How do you haggle?

Taking a page from Jinx book, his other thread gave me an idea. I hear all these stories of people talking vendors down, though I've never done it my self. Generally I have the market price in my head and find a snake I like the look of and it's nicely priced. So I pay asking price. I personally don't haggle.

My question is if you do haggle, how do you do it?

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Very nicely :)

Cash speaks much louder than credit card.

Make an offer! The worst they can do is refuse. Usually they will counter offer and you can go from there. It might take a few tries back and forth before you agree on a price, but almost always you will meet somewhere in the middle.

For example:
Snake Price: $775
Me: I really love this snake! She is beautiful! Would you be willing to come down on the price at all? I have cash!
Breeder: Make me an offer!
Me: How about an even $500?
Breeder: Well I'm looking for a little bit more than that, could you do $675?
Me: That is still a little bit high for me, $600?
Breeder: Okay I can let her go for $625, that is the best I can do.
Me: Sold!


I've haggled quite a bit. The trick is to be courteous and don't lowball too much. Let the breeder know you are serious and they will be much more willing to come down.

I honestly have not. The one show I kinda fell in love with the snake and they could tell lol and he is a great snake so no regrets. The others have been near me and they have been nice enough to meet me right by my house. The other one gave me a het male to go with my white diamond female.
I just put money down on a snake that will be my last one for at least a year and she was morph i really like and a het pied. He usually does a 30 day payment plan but agreed on 60 so I never even gave a thought about haggling.

1. Cash is king.

2. Be seriously interested before asking for the lower price. People are more willing to give a deal if you REALLY WANT IT and describe why. Nobody likes a bargain shopper but people are willing to work with someone who is very fond of a particular animal for specific reasons and is going to be easy and no-hassle.

3. Offer a stellar BOI if the transaction goes well.

If anything (snake or something else it makes no difference) is priced what I feel is fairly I usually just pay the asking price.

If it is not I will haggle. Cash does speak quite loudly. I'll look decide what is fair watch to s


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The one piece of advice I can give you is to NOT disparage the seller's animals in order to get a better price. I've had someone say something like, 'that thing doesn't look very good, I'll offer you $xx'. I would rather not sell to someone like that, regardless of the price. If you put down the animals that I've worked very hard to produce (and quality animals at that), then you can kiss my butt. Besides, if it is so awful why would you want it in your collection?

I like the line above and have haggled like that several times. Also, I give better discounts on multiple purchases or repeat business. So, combine snakes and make offers or just ask - If I were to buy this one and that one, what kind of deal could you make. All you are doing is having a conversation. I've had haggles that didn't go very far, but were respectful and we did business down the line. It is all about respecting each other in the deal.

BTW, another thing I hate and will not negotiate very well on is anonymous bargain seekers through email. If you want to deal with me, I will give you my name - give me yours as a courtesy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrLang

1. Cash is king.

2. Be seriously interested before asking for the lower price. People are more willing to give a deal if you REALLY WANT IT and describe why. Nobody likes a bargain shopper but people are willing to work with someone who is very fond of a particular animal for specific reasons and is going to be easy and no-hassle.

3. Offer a stellar BOI if the transaction goes well.

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I disagree with #3. You should post a positive BOI if the transaction goes well, period, rather than holding out like a carrot on a stick.

One pet peeve of mine is when I'm asked "what's the lowest you'll go". NO. Give me the courtesy of making an offer, and then I'll consider it. Unfortunately, when I have actually given an answer to that question, the person almost always comes back with a lower offer - rude much?

Stupid tap talk.
See what the seller is like. Decide what is a start point and place that much cash in a pocket and put the rest of what I am willing to pay in other pockets.

Polite works well holding you initial offer in cash in your hand does as well. I have a fixed price and if the seller is over I'll walk at that point. Sometimes they call you back sometimes they don't.


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For me it depends on the market value, vs what they are asking and so forth.

For example, if I see a snake I like and it is marked $1000, lowest I will prolly offer is $800 (-20%), as long as all this is in ballpark of market value. Quality is not an issue, because I would not be making an offer on anything I consider sub-awesome.

If your first offer is reasonable (not a low-ball), I find it is often taken on the spot. Sometimes it goes back and forth a little.

There is also a LOT in how you carry yourself. If you are courteous, confident (without being a jerk - see courteous) and have cash in hand, all 3 will go a long way.

If haggling over email, ALWAYS introduce yourself and state you are willing and able to pay immediately. I really do not expect someone to drop prices when a payment plan is involved.

I think the key to any negotiation, is to find common ground and establish some type of trust early on. This can be done by making small talk and asking about any projects the seller is working on, and mention what you are into. If you have kids use them to your advantage, as long as they are respectful and can behave. Most people have a soft spot for respectful kids. Above all be respectful of their time, only do this if you are ready to purchase.