The Key to Successful Bargaining

When you have pearly white skin like myself and go to a country like Morocco, you automatically have two neon signs posted to you. They say:

1) I'm Foreign

and

2) Rip Me Off

And then you speak and it's even worse. It's stress at it's finest. DO NOT LET ADVANTAGE-TAKING HAPPEN TO YOU!!!! Although the signs will never go away, you CAN prove shopkeepers wrong. I seem to have a firm grasp on bargaining (not excluding room for improvement), so I would like to share my secrets for a successful shopping trip in the souks and bazaars. 

(First look at a few shops to check out the quality, price, and options before you pounce.)

1. Do NOT show any interest/do not react to how pretty/awesome something is.

2. Ask how much it is. Start from less than half the price he is asking.

3. Tell the guy you saw the same thing in a close-by shop for less than what he's asking, whether or not you actually did.

4. He will tell you his quality is better. This is horse crap. Tell him he's wrong and the quality is the same at the other shop.

5. Tell him the price is too high and to lower it significantly.

6. When he asks you for a higher price than what you originally offer, go up by 5 or whatever is equivalent to 1 US dollar or less (5dh is less than a dollars). For example, he asks for 200, you say 50, he asks you to make the price higher, you say 55 AND DO NOT BUDGE.

7. When he asks you your maximum price, stay at the most recent price (like 55).

8. If he's desperate, he will cooperate. If not, raise it a little bit more...in increments of 5 (or $1).

9. Do not go more than 75% over what he is originally asking.

10. If he does not cooperate, say thanks and goodbye and start to walk away. Chances are, he'll call you back. If he does not, go to another shop and start over.

11. If he does call you back, he will give you a lower price than his lowest price. STAND YOUR FREAKING GROUND AND STICK WITH YOUR "MAX" PRICE.

12. Get your way.

A few extra pointers:

Chances are, if you really want something, it might take a while to bargain the object(s) down to your price. Be patient. And whatever you do, DO NOT feel bad for them. They might make excuses, but don't fall into that trap. (Ex: "Oh, I originally bought this scarf for 100dh, so I won't go any lower than 110 so that I can make a 10dh profit." This is a lie. Nobody can live off of 10dh...that's about $1.25.)

Don't be rude, just play "hard to get". And if you're American, chances are, they'll think you're pretty, so be a little bit flirty.

Keep a straight face in the sense that you do not want to look desperate for this item. I guarantee you will find it somewhere else. The more desperate you look, the less they'll budge. The less desperate you look, the more desperate the shopkeeper gets, thus putting YOU in control.

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Shopping in other countries is fun and necessary. I mean, tell me you haven't been told to bring something back for someone when you go on a trip, especially to another country. The key to success is to stand your ground. Take your time, have confidence, and have fun. Sometimes, it is best to go with a friend for moral support. It takes practice, but soon enough, you'll even enjoy arguing with people :-)