Haggling, or bargaining as some people call it is negotiating the price of something. It is common in a lot of the world and if you live in the US we haggle mostly when buying a car, buying a house, that kind of big purchase, but in other parts of the world, they negotiate the smaller things - like elephant pants in Thailand (a must have!). Since we don’t get as much practice at home, Fermin and I weren’t very good at it, that’s why we put this list together, to help others who might be “haggling-challenged”, like we were. As always, if you want to watch the video, scroll to the bottom.

These are our top 10 negotiating tactics:

1. Never show enthusiasm! Stay cool friends. Statements like “it’s so cute!” don’t help.

2. When you get asked “where are you from?”... LIE! Just kidding! Mostly they are trying to figure out how high they can go - it’s all a big game. Fermin is Filipino so we sometimes say that, especially in Southeast Asia, where they are neighbors with the Philippines, we felt it helped us in getting lower starting prices.

3. Never buy at the first place, unless you really, really want something or have no time. Food is ok, but at local markets, try to get a few prices first.

4. If you can, find out what a ‘fair’ price is from locals. Like people at your hostel or your AirBnB host. Remember, it’s not about ripping them off yourself, it’s about not getting ripped off. Be compassionate, it’s not about getting the absolute lowest price, it’s about getting a fair price. Think about how much margin sellers get at home and NEVER question that b/c the price is fixed.

5. When the merchant/seller asks you how much you’d pay, NEVER give them a number. Have them throw the first number. Just like at home, don’t lowball to the point you’re insulting, but start lower than the price you are hoping to pay.

6. Don’t get offended when some vendors give you a super high number - remember it’s a game and you might look like easier pray to some more than others. Don’t take it personally, just politely decline if it’s so outrageous you don’t want to try to bargain.

7. Bargain collectively (aka negotiate by volume) - either buy several different items or get together with someone else to buy more of the same item.

8. Don’t insult the item you are trying to buy, like it’s low quality or poorly made, when you are negotiating. Be respectful. You can point out that maybe it’s not the thickness you wanted or the color you were looking for and that’s why it’s ‘less desirable’ but don’t be insulting.

9. Decide how much the item is worth to you. Maybe this item is priced higher than others you’ve seen but it’s in better condition or the color is the one you want. Sometimes that is worth the little extra bit.

10. DO NOT flash around your money! When you go to the market, set aside how an allowance and put the rest elsewhere. You can always say you are going to the ATM and come back for an item.

As a bonus, we wanted to share these other points to hopefully make the experience a little more enjoyable.

• Play good cop / bad cop. One of you can always be saying ‘no’ while the other tries to convince the seller to drop the price a bit more. You can go with a friend or a ‘stingy’ husband.

• Dress down! No need to look like a bum but don’t be wearing all flashy kinds of clothes - save those for the fancy resorts.

• Try to learn some local words like, hello, how much? and thank you. They know you don’t speak the language but you don’t come across as pompous when you try a little.

Here’s the video we promised at the top with the same tips you just perused.

That’s all we’ve got, but we’d love to hear from you. If you have any tips that worked for you, please share in the comments below!