I wish it was socially acceptable here to haggle. I would find a way to haggle Best Buy down to MSRP. My father helped me haggle the local Toyota Dealership from $15k down to $11.5k on my “new” used 2006 Highlander. I have now been driving it for 3 years. At 11.5k, it came with 80,000 miles, dry-rot tires, a defective compressor/condensor, and a alternator that died within a month.
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The only things you can reasonably haggle in the US are houses and vehicles, and maybe what ever is at your local flea market.
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I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. I don’t get people that don’t haggle. I always haggle in certain places. I love the whole reading and gauging their reaction, that’s the best for me. Wouldn’t be there if I couldn’t afford the full price in the first place or I didn’t need it.
Recently bought a new fridge, ended up coming home with a washing machine too, which I sold and ended up getting the fridge with 80ish% discount. Was a good day, lol
Sorry to keep this off topic, but I seldom haggle- if the item is overpriced, I typically go elsewhere. If a company can offer a reasonable price, but needs you to convince them you deserve it, I have no faith in that company.
Some essentials like motor insurance is required, and I hate having to go through the strong arm tactics of ringing them, saying their price is bad, give me better etc, but the industry is built around it, to the point of sticker price being particularly bad.
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And I understand that it is a companies Business to price products/services to the maximum they can demand, while still making a profit/actual sales.
But some industries do have margins built in for negotiations, and some Don’t, and it is just dumb…
But the US customer is getting the same quality product if not a better one for significantly less. This is true not only for hardware but also for software. I checked Win 10 Pro prices in the MS Shop and there was a huge markup outside the US.
The question OP is raising is why this practice exists?
Differences in currency value and landed costs
True, I would think it reflects the amount money people have to spend. Proportionally, at least for Denmark Vs US, taking taxes and wages into account, things cost around the same. For instance, I was making $60-70k/year, for uneducated physical labor in a brick factory, working 2-3 days a week. Can’t speak for Australia when it comes to wages and taxes, but it wouldn’t surprise me it’s close to the same situation.
If I ordered a laptop in America, as soon as customs would get their hands on my parcel and taxes would be applied, I’d save maximum of 5%. I can save more buying these things in Germany.
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