That guy on a bus in Thailand insisted I haggle for everything and I ended up paying 5 times more for a wooden elephant at a night market in Chiang Mai because of it

He told me to start at 20% of the asking price, but the seller just laughed and walked away, so I panicked and agreed to full price when she came back, has anyone else had a local's advice backfire completely?

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1 Comment

the_jana1h ago

Yeah that's about right. Locals give terrible haggling advice half the time because they don't know how things work for tourists. You gotta read the room instead of following some script. I've seen guys try that 20% crap and get shut down hard. Sellers know the game too. They'll just walk and let you sweat. Next time start at like 40% and meet somewhere in the middle. Don't panic and fold right away. Fake a walk yourself and see if they call you back.

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