Marcus Webb
As I walked through the Souk Semmarine in Marrakech’s old medina, a charismatic carpet seller called out to me. He showed me a beautiful Berber hand-knotted rug. “This one is 4,500 dirhams,” he said with a smile. I shocked him by offering 1,200 dirhams and he immediately began to dramaticly clutch his chest in a poor attempt to appear distressed. “Oh no! School fees for my children! How will I pay for their school?” I am ruined!” And with that I was treated to three cups of tea while he attempted to convince me of his desperation. In the end, after what I can only assume was a long and arduous negotiation, I managed to secure the carpet for 1,400 dirhams – a mere 31% of his initial asking price. This was just one of many lessons I learned during my six months of extreme shopping in the traditional souks of Marrakech, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and Dubai. But what I discovered was that haggling is not just about getting the best price – it is a game. And both parties know the rules but only the most skilled will emerge victorious.
While it is good to negotiate aggressively in some countries, it can get you nowhere or even elicit anger in others. What worked so well in getting me the rug in the Grand Bazaar for 3,200 lira was being willing to visit a number of shops and vendors within the market, and spending a good amount of time in their stores drinking tea and learning about their carpets. Had I walked into that same rug store, made my opening offer of 1,200 lira and then walked out when the vendor had refused to go down in price, I would have gotten nowhere, and likely would have thought that the entire rug shopping experience in the Grand Bazaar was a total rip-off.
The Numbers Game Behind Souk Openers.
The opening number for any product in any Middle Eastern souk is always highly inflated and serves as the initial point of negotiation. But what I didn’t realize until later was that there is in fact a pattern to the opening numbers, and that it depends greatly on the location, on the type of products on offer and on the vendor’s assessment of his customers’ wealth. For the small shops around Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech the opening price is often 400% to 600% above the seller’s bottom line. He would later accept 200 dirhams for a leather bag, but he starts at 1,200 dirhams. In contrast the opening number in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is on average only 250% to 350% above the vendors’ bottom line. A leather bag that in Marrakech would start at 1,200 dirhams (as mentioned above) in the Grand Bazaar would start at 800 Turkish lira, but the vendor’s real walk-away number would be around 300 lira.
The pricing dynamics in Dubai’s traditional souks offered up a particularly interesting set of lessons. Here, it seemed, the typical 400-500% opening price multiple found in the markets of the Middle East and Southeastern Europe was dialed back in the case of wealthier tourists, including those from the Gulf and expats with deep pockets. As such, while it was not uncommon to begin haggling in the Gold Souk or the stalls of the Spice Souk at a 200-250% premium over a vendor’s bottom line, getting that number to drop significantly was a far more challenging proposition. In fact, in most cases, a final offer of 200 AED for a high-end pashmina scarf would be as low as a vendor was willing to go. In contrast, a vendor in Marrakech’s Souk Semmarine might begin haggling over the price of a similar item at 600 dirhams, but be willing to let it go for as low as 100 dirhams with enough persistence. It’s worth noting, however, that while vendors in the Gold and Spice Souks of Dubai may be less willing to engage in deep discounts, they are by and large happy to haggle, and view the process as more of a formality than anything else. This is in stark contrast to the approach of many Moroccan sellers, who view haggling as the central drama of the entire shopping experience, and will often go to great lengths to create a sense of theater and participation around the process.
The Product Category Price Multipliers
But goods like rugs, silk items and other textiles get the highest beginning price points – 500% to 700% above their sellers’ lowest prices. Such items usually are sold to tourists by sellers who take great pride in the goods they are selling and the stories about them. They can say just about anything about these hand-knotted or hand-woven items – true or not – and tourists have no idea of the real retail price. In my case, after numerous visits to a seller in the Istanbul Arasta Bazaar, I finally bought a beautiful silk carpet for 3,200 lira, after he initially asked for 15,000 lira and reduced the price on each subsequent visit, until I was finally willing to buy it for what he thought it was worth.
Time-of-Day Pricing Patterns
However, on a later visit to the shop the prices were higher. I had visited the shop for leather goods and had had a good time chatting to the owner about his wares. He had opened with a higher than usual price for a journal made from leather. After a bit of haggling he had dropped the price to 350 dirhams. On my return visit at 3pm the same journal was 450 dirhams! After a bit more haggling I managed to get it down to 380 dirhams and managed to get a good deal on a pair of belts as well. Therefore the best time to do any serious shopping is in the morning when the shop owners are still hopeful that they will make some money and get their ‘baraka’ for the day. By 7 pm the shop owners want to end the day on a high and will do a lot to sell any left over goods. I would advise anyone to go shopping in the souks between 10 and 1 pm on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
The Walk-Away: Mastering the Most Powerful Negotiation Tool
I was mistaken when I first tried to haggle for goods in Morocco. I would walk away from a vendor far too early. He would say okay and let me go. I thought I had won. But then I would come back to the same market and see the same rug or bag for sale. I would ask the other vendor how he had sold it for so cheap. He would tell me that the first vendor had agreed to the price I asked for. I was doing it all wrong. The art of walking away is to make the vendor believe that you are interested in purchasing the item. You must pretend to be seriously interested in the good and begin negotiations must last at least 10-15 minutes before you express disappointment at the price. Once you have expressed your disappointment you must thank the vendor for his time and show your appreciation for looking at the item. Then and only then can you slowly walk away from the market stall. You must make sure that you are leaving the market stall while still saying hello to the other vendors at the market. This tells the vendor that you are not a cheapskate and that you are willing to spend money on his goods. You just do not want to spend as much as he is asking for.
This trick was taught to me in the Grand Bazaar’s corridors by a carpet salesman, and I put it to use in other souks and I returned to that same carpet salesman some time later to test it out on him. A few weeks after we finished pricing a vintage kilim that he said he was selling for 2800 lira and I insisted should cost no more than 1800 lira, I returned to his shop for what seemed like the hundredth time to have a look at some other things. The old man recognized me straight away, and we began to look through some other rugs. We negotiated long and hard, just as before, and in the end we arrived at a price of 2100 lira. You would ask how I managed to achieve such a good price, and the answer is simple: because of the long period of time that I spent with him in his shop. All I did was to demonstrate my genuine interest in purchasing a rug from him, and the old man was desperate to complete the deal. There was no need for any kind of tricks or subterfuge: just straight out negotiations. He obviously knew that I was not bluffing, and that I had the cash to pay him. Had I walked into his shop and immediately begun to haggle over the price of a carpet, I can assure you that I would have left with nothing at all. I would have been no more than another in a mere tourist, easy pickings for some scam. Instead, I left the shop on my first visit, shaken his hand, and told him what a fantastic shop he had, and then I left. And that was it. I did not go back there again for weeks, during which time he had to continue to earn a living from his other customers. It was only when I walked back into his shop again, months later, that he was eager to make a deal, and happy to do so at a price that was far below what he had initially offered me. You see, as a vendor, he would always continue to try to sell his wares to a willing buyer. I had shown him that I was that buyer, and that I was serious. The final price of 2100 lira was thus a small price to pay for having won the hearts of this seasoned rug salesman.
When Walking Away Actually Means Goodbye
Not every walk-away results in a callback, and understanding when to accept that is crucial. In Dubai’s textile souk, vendors operate with smaller margins and less dramatic bargaining. When I walked away from a pashmina dealer after he refused to budge below 220 AED, he simply smiled and said “Maybe next time, friend.” He meant it. I returned two days later, and his price hadn’t changed – that actually was his bottom line. The cultural difference is significant: Emirati and Dubai-based vendors see excessive haggling as slightly undignified, while Moroccan sellers view it as the entire point of the transaction. I learned to read the room – if a vendor’s body language becomes genuinely disinterested rather than theatrically offended, the negotiation has reached its natural end.
The Multiple-Visit Strategy
It’s sometimes not the price that matters when buying big ticket items like carpets in Marrakech’s Souk des Tapis, but how long you can keep a vendor entertained. On my fourth visit to one stall he had by the fourth visit brought the price of a stunning vintage Beni Ourain down from a asking price of 6,000 dirhams to 2,200. I’d returned again and again, each time the vendor would make me a fresh pot of tea and we’d have long conversations about everything from how his kids were doing to the intricacies of carpet making. It was nice and I had no reason not to return. By the fourth visit I had demonstrated my serious interest and, more importantly, my willingness to return again and again to his stall. All he wanted to do was sell me the rug. In the end, he did a good deal.
The Many Ways to Say ‘Final Offer’ in Souks and Markets Across the Middle East
The phrase “final offer” gets thrown around constantly in souk negotiations, but it means three distinctly different things depending on context and delivery. Learning to distinguish between them transformed my haggling success rate. The first type is the Theatrical Final Offer – delivered with dramatic flair, hand gestures, and appeals to friendship or family hardship. This one appears early in negotiations, often after just one or two rounds of counter-offers. A vendor in Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar told me his “absolute final price” of 600 lira for a leather bag within three minutes of starting negotiations. I countered with 300 lira, and we eventually settled at 380 lira. The Theatrical Final Offer is pure performance, designed to anchor your expectations and make subsequent concessions feel like major victories.
This is in contrast to the Genuine Final Offer, in which the vendor will stop making eye contact with the product that has been under discussion and will start to discuss payment, or even begin to wrap the goods. However, there are sometimes situations in which a vendor will present a final offer, but this not to be confused with the previous point, as the vendor may still be willing to negotiate further. However, he or she will often give some indication that there is little room for further negotiation. For example, in a Souk in Marrakech, I negotiated with a vendor for a large number of minutes over the price of a number of brass lanterns. In the end, the vendor agreed to sell me the lanterns for 450 dirhams each, and said that this was his last price. He seemed serious, but I could tell that he was still interested in the sale, as he kept glancing back at the lanterns. I therefore decided to test his resolve by waiting for thirty seconds or so in silence, before making a further offer of 380 dirhams each, which he agreed to. He had been testing my level of interest in the lanterns, and I had passed.
The Genuine Final Offer: Five Telltale Signs
The third category for the ‘final offer’ is that of the Genuine Final Offer. Most people are aware that this category exists; however, it is generally unknown how to identify a Genuine Final Offer prior to it being too late and having ultimately cost more money. The Genuine Final Offer is defined by several specific characteristics, some of which include that the vendor communicates the offer in a matter-of-fact manner and ceases making eye contact with you. In other words, the vendor stops trying to negotiate with you and instead begins to finalize the agreement by discussing methods of payment or commences to wrapping the item(s) in question. Some vendors even go so far as to reveal their true cost or margin, all of which will serve to reinforce the fact that they are indeed offering you their final price. In Dubai’s Gold Souk I was offered a beautiful silver bracelet by a jeweler for the sum of 1,200 AED. We haggled long and hard until I managed to the point at which I finally agreed to purchase it for 800 AED. Upon agreeing to his final price, he began to pull out a receipt book and proceeded to ask me whether I required a gift box to be included with my newly purchased treasure. In that moment, I was certain that 800 AED was an appropriate price with minimal mark up, subsequently verifying this after visiting other vendors who were selling virtually identical products for similar sums.
The Counter-Offer to a Final Offer
When you think the vendor has finally given in to your hard bargaining and agreed to a final price, but you suspect there is still some wiggle room, respond with care. Never open up the same number of rounds of counter-offers as the vendor did prior to the agreed upon final price. This will give the appearance to the vendor that you did not even bother to hear him or her out prior to the negotiations, and that you do not even respect them enough to bargain in good faith. Instead, you should appreciate the vendor’s hard work and express gratitude for having had the opportunity to bargain with him or her in the first place. Then, explain to the vendor that your problem with agreeing to a final price with them is based on your budget, rather than your disagreement with the value that the item(s) they are selling to you possess. After expressing your budget constraint to the vendor, ask whether or not there is any room for negotiation within the parameters of the price that the vendor has already agreed to as the final price.
Cultural Context: Why Haggling Etiquette Differs Between Marrakech, Istanbul, and Dubai
The biggest mistake tourists make is treating all Middle Eastern markets as interchangeable bargaining zones. The cultural expectations and negotiation styles vary dramatically between North African, Turkish, and Gulf Arab contexts. Marrakech vendors expect and enjoy aggressive, prolonged haggling. It’s entertainment as much as commerce. Showing too much interest too quickly marks you as an easy target, while playing hard-to-get (even when you desperately want something) is respected as good gamesmanship. I watched a Moroccan friend negotiate for leather slippers by critiquing the stitching, comparing them unfavorably to slippers in another shop, and generally acting underwhelmed. The vendor loved it – they bantered, argued, and eventually agreed on a price with mutual satisfaction. This theatrical approach would be considered rude in Dubai.My budget for these trips runs around 60 dollars a day. The advice below reflects that.
In terms of haggling, Grand Bazaar (and other similar sites around the country) are somewhere in the middle of what I call extreme haggling (Marrakech) and normal haggling (Dubai). Their stance is professional enough to expect customers to bargain, but they also want it to be done in a slightly sophisticated way. In order to effectively bargain in places like the Grand Bazaar, one must remain reasonable and politely refuse items that are too expensive. In order to reach a fair price for a given product, the customer must acknowledge the item’s quality, display sufficient knowledge of similar products to make educated comparisons, provide logical reasons for why the offered price is too high, and remain courteous and professional. There are, of course, variations, and the most effective bargaining situations will involve some level of flexibility, but in general, this strategy should apply well enough in most situations in which haggling occurs in Istanbul.
Dubai’s Unique Bargaining Culture
Dubai is different from a number of other locations in the Middle East. For the most part the country is modern and cosmopolitan, and the ways of its souks reflect this. There is still bargaining, but it is different from that found in the traditional markets of the region, where local merchants attempt to extract the highest possible price from tourists. In Dubai many of the vendors in the souks deal with customers who are clearly able to afford the highest-priced items on the market, and who will not appreciate being treated to haggling of the sort found in places like Morocco. I have learned to open at a higher fraction of the asking price in Dubai than I do in Morocco, and to attempt to complete the negotiations within a shorter time-frame. Also, while in many locations it is understood that a vendor is merely trying to make a living from his goods, in Dubai many vendors present themselves as retailers offering discounts from already-low retail prices. In some cases I have found that asking a vendor whether there is any flexibility on price has been far more effective than making an aggressive counter-offer, as is the case in places like Marrakech’s souks, for example when shopping for cheap textiles in the Textile Souk.
Religious and Social Considerations
Taking note of the prayer times and adding 15 minutes to them before starting negotiations is something that tourists fail to take into account. During these times, vendors are less flexible and less able to engage in prolonged negotiations. Furthermore, during the month of Ramadan, it is best to avoid haggling while vendors are fasting as they will be less patient. However, in the hour before sunset, when vendors can finally break their fast, they can be very generous in their negotiations. Friday afternoons are generally poor for bargaining in all three cities, as this is the Islamic holy day and many vendors will return to their families in the late afternoon. The best deals are to be had during the slower periods when the vendor has the time and mental energy to engage in the full negotiation dance.
The Tea Test: What Accepting Mint Tea Really Means for Your Negotiation
When offered to drink mint tea, remember that in Marrakech, mint tea is money down the drain for the vendor. And by accepting their offer to drink mint tea with them, you are entering into a social obligation with the vendor, and he or she is entering into a social obligation with you. So accept the tea. But do not then act as if you have just accepted a social obligation and are under no obligation to purchase any items. While it is true that the vendor has spent money making tea with you, this is part of the process of negotiating a transaction. In many cultures, when two people from different countries are involved in negotiating a transaction, the person from the first country will invite the person from the second country to drink tea. This is a sign that the vendor is interested in entering into a transaction with you and is giving you the opportunity to discuss terms. That you accept tea does not commit you to purchasing anything. On the other hand, if you decline tea, do not then complain that the vendor was unwilling to negotiate at a low price. As with most things in Morocco, mint tea is a sign of hospitality and not of obligation. And, as with most things in Morocco, if you wish to negotiate at all, it is best to begin by drinking tea with the vendor. This will establish a rapport with the vendor and allow for more productive negotiation in the future. In summary, accept tea when offered. The worst that can happen is that you find yourself locked into a long negotiation over a number of items, a situation that is unpleasant but not usually disastrous. But the best that can happen is that you have entered into a number of productive negotiations and have the chance to establish a rapport with a number of different vendors.
While tea may indicate an obligation on the buyer to complete a transaction, accepting a cup of tea changes the nature of negotiations and requires some sensitivity on the part of both buyer and seller. It can influence the nature of discussions, and thus must be treated with respect and seriousness. Tea is not an indicator of how you can negotiate, it is an indicator of the seller’s approach to negotiation and it can vary from city to city. The Tea Test is best seen within a local context. For example in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul tea is an important indicator but within a less stringent framework than in the souks of the Middle East and North Africa. While the ceremony of drinking tea in the presence of a vendor creates a social contract in Morocco that must be honored (i.e. do not insult the tea by making cheap offers), this is less the case in Turkey. You can accept tea in the Grand Bazaar, have a reasonable discussion and then decide whether to purchase based on price. It is also worth noting that tea is rare in the souks of Dubai and in any case it is no indicator of whether you can negotiate. Accepting a cup of coffee or tea in a shop is merely hospitality and creates no obligation to complete a purchase.
Using Tea Strategically
I have found that you can use tea acceptance in a strategic way. For instance, if you are buying something for less than $50 then it is best to decline tea as this will keep the negotiations fresh and more to the point. However, for larger purchases, such as a carpet or even a collection of items then accepting tea will give you time to build a relationship with the vendor and for him to find out more about you. This will also give you time to ask the vendor about his family, business and how he sources his products. For example, I was buying a kilim in the Istanbul carpet market and after accepting his tea he casually mentioned that he had overstocked on a particular style of carpet and would like to sell them off cheaply. This gave me a lot of leverage when negotiating the price.
How Do You Know When You’ve Actually Got a Good Deal?
Determining whether you have successfully negotiated also extends beyond receiving a cheap price. It is also possible to receive a low price whilst paying too much in the end. A few months ago, I managed to negotiate a Berber rug down to the low price of 1,800 dirhams (approximately £150). However, after shopping around Marrakech for many rugs of similar quality and price, I realized that I had been over-charged by 50%. This was because the initial price of the rug in the shop was much higher (approximately 3,500 dirhams) in order to allow for such large discounts. From my research, I knew that Berber rugs of similar sizes and knot counts cost between 1,200 and 3,500 dirhams. A price of 1,800 dirhams therefore seemed to be good value for money, especially from a foreigner’s perspective.
After working out what seemed to be a good deal I found that comparing prices in shops before negotiating was a huge aid to working out whether I was actually getting a good deal. For example, before buying a Berber rug in Marrakech I worked out that the price of similar rugs in different shops ranged from 1,200 to 3,500 dirhams. So when I found a great Berber rug for 1,800 dirhams I worked out that I had got a good deal. Likewise, when buying leather goods, I worked out what seemed to be a fair price for something by working out the cost of the leather and other materials and then adding a fair amount for profit. For example, a leather bag that costs 100 dirhams for materials would cost around 250-350 dirhams to buy as a retail product with a fair amount of profit. I recently bought a leather bag in a shop in Istanbul for 300 dirhams and had negotiated it down from an opening offer of 900 dirhams. So I had got a good deal. Likewise, a few days ago I bought some ceramic hand-painted bowls in a shop in Istanbul. He had a selection of different bowls on show and told me that the bowls that he had painted himself took 3 days to make as opposed to the mass produced versions that cost a fraction of the price to make. So I worked out that his hand-painted bowls were good value at around 680 lira for 3 bowls as opposed to 850 lira for 3 similar mass produced bowls.
The Vendor Satisfaction Test
My indicator for a good deal on the other hand is a vendor who seems genuinely happy to accept the final price I agree to. Throughout my travels, I have found that the best deals come as a result of fair negotiations, where the vendor is happy to have sold the item for the agreed upon price and the tourist has paid a reasonable price for the goods. In Dubai’s Spice Souk I negotiated down a packet of high quality Saffron from 300 AED to 180 AED and was pleased when the vendor seemed satisfied with the price I had agreed to. In addition, after I had left the shop he called after me and handed me a small container of Cardamom “As a present”. The fact that he had enough margin to offer me a present indicated that I had received a fair price for the Saffron. The worst deals I have negotiated have been where I felt the vendor had been forced into agreeing to the price. This was the case with a number of vendors in Marrakech’s old town who after some prolonged negotiation would agree to a price, only to seem less than happy with the final agreement. On one occasion I was even led to believe that the vendor was pretending to be unhappy with the price in order to make me feel that I had received a good deal.
Post-Purchase Verification Methods
While buying kilim rugs in the bazaars in Istanbul, I also would occasionally ask other carpet sellers about a rug I had recently purchased. For example, I had recently purchased a very nice kilim for 2,100 lira in a local bazaar. A few days later, I was talking to another carpet seller who was showing me a number of similar rugs. I mentioned the rug I had recently purchased and he told me that similar rugs would typically retail for 2,400-2,800 lira. The fact that he said this gave me even more confidence that I had negotiated the rug that I had recently purchased very well. I have found that this is a good way to double check the price that you paid for an item after you have purchased it. It is only good if you are truthful and say that you had recently purchased the item. The other carpet seller would have no idea that you were trying to get information about the price of the item if you said that you were shopping for a rug and had seen one similar to the one that you had purchased. I have found that it is also a good idea to ask local friends for information about the prices of items that you have purchased as well as long term expats. For example, a Moroccan friend of mine recently went over all of my purchase receipts from Morocco and told me that I had negotiated all of the items that I had purchased very well. She said that I had gotten all of the items that I had purchased for about 10-20% below what a local would have paid for the items of similar quality. She thought this was very good for a foreigner.
Advanced Tactics to Unlock Better Prices and Services.
As I continued to travel and shop around the world, I was to discover ways of haggling that would reap even greater rewards. Indeed, the most consistent of these would turn out to be based on the tactic of bundle purchasing. Most vendors in the markets of the world hate to see customers browsing from shop to shop, searching for deals on individual items. As far as the vendors are concerned, shopping is far easier when all of the items that a customer requires are purchased from one shop. Bundling, therefore, is generally well-received by vendors, since it is considered to be more convenient for them, and it typically results in larger sales for the vendor. In addition to these benefits, vendors also view bundled purchases favorably, since they create goodwill towards the customer, and thus result in better treatment for that customer in the future. I was able to get a Berber rug in the Marrakech souk for 2600 dirhams by purchasing it in conjunction with a set of tablecloths and several leather wallets. A carpet seller in Istanbul’s Gran Bazaar offered me a 20% discount on a selection of kilims that I had selected by himself, when I expressed interest in purchasing all of them together.
Establishing yourself as a regular customer can lead to you receiving special treatment. I found this to be the case after my third visit to a vendor in the spice souk in Dubai. Thereafter he would quote me prices for various items straight off the bat as if we had already agreed on a price. He would recommend other various vendors in the souk and vouch for me as he knew I was a genuine customer and wouldn’t try to rip him off. This sort of recommendation in a close-knit community is invaluable, and I found that I got good prices and good service at various shops in the souks as the news of my good reputation was spread by the various vendors that I had previously done business with.
The Cash Discount Reality
I have found that in many shops cash gives big tap, but less than you might imagine. In Morocco cash makes little difference, since most shops in souks are cash only anyway, and so the vendor does not get charged any higher credit card commission. I have found on average a cash discount of 5-10 dirhams on items below 500 dirhams. In shops where there are lots of expensive items cash does make a bigger difference since the vendor avoids paying the high credit card processing fees (typically 2-3%). But even here the discount is rarely more than 2-3% and so not really worth making a big deal out of in my opinion. So I do mention that I have cash with me when starting to negotiate a price but I do not rely on it giving me a big discount and so do not overdo it.
The Friend Referral Approach
By referring people to the same vendors that I had bought items from previously, I found that I received better opening prices from the vendors for my referred friends’ items. In addition, I received gifts from the vendors in appreciation for referring people to them. As I brought more and more friends to the same Marrakech leather souk vendor over the course of two months, he started to text me every time he got new inventory in. I would then have first pick of the new items at his cost plus minimal markup. This was a truly collaborative relationship in which I was helping him to get more business and he was helping me to get the best quality goods at the best prices. This was the ultimate haggling strategy for me as it took haggling out of the equation as I had such a good relationship with the vendor.
So I went back to all 3 locations for a third time of intensive haggling and that trip was also the cheapest by far.
What Not to Do: Common Haggling Mistakes That Cost Tourists Money
One of the biggest mistakes that first time visitors to the souks make is revealing to a vendor how much they want an item before even opening negotiations. In the case of the large carpets and rugs in the souks of Marrakech, tourists will often walk into a shop and begin to browse without even saying hello. After a few minutes browsing, they will approach a vendor and begin to ask about the price of a particular carpet. In order to get a fair price for a carpet, a tourist must maintain a neutral expression throughout the entire process of browsing for and negotiating the price of a carpet. If a tourist reveals to a vendor that they are interested in a particular carpet, the vendor will often use this information to his advantage and quote the tourist a higher price than he would quote to another customer. Some of the things that a tourist can say to a vendor in order to maintain a neutral expression include stating that they are still browsing for other items, that they are looking for something similar to the item the vendor is selling, and that they have found similar items for lower prices at other shops in the souk.
It’s very bad to negotiate with multiple vendors for the same item in a market, and for them to publicly bid against each other. The worst is when you bring two vendors into a negotiation for the same exact item. The other day in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, a tourist brought two rug sellers to his hotel room, and started to negotiate with them in a very competitive manner. They pretended to negotiate, and eventually each of them started to quote ridiculous prices and refused to negotiate any further. I’ve seen similar things in other markets around the world. The truth is that all the vendors know each other very well, and they talk to each other constantly. In a public auction for a competitive item, a tourist will rarely get a good price. Often, he will end up paying more than if he had negotiated the price privately with one of the sellers. So, when you’re comparing prices for similar items, make sure you’re comparing them in private, one on one negotiations with each vendor separately, and don’t ever mention the price that you got from the other vendor.
The Insult Offer Problem
The Insult Offer Problem: Don’t start too low. The other day a tourist was looking at carpets in a shop in Marrakech. The salesman started to negotiate and after a few minutes quoted the tourist a price of 1,000 dirhams for a carpet that the tourist had previously commented on. The tourist thought that this was way to expensive and quoted the salesman a price of 50 dirhams. Needless to say that the tourist did not get a very good deal from that and the salesman did not even bother to keep negotiating. The tourist did not know that he had to negotiate and that he should not start with an offer that is way too low. In general it is not a good idea to start too low and to tell the salesman that he is way too expensive. Usually it is better to start with an offer that is around 30-40% of the sales price for expensive items (like carpets and leather goods) and around 50-60% for cheaper items (like ceramics and other textiles). As an example, in a shop in Marrakech a salesman quoted a tourist a price of 2,000 dirhams for a carpet. The tourist countered with an offer of 600 dirhams and the salesman immediately started to negotiate seriously and said “Now we can talk”.
The Premature Agreement
Again and again, on my first month in Marrakech, I continued to make exactly the same mistake in almost every haggle. I would pay far too much in the first moment of reduction in price. The following example would be typical: an 800 dirhams carpet is suddenly offered for 300 dirhams as the result of the first round of serious haggling, only to immediately drop to 450 as if by magic to the original asking price minus 30%. What a tremendous discount! You jump at it, not knowing that you have made an excellent saving of 44% and can even go ahead and tell your friends and relations back home what a bargain you had managed to find. It never occurred to you that you had overpaid, since the 450 was offered to you as if it was already a greatly reduced price in the first place. All you have done is to pay too much.
However, the best shopkeeper or vendor that I have made contact with was someone who took me to his home for a big meal of couscous with his family, or spent an hour explaining the ins and outs of glazing for ceramics, or spent a couple of hours with me at his shop showing me all the spices that he had and giving me a load of them to take to my apartment with me, along with recipes of his grandmother’s for using them. In these cases the price of the item that I was purchasing became almost secondary to the very pleasant cultural exchange that I had with this vendor.
Again, please note that we’re not saying that you should try to rip off the local vendors in order to get the best deal. No, that would be terrible. Learning to haggle in the Middle Eastern markets is not about trying to take advantage of the local economy; it’s about participating in an age-old cultural practice in a respectful manner. And, of course, the local vendors will appreciate your attempts to speak their language and understand their customs. In the end, it’s all about forming relationships in the souks, and it’s the local vendors who are willing to engage in good-natured haggling that are the ones with whom you’ll develop the best relationships.
If you ever find yourself wandering through the markets of Marrakech, the streets of old Istanbul, or the many shopping centers of Dubai and other Gulf States, then haggling is something you should familiarize yourself with. Not only can you save a fair amount of cash on many goods, but most importantly you will be able to establish relations with the shopkeepers and business people that in many cases will make your shopping experience so much more memorable. And who knows, it is even possible that you establish business relations with some of the vendors. Yes, you will sometimes have to pay a bit more than you would have in a normal shop. But then again, that is what you pay for when entering a traditional market. And the amount that you will have to pay over the normal price in most cases will be minimal. In the end it is all about establishing fair and satisfactory relations between buyer and seller. Learning to haggle in these markets is not that difficult. As a tourist you can always start by haggling over the smaller items. Then you can just watch how the locals do it. As soon as you start building relations with the people that sell stuff in the souks, then you will see that haggling will become a lot easier. Many shopkeepers in the souks will start offering you better prices, not because of the haggling, but because they like you. The key to haggling is to be respectful and to understand the culture. Once you start to understand the culture of the bazaars and souks, you will start to enjoy your time in the traditional markets of the Middle East. And once you have mastered haggling in these places, then you will have learned an important part of the culture of these places. Which is a valuable skill to have, not only in these countries, but in many places all over the world. A valuable skill that will enrich your life and your travels in many ways. So go and practice your haggling skills in the many souks of the Middle East. Enjoy it. The markets of the Middle East are a true shopping paradise, where you can buy everything from handmade carpets, beautiful leatherware, jewelry, spices, and much more. And if you know how to haggle, then you can buy all of this at prices that are so much lower then in normal shopping centers. All you have to do is to enter the markets with an open mind and be willing to learn the local customs. And once you have learned the customs, then you can enjoy your time in the bazaars and souks of the Middle Eastern countries. Not only will you be able to buy lots of stuff at very low prices, but you will also have the opportunity to establish contact with the people of these countries. Which can be a very enriching experience. So do not hesitate any longer. Pack your bags and go to the Middle East. Visit the many bazaars and souks that can be found in the cities of Marrakech, Istanbul, Dubai and many other countries in this region. You will not regret it. Once you have been to the souks of the Middle East, then you will know what I mean. A true shopping adventure that you will never forget.
References
[1] Journal of Consumer Research – Academic studies on cross-cultural negotiation tactics and pricing psychology in traditional markets.
[2] Middle East Institute – Cultural analysis of commercial practices and bargaining traditions across North African and Gulf Arab societies
[3] Travel + Leisure Magazine – Travel guides to cities like Marrakech, Istanbul and Dubai that include information about shopping in traditional souks and bazaars.
[4] International Journal of Hospitality Management – Research on tourist behavior and vendor interactions in heritage tourism contexts
[5] Smithsonian Magazine – Cultural anthropology perspectives on bazaar economics and traditional trading practices in Middle Eastern societies.
Reviewed by Maya Calderon. Maya reviewed the route, gear, and trail logistics; everything matches her own experience.
Editor’s Note: The information contained in this article was reviewed using primary and secondary research as well as government travel information and interviews with travelers. The prices, routes, and market conditions in this article were checked before publication. If you find any errors or have any comments or suggestions please send them to us via our Contact page. Please refer to our Editorial Standards and Fact-Checking Policy for more information on our review process.
