WashingtonD Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 So I'm not a natural born negotiator...I tend to pay face value for everything. My brother in law on the other hand is a prodigious negotiator and pushes back on everything. Now usually I'm fairly dismissive of this, but recently he negotiated a ridiculous condo in St John's down from 8k for the week for his extended family down to 4k. It made me wonder, what's fair game to negotiate? Where am I leaving money on the table where I should step up and be more aggressive or at least question the price offered? Love to hear people's thoughts on this Thanks, WD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I will negotiate almost everything. It really all comes down to supply/demand. Now that's not to say I'll negotiate a listed menu price at a restaurant or stuff like that, but on that condo example, definitely. I negotiate for a living so I think it's kind of in my DNA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SayItAintSoJoe Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 So I'm not a natural born negotiator...I tend to pay face value for everything. My brother in law on the other hand is a prodigious negotiator and pushes back on everything. Now usually I'm fairly dismissive of this, but recently he negotiated a ridiculous condo in St John's down from 8k for the week for his extended family down to 4k. It made me wonder, what's fair game to negotiate? Where am I leaving money on the table where I should step up and be more aggressive or at least question the price offered? Love to hear people's thoughts on this Thanks, WD I stink at negotiating, especially if I'm the one trying to sell something. I always seem to feel that if I don't want what I have then no one else is going to really want it either. When it comes to buying I don't have a lot of patience if it's going to take a long drawn out negotiating process to get a lower price. I wish I was better at this stuff, but I'm not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I will negotiate almost everything. It really all comes down to supply/demand. Now that's not to say I'll negotiate a listed menu price at a restaurant or stuff like that, but on that condo example, definitely. I negotiate for a living so I think it's kind of in my DNA. I hope life breaks your private union you greedy bastard. :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 i have to short a temper to negotiate and that doesn't end well and they don't deserve it, i'll ask advice here and check prices Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I can't remember the last time I negotiated on price, but I'm pretty good at researching major purchases to find the best value for the money, then the store or site with the lowest price. My wife and I use Ebay, Priceline, etc all the time. My wife in particuar has a knack for scouring all the vacation sites for the best deals on lodging. I never thought about it, but maybe we have left money on the table by not being aggressive with prices. We're more inclined to just walk away and look for a better value than to try to talk down a price we feel is too high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Automobiles, for sure (Scooby has become a pro and does our negotiations). I buy my sunglasses at only the Sunglasses Huts that are in Macy's, and I insist on 20% off, they always accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cunning Runt Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I hope life breaks your private union you greedy bastard. :mad: What's that supposed to mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I don't remember the last time I've paid retail for anything, especially department-store stuff. They always have sales, and if you happen to want to buy something that isn't on sale, all you have to do is ask for a manager, they 99% of the time approve a discount that makes sense for you both, and away you go. Grocery stores, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Grocery stores, not so much. I can see it now... Huddler: "I can't believe you want THAT for that gallon of milk right there. Tell you what, you knock $0.15 off the milk and $0.10 off a dozen eggs, I'll take 'em both. Otherwise, I'm heading across the street." Manager: "To where? The MIDAS or the Super Cuts?" Huddler: "C'mon, you know what I mean. Work with me here." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Automobiles, for sure I forgot about that. I did work two Toyota dealers against each other for a few weeks when I bought Da Tacoma. When neither of them would budge anymore, I made the deal. Haggling with car dealers is mandatory unless an extra grand or two doesn't matter to you. Those people assrape you for a living, it's shameful really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tosberg34 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Automobiles, for sure (Scooby has become a pro and does our negotiations). I buy my sunglasses at only the Sunglasses Huts that are in Macy's, and I insist on 20% off, they always accept. I'm sure when they see you coming they quickly raise prices 20%! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilthorp Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 It's what I do for a living, so it comes in handy. To me, it simply depends on three things - what has been the effort to get to the point of that negotiation, how much value do you put on the object/transaction, and what are your instincts/knowledge of the person you are negotiating with. So, each time it's different - you can not go into every instance with the same mindset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 It also depends on whether what you're negotiating for is either (i) urgent or (ii) mandatory. Meaning, if you're out of water and your negotiating for the last cup on earth, that negotiation will probably go differently than if you're at McDonald's negotiating over a specific fry in the vat in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furd Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) High ticket items when I am buying them from people I do not know (e.g. Best Buy). As I've gotten older, I have established relationships with certain people that I trust will give me a fair price on things like cars, jewelry, furniture. Other than that, I don't want to give the appearance that I'm "nickel-diming" someone. I'm pompous and haughty. Edited March 12, 2011 by Furd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I buy my sunglasses at only the Sunglasses Huts that are in Macy's, and I insist on 20% off, they always accept. That's because you still overpaid by 50%. The margin on sunglasses is sickening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicious_bass Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Hookers in Vietnam, mostly. Other than that, my truck is about the only thing I can think of that I have actually negotiated a price on lately... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm sure when they see you coming they quickly raise prices 20%! that would be the plumber and the yard guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) i've been pretty successful with cars, electronics, and watches. i do a decent amount of research and walk in knowing what they are paying for said item.... aim for the good ol win-win. Edited March 13, 2011 by Bier Meister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 That's because you still overpaid by 50%. The margin on sunglasses is sickening. bigtime. but as the thread indicates, there are just some things you can't bring yourself to get ripped off on. furniture and autos are biggies. my dad likes to haggle with the tree guys and the concrete guys, or any Mexican laborer for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricrelish Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm not a natural born negotiator either. For me, knowledge is key. I do the research like on a car, then I have no problem with negotiating because I absolutely believe in what I'm saying because I have the knowledge to back it up. It becomes harder to trick me. Car dealers will lie. Last weekend, a car dealer was telling me how much it costs for them to do the title work and deed. I flat out told them that I knew they marked the title work twice as much as I can get it done from another dealer. I knew this for a fact. I told them that title work did not cost that much, so don't talk to me about it again. I didn't come here to pay movie theater prices for a soda. I ended up leaving, and of course they called back with a lower price the next day, but I've kind of lost interest. They also told me that this particular car, which was their S model had a different suspension on it than the LE model. I looked this info up online and called another dealership and found out that the salesman was completely wrong. The suspension was exactly the same as the LE model, only difference is the trim. The great thing about the Internet is that it allows you to find information. Honestly, I felt that I knew more about the car than the salesman did. Another thing that I was just trying to negotiate was a rate increase. I'm contracting right now. I have been getting e-mails to work for recruiters doing the exact same job for a substantial higher rate. Of course, I can't quit and just go to another agency with the same client without waiting for 90 days. Still, they quoted me rates with no negotiation in writing. I sent them to my job recruiter as one of my justifications for a higher wage. They've offered me more. Knowledge is the key for me in negotiation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 The great thing about the Internet is that it allows you to find information. Honestly, I felt that I knew more about the car than the salesman did. Car salespeople HATE the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 One of my former duties for my current employer was to negotiate with the contractor the amount money the govt would give them to implement any changes made to the agreed builders contract for the Destroyer contract. It sounds cool, but it was extremely tedious and always a headache haggling over things like how many hours it would take to rip out & re-install a pipe and whether or not a material could be reused. they all hated me because I always went in with the mentality that I was actually paying for it (tax dollars). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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