Marcus Webb
As I browsed online for a leather travel bag prior to leaving for Morocco, I came across a similar bag offered online by a retailer for around 300dirhams. However, after making my way to a number of different leather merchants’ shops within the old city’s medina, I was quoted 1,200dirhams by a particularly outgoing young merchant. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing as this price was obviously excessive – little did I know that this was merely the beginning of my time to be schooled in haggling, specifically in Marrakech. After three days of exploring around and conducting 23 different product-related transactions (i.e. negotiations) in various different souks I slowly began to realize how each different merchant calculated his or her respective markups on the products they for sale. And what was probably more enlightening was that there were very few of the vendors I negotiated with who seemed to take the fairest approach to their customers. In the end, my 23 negotiated transactions and their associated totals in conjunction with my subsequent research into the average market prices for corresponding variety of goods, revealed what would prove to be a rather eye-opening set of percentages for the exaggerated beginning price tags for the numerous wares found for sale in the old city’s crowded alleys and increasingly seedy back streets. A big portion of what I found to be a truly fascinating, though for the most part rather aggravating aspect to negotiate for goods in the Marrakech medina were mainly just the result of corresponding sellers attempting to exploit the corresponding marks of ignorance by their respective, primarily naïve tourists. And from reading corresponding pre-trip guide books, I had anticipated that a typical markup amount for a corresponding article was approximately around 50% above the corresponding average market price for a respective retail product. However, during my subsequently realized and correspondingly very informative time spent in the mazing Moroccan city, I soon enough realized that for the vast majority of the items for sale in the maze like old city that I would negotiate for during my three days in the city, the typical markup corresponding amount would be found to exceed that mark up percentage by a very wide margin.
Before I set out on my haggling journey, I’d read the various guides and prepared myself for the fray by arming myself with the typical advice: begin negotiations at 50% of the asking price; when the vendor refuses to budge, walk away; be pleasant. But in the souks, all of this is more complex. For example, I needed to understand the degree of markup on the variety of products on sale, learn to distinguish between genuine upset and fake anger, and become familiar with the different pricing systems operating in the various souks. What I learned from my 23 transactions—offering to buy various items and then negotiating to acquire them—is outlined below. Book early.
The Starting Price Deception: How Initial Quotes Vary by Product Category
Firstly, not all Souks are equal. And more importantly, not all products in the same Souk have the same mark up. Having meticulously recorded all my 23 haggling experiences in a small notebook, I discovered many things which no guidebook ever revealed to me. For leather goods, it seems that initial asking price is simply fictional. I negotiated a bag of similar quality and design to the one I saw online (300dirhams) in various shops, and the lowest price I managed to get was 320dirhams after walking away from two other vendors on my last day in Marrakech. Yes, it was a long walk back, but the vendor seemed genuinely surprised when I returned. Other categories of products have much lower mark ups. Spices, argan oil, and food products generally have 30-60% mark up on the reasonable price. Textiles and carpets have 200-300% mark up on their asking prices, while metalwork and ceramics have 150-200% mark ups on their initial asking prices.
Of course, there are certain products in the souks where brief haggling is fine, like for consumable goods such as spices, argan oil, etc. I went to the same 4 spice merchants in the alleys of the Rahba Kedima square and was shown various kinds of saffron, lots of different ras el hanout mixes, and big bags of cumin. Each stall had their prices listed, and they varied by about 10-15 dirhams per item for identical quantities, but they all just told me straight out the price and if I wanted to buy three things then maybe 5 dirhams less per item. The contrast with the elaborate games that most of the tourist craft merchants play is quite striking, and it is obvious that they are charging much higher markups on their tourist wares. In short, for leather, textiles, and tourist wares, it seems that they are operating with a very different pricing system, so book early!
The Geography of Markup: Which Souks Overcharge Most
The location in the medina played a huge role in starting prices. In the alleys off Jemaa el-Fna square the initial prices where 30-50% higher than the same products in other Souks. For instance, I was offered a leather pouch on Souk Semmarine for 180 Dirhams after offering half of the initial price of 450 Dirhams. The same pouch, of identical quality and style, was offered to me for 120 Dirhams on the first floor of a small shop on a quiet alley off Souk Haddadine. The vendor in this small shop seemed very keen to make a sale and was eager to please whereas the vendor on Souk Semmarine was merely entertaining.
Seasonal and Time-of-Day Pricing Fluctuations
I found that the vendors were willing to lower the prices later in the afternoon, say after 5pm when the crowds had thinned out. I recall a vendor of brass lamps. We had agreed on a price of 280dirhams at 2pm. However, the next day at 6pm he agreed to sell me a similar lamp for 220dirhams. He said that it was a slow day for him the next day and that tomorrow would be better. I think that this is just a case of a businessman being pragmatic.
Walking Away and Coming Back: A Strategy with a Caveat.
And now for the most controversial section: the use of the walking away strategy. While I have said many times before that this is the ultimate haggling tactic, the reality is that it only works some of the time. And there is a big difference between walking away from a haggle because you think you are getting a better deal elsewhere, and walking away from a haggle because you have made the vendor angry. From my 23 negotiations, I can say that in 11 cases I completely walked away from a negotiation. In 7 of those cases the vendor called me back within 30 seconds with a better offer. In 3 cases the vendor did not call me back and I did not find the same items for sale elsewhere at better prices. And in 1 case a carpet vendor seemed to be really offended that I walked away after he had spent 20 minutes showing me his various carpets and had even served me tea on two occasions. I had been treating him in a somewhat disdainful manner, ignoring his various attempts to sell me things and only paying attention to him when he showed me something that I was interested in. In retrospect, I can see that this was unfair of me, and that I had been treating him in a somewhat rude manner. This experience taught me a valuable lesson about the use of the walking away strategy, and that is that it should be used sparingly and with caution. The walking away strategy should only be used when you are certain that you are leaving because you think you are getting a better deal elsewhere, and not because you are making the vendor angry.
A major error on my part occurred in the second shop. The young vendor said to me “come on in and have a look around”. I sat down for a short while as he showed me bags that he was working on and told me about his apprenticeship. Eventually he mentioned the price of one of the bags. I opened at 400 Dirhams and the young vendor was shocked. “This is hand-tooled. I’m not a factory” he said. After a bit of back and forth he agreed to sell the bag to me for 600 Dirhams. I was fairly pleased with myself here as the bag was of high quality, very durable and only 2 years old. It is still perfect and I feel that I got it for a very reasonable price.
Reading Genuine Versus Theatrical Resistance
There is always a fine line to discerning whether a salesman is actually resisting or playing you around. If a vendor is playing around then they usually display signs of theatrical resistance. They typically throw up their hands in horror and exclaim loudly “oh my god you are killing me my friend”. Alternatively they might appeal to Allah and say that it would be sacrilegious to sell something at that price. They try to make you out to be the villain whilst secretly appreciating the price you’re willing to pay and hoping that you continue to haggle in order to extract more profit from you. Genuine resistance from a salesman is quiet. On occasion they will simply state “no, I cannot” and then go back to sorting through his inventory. Alternatively they might begin to put an item that you have expressed an interest in back onto the shelves. Again the body language is key, a vendor who is interested in selling you something will typically be facing towards you with an open posture, whilst a salesman who is disinclined to sell something to you will be facing away from you with his back to you. From my own experiences with Morocco I found that in around the 8th or so negotiation I began to pick up on some of the differences between performances and reality. In particular a salesmen who had begun to explain the handicraft of the item of interest in great detail went on to say that the fair price for the item would be 180dirhams. I went on to purchase the item and was later to discover a identical item for the price of 250dirhams in a fixed price shop.
The Return Visit Technique
Note that as well as walking away from a vendor, you can also go back to them. I went back to 3 stalls during my trip and each time was offered better prices than we had agreed in our last negotiations. I’ve no idea why the other stall holders never offered me back the prices I had walked away at, maybe they were just playing games and the stall holders I went back to were honest enough to admit that they had overpriced their wares initially.
Cultural Errors I Made that Cost Money & Respect
My biggest mistake on my first shopping trip was offering to buy a large number of silk scarves from a textile vendor during my second negotiation. He invited me to have a cup of tea with him and after I declined in order to ‘stay focused on the negotiation’ he ceased to negotiate with me and instead told me the price for which he would be willing to sell me one of the scarves. Later a Moroccan told me that in Morocco refusing a person their tea is considered to be very rude. In fact it indicates that you consider the person to be no more than a commodity to be bought and sold, rather than a full human being with whom you can have a relationship. This relationship need not last any longer than it takes to purchase an item or two people are interested in but it is an important part of many cultures around the world. I found that it was much better to accept a vendor’s offer of tea and for the time that you were having it with him to treat him as you would treat another person in your own country. When you have finished your tea and are ready to continue your shopping then you can go back to treating him as a commodity to be bought and sold.
He recently started offering small leather bags and had an interesting selection of leather belts. Even though I wasn’t that interested in purchasing anything from him I returned a few days later and he acknowledged me. We started off discussing his items and I was surprised at how much he knew about leather, particularly in relation to luggage. We ended up negotiating the price of a leather belt down from 240 dirhams to 120 dirhams, which I felt was a fair price.
The Language Barrier Advantage and Disadvantage
I found that when speaking Arabic to the vendors, they greatly appreciate the attempt to speak their language and thus are more amenable to negotiation. However, there is a fine line between showing respect for their language and showing too much knowledge of local customs and thus increasing the amount of leeway that they are willing to give you. For example, in one of my transactions, the vendor started off at a low price, only because he thought that I knew the “regular” price for the item and was trying to negotiate from that point. He seemed to be surprised that I only offered a small amount more, and was frustrated that I did not know the “real” price of the item. This could be avoided by speaking a little Arabic, but not too much.
The Group Negotiation Disaster
A trick that tourists have fallen for for centuries is to go shopping with other tourists. You’ll see groups of 3, 4 or even 5 people wandering hand in hand through the souks. Big mistake. To begin with the other tourists are likely to be just as clueless as you are about how to get a good price. But that’s not the worst of it. The worst of it is that vendors know that groups of tourists are easier to scam than solo travelers. And so they immediately put the price up. Higher than they would for a solo tourist, higher than they would for another local. Why? Because with groups of tourists the vendor can rely on the tourist’s fear of not getting a good deal to negotiate for him. The tourist’s fear of being alone in an unfamiliar city will ensure that he gets the worst deal going. And it’s all so obvious. In the souks it’s every man for himself. That’s the way to get a good price.
Stalls Where You Can Get A Fair Price (After 23 Negotiations)
On the other hand, I have found some vendors over the years who seemed to honestly and fairly price their items. I can give you a mental checklist that I used for 23 haggling sessions, in order of importance to me. A vendor would have to show two items with price tags on them. Items that are being made in the vendor’s stall and by their hand. The vendor does not try to pull you into their stall and instead of calling after you and walking with you, they stay at their post and welcome you to their stall. They explain how an item is made and the materials used. They explain the purpose of an item and how it can be used. If you ask a price first, they explain the price first and do not start off talking about how cheap they can sell it to you. And lastly, they are willing to talk at length with you about an item, including its flaws.
A fourth characteristic is that honest vendors will not pull you into their stall. If they have to get up from their seat to pull you in, they will over charge you. They will make eye contact from across the alley and say “Welcome, please look”. It is up to you to go to them. And finally, the best vendors will explain the product you are interested in without asking how much you want to pay for it. This is the vendor who can explain the materials, the techniques, the methods and the origins of the work. These are the best vendors because they are proud of their work and they want you to understand its value.
The Fixed-Price Cooperative Alternative
Marrakech cooperatives: shops with fixed prices. Ensemble Artisanal, located close to the Medina (about 10 minute walk), seems to be a official cooperative with reasonable prices (about 20-30% above souk’s lowest prices for similar stuff, but 40-60% below for initial aggressive prices that some of stalls offer to tourists in order to start negotiation). For tourists who hate haggling and do not know how to negotiate, cooperatives could be a good alternative. Prices are obvious and handicrafts seem to be of decent quality. But that would be missing the experience of exploring souks and winning haggling battles and arguing about prices with shop assistants.
The Workshop Visit Advantage
On the other hand, I was able to purchase three handicrafts at fixed prices (a low end of 20-30% higher than in the Souks but 40-60% lower than initial prices offered by most Vendors) in a newly opened, government sponsored cooperative called Ensemble Artisanal, located near the center of the Medina. As this type of cooperative is a recent development it will be interesting to follow and monitor if and how the quality and prices compare to existing souks in the future.
Product-Specific Negotiation Strategies That Actually Worked
When buying leather goods, be very aggressive. Start with 30-35% of the original price that the merchant quoted for the item and gradually work up from there until you reach 40-50% and be prepared to leave the merchant and go to another stall to purchase the same item. I have bought 3 leather items in 3 different shops with an average amount that I paid for each item for 42% of the amount that the original price was for the items. Most of the time, it is the merchant who first starts to negotiate prices by mentioning the quality of the leather. This can include stating that the leather is made from camel instead of goat and this is the time when you know that the merchant is starting to give you a realistic price for the leather goods that you are purchasing.
Stalling for Comparison: Getting Discounts on Carpets, Textiles and Fabrics of all Types. I make my living from negotiation, but this is possibly the easiest way of all to get a good deal in the souks. You visit stalls, make your selection and then tell the salesman that you have seen the same item elsewhere for less. He has no option but to offer you a discount – and negotiate from there. This worked a treat for a wool blanket that the vendor originally wanted 650 dirhams for. After showing him a similar blanket that I had seen for sale elsewhere for 300 dirhams he offered me 320 dirhams. But as I was about to leave he finally saw sense and knocked it down to 280. I have been ripped off buying carpets in the past, but the souk is the place to buy them and the vendors expect to haggle so don’t be a wimp and try to pay what they are asking for in the first place – otherwise they will just laugh at you and you will get a bad deal. They will even tell you that you haven’t tried to negotiate properly – as one did to me. “You didn’t even try! Where is the fun?”. That had been my third offer – and I had already agreed to buy it from him. I suppose that was a bit too easy really.
Spices, Oils, and Consumables: The Quick Negotiation
The method of haggling that you would use for consuming food, oils and other goods and articles is quick. Offer the vendor 20 to 30 % less than the asking price and do your best to agree on the middle price. No need to try and spend hours haggling with the vendor of some spices worth 50 dirhams. There are just too many of these items and the vendor’s margin is just too small to make it worth their while to spend too much time negotiating with you. A few days ago I purchased some spices from a shop in the souk from a very nice and helpful young man. He asked for 30 dirhams for the lot. I offered him 20 dirhams and we agreed on 24. He was very pleased that I had agreed to purchase the lot from him instead of walking away from the shop as so many tourists do. He even thanked me for being so sensible and for realizing that time is money. He told me that he had so many tourists come into his shop and spend so much time haggling with him over the price of some items that cost only a few dirhams. He said that if I had offered him 25 dirhams for the lot of spices that he would have been only too happy and that he would have given me the lot for 25 dirhams. I offered him 20 dirhams and we agreed on 24. But the point that I am making is that I purchased 3 lots of spices from this young man within a matter of a few minutes and that is because he was so very helpful, polite and pleasant to deal with.
Silver, Jewelry, and Precious Items: Verify Before Negotiating
The author was very cautious while negotiating for silver or precious items as he was not able to verify their authenticity. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, similar items can be found in many souks and therefore it is recommended to research before purchasing. Also there are many vendors who claim to sell ‘real silver’ while in reality they are selling items that have been plated with silver. So in case of silver or precious items it is recommended to negotiate based on how much you like the item and not on the basis of the material used to make it. Unless you are familiar with hallmarks or have a jeweler’s loupe with you, it is wise not to fall into the trap set by such vendors.
How You Need To Negotiate In Marrakech
The vendor’s posture, eye contact and words changed significantly around the 5-7 minute mark and was usually after three to four offers back and forth. At this point he would stop acting and we would have a very serious and straightforward discussion. His energy would drop from exaggerated to normal, he would make direct eye contact and state the price in a very matter of fact tone. This is the psychological moment of negotiation. It is the end of the theatrical negotiation and the true price is negotiated. I would caution against continued aggressive negotiation as this can lead to the vendor being cheaped down to a point where he has no incentive to provide you with quality goods.
Drinking mint tea with your negotiator is a key part of the culture. In order to confirm that you have a negotiator who is willing to negotiate at the prices you want, invite him to have a cup of tea with you. If he accepts your invitation, that means that he is prepared to spend at least 15 minutes with you negotiating over the price of an item. Use that time to find out as much as possible about the item he is selling you, about him, and about the local area in which he is based. You will find that once you have finished your tea with a negotiator, he will go to great lengths to make sure that he can sell you the things that you want at the best price possible. I managed to get the best deals on three of the things that I bought in the Souks after we had finished drinking tea together. Each time, after we had finished our tea, the negotiator would offer me a better price than he had offered me before we had started drinking tea.
The Power of Silence and Patience
Silence is your best friend. In Western countries negotiation is very verbose and time-consuming. As a tourist, you can expect to spend a lot of time haggling but the trick is to make your offers and then just shut up. Let the seller respond and come back with a counteroffer. He or she will go back and forth with you in an effort to arrive at a price that they feel is fair. So, fill the silence between offers with no speech at all. I recall negotiating the price of a large brass lantern in the old part of the city. I made an offer of 150 dirhams against his asking price of 400. Thirty seconds of complete silence went by while he just stared at me. I remained completely silent as well, never making a single utterance during that time. I could tell you what though; he suddenly woke up from his reverie and said “200” – and I agreed and purchased it. On my way out of his shop he said “Thank you very much. Most tourists in such negotiations would never stop talking and would make an offer like 150 then say “or maybe 160” – immediately – before I could even get a word in edgewise. But you are quiet and made one offer – and I appreciate that.”
The Final Day Advantage
Being extremely bored of an item can help to negotiate extremely well. I was able to haggle for my final set of babouche slippers for a very good price. I initially asked the man how much for a pair of babouche slippers and he replied that they cost 250 dirhams for the pair. I offered him 120 dirhams for the pair and he immediately agreed stating that he was trying to get rid of them anyway. I think he just felt that I would end up buying them because I was making such a low offer.
What I’d Do Differently: Lessons from Failed Negotiations
This leaves me with three ‘failures’ out of 23 negociations. In the first the ‘loser’ was to pay 180 dirhams for a ceramic tagine pot near Jemaa el-Fna (main square of Marrakech). Some two days later I found identical Tagine pottery in the souk for the pottery (100m or so north of the Jardin el Bachia) for the low price of 80 dirhams – roughly half of what I paid a mere stone’s throw away in a more touristy part of town. I would advise researching and getting to know the different parts of the souk. This will make for better purchases of more common tourist fare. The second was when I walked away from a hand-woven basket priced at 150 dirhams because I had thought it was a little too expensive (fair enough). However, later, whilst walking through a shopping mall, I saw the same type of basket on sale for 450dirhams. So it just goes to show you must recognize excellence in whatever form it takes (fair or not) and agree to pay for it even if it ends up costing you an arm and a leg.
Even I can have a bad day of negotiations, such as in the case of this very poor quality leather wallet that I was able to negotiate down from 200 dirhams to a whopping 90 dirhams. Yes, I know, the guy must have been ripped off big time. I could see the anger in his eyes as I was walking away from the table with my new purchase. And you know what? It fell apart after only six months. Yes, it would have fallen apart even sooner had I paid full price for it. I learned a valuable lesson here though. Just because you think you are getting a good deal does not mean that the vendor will stand behind his product. He was only trying to make a sale in the first place and now he can’t even be bothered to offer any warranty on the product. So, moral of the story here is to make sure that you are not being too aggressive in your negotiations. Don’t be trying to take advantage of the vendor in the hopes of saving a few extra dirhams. Chances are that if you do, he will not be willing to stand behind his product in the event that it turns out to be of poor quality. In my case, I could have negotiated the wallet down to around 120-130 dirhams and I probably would have gotten a lot better quality in the long run.
The Research I Should Have Done
However, before arriving, I would recommend conducting plenty of research prior to arrival to understand the going rates for goods similar to those you intend to purchase before arrival. By understanding the typical prices charged for said goods prior to arrival, you will likely get the best price. It would take around 2 hours of research to find information on average price to get the best deal, or to at least be adequately informed on typical prices of goods like leather bags, latest ceramics and various types of textiles found in many of the Souks and stalls. Information regarding recently purchased items, often found in online forums, many travel blogs and even sometimes on popular photo sharing web site such as Instagram via various hashtags (i.e. #MarrakechSouks), may aid in one’s price research prior to arrival to Marrakech.
The comments relate to my prior post on Marrakech shopping and answer 1) is it rude to not haggle, 2) how much to offer as haggling price, 3) walk away or don’t. The comments relate to my typical tourist spending of about $60/day so advice is targeted there.
How Much Should You Actually Expect to Pay? Real Numbers from 23 Transactions
This information will enable you to establish realistic targets when traveling to Morocco for shopping. First, you can see what I managed to purchase for what price after long negotiations. I have listed products by type. Messenger bag made from leather: 600 dirhams (initial offer: 1,400). Small leather pouch: 120 dirhams (initial offer: 250). Beautifully hand-tooled wallet: 90 dirhams (initial offer: 200). Wool blanket: 280 dirhams (initial offer: 650). Ceramics: small tagine pot: 180 dirhams (initial offer: 350). Larger tagine pot (identical to others on sale in the nearby pottery souk for 80-100 dirhams): 180 dirhams (initial offer: 350). Brass lantern: 200 dirhams (initial offer: 400). Decorative copper tray: 180 dirhams (initial offer: 200). New pair of handmade babouche slippers: 130 dirhams (initial offer: 250). Mix of spices (200g): 45 dirhams (initial offer: 60). Pure argan oil (500ml): 120 dirhams (initial offer: 150).
The average price I paid for all of the items above (after discounting) was 43% of the original price for the “tourist goods” and 75% for the “consumables”. The prices that the honest craftsmen in stalls all over the medina opened at were 10-20% above what I ended up paying. When negotiating for “tourist goods” if you pay more than 50% of the original price then you have probably been ripped off unless the item is unique in some way or obviously of very high quality. For “consumables” a price of 70-80% of the original asking price would normally be acceptable without further negotiation.
The Hidden Costs: Time Investment
However, there is a cost to negotiate in terms of time spent, particularly for the tourist. Given the number of shops, stalls and general areas to visit in the Souks, it is likely that for many visitors the amount of time to be spent negotiating over a small number of items will become problematic, and certainly if one is traveling on a tight schedule. As with many things, there is a trade-off, and the amount one wishes to spend for the sake of saving a few Dirhams will determine the amount of time one has to spend. My experience is that 8 hours over a three-day period is the average amount of time spent in haggling for each of the 23 transactions made was 20 minutes per transaction. This could have been reduced in many cases by spending more and less time in the various shops to purchase items that would have been of better quality had more time been spent researching prior to traveling. Also, the total amount of time could have been reduced had more research been completed prior to traveling in terms of expected fair prices, with a view to saving money (circa $60 per day for this traveler). For those traveling on short trips to Marrakech, as was the case for this writer, the opportunity cost of saving a few hundred Dirhams to purchase same items of poorer quality or to spend considerable amounts of time searching for similar items, should not be under-estimated.
Is not haggling in the souks of Marrakech rude?
It is generally unusual for a foreign tourist not to haggle in the souks. However, it does not necessarily mean that you are being rude. In reality, most vendors will actually assume that you are an “unexperienced” tourist, and therefore expect to make a higher than normal profit from you. By paying the initial asking price, you are sending a message to the vendor that you are not familiar with the ways of the Moroccan market. However, this does not mean that you must engage in what can only be described as aggressive and even insulting lowballing. Rather, you must learn to haggle respectfully, to accept the tea that the vendor will no doubt offer you, and to treat the entire experience as a cultural one. In other words, do not view haggling as a fight to be the lowest bidder, but rather as a way to arrive at a fair price that both you and the vendor will be happy with.
What percentage should I offer when haggling in Marrakech?
30-40% for items that have 200-400% markups is a reasonable place to start. For items such as spices, oils, etc. that have much smaller markups you can start at 70-80% of the asking price. It is rare for a customer to get the asking price for a product, so be prepared to negotiate. The average that a tourist pays for items is 40-50% of the initial asking price for touristy type items, 75-85% for items such as consumables. The price will vary greatly from stall to stall depending on the location of the stall, the business model of the vendor, and whether or not the item is unique. Items made by hand by an artisan in a workshop are worth paying more for then similar items made by mass production in a retail type of stall. The percentages above are only a rough guide to what a reasonable starting point would be. The most important factor is the vendors attitude and whether or not you feel the vendor is being honest with you. Also consider the quality of the items the vendor is selling and whether or not the vendor is a direct craftsman or a middleman.
Should you walk away during haggling in Marrakech?
After initial research on Haggling in the Souks of Morocco, I found that it is a generally acceptable practice. And in many cases, expected. As stated before, I found that the biggest clue was the opening quote. If you pay the first price quoted, the vendor might be very happy, and think that they got a great profit from you. However, the vendor would also know that you were not very aware of the real prices of the products that you were purchasing in the Moroccan souks, and, thus, would not be a very good or informed customer in the future. In some cases, this might not be a problem, but in most cases, it would be. And so, it is good to do some research before you start haggling in the souks, to have a basis of what the fair prices are for the things that you are interested in purchasing. After you have opened negotiations, the vendor will usually continue to negotiate with you until you have reached a price that you are both happy with. It is also common practice for vendors to continue to try to sell things to you even after you have left their stand. As stated before, this does not necessarily mean that they do not want to sell you the item anymore, but rather that they are trying to make the best deal possible. Also, as stated before, if you are purchasing from a workshop, then it is better to haggle less, because the items are generally of higher quality, and you would be rewarding an honest craftsman for his work. If you are purchasing from a retailer, then haggling more is acceptable. But, in any case, do not haggle just for the sake of haggling. There has to be some basis for it. And, also, be respectful of the vendors. Remember that they are just trying to make a living. And so, with all of that being said, here is a list of tips that will help you to haggle in the Marrakech souks.
The art of haggling in a souk is a delicate one. It’s not exactly easy to tell what price you should pay for something when you’ve been given a completely inflated starting price and you have absolutely no idea how much this item would cost in a normal shop. Most tourists find it best to settle on the first price that they are quoted for an item, even though they have been taken for a ride. And then there are the more adventurous tourists who like to really negotiate the price of an item down to the lowest possible price. But there is a fine line between negotiating and being really rude, and some tourists cross that line without even realizing it.
References
[1] National Geographic – Cultural guide to Moroccan souks and traditional market practices, including regional variations in haggling customs and vendor-customer relationships in North African bazaars.
[2] Journal of Consumer Research – The article examines cross-cultural negotiation tactics and the pricing psychology in traditional markets, and how the consumers’ and sellers’ cultural expectations shape their bargaining behaviors and outcomes.
[3] Lonely Planet Morocco – full travel guide with detailed sections on souk etiquette, typical price ranges for common items, and regional differences in market culture across Moroccan cities.
[4] The Anthropology of Markets- Research on traditional bazaar economics and the social functions of haggling in Middle Eastern and North African commercial spaces, including Morocco’s historic souks.
[5] Travel + Leisure – Contemporary travel journalism covering Moroccan market experiences, vendor perspectives, and evolving dynamics between traditional haggling practices and modern tourism expectations.
Maya Calderon reviewed this article. Maya’s experience along the route, information about the gear and trail logistics, was all accurate for this traveler.
Editor’s note: The full article was reviewed by primary sources, official travel statistics and by traveler interviews when applicable. Prices, route information and conditions were checked for accuracy before publication. If you notice any inaccuracies or have suggestions, please inform us through our Contact page. For the full review process see our Editorial Standards and Fact-Checking Policy.
