Haggling In Egypt – How I learned to Haggle By Failure

If it’s your first time visiting Egypt (or any other 3rd world country), you’re in for a bit of a surprise. When it comes to buying things, haggling is the order of the day. See that ticket price? Yeah, didn’t think so. All prices are negotiable, and you can save yourself a bundle by following a few simple rules. After having spent three weeks in the middle east and making every mistake possible, I’ve learned – through trial and error and some good advice – how to get a good deal without pulling my hair out in the process. Believe it or not, haggling in Egypt can actually be fun! 

Before I delve into my master list, I want to highlight one particular point. It’s so important that I’m going to mention it twice. If you feel uncomfortable in a transaction, walk away. I don’t care if the merchant has already wrapped the item and put a pretty bow on it. If you aren’t completely sure about the deal, or feel unsafe, walk away. Had I done this during one particularly bad haggling session, I could have avoided having some of my money stolen right out of my hand.

Tips on haggling in Egypt (and other places)

• Never talk about how much you like an item, especially when haggling as a team. Telling your friend how much you like that little plastic Sphinx is a clear signal to the seller that he or she can collect a higher price from you.
• After you ask how much an item is, and after the seller tells you a completely ridiculous amount, start your offer at 90% off what the seller asks. The seller will likely put up a fuss, but it’s all just for show. Having said that, use a bit of common sense and scale your offer accordingly. Obviously offering a merchant 90% less than what he/she wants for sterling silver jewellery is unrealistic, but perfectly acceptable for clothing and textiles.
• Ignore the stories. As you try to haggle, the merchant will inevitably tell you stories about his/her starving children, or how you won’t find this figurine of a well endowed fertility god anywhere else. These stories are almost surely bullshit, and the seller won’t sell you something at a loss, so ignore them. Even at a substantial discount, I promise you the merchant is making a tidy profit.
• Be ready to walk away. If you see an item you really like, remind yourself that there’s a very good chance you can find it in 50 other stalls in the market. Entering a shop with that knowledge makes it a lot easier to simply walk away from overly pushy merchants, or people trying to rip you off.
• Decide the maximum you’re willing to pay up front, and don’t feel bad if you pay a bit too much. If you’re visiting the market with a group of friends, you’ll quickly realize that sometimes your buddies will simply pay less than you, despite your best efforts. If you’re comfortable with the price you pay, don’t sweat it. Though haggling is entertaining and financially rewarding, remind yourself that though you may have paid a few dollars more for an item, it’s really not that much in the grand scheme of things.

It takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang out of it, haggling can actually be quite enjoyable. I dislike sales people immensely, and upon entering my first market in Egypt, I was overwhelmed by the number and forcefulness of the sellers, but the shock wears off and you get over it. You never know, you may even find yourself indulging in interesting conversation with the seller. I learned a lot about scarves through haggling, and that’s the key difference between the Western way of buying things, and the middle eastern way. Haggling is a social event, like talking shit with your friends at the bar. It’s not passive like in North America, so remember that, and enjoy the experience.

(Photo: p_snelling)