Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Everything's negotiable. How much do you want to bet?

Negotiating is part of everyday life. You may find yourself negotiating the terms of your lease, how much you'll sell your home, even where you'll have dinner tomorrow.

If you're not already negotiating, you should be; and you should do it whenever you can. You'll be surprised with what you can get just by asking.

When my wife and I purchased our Saab a few years ago from a Lexus dealership, the car didn't include the rear cargo cover. I called the Saab dealership to find out if they had one in stock and how much it cost. 

$450!

After getting over the initial shock, I asked the parts guy if the cargo cover ever goes on sale (Note: There's an art to negotiating. You don't want to ask for a discount off the gates. You need to engage in some dialogue first). He replied, "How about I give you a 15% discount?" To which I replied, "How about 20% and you have a deal." He said okay and there you have it.

Negotiating even works on eBay. I've made it my ritual to ask before bidding on an item. It works on any type of auction--even those that already have bids on them.

If you don't ask, you'll never know the outcome and miss an opportunity.

Now I do want to throw out a caveat. You can't just walk into Nordstrom and ask for a discount, or go up to your boss and ask for a raise. There's a time and place for negotiating. Use common sense and good judgement.

Which reminds me...I found a pair of sneakers on eBay and pinged the seller about lowering her price. She just responded and says she'll knock off $10 from her Buy It Now price.

Excuse me while I go negotiate.

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