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AIBU?

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Original poster

Do you think it’s rude to haggle on price?

41 replies

Rainbowsoup · 12/08/2020 22:14

In regards to items on sale on Facebook marketplace/gumtree/Shpock type places.

YABU- it’s not rude
YANBU- it’s rude

OP posts:
TweetUsOnFacebook · 12/08/2020 22:20

Not rude but I wouldn't take the piss if it was fairly priced. I'm more likely to haggle do it if I wanted two or more items from the same seller. It's just like a car boot sale.

Sirzy · 12/08/2020 22:22

I would always expect a bit of haggling on something like that.

We recently listed an item for £300, got offered 240, settled at £270 which is about what we expected

OneMoreLight · 12/08/2020 22:25

It's not rude if it's by message when an item is advertised. I'd just say no, or I'd let them know if there was an amount is be willing to take.

It's rude to agree a price and then turn up and try and haggle, unless the item is in poorer condition than advertised.

We've bought and sold a couple of the things on gumtree in the last couple of weeks. No haggling involved.

Serin · 12/08/2020 22:40

Of course not, I'd expect it TBH.
Rude is if you haggle on the bus or in a hotel or restaurant!
My husband asked for a discount on my engagement ring (independent jewellers) and got it reduced by £500. That's taking it too far!!

TrickyKid · 12/08/2020 22:44

Not rude I'd done politely. I've only just started using FB market place and my God there are some rude people.

CyberNan · 12/08/2020 22:48

I feel very uncomfortable haggling about money... if someone asks a certain price and I think it is too much, then I don't buy it...

dwiz8 · 12/08/2020 23:12

Yanbu

I never buy off market place without at least trying an offer

And when selling I price at a level where I can accept some negotiation

Only thing I find cheeky is when they try to haggle. You play the game and settle in the middle then still try and push for their original lower price when they come and collect. Had that a few times and as I was home alone and they were male buyers at some points I felt very intimidated Blush

Yeahnahmum · 12/08/2020 23:16

Its rude to your own wallet if you dont haggle 😅

Bibijayne · 12/08/2020 23:17

Haggling, no. Unless it says form price. Low balling... A bit rude,yes.

Nothingwillcomeofnothing · 12/08/2020 23:31

I don’t think it’s rude, haggling is always worth a chance, as long as you take it in good spirits if your “ haggle” is refused.

Wiltinglillies · 12/08/2020 23:44

Haggling is fine as long as it's polite and before you've agreed a price or before the end of an auction.
I've only found it rude once: Someone 'won' the auction for my bike. The auction ended at a bad time, like Wednesday morning or something do It was a really low price.
The guy turned up and immediately started trying to aggressively haggle saying I had to knock money off as he was paying cash. We asked him to leave. A few minutes later he sheepishly knocked on the door and apologised and paid the correct price.

BackforGood · 12/08/2020 23:52

A polite "Would you take £X" with a slightly lower offer is fair.

"I'll give you £Y" is rude
"Will you take £Z" when z is half price or less than the asking is rude
Making up a sob story is rude.
Asking the person to deliver is rude.

Like most things, it is more the tone than the actual request to lower the price a bit.

I mean, I hate haggling personally, I'd rather people named the expected price and you chose to pay it or not, like in a shop, but I understand t is part of selling second hand.

Emeraldshamrock · 12/08/2020 23:57

It depends.
I'm not really a haggle'r if it is a new item or the price is fair I offer the price. It embarrasses me for some reason.
Dsis will not buy without a haggle usually an unreasonable one. It is probably is why she is rich & I'm often broke

Hingeandbracket · 13/08/2020 00:01

One time I did think it was rude was when I heard two women being pretty aggressive about it in a charity shop.

MinnieJackson · 13/08/2020 00:15

Haggling gives me real anxiety from childhood trips to Greece and tunisia. People just used to just put stuff in our hands, we'd try and give it back and they wouldn't let us, then chase after us running saying we were thiefs!

KeepingPlain · 13/08/2020 00:54

It's sometimes not rude.

I have had people bragging to me though about their homes, cars, boats etc and then try to haggle on price. I usually end up standing there silently questioning how someone so stupid got that much money to buy that amount of stuff. But it never has me lowering the price. Grin How difficult is it to lie?! Not difficult at all, at least come up with some kind of sob story that's semi believable. Not brag about your lifestyle then ask for £500 off. Morons. That's when it's rude.

Original poster
Rainbowsoup · 13/08/2020 01:10

I feel there’s a fine line between haggling and scrounging. Has annoyed me this week as have put up a few items at very low reasonable costs and still have people offering half. Of course I can say no but then it makes me look desperate for the money which I am
I’m from a family that used to haggle for everything and remember a lot of embarrassment caused by it. I have haggled a few times in the past but just felt really guilty afterwards like I’d conned someone so I stopped. Probably overthinking it completely!

OP posts:
Emeraldshamrock · 13/08/2020 02:11

This is why I don't sell online anymore or haggle, don't feel guilty about haggling in the past. I'm sorry times are difficult financially I hope things get better.

HopelessSemantics · 13/08/2020 02:15

My husband haggles on everything, it's normal in his culture. What amazes me is that he'll even do it in shops, and it actually works. I remember once he bought a few computer things in PC world or whatever, nothing major, just say a mouse and a pair of headphones, and he asked for a discount and they gave it to him!

I cringe every time but I am starting to think it's a good idea.

Valkadin · 13/08/2020 02:22

No but I have even haggled in John Lewis for a discount and got it :)

BBCK · 13/08/2020 02:33

I don’t buy from FB but will always haggle when buying expensive items in shops. It works at least 50% of the time 😀. I am always polite though .

willowmelangell · 13/08/2020 03:07

Doesn't hurt to ask. I was in a bag shop, a sale was on. I said to the owner, "Can I buy these two bags for £25?", he agreed!
I remember a tip from years and years ago which i have occasionally used, shops often have to fulfil a sales quota by the end of the month. So buy goods in the last weekend and ask for a discount or free insurance or upgrade or freebie to secure the sale.

jessstan2 · 13/08/2020 03:15

I don't think it is rude, it doesn't hurt to ask and offer a lower figure. They can only say, "No" at which you walk away and find another seller.

MumsyMumIAmNot · 13/08/2020 14:14

It's not rude. My partner over prices stuff on ebay to leave haggle room. If they dont haggle then great. I was at the fare before with my son and he wanted one of those light up things for a fiver. I said to the guy will you do it for £3 and he took it and handed my son a twirly light up thing. Bloody rip off.

chipsandpeas · 13/08/2020 14:16

when i used to sell unwanted stuff the trick was to have in your head what you would accept and inflate the price advertised a bit so if someone haggled you would get closert to the price you wanted

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