10 Efficient Ways How to Bargain in Bali

Bali is a beautiful island that you could visit as a spot destination. Besides well known of the destination, Bali is also a paradise of shopping center. For those who get on vacation in Bali, it is important to prepare some budget to shop or buy some souvenirs out of the accommodation from your holiday. There are many recommended shopping centers that sell goods at cheap prices. You just need to be smart to buy what you need in traditional or souvenirs market. Don’t forget to bargain the price that fit to your pocket. You could try some these tips of how to bargain in Bali.

1. Be kind to the seller

If you want to get the low price from the seller, get approach yourself toward the seller. Simply smile and invite jokes about the little things sometimes can help you get the price of goods that are cheaper. Build chemistry toward the seller. It would be the useful way to get the price much lower. The point is you have to make it as comfortable as possible. Without recognizing it, the seller would easily give the lower price.

2. Pull out the seller by leaving them

If it is still be difficult for you to bargain, make a small drama by saying that you just want to buy at the price you bid, if it couldn’t, you would move to the other outlet. If you are lucky, the seller would ask you to stay and give the price as you want. It is a trick to make the seller feels like losing you as the costumer.

Read also:

• Business Etiquette in Bali
• How to Start A Business in Bali

3. Buy in large amount

The more you buy the goods, the possibility of getting that price sloping will be increased. If you buy a lot of goods certainly the seller will give you a different price. Well, to outsmart it, you could ask a group of your friends to do the shopping together. You can also offer a friend or relative who wants to buy the same item with you. By doing that tricks, you can get a price half lower that the normal. (Read also: Shopping Habits in Indonesia)

4. Come earlier or in the last hour before market closed

These tips are good to apply in various traditional markets. To get a lower price, you can try to come early. Usually the newly opened sellers will not waste the first costumer. As the example, Sukawati market is open from 08.00 to 15.00 WITA for the local market. While for you who want to hunt for art goods can come at 10.00 – 17.00 WITA.

Besides coming early, you can also come in the last hours before the market closed. Usually at the last minute before closing their outlet, the sellers usually would say yes for every bargaining. (Read also:  Traditional Markets in Indonesia)

5. Using the bargaining formula

This formula applies everywhere, so do in some traditional markets in Bali. Open the price by bidding 50 percent + 10 percent off the normal price, or 50 percent + IDR 10,000 if the price is in the range of  IDR 100,000 to 200,000. Bargain them for up to 70 percent of the normal price. It has been pretty good if you could successfully get 30% discount, right?  If it is unable to bid, immediately move to the next outlet.

6. Don’t change the bidding price

Don’t change the price so easily. If you are willing to buy at a price, then you must maintain the price. Don’t be suddenly lower the price that you bargain. The seller would consider you as inconsistent person. Make sure that the price you want is worth it enough with the goods. If you bargain too low for a price, the seller would directly refuse it.

Read also:

• Cultural Norms in Bali
• Rules for Tipping in Bali 
• Things to Learn in Bali

7. Use the local language

It is important for you use the local language when bargaining. If you are Indonesians, the seller would consider you as the local people, so they would easily give you a cheap price matter. And for those foreign tourists that use local language in bargaining, the seller would appreciate your effort to learn the local language by giving you the lower price. If not, the seller would assume you as having stayed in Bali for a long time. (Read also: Language in Bali Indonesia)

8. Survey the price

As a trick of bargaining, you could survey the price first.  Do a small survey in the area of market you are going to have shopping. Go around and visit a number of the seller asking price. After that, you can compare the price. If you’re a too shy to ask the price, try walking to the center first and see the prices that have been plastered without having to ask. After finishing to survey, you could choose to come to the outlet which gives the lowest price. (Read also: Consumer Buying Habits in Indonesia)

9. Bargaining with heart

Make sure to act as friendly as possible in bargaining the price. Don’t make the seller feeling harmed with the bargain you made. Try not to make the seller mad. As a benchmark, bargain a third of the price that proposed by the seller. Don’t occasionally bid the items you don’t want to buy unless you would be considered as annoying customer.

10. Be a smart buyer

As the smart buyer, ask the quality of the goods you want to buy first. Check whether it is appropriate or not. If you have already known the quality of the goods, then you can determine the price approximately what should be. Don’t rigidly ask the seller to deal with the price you want, the material of the goods might be different. Bargain with a make sense price that fit with the material of the goods.

Here i give you some information about some foreigner that already do bargaining with Balinese merchant. Check this out.

Those are the way how to bargain in Bali. You could apply those tips in bargaining when you have any intention to have shopping in Bali. If you couldn’t bargain, you might get the unfit price that would make you dissatisfied.  Don’t forget to notice Scams to Avoid in Bali. You could try to search some references of market that you want to visit.  Some traditional markets in Bali are popular with the cheap price.