I know that in Europe...
 

I know that in Europe, when you are bargaining for goods, one trick to determine whether you got a good price or not is to ask (after the $ is agreed upon) whether you can use a CC to pay. If the person says "no", then you got a good deal because they must be too close to breakeven to pay the processing fee.

Is above statement correct, please?

why would you think you can bargain because "you are in Europe...?"

Is above statement correct, please?

No, absolutely not.
First: there is no "in Europe". View to bargaining are different in different countries.
Second: how is somebody you are bargaining with (in a flea market, or similar setting) supposed to accept your credit card? Credit cards are usually accepted in larger stores.
Who told you this nonsense?

I have a horrifying picture of SeandLand trying to bargain with a metro ticket agent in Paris...

"Can I get that ticket for 20 cent less?"

well if metro ticket agent says "no" then she got a good deal!

Good grief! Where do people come up with this stuff? The only places I've ever encountered the opportunity to bargain in Europe were in outdoor markets and at brocante and other outdoor fairs. And generally speaking, unless you're dealing with, say, an established antiques dealer who has a shop but also travels to fairs, the vendors are going to ask for cash.

In Europe you can barter with seashells, blankets, chickens and shiny things.

there are generally only two transactions that involve bargaining in "Europe" and clearly Europe is a large market so I would hate to generalise - they are : house and car buying.

After that I really would not try to bargain in any situation - most Brits find the whole process very tiresome and tacky - we usually offer a fair and competitive price at the start - in many situations you will insult the seller if you start to bargain.

by the way waring - how many shiny things do your chickens cost at your local market in the forrest clearing?

Well, there is truthyness in that it ocsts a merchant more to have an item paid in cash versus CC, I believe in the 2-5% range,if memory serves me. So maybe, occasionally, in certain countries, on a good day, you could get a slightly better price by offering to pay cash instead of CC. I remember also reading here that some apt. rentals are expected to be paid in cash...so that it may not always be "remembered" when tax time comes along.

But I'd not want the abuse of trying to ask a boutique owner in Paris if they would discount my items if I paid in cash. I'm going to Turkey this week, I expect that there will be negotiations on prices, and CC versus cash could be part of those.

"I know that in Europe....
Is above statement correct, please?"

If you KNOW it, why are you asking if it is correct?

The whole concept of bargaining will apply to flea markets (and nowhere else, with the exception of cars and real estate as mentioned). I cannot, however, imagine any flea market merchant who would accept credit cards.

Besides, no one pays or accepts $ in Europe (let's leave out big business affairs here).

I wonder where on Earth the OP got that information?

when we were in northern italy in 2000
we were often asked by local merchants if we wanted to pay with cash or CC.
because there were two different prices (already established by the merchant). several said it was because in a cash transaction they didn't have to report for tax purposes.

>I know that in Europe...
One can sometimes haggle over price in outdoor markets, but not always.

Michel Paris

I agree that bargaining is more popular in Turkey but isn't in the EU and most of it is in Asia Minor. That could explain the cultural differences.

To be fair, you can get price reductions in Italy I don't haggle, but if a shop doesn't have a sign "prezzi fissi" I will ask if I can have a sconto.
It tends to be little shops away from the main tourist parts where you can do it.
I have had 10% reductions and once was given a free spaghetti drainer instead of a reduction.

Let me try to be of a bit of assistance on one small point. It can save you some money if you figure out, prior to a trip to Europe (1) how much your credit card company charges for overseas transactions, and (2) how much of a fee, if any, you pay for ATM transactions while in Europe. You might formulate it in your mind as something like, "A $100 purchase will cost me $106 if I pay by credit card" and "A $100 purchase will cost me $104" if I get the cash from an ATM." (Of course, you still have to translate the dollars into local currency, but you get the idea; it's also a bit more complicated because of a possible difference in exhange rate.)

Anyway, the point is for you to know in advance whether it is less expensive for YOU (forgetting for the moment about the shop keeper) to pay for something in cash from the local ATM, or if it costs about the same to pay by credit card.

When we were in Venice, I was making a rather substantial (for me) glass jewelry purchase. The proprietress of the store offered me a 10% discount if I paid cash. Because I knew approximately how much the credit card vs. the ATM charged me, I knew that taking the cash deal was beneficial to me.

nanabee

You have just entered into a train of thought that no one in Europe dares to. Never question Italian business practices - they write there own rules, then break them and then avoid both ther rules and the consequences. Bascially never be suprises about your business experiences in Italy.

English peolple have bought ruins in Tuscany, then employed Italian builders who require payments of euros 100,000 plus in CASH - the bulders then ask for a police escort to take the cash home! work that one out! LOL

Even in the US, it is always worth asking an antique or art dealer the following question: "Is that price firm?"

You may also ask for and receive a trade discount, but you need a tax number or export license to do it legally.

hi markrosy
gotta love the Italians!!