T rying to strike up a good bargain is an art form that few can master. You need to have the right balance of tone, speech, body language, and dealing to be able to get the attention of the shopkeeper and then keep it.
This enables you to make more of your shopping experience and make sure that you get exactly what you want at your price. So how do you bargain while thrifting? Let’s get right into it.
1. Know The Products
There’s nothing you can’t get for cheaper, however, once you know the product, this allows you to ask for a price that is mutually beneficial for both parties. Take out your phone and quickly find the original price of the product and its release year.
Now that you have that down, you can ask for a price that isn’t considered ludicrous and can actually work for you. This also allows you to counter any claims about the product made by the store and make it seem like you know what you’re talking about (because you do).
2. Always Aim Higher
Remember the saying ‘aim for the moon and land among the stars? That’s how you set the prices for your bargain. The shopkeeper will always try to get a higher price than you ask for so do one better and set the price you ask for lower than what you hope to get. However, make sure to not set it too low or else it’ll be completely disregarded at first sight.
3. Take A Positive Approach
While bargaining, you can either take an aggressive or positive approach. While both do work, the latter has more benefits in the long run. Instead of immediately jumping to ‘I can get it from another store’, make a case for yourself strong enough that the shopkeeper can’t turn it down.
Be friendly and polite and ask for a lower price at first rather than jumping to extremes. If they try to sell the product by pointing out the advantages, pointing out the things that make it more undesirable to other consumers, and making it clear that you’re willing to buy it regardless. Remember to be polite!
4. Confidence is Key
It is important to keep your cool and to show that with your tone and body language. Stand up straight and don’t let anxiety show on your voice or with anybody language like hands shaking, shifty eyes, or moving around too much.
Convince yourself that you have the upper hand and make sure to act like it, too. Act sure of what you’re saying, especially if you’re doing this for the first time, so that they think you know what you’re talking about.
5. Make It Clear You Have Other Options
Remember, shopkeepers' primary goal is to make a sale and they’ll try their hardest to do that. A salesperson's primary goal is to have you succumb to the target effect and have you buy more than you need. Make sure to not get sucked into it and stay focused on the product you want and that you can get it from other places too.
Use the fact that they won’t let you walk away to your advantage and mention that the reason you’re getting it from them is that you trust them more. If need be, pretend to walk away too or refuse the deal they’re making and check out other options. Remember to act smart and play your cards right.
6. Be Flexible
Don’t give the other person too hard of a time so that this is the last time they let you haggle. Play from their viewpoint too and give them other options.
If they won’t budge on the price alone, throw in another product to get a net reduction in both or get another product at full price and mention that since you’re getting more products, giving a discount on one isn’t too bad a deal. To learn how to bargain while thrifting isn’t about a set of rules, it’s about playing smart and to your strengths.
7. Foster Lasting Relations
Last but definitely not least, remember to be polite always and to make their job easier for them, too. Strike up a friendship so that bargaining next time is easier and make yourself firm, but flexible.
This is crucial for a long-term advantage because even if you can’t get a great deal right now, they’ll be more lenient in the future and bargaining is all about the long game.
It is important to keep all these tips on how to bargain while thrifting in mind. As a rule of thumb, remember to always, always be polite and friendly. At the end of the day, being a good person far overrules getting a good deal.
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