Instant Expert
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Hard Bargains
In many cultures, naming your price is a performance art. Here's how to take your talents to a higher level.
Text by Robert Earle Howells Photograph by Nick Lambert
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BLANKET STATEMENT: Shopping in the bazaars of Pushkar, India |
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After 30 years of prowling bazaars across the globe, Greek-born Vassi Koutsaftis knows a good deal from a bad one. While bargaining on behalf of clients as a guide for Geographic Expeditions—and in his sideline as an importer of Asian art—he has offered his sister in marriage in Kathmandu, Nepal, spurned a 12-camel bid for his wife in Fès, Morocco (it was 20 or nothing), and spent hours sipping tea with an Afghan carpet trader. "Now we are cousins," the man finally told him. "Very good price for you." In other words, Koutsaftis has crunched numbers with the masters. The ace up his sleeve? A good sense of humor. When a merchant in Kashi, in western China, tried to peddle a "bone-handled" plastic knife, or a rug dealer in Marrakech asked Beverly Hills prices for Berber wares, he saw it as a form of entertainment, not insult. "If you take things too personally or get nasty, then it's no fun for either party," Koutsaftis says. "If you can enjoy the process, you'll have a lively exchange—and a story to go with your favorite souvenirs."
FIELD TRIPS: Market Your Skills at These Global Trading Posts
Kashi, China
Horses, camels, and animal pelts give this weekend market an aura of ancient times. Traders and customers hold hands while negotiating.
Fès, Morocco
The medina of Fès is renowned for its carpets, as well as leather and wood carvings. ("This," says Koutsaftis, "is haggling's big league.")
Istanbul, Turkey
The labyrinthine Kapali Çarsi bazaar has miles of passageways and thousands of stalls where vendors hawk everything from silver to kilims.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Textiles, bronze, and fake Khmer carvings are on offer. ("Sweet old ladies try and gouge you like loan sharks," he warns.)
CORE KNOWLEDGE
Wait It Out : Always let the merchant name the first price. "If you start the bidding," says expert haggler Vassi Koutsaftis, "you've established a threshold. The trader will know he can get at least that much out of you, and he'll start the haggling higher than normal." Your target price should be about half the merchant's opening gambit. "Any more and you'll be paying premium prices."
Laugh it Off: A friendly guffaw a good counteroffer. You want to feign astonishment at the seller's exorbitance. Koutsaftis also likes to employ a few stock lines. To wit: "Ho-ho, my friend. You're not thinking clearly. Didn't you sleep last night?" If knives are on display, he'll point one at his midsection and threaten to "gut myself sooner than pay your price!" Then he'll offer 80 percent less.
Just Walk Away: Body language can speak volumes. A good you-gotta-be-kidding-me expression always comes in handy. Leaving the stall is particularly effective. "If you're within a few percentage points of his price, he'll follow you out. If he lets you go, you were too far off the mark anyway."
Our November 2006 issue features the best new adventure travel trips; an exclusive look inside Iran; a Greenland global warming report; backcountry spas; digital cameras; travel Web sites; weekend getaways; and more.
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