Haggling

[colmx]

I was reading a thread on Bangkok markets on an Irish Travel forum earlier and the subject of haggling came up

One of the local experts posted "you should aim to pay just over one third of the opening asking price so bid just under a fifth. If you spoke Thai you'd pay a quarter or less but that's life"

In 17 years of visiting Thailand I have never seen people haggling the price down this low and feel that it's bullshit advice to give to a newbie.

My understanding is that a market in Thailand is not like a Chinese market where you have to play a ridiculous to-and-fro game to agree a fair price. I have seen Russian and Arab women aggressively haggling and offering 30B for a t-shirt that is labelled at 150B on Threpassit market, much to the disgust of the stallholders.

I am not really one for haggling, I prefer an air-con mall with fixed prices! The BF does haggle, but the most I have ever seen him get would be to knock 10B off a 200B t-shirt or 50B off a 500B jacket/shoes.

Do you haggle? And if so what kind of discount do you get?
In your opinion are the Armchair experts on the Irish Travel forum giving good or bad advice?

And LatinTop before you say it: Haggling a boy down to 250B from his initial offering of 1000B is not what I am talking about!

[cdnmatt]

From my experience, you don't haggle here. Like you said, maybe you can get them down 10 baht or something, but for all intents and purposes, you're paying the advertised rate. It's not like they're massively inflating the prices anyway, and they're working on fairly tight margins as is.

Now places like Kuala Lumpur, ok, then you haggle. In places like that they try to sell cheap knock offs for the same price as the genuinne brand name prices, so you can get them down to even 20% of what they first say.

From my experience though, Thailand doesn't work like that.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

I haven't bought much in the line of souvenirs, t-shirts etc, in Thailand, but I have found that it can vary.

For instance, I found that in Samui and Patpong markets, they seemed a lot quicker to come down than in price, say, stalls in the Krabi area or some in Pattaya.

I remember once bargaining a fake Rolex seller on Patpong down around 40 or 50%, partly due I think because he sensed that I was ambivalent about buying it (I usually but a cheap wristwatch but I it was one of my first trips to Thailand and I was tempted mainly because getting a fake Rolex was "one of the things you do" when you go to Thailand)

Needless to say it lasted about 5 days, so whatever i paid, it was too much!

Also on Samui, they were quicker to come down in the evening markets, where the clientele were nearly all tourists.

Whereas I remember trying to buy a t-shirt at the market in Pattaya (mostly Thai customers) and they were very reluctant to come down much and seemed to be somewhat irritated by my attempt to bargain.

I wonder is there an understanding hat in touristy outdoor markets that initial offer is a bit outrageous and maybe bargaining is "part of the experience", but there is less of an expectation of big reductions in more normal markets, and thus more realistic prices to start.

Just my theory on very little evidence...

[latintopxxx]

colmx u r far too precious...and BTW a MB is also a commodity to be bought and sold...so also applicable.

[MiniMee]

As noted by both colmx and cdnmatt, there is not much room for haggling when buying tee-shirts, underwear (sexy or otherwise) or other basic items from markets. The standard price of a tee-shirt is loi gau gau baht and has been for years. Underwear is usually 100 baht or 6 for 500 etc. It is when buying fake designer goods like watches, bags and sunglasses that outrageous starting prices are asked and serious haggling is required. Years ago vendors in Phuket would ask 800 or more for 'branded' sunglasses, but these days they accept the game is up and plastic shades of any shape and with any applied logo can be had for 100 baht, even with polarized lenses.

[DrewSpz]

I want to hear more about MB haggling as well. BECAUSE- whenever I go to Pattaya, 2 times now (about to go again), the mamasans even at Sunee always tell me 1500 for everything. Is it because I'm a young (ish at 31) American? Or do I need to haggle more? Thanks peeps.

[Yraen]

My two-cents worth. Asking for a discount (including here in Oz) is always acceptable (but always with a grin and a laugh). That said, there are Thai places where you bargain and others where it is a waste of time.

Thai sellers have learned that foreign tourists are used to paying fixed prices in their home country. And the Thai are quick to copy. So, in department stores and similar, you will be asked for a fixed price (even if it is 'outrageous') and if you want the product, you pay. In other venues you can bargain the price.

Question time: When you travel, don't you seek out the lowest airline price or the 4-star hotel that is willing to be bargained down to 50%. Most of us do it all of the time in one way or another. It largely depends on whether you enjoy asking for and getting a discount. At home I usually try-on for a "seniors discount" - sometimes I win, sometimes not - haircuts, lunches, apparel, anywhere I feel there is a chance.

Then I go to Thailand or South East Asia where bargaining is a way of life and it is a fun-game that sellers and buyers regularly play. (That's one of the reasons that every seller I know has a calculator handy. <grin> ) If you bargain you may get somewhere near the correct retail price and the seller still makes a good profit. If you don't bargain, the seller laughs all the way to the bank - "silly farang, he pay too much".

Normally, I would not buy "silk" products in Bangkok or any of the other major cities. Last November, some friends and I were touring in the Golden Triangle. In a small road-side market out in "nowhere" we were attracted by a thermal fountain. So we stopped for lunch and took a walk around. We found some beautiful silk shirts (even silk on the roll). The aficionado among us declared the silk "real", but the first asking price was a turn-off. So I started to play the bargaining game. ":Oiy. Expensiiivvve. I poor <grin>" etc etc (having just driven up in a huge 4WD Pajaero). The final price was 30-40% of the first asking prices (depending on the size of the garment) - they were happy to sell 10-12 shirts and we were happy with the price that we paid. In the meantime, buyers and sellers had a lot of fun and laughs.

[FarangRuMak]

Thais can be very stubborn when it comes to charging especially in renting out property.
I have seen shop houses and apartments locked up for years because of high rental charges.
I think that many of the Thai-Chinese property owners are wallowing in a lot of old money and can afford to hold out for their asking price.
In the markets I find that if you start haggling in Thai you generally get quoted pretty close to the selling price because they know immediately that you're not fresh from Farangland.
Anyone who's prepared to hand over their money without question will of course be helped to do so.
Thailand is not unique in this.
I buy an occasional Authentic Beach Rolex for friends of mine at home from the same guy.
The price is usually around 1800 baht.
But I've seen him get as high as 7000 baht for the same type of watch.

[Nirish guy]

^ You're being robbed, I pay 1000 - and even then I've a funny feeling that "I'm" being robbed too !!!!

[a447]

Some boys have told me they can get one for 500 baht.

That's one of the reasons that every seller I know has a calculator handy.

Another reason is so they don't have to say the price out loud so other farang can hear. That's why you see them use the calculator in the Patpong market. Bystanders do not get to hear the final price the seller accepted.

I hate bargaining with a passion.

Years ago I want for a drive out into the countryside in Bali. We came across a "cultural centre" selling Balinese handicrafts. I saw a beautiful tablecloth. The girl wanted $40. I was encouraged to bargain with her by my friends and eventually got the price down to $20. I was exhausted!

She wrapped it up and handed it to me. I smiled at her and gave her the original $40. She was over the moon. So was I because I still thought it was cheap.

When I unwrapped it in the hotel I found it had a huge hole in it!!

I haven't bargained since then. I was really pissed off that I had done the right thing by her, but she still thought it ok to rip me off.

As there is nothing at the markets that I'm interested in, I have no need to bargain.