If you’re going to Istanbul to shop, you’ll no doubt be doing a good amount of that shopping in the Grand Bazaar, where finding and haggling for items can be not only frustrating, but mentally and physically exhausting. The good news is, if you are relentless, you will find what you want at a reasonable price.
Persistence in finding the items I want for a good price is one of my strong points, and though I may be irritated by the time I leave the bazaar, I’ve definitely had some fun in the haggling process.
On my last excursion through the market I was looking for large (8″ round) evil eyes to give as gifts when I came home. Every vendor I came to I told them I wanted the pieces for $5. At first they all told me, “No, I cannot do that price. The large ones are $30.” To which my continued response was, “I cannot pay that. I need 10 pieces, what can you do if I buy 10?” Most of the merchants would come down to $25. After about 30 minutes the prices started coming down to $20. And after about an hour of going vendor to vendor, finally I got 10 pieces at $8 a piece. It was more than what I wanted to spend, but far less than what the vendors wanted to get, and therefore a win for me.
Remember, its not all about getting the final offer in.
Curious, adventurous, and never normal…I was the child who played with bugs and carried octopus in my lunchbox. Nowadays I’m exploring the world with a little less dirt on my hands and a little more food on my face.
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It is all about the experience
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