The Many Benefits of Online Haggling
For any negotiation, it pays to plan ahead. In fact, I often develop a rough script before I begin bargaining, even when I'm planning to communicate via an online chat box.
Be sure to do some market research, so you're familiar with earlier deals from the retailer and the pricing of competitors—facts you can use to help make your case.
“Start by asking a few questions about the product," DuDell says. "Make the customer service representative feel as though you truly intend to make a purchase.” To get a good deal, you need to show that you're willing to hold up your end of the bargain.
One big advantage to online haggling is that the discussion you have with the rep will generally be monitored for quality control. That means the rep has an added incentive to be kind and accommodating.
Try to use the same tone yourself.
“You want to be able to say something like ‘I’m looking for a good deal, of course. If you can take 10 percent off the price, I’ll give you my card number right now,’” says Michael Wheeler, who teaches at Harvard Business School and recently wrote "The Art of Negotiation: How to Improvise Agreement in a Chaotic World."
The representative may not have the authority to grant a discount, Wheeler adds, but you’ll never know if you never ask.
In my experience, it's always worth asking, even if you're shopping online at Apple or Amazon.
Via live chat, I successfully negotiated a lower price on a MacBook Pro I had ordered—after finding a better price online one week later.
Amazon reps are hard to track down. (Here's where you start.) But they're willing to price match, discount shipping costs, and even grant refunds if a product fails to live up to expectation.
And if you get the dreaded no after asking for a better price, ask about extended warranties and other incentives. When I purchased a bike not long ago, I negotiated for in-store pickup, assembly, a tire pump and a water bottle, all for free—after my request for a lower price was denied.
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