Thread: Antiquing tomorrow

^+1 for Wales. They'll haggle over milk in the supermarket round here.

Probably not technically wise advise, but go with your gut if you see something you like

My favourite inquiry - "What's your best price on that?" Almost saying "I don't care how much is on the ticket!"

I've been toying around with the idea of getting into straight razor shaving for awhile but I'm still in college and don't have much money.

Well today I went to a flea market with my girlfriend and her best friend. They needed help getting a refrigerator, there's a booth where you can get "scratched and dented" appliances at a premium. Well I also had the sneaking motive of looking for straights.

I didn't find anything in the cool air conditioned sections for awhile until i came upon a guy selling Kreiger but thankfully i read enough to know those blades are junk. But outside at more antique mom and pop booths I found three Sheffields for $20, $5, and $5.

I remember reading those were good brands and will post pics.

For me haggling is a way of life. :P

I do usually come out with the 'What's the best we could do on these?' line. In my experience it's best, I first learned it while buying cars. Either ask for the bottom line or just come out with your own price. Don't explain why too much, other than maybe explaining how buying razors is a bit of a crap shoot as far as honability sometimes.

If you try to haggle using condition or quality as leverage, you'll run the risk of either offending the seller or seeming like you're just trying to sandbag them, you obviously want it, so don't try to make it seem like you don't. I once sold a V6 Firebird, and they guy buying it tried to drop me three hundred bucks on the price, which was nothing, but his comment with it was, "With the V6 it's really more like an economy car than a sports car" which in a way it is, the v6 was only banging out 135 ponies, it was my first car and I couldn't afford to insure the V8 and I was selling it so I could buy a V8... But I also really did like the car, the guy calling it an economy car pissed me off and I told him I was firm on my price. I knew the car would sell anyway...

So long story short, I was asking for about 500 dollars more than what I was willing to take on the car. He offered me only three hundred less, but I have a bit of a temper and he offended me, so if he wanted the car he was going to pay full asking... I sold it about four days later to a high school kid who dropped me 350 on the price and didn't think twice about the fifty bucks.

So don't try to insinuate the person is selling something that's sub par, or that they're trying to over charge. You'll run the slight risk of offending them. If it's the kind of place you can haggle, they're not going to ask questions about why you're trying to drop the price, it's expected.

Oh! Also, if they have a couple razors you want, your bargaining power tends to increase if you buy multiple items. Fourty dollars cash in the hand often seems better than fifty dollars in theoretic value in four razors that may take weeks, months or years to sell.

Well sadly in the antique malls you can not haggle. I was able to have her drop 20% because of a crack in the scale. I will post what kind I got later today.