Haggling

Hobbes

Not sure if I asked this before. I know this is probably a culture thing but was wondering how Islamic faith handles it.

A lot of Saudis I know are crazy when it comes to haggling. But is this allowed?

What I mean is if I was to get into a haggling match I'd probably loose. They would probably end up with a lot more money then what a fair price was. Would this not be considered dishonest?

I would of thought setting a fair price and sticking to it would be the proper way to go?

metrovelvet

Well, a friend of mine who was travelling in Morocco, found that haggling and bargaining is a tradition and to be expected. Once they found out he was Jewish they were even more delighted as to them that meant he would be really good at haggling. He spent over 7 days haggling with some guys at a market stall, and got so involved in it that they invited him over for dinner to continue haggling.

He was even offered 6 sheep for his girlfriend.

Hobbes you just need to get good at haggling. Theres nothing dishonest in it. There are no tricks, its just about making everyone happy. See the fun in it and you will do well.

Wibbs

Had the same thing in Morocco myself. They seemed diappointed when I proved to be utterly completely americanly useless at the practice. Many moons ago when I was over there with my dad, he fitted right in. As my mother says he would have haggled wth the devil himself and probably end up a few quid up(sadly not a genetically transmitted skill). . After haggling over a tablecloth for the mother over the course of a few days we like Metrovelvets example ended up going for tea and a chat with the guys on the stall. No sheep were offered though. The tea was bloody lovely though, it must be said. They're generally an honest bunch in my experience. If you do end up paying full whack(ie me) you end up with other stuff thrown in. Then again they may have just felt sorry for me. There was some evidence of shaking their heads in sympathy for my disability.

the_new_mr

Haggling can be great craic altogether if it's done right As already mentioned, it's usually done in good spirits and things.

From an Islamic perspective, it's a part of the act of trading. Everybody has their own idea of a fair price. So, even if someone was to set a price and stick to it, who's to say that that price is a fair price? I think there was some hadith (saying) of the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) that had something to do that every individual in an act of trading should try and do the best for themselves. The wisdom behind this is that if everyone tries to do the best for themselves then the economy should run fairly and it should all balance out and traders will have the ability to deal with both honest and dishonest traders alike as if you were to go on the assumption that everyone was completely honest, you'd likely get conned by someone dishonest.

Usually, the tactic any proper haggler uses is exaggeration. Seller says they want X while buyer says they want to buy it for Z with the value of the item somewhere between them at A. Seller actually wants to sell it for around A but said X to start with so that when they go half way with the buyer, they usually end up around A. As Wibbs mentioned, most honest dudes would give some extra stuff with it or something like that if they felt that the buyer didn't push enough. Also, I think that most of the haggling done in the tourist trade areas is done as part of the fun to attract tourists since that's all part of the fun of shopping there.

metrovelvet

Haggling is so so much fun. I love it, Im good at it but dont get nearly as much chance to practise as I'd like.

In the deli across the street where I get my coffee Ive managed to haggle for free coffee - I speak French with the man who serves [hes from Morrocco] and he doesnt charge me. And everyone wins!

It's great. Its the way to do things. Now that everything is chain stores all the prices are fixed and you cant negotiate. Booooring.