Chances are, you’ll go shopping during your next trip to the Bodrum Peninsula, and while it isn’t necessary to haggle in the supermarkets or at some of the high-end shops, if you’ visit a pazar – haggling it’s an essential element of the commercial experience.

Today we welcome Guest Blogger, Joe Johnson, an avid travel blogger who shares his Top 5 Tips for haggling for bargains during your next trip to Turkey.

Top 5 Tips for Haggling in Turkey

The Bodrum peninsula has plenty to offer tourists; warm temperatures, great beaches, friendly locals and reasonable prices, all desirable traits but nothing you couldn’t get in any other popular European holiday destination.

Look a little deeper however and Turkey does offer some unique experiences you won’t find in Spain, Greece or Portugal for example. Straddling Europe and Asia, Turkey has a culture that’s very distinct to mainland Europe, and a big part of that culture is haggling.

Turkey is littered with thousands of market stalls where haggling is commonplace, and nowhere more so than bustling tourist areas like Bodrum and Marmaris. Buying goods at these stalls can be a daunting experience at first, but play your cards right and you could come away with a true bargain.

Here are five tips for haggling with market stall traders in Turkey:

1. Be Respectful

Many market traders make their living this way, so ensure you treat their wares with respect, put things back where you found them and don’t leave products in a muddle, you’re more likely to get a good price if you create a good impression

2. Have a Budget

The traders are good at their jobs and will push you to part with as much cash as possible. Keep a budget in mind and stick to it, no matter how good a deal seems.

3. Keep Your Wits About You

DVDs are a very common item to find at Turkish market stalls. Be mindful that most will have been illegally produced, and with copyright laws tightening all the time, it may even be illegal to possess them in your own country.

4. Be Realistic

Don’t expect that you’re going to get a pair of genuine Ray-Bans for pennies, the majority of branded products are fakes or rip-offs, though the untrained eye will barely be able to tell the difference.

5. Start Low

Don’t overestimate the value of market stall goods, when haggling, start low and let the seller coax you up what is a realistic, reasonable price.

 

Joe is a travel blogger who’s an expert in haggling all over the world. Some of the best bargains can be found in Turkey but there are plenty of other European locations with a lively market stall culture. 

You can follow Joe’s adventures on his own travel blog.

 

 

 

© Source of Photo of Unhappy Market Trader haggling for his towels