Arthur wrote:
> It also depends on how we value our time. When shopping, I prefer to
> spend as little time as possible in the act. I would rather be doing
> something else with my time than haggling. Almost anything else.
>
> So someone spends 10 minutes to save a few dollars or even 20
> dollars. May be OK for some, not for me.
>
> For some its a game, for me its a waste of time and demeaning to all
> concerned.
I'm with Arthur. With private sellers, where I can reasonably
anticipate that the vendor has planned dickering into his asking
price, and for something over, say $1000, I'll make a counter offer.
But by my lights, making a counter offer asserts that the vendor knows
he's overpriced and is trying to jerk me around.
For some people, there's deeply felt belief that the "true market
price" hasn't been properly established and no "meeting of minds" can
occur until extensive dickering has taken place (although they likely
wouldn't use the terms I've put in scare quotes.) For these people,
any asking price is a declaration that the seller's estimate of the
true value is 20%to 40% lower.
There's an interesting take on the subject in Neal Stephenson's
_Quicksilver_. Half-cocked Jack the vagabond has just been introduced
to an Armenian coffee seller by the primo rat catcher of Paris in
1684. Jack dickers over the price of a cup of coffee and the author
explains his thinking that this is absolutely essential to maintain
the dignity of both parties and establish mutual trust and respect.
I get it but I don't grok it.
- Mike
--
Michael Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada .~.
/V\
[EMAIL PROTECTED] /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/ ^^-^^
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