{"id":9460,"date":"2012-07-23T10:22:55","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T14:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/?p=9460"},"modified":"2012-07-23T10:22:55","modified_gmt":"2012-07-23T14:22:55","slug":"negotiating-prices","status":"archive","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/frugal-articles\/negotiating-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Negotiating prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s no secret that our failing economy has forced many consumers to use age-old methods like bartering and bargaining to get what we need.\u00a0 Have you ever considered that an item\u2019s worth is not established by its price tag, but rather what you\u2019re willing to pay?\u00a0\u00a0 When you\u2019re shopping, consider using your negotiating skills to get a great price for an item that you want.\u00a0\u00a0 Here are some tips to get you going.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Be confident when negotiating your price.<\/strong> You can determine the going market for goods by searching completed listings for similar items on eBay or by researching prices on Amazon.\u00a0 If you make an offer, be prepared to immediately act upon the purchase if the seller agrees on your price.\u00a0 You can also be prepared to negotiate by shopping around at competitors.\u00a0 My husband, the King of Negotiation, recommends playing the good-cop-bad-cop routine, but that\u2019s not my style.\u00a0 I like to be direct and firm about what I\u2019m willing to pay.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like to waste my time and I try to respect the seller by not wasting his\/her time, either.<\/p>\n

An easy place to hone your bargaining skills is at yard sales.\u00a0 Typically the seller is ready to part with the item already and is probably expecting to make a deal that\u2019s a little lower than what the item\u2019s marked.\u00a0 When I shop at yard sales, I try to have an idea of what I\u2019m looking for and how I will use it.\u00a0 This keeps me from picking up too many impulse buys.\u00a0 Determine what you\u2019re willing to pay and be assertive yet polite when making your offer.\u00a0 Asking with a smile also helps!\u00a0 Before making an offer, understand that you might need to compromise and meet the seller halfway if you really<\/strong> want the item.\u00a0 Are you willing to walk away from the deal if the seller says no?\u00a0 That\u2019s something you need to decide ahead of time.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Cash-and-carry is key. <\/strong>This is especially true if you are practicing at a yard sale or consignment shop.\u00a0 Smaller businesses may have to pay a fee for debit and credit card use, so they might be willing to pass the savings on to you in exchange for using cash.\u00a0 When you make the offer, explain that you\u2019re willing to pay cash.\u00a0 The seller needs to know that you're willing to take it right then, too.\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t recommend using cash if the seller is unwilling to provide a receipt for a big-ticket item, though.\u00a0 This could put you in a bad position if you need to return the item.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Before negotiating a price in a store, be aware of the return policy. <\/strong> Unless you\u2019ve agreed to buy the item as-is, you want to be sure that you can bring the product back if there\u2019s a problem.\u00a0 For instance, if you\u2019re purchasing a shirt that has been a small stain on it, ask if a discount can be offered for the shirt.\u00a0 Often the salesperson will be more than happy to give you 25% or 50% off, and you were going to wash it after you bought it anyway!\u00a0 When you\u2019re buying shoes and the only one in your size is on display, ask if it is discounted.\u00a0 See what I mean?\u00a0\u00a0 You can find your own sales in this world!<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Don't settle for \"no\" if you need the price to be lower.<\/strong> If you\u2019re shopping for furniture or more expensive items, don\u2019t accept the \u201cwe don\u2019t have a sale price on this\u201d comment from the salesperson.\u00a0 There is always a promotion that can be found!\u00a0\u00a0 Are you okay with flexible financing, such as a same-as-cash deal?\u00a0 Maybe there is a credit that you can be given?\u00a0 Would you be happy with an extra pillow or two?\u00a0 Whatever the deal, you can find a way to do it.\u00a0 Often when I ask if there are upcoming sales that include the item, the salesperson is usually willing to offer me the sale price that day rather than risking me walking out the door and not coming back when the sale is active.<\/p>\n

I hope you\u2019ll take the opportunity to negotiate some prices this week!\u00a0 It\u2019s empowering to find that you can stretch a dollar just by asking.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget to say thank you to the seller for accepting your offer.\u00a0 That goodwill pays off in big ways!<\/p>\n

This is a guest post from Dianna Gardenhour at Savings In Seconds<\/em>. Visit SavingsInSeconds.com<\/a> for more tips on savings.\u00a0 Watch for a upcoming special feature on negotiating prices on expensive items like cars and houses!<\/em><\/p>\n

Image thanks to 401K on Flickr.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>

It\u2019s no secret that our failing economy has forced many consumers to use age-old methods like bartering and bargaining to get what we need.\u00a0 Have you ever considered that an ... Read moreNegotiating prices<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1413],"class_list":["post-9460","post","type-post","status-archive","format-standard","hentry","category-frugal-articles","tag-saving-money"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.befrugal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}