Bloglines
Purchasing Antiques and Collectibles Through Haggling
Want a better price on an antique or collectable? Learn to haggle!
Haggling has long been the process of negotiating the price of a piece of merchandise or a service with the intent of getting a better deal than listed. This is contrary to process of shopping where the shelf price is the only price implemented used by many of today’s retail stores.
If it costs the retailer nothing to engage and allow haggling, he can attept to determine the buyer’s willingness to spend. This allows for charging a higher price to a buyer who is more eager or more desperate. Haggling has largely disappeared in parts of the world where the cost to haggle exceeds the gain to retailers for most common retail items. However, for goods such as automobiles, antiques & collectibles, haggling can remain commonplace.
Realize that most antiques & collectibles dealers haggle every day. To “win” you must be willing to tradeoff between how much you are willing to pay versus how easily you can walk away. If the antiques dealer realizes you will not easily “give in”, he/she may be more willing to negotiate a lower price. This, of course, depends on how much they need the money and how much the item cost the retailer.
Haggling is an art form that takes practice, patience and a willingness to learn about people. If you are up to the task, haggling can be a lot of fun and something to brag about for years to come when family and friends ask about your display of antiques and collectibles.
