by Psych1 » Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:41 am
I buy and sell a lot of stuff. It is kind of a hobby of mine and sometimes I make money at it. But where I live, in Turkey, you bargain for everything. At the market you bargain with the farmer for vegetables, at the dentist you can bargain for the price of a crown. But, there is an implicit fairness in most negotiations and some socialization as well. From the first offer to the final deal you usually take a break and drink tea and talk of other things. When you say this is my "best price" or this is my "final offer" you are supposed to mean it. And, in most cases, it is considered really wrong to take unfair advantage of someone who really needs the money or who doesn't really know what they are buying. The whole process of trade between people is very unlike the "Nothing personal, only business" model that exists other places.
Disclaimer: This doesn't apply in Turkey when dealing with tourists!
But, I have bought some things on Ebay, US Ebay, for far less then they are worth and far less than they really should have sold for. Sometimes the seller didn't know what he was selling, or listed the item wrong. I have also seem quite a few items offered on this board that eventually sold on Ebay for a lot less then they were offered to us for.
Not sure what point I was trying to make here!! Just something nice about an honest and fair transaction. Often it feels better than getting a great deal!