John at FindFinancialFreedom suggests that it doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount when you’re making a purchase.
Most of us would balk at the suggestion of trying to haggle on the price of something (“it’s just not the British way to do business!”), but he’s right – there’s no harm in asking. Personally, I’d only have the guts to do it on large purchases, such as cars, household appliances and houses.
The biggest discount I’ve managed to get? Probably around £4,000 on my house (about 2.5% of the asking price), although to be fair I’m probably flattering myself with that – sellers are usually expecting the buyers to haggle the price down a little.
But I’m interested in hearing your stories on the occasions you’ve managed to negotiate a discount. How much did you manage to save, just by asking? I’d also like to know if you’ve managed to haggle the price down on something that you wouldn’t normally think of haggling for, and whether you find it possible to haggle “on the high street”.
John suggests that haggling can be done pretty much anywhere, but you’re more likely to succeed if you’re talking to someone in authority, rather than an average member of staff (talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey!).
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
photo credit: thebittenword.com
Thanks for the mention. I’m glad you found it interesting.
With regards to housing, I hate to say it, but the average UK house sells for 93% of the asking price (according to the Sunday Times early 2007 IIRC).
Thanks John – interesting stat that – would make me a little annoyed, although our house had £10k taken off the original asking price before we made our offer, so I don’t feel too bad.
I am no good at getting discounts really – I feel quite embarrassed to try to haggle. I think I am best at it when I am at car boot sales when nothing is priced and I know most people are selling stuff they would otherwise throw away, then I feel okay about it. I tend to try to get things for half the price and have sometimes managed to even get things for free.