtobuyfrommaybeyouronlyoption. Onlineresearchcangiveyouanedge Thefactthatallofuscannowcomparepricesandothersalesconditionsonthespotbysimplypullingoutoursmartphonein-storeorresearchingtheirintendedpurchaseonlinebeforetheyshop,meansthatwe'reallempoweredtoatleasttrytonegotiateabetterdeal.  Theonlineworldhasalsoprovidedaplatformforunhappyshopperstoletothersknowaboutpoorcustomerserviceexperiencesintheformofreviewsandsocialmediacomments–evenmorereasonforretailerstoaccommodatereasonablerequeststonegotiateonadeal.  ButProfessorOppewalwarnsthatthisconnectivitymayalsobeexactlywhatstopsaretailerstrikingadealwithyou;ifwordgetsoutthatonepersongotagooddealtheneverycustomermayexpectthesamething. Whentohaggle Oppewalsuggeststhatbiggerticketitemssuchaswhitegoodsandcarsofferthebestchancetonegotiateonpriceandcustomisablefeatures,asdosecond-handgoodswherethevalueoftheitemisupfordebate.  Youcanalsotrynegotiatingonservicessuchasinsuranceandmortgageswhenenteringintoacontractorrenewing.Therewouldn'tusuallybeasigninashopinvitingcustomerstohaggle,soit'suptoyoutopolitelyandconfidentlyinitiatetheconversationaboutwhetheraspecialdealcanbedone. Lookingtosaveonhealthinsurance? We'llhelpyoucomparecoverandfindthesavingsyouneed. Comparehealthinsurance Howtohaggleonline There'snoreasonthathagglingcan'tbedoneonline,particularlyifaretailerhasaneasy-to-accesscustomerserviceinterfacesuchassocialmediadirectmessagesorapop-uplive'help'boxontheirwebsite.  Simplyaskforadealinthesamewaythatyouwouldin-store,andifsuccessfultheretailershouldbeabletoofferyouadiscountcodetocompleteyourpurchase.  "Butbuyersshouldbeawarethattraceofdocumentsanddiscussionsmaymakeitmoredifficulttojustifyanypricedeviationbytheseller,"ProfessorHarmonsays.  Inotherwordsit'smuchhardertofasttalkyourwayintosomethingwhenthepersonontheothercomputerhastimetoconsideryourwrittenrequestandcomeupwithwaystoturnitdown,ratherthanbeingcaughtonthespot,face-to-face. Whennottohaggle Youwouldn'tusuallybeabletohaggleoverthepriceofsmall,inexpensiveitemsinsupermarketsandsimilarstoresunlesstheitemisdamaged.  "Itwouldprobablynotbetakenseriouslyifyoustartbargainingaboutaproductinasupermarketorinabookstore,becausemanyofthesepricesareunbeaten,"saysOppewal.  Askyourselfwhat'sreallyimportanttoyou–savingafewdollarsorpayingfullpricetosomeonewhoreallyneedsit? Otheritemsyoushouldholdoffbargainingoverincludethingssuchasa$10T-shirtatKmartorTargetoramealinarestaurantorcafe. Andwhileasmall,localbusinessmayagreetolowertheirpricestosecureamuch-neededsale,it'sworthconsideringthatmanyhavebeenhithardbyCOVID-19,the2019–2020bushfiresandportstrikes.  Beforeyoutrytogrindasmallbusinessdown,askyourselfwhat'sreallyimportanttoyou–savingafewdollarsorpayingfullpricetosomeonewhoreallyneedsit? Bargaininginreallife–casestudies Sonowyouknowthetheory,doesbargainingworkinpractice?Accordingtothesebargainingpractitionersitcertainlydoes. Louise'sstory:Discountedpriceandfreedelivery   WhenLouiseWedgwoodboughtanewbedandmattressin-storeatoneofthebigfurniturechains,shedecidedtotrybargaining,andmanagedtobargaindownthepriceandgetfreedeliverythrownin. "Ithinkitneverhurtstoaskwhetherthere'sroomtomoveonthepriceyou'requoted,especiallyifit'sabigcompanyandnotasmallfamilybusiness,"shesays.  "Iwouldalwaysbepoliteandnotgreedyaboutit,butnotafraidtoaskthequestioninabusiness-likemanner,becauseit'sabusinesstransactionafterall." Glen'sstory:Turndisappointingserviceintoapositive   Glenwentshoppinginadepartmentstoretobuya$600heater.Despitetherebeinghardlyanyothercustomersinthestore,thesalesstaffignoredhimfor20minutes.  Glenwalkedoutside,immediatelyrangthestoremanageranddescribedhisdisappointingcustomerserviceexperience."Sheofferedmea10%discount,Ibargaineddownto20%,"hesays.  Glen,whohasimpairedvisionandusesawhitecane,addedaconditiontothedealthatthemanagerspeaktoherstaffaboutdisabilityawareness. Alison'sstory:'Thesalespersondidn'tbataneyelid'   Atthestartof2018,AlisonParkerwaslookingtobuytwonewsmartphonesandsawretailchainDomaynewereadvertisinganewOptusplan. "AfterlisteningtotheDomaynerepresentative'ssalespitchforoveranhour,demandingtoknowwhyitwasthebestoption,tossingupalternativesetc,IsaidIwouldsignupfortwoOptusplans(mobilephonesincluded)ifhethrewintwomobilephonecoversforfree.  "Hedidn'tbataneyelidandgavemeachoiceoftwodifferentmobilephonecovers,whichretailedatover$80each.Itgoestoshow,youcanonlyask!" Charlie'sstory:Discontinuedmodelleadstobigdiscount   Bunningsisfamousfortheirpromisetobeattheircompetitors'pricesby10%.Butthatmaynotbetheonlywaytolandabargainatthepopularhardwarechain.  In2019,CharlieGosselinfoundapizzaovenkitforsaleatBunningsfor$1500.Whenthesalespersonmentioneditwasthelastoneonthefloorandpartofadiscontinuedline,Charliesuspectedhecouldgetadeal,andhewasright.  ThesalespersonsaidhecouldgiveittoCharliefor$875,whichCharliethenpushedevenfurtherto$850.  TraceyLefebure,Bunnings'GeneralManagerMerchandise,emphasisedtoCHOICEthatthestoredoesnotroutinelyofferdiscountsonstock,butthatstaffareauthorisedtousediscretionifanitemisdamagedordiscontinued.Soitwouldseemthatit'sdefinitelyworthgivingitashot. Rebecca'sstory:'There'salwayswiggleroomwithbigchains' "Ialways,alwaysgetabigretailertothrowsomethinginforfreewhenIbuyalaptoporwhitegoods,"saysRebeccaDay.  "IeithertellthemI'llbuyitiftheythrowintheextendedwarranty,oraskthemtodoitforacombinedcheaperpriceifIbuyawasheranddryertogether."  Rebeccasaysthatherdadtaughtherfromayoungagethatthere'salwayswiggleroomwithbigchains,andtotakeadvantageofiteverytime. Readmore: TVstoavoidbuying Wecareaboutaccuracy.Seesomethingthat'snotquiterightinthisarticle?Letusknoworreadmoreaboutfact-checkingatCHOICE. Wecareaboutaccuracy.Seesomethingthat'snotquiterightinthisarticle?Letusknoworreadmoreaboutfact-checkingatCHOICE. Jointheconversation Toshareyourthoughtsoraskaquestion,visittheCHOICECommunityforum. VisitCHOICECommunity