Haggling Skills

Easiest one is to compare one deal to another. For example Vodafone are offering me the same package for £12 a month whereas your company wants to charge me more for the same package"

You have to do the ground work of sourcing these deals by using comparison sites, you can't just make it up

Asking to cancel your services is the quickest way to get to Retention's Team who have biggest discounts. Ask for a PAC code (This way they know your serious about leaving).

Adding a service can get you discounts.

Going out to eat with family? Ring a few local restaurants before you go ask them whats the best deal you can do as your considering where you want to eat tonight and who is going to offer you the best value?

Go at odd time or odd days to increase your bargaining power e.g weekdays

Final point shamelessly haggle remember its your hard earnt money not theirs!

In a market, ask, but ignore. the first price quoted (i.e. avoid letting the seller set high price expectations)

Decide in advance the maximum price that you are willing to pay, and build your strategy around that. Once you've heard the seller's price, quote your own price (and be the buyer who sets low price expectations).

So for example, you see a second hand bicycle for sale - that you want for a maximum of £40

• How much is it? You ask
• £100 says the seller (trying to set high price expectations. Yikes, I'll never get it for £40, you think).
• I was thinking more like £15, you reply (Ignoring his high price, and setting the seller's expectations, Yikes, I'll never sell it to this guy for £100, thinks the seller)
• Sorry mate says the seller
• OK what's your best price? you ask.
• £60 says the seller (Good, he's already dropped and you haven't moved)
• Hmm you say. What about £20?
• NO WAY, says the seller
• OK £25, you say (up £5)
• £50 he says (down another £10)
• £30 you say (up another £5)
• No deal, sorry says the seller
• Ok I'll tell you what, You say £50, I say £30. If you come down £10 then I'll come up £10 and meet you in the middle at £40. Can't say fairer than that.
• Sold! says the seller.

If on the other hand, if the seller doesn't budge, take £40 from your purse/wallet, fan it out slightly, and hold it in one hand offering it to him - " Are you sure? I want to buy, and I know you want to sell, here's the cash... come on smile, let's do a deal, be happy! (It's odd, but the sight of real money very often does the trick, and clinches the deal).

Being tough but friendly throughout helps enormously too.

The point is to get from the sellers high price (£100) to less than half (under £50) is difficult unless you set low price expectations from the beginning. If you start your bidding at a low price and only increase what you say you will pay in small increments you are much more likely to get a good deal. (The seller's high initial price soon gets forgotten once you start haggling, and it becomes your low initial price the seller's trying to increase, and not the sellers high initial price you're trying to decrease).

In a foreign market, if the seller asks "how much you willing to pay" be careful. It's an old trick. And you could easily say, and pay, $10 for something you could get for $6.

Instead, quote a third of what that figure really is. Setting low expectations again.

BTW When someone says something is fixed price - say $100, ask them so your saying you won't accept $90? (i.e. 10% less). If they still say no, say what about $99? (i.e. 1% less). If they say OK, say no, I was just checking if it's really fixed price or not, and then start haggling.

Lastly, if something you like is just a few quid, especially on holiday, don't lose the deal haggling over 50p - that's crazy!

I have even gone into Currys and asked if they can lower the price. I was told by a member of staff that they can go lower but not many people will ask in a shop.

You can always find the price the seller is willing to sell at by watching the prices they charge in Sales - and remember that in special Sales they're still making a profit.

Occasionally it's better to ask for something else to be included in the price, any seller knows it's better to give you an item which costs him less than any discount he could give. The main thing when haggling is to leave the seller with a reasonable profit - then you're both happy.

Even in SALES asking for something to be "thrown in" works... if for instance buying a guitar ask for a hard shell case. If a shoe shop sells socks "socks are fair game" or even a pair of slippers.