Haggling in Nassau straw market

[Karen Mouse]

Hi everyone

A little question for all you seasoned hagglers!....

Just wondering whats expected in Nassau straw market, ie if you ask the price and they say $40, whats the price you usually end up paying? Is it as low as half, or a third off etc... whats the average? Any ideas? I'm new to haggling and I dont want to offend by offering half, but also dont want to get ripped off either!

Any hints and tips gratefully received

 

[robin19871]

Hi everyone

A little question for all you seasoned hagglers!....

Just wondering whats expected in Nassau straw market, ie if you ask the price and they say $40, whats the price you usually end up paying? Is it as low as half, or a third off etc... whats the average? Any ideas? I'm new to haggling and I dont want to offend by offering half, but also dont want to get ripped off either!

Any hints and tips gratefully received

I can tell you what EVERY person said to us.. "The price is $15.00. Today we have a special for $12.00. But for YOU it is only $10.00" It was funny that they all had the same lines.. As for paying, Pay ONLY what you want. If you really want something then pay a little more. They will bargain with you but will also let you go..(I went back and bought something because the guy would not go $3.00 lower when I was haggling and I walked away.)

 

[Tuliplvr]

If one person says no.. walk away.. there is the same stuff everywhere!!

 

[kjd469]

From our experience they do not haggle very much. They really budge very little from their original price and will definitely let you walk away. Offering half of what they tell you will definitely not work. Good luck

 

[Karen Mouse]

From our experience they do not haggle very much. They really budge very little from their original price and will definitely let you walk away. Offering half of what they tell you will definitely not work. Good luck

Excellent - thanks for the advice - didnt want to offend anyone by offering an insulting price but wasnt sure if it was expected like in Turkey... you end up paying about a quarter of what they start at

 

[disney1990]

From our experience they do not haggle very much. They really budge very little from their original price and will definitely let you walk away. Offering half of what they tell you will definitely not work. Good luck

This was not our experience at all. Virtually everybody we talked to would come down in price - quite a bit.

 

[tinkerone]

This was not our experience at all. Virtually everybody we talked to would come down in price - quite a bit.

ditto! have never, will never pay asking price. they come down alot. i agree with the 'just walk away' remark. they will follow you if you are even in the right price range. there still making money. if they do let you walk just go to the next vendor (they will have the same stuff) and go a bit higher than your original price BUT stick to your guns.

 

[Karen Mouse]

Oh ok!... I'll give it a go then! Its knowing where to start that bothers me... if it wa a £40 item what would you offer to start with? and what would you expect to pay in the end?

 

[tinkerone]

Oh ok!... I'll give it a go then! Its knowing where to start that bothers me... if it wa a £40 item what would you offer to start with? and what would you expect to pay in the end?

it will be in us dollars however if the item starts at 40 i would start at 15. you should finish in the 22/23/24 area and no more. thats a max. if you start at the 50 percent mark then they will not work down as much. start low low low. they will turn to leave if they are not going to make any money, don't worry about that. its getting to the point you are both happy with it.
also i have found that if i want more than one of something, i buy the first one and walk around with it. the other stalls will ask how much i paid and then offer to sell me another at a lesser price. thats when you really get the picture that they are not losing money. this has happened to me more than once.
give it a go, negotiate. you have nothing to lose and money in your pocket to gain. and it can be both fun and challenging.

 

[MadtownMama]

Ok... may be a weird question but what kind of things are there to buy at the straw market? (and don't say everything LOL ) I've been to Playa Del Carmen so I know what they have, is it typical to that kinda (besides being two different countries)?

 

[genmasjoy]

They have hats, purses, mats, coasters, straw dolls, and a lot more misc. items.

 

[Curious & Curiouser]

GREAT QUESTION! I was wondering the same thing after reading that your "expected" to haggle...and i really am not the type to haggle, never been in a sisch where i had to lol

but when in rome.........

 

[ArielRae]

Anyone have pictures of their purchases from there?

 

[Curious & Curiouser]

oowwwwwww YES ! great idea ! pictures of things people have bought would be awesome!!!!!!!!!

 

[over50visits]

The straw market is an old tradition there (the original was better but it burned down). We REALLY enjoy walking around there and interacting with the "Bahama Mamas" or the other vendors there. A smile and gentle haggling go a long way to having a good time. However, remember that these days the merchandise is imported from Korea and China. It is NOT native crafts. I spent some time talking with someone we knew who used to sell her wares there. There was a time you could get truly native crafts there, but the locals can no longer afford the time to make crafts that compete with the cheap souvenirs sold now, they can't earn a living. That is really sad, both for us and for them.

Realizing that, though, you can really have a ball visiting the market. Don't be intimidated, of course, and if you find something you do want you should end up paying about half of what they ask. But going to Nassau to shop at the straw market is right up there with Diamonds International or Del Sol - interesting, but not Bahamas merchandise.