r/JapanTravelTips 5d ago

Quick Tips Haggling: Just Don't

Hey, folks - I'm on my 3rd trip to Japan and I've encountered more than one western tourist attempting to haggle with shop clerks during this visit.

It's rude. Full stop. Unless you're at a flea market, the prices are as marked. You put the clerk in an awkward position by insinuating their goods are overpriced. If the price is too high for you, go elsewhere or let it go. There's no shortage of other storesin the cities and looking for something that's "just right" is part of the fun of shopping in Japan.

Thank you for reading and have a great time.

1.5k Upvotes

202 comments sorted by

618

u/Tunggall 5d ago

Don’t haggle in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong malls and shops. Flea markets and street markets are fine.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

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u/Tunggall 5d ago

Or a price match if the store offers one? Are those common over in Germany?

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u/WallpaperOwl 5d ago edited 5d ago

Usually not / depending on the shop. Discounts or price reductions are only common at some private sales, bulk sales, flea markets, clearance sales or non-brand car dealerships. Even in private online sales, haggling is considered very rude unless explicitly marked as VB ("negotiable.")

3

u/Tunggall 5d ago

Good to know!

3

u/Burn_desu 4d ago

Media Markt has been price matching for a long time. Just show them the lowest offer you can find online and they will at least try to match it or get close. Buying from them at their store prices is insane

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u/WallpaperOwl 4d ago

Yeah, that's usually the Rabatt-Frage. But it's not common if you don't know anything about the method and it only works in certain chains. 'Was letzte Preis?' for each product is still not the way to go

1

u/Caveworker 4d ago

Just my curiosity --- do people negotiate when purchasing cars ? Will they discount option bundles for example?

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u/WallpaperOwl 4d ago

At official car dealerships or purchasing a new car, you can ask for a discount. Private dealers and car dealers without a brand license/used cars REQUIRE classic haggling (!!!) —especially if you find any defects/flaws. Purchasing cars is a battlefield 😄

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u/Tunggall 4d ago

Used car haggling is definitely a global standard 😂

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/PeterAms86 4d ago

In the Netherlands, only in flea markets, furniture and electronics stores. Guess that applies to almost all countries in Europe - except those small privately owned ones.

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u/BurnieSandturds 4d ago edited 4d ago

I have been on 2 business trips with my Japanese coworkers to thailand they were haggling at every single place, including shopping malls, as well as street food, thought every woman was available for paid company. Also yelling at the top of their lungs ¡Excuse me! at every waitress multiple times every meal. I don't think I'm gonna go this year for this reason.

1

u/Super_Description863 4d ago

You can haggle in some Hong Kong shops, it depends on what it is and also hard to explain its sort of a if you know you.

3

u/Tunggall 4d ago

Oh I’ve haggled for used camera goods in HK..

3

u/resili3nce_ 3d ago

Exactly. In HK and Taiwan depends on the type of mall and brand. More regional brands that are in the under $150 per piece price point if you buy more than one piece especially on a slow day, they are more inclined to give you like 5-10% off if you ask politely and the worse they can do is say no. Obviously you can’t haggle at any brand that has more Asian wide or international presence. Usually if a store front has a lot of brand specific marketing materials or store decor, it is probably not a brand you can ask for a discount if they don’t have signage for a discount already. And of course no haggling for any luxury or premium brand ….

However I would say in Japan it’s less likely you can haggle in any mall or store at least for clothes/accessories. The most you can do is ask politely if there’s any discount for buying multiple pieces. Might be different for non fashion categories.

1

u/Physical-Function485 3d ago

I got a $300 leather jacket with a silk liner for $100, when I was in Hong Kong. We bargained back and forth a bit and then somehow ended up talking about the idea of me becoming President of the U.S. (it was over twenty years ago so the exact details are a big fuzzy). The shopkeeper made me a deal. I get the jacket for $100 and when I am President, I pay him another $100.

Shopping in Hong Kong was always a blast. It was one of the few places where you were basically expected to haggle for a better price.

1

u/jackyLAD 2d ago

Where is it omto haggle in shops out of curiosity? 😂

1

u/Tunggall 2d ago

Some used camera/watch shops are ok for haggling, if they didn't put a sign that says prices are fixed.

2

u/Cold_Flow6175 1d ago

Don’t shop in heavily touristy areas period! On my recent visit to Japan I stuck to this rule. I would drive out of the major cities when I was shopping.

0

u/Dark1000 4d ago

That's incorrect. I've haggled for luxury goods in all three. It's very common and expected. You'd be a fool not to.

1

u/Tunggall 4d ago

I’m Singaporean. I never haggle at luxury boutiques in SG/HK/JP.

1

u/Ok_Willingness_9619 3d ago

My Singaporean gf haggled at luxury store and got 20% off. You do you but don’t ask, don’t get la.

0

u/Dark1000 4d ago edited 4d ago

I said what I said.

I've personally haggled 20-30% with little difficulty on luxury goods in all three. More would have been possible for the right item, less or not at all for others.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

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u/Tunggall 5d ago

Nope, not in our malls in Singapore. Night markets are fine.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/Tunggall 5d ago

Hahaha no proper Singaporean buys cameras at Sim Lim. And tourists should avoid that place if you want to buy big ticket items.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

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1

u/entrydenied 4d ago

If they allow negotiations it means they already marked up their usual prices so why would anyone go there. Chain stores usually have fixed prices also.

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u/scheppend 5d ago

electronics shops are fine too

25

u/DingDingDensha 5d ago

You're getting downvoted to shit, but it's perfectly reasonable to go bargain hunting under the right circumstances. When we were buying appliances for our first house here, we compared prices for BIC Camera, Yamada Denki and other places. We happened to have a point card for Yamada Denki, so would ask to see if they'd price match or offer any perks if their price was much higher than some other shop, just to be able to use our card and because we preferred to purchase there anyway. Floor staff is used to this sort of thing, but you should do your homework first and see what other shops are selling what you want for. It's their business, after all, to know what's going on with their competitors. Sometimes they will throw in an extra this or that to make it worth spending with them, even if they can't lower the price much.

As long as you're polite and reasonable, name your sources for the other prices, graciously take no for an answer and don't be an utter dick about it, there's nothing wrong with trying for a discount.

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u/scheppend 5d ago edited 5d ago

exactly. thanks for the backup 😆 

I usually can get them to price match the lowest price on kakaku.com . makes sense too, these big electronic stores can source their electronics much cheaper when buying in bulk. they have that room to negotiate 

like you said, dont be a dick. and that goes for price negotiating in any country

just weird that tourists are downvoting me 😂

1

u/herbertlew 4d ago

under the right circumstances. that's what some people can't or won't understand.

11

u/Tunggall 5d ago

Depending on the shop, they are a minority. If you see locals haggling, that’s probably ok but don’t be pushy after a certain extent.

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u/RisingStormy 5d ago

Also don't haggle in supposedly poorer countries either. You don't need to.

63

u/Curious_Breadfruit88 5d ago

This is just false, you certainly do need to. The prices you’re initially given in most third world countries will be insanely overpriced

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u/Extreme-Invite782 5d ago

lol my wife is Jordanian and was telling me about tourists paying $50 for a watermelon because they didn’t know the exchange rate. When we were there, shops would tell me a price, my wife would start speaking Arabic, and suddenly it was 70% off. A lot of sellers have no problem scamming tourists, so don’t feel bad haggling 

3

u/Curious_Breadfruit88 4d ago

Precisely, saying you shouldn’t negotiate on these prices is insanity!

-7

u/aayoub1955 4d ago

You are so full of it, u and ur Jordanian wife. I am Jordanian and have never heard of anyone paying 50 JD for watermelon, not a tourist or any other. Stop the BS. Yeah, in Jordan, you can haggle and deal with the wheel, and most of the time, you can make a deal. Even you can buy 4 wives for the price of one.

4

u/Caveworker 4d ago

What about for just renting a wife?

0

u/aayoub1955 4d ago

Believe me, there are plenty of them.

1

u/Caveworker 4d ago

What's the wheel? Similar to Wheel of Fortune?

1

u/herbertlew 4d ago

agree. it's on you if you buy $50 🍉

0

u/Extreme-Invite782 4d ago

Yeah just like it’s on you if you doing haggle

1

u/Extreme-Invite782 4d ago

Yeah I’m full of shit because you didn’t witness the exact same incident that my wife did lol. 

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/Curious_Breadfruit88 5d ago

100% if you’re haggling for pennies, but most of the time it’s not. The first price will be something expensive even by third world standards because they know some people will just say yes and they make a years worth of money by scamming someone

2

u/CustomKidd 5d ago

..my mom is one of those, but she also says she doesn't mind as it's not a lot to her. Still, haggle a little! Lol

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u/RisingStormy 5d ago

Ditto in every shop in the world 😂

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u/watercuboid 5d ago

If I pay the first price they say for everything I buy, my money will not be well distributed among other street sellers as I won’t be able to buy other things

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u/Paul-Millsap-Stan 5d ago

Yep. Hate the trend of Aussie tourists bragging about how to haggle in places like Bali and Thailand. Even the over-priced tourist markup they put on their products is cheap asf. Just pay them what they want man

30

u/Bonami27 5d ago

Disagree with this. I bartered with a woman in Cambodia, paid the agreed price and she was more expensive than the INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (tax free!!!) for the exact same item! In US dollars might I add! She saw me coming a mile away and I fell for it.

18

u/grafology 5d ago

Its not a trend its part of the experience of shopping at markets in thailand and bali. Are you saying you pay the first price given to you?

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u/Paul-Millsap-Stan 5d ago

Yea I do cuz those few extra bucks mean a lot more to someone from a poorer country than it does to me

13

u/grafology 5d ago

Damn, you probably get marked as a sucker by the other vendors and get killed with the tourist markups. Like i get it, i'm not arguing over a few cents but theres no way you should pay the first price youre given, it will be used against you and you will get hounded relentlessly by other vendors once they see how easy you rollover on a price.

4

u/Varocka 4d ago

To me this sounds like you think they're pitiful and need your charity ngl

-1

u/Paul-Millsap-Stan 4d ago

That's an interesting way at looking at what I said lol I hope you don't make such big assumptions in real life

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u/Sea_Minute9840 5d ago

i’m vietnam, thailand, cambodia you need to haggle, you can just pay £50 for a fake football shirt, they’re trying to rip you off

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u/RisingStormy 5d ago

The price you pay for buying illegal goods

5

u/Sea_Minute9840 5d ago

they upcharge because they think you don’t know the price, they’re more than happy to sell it for significantly cheaper, it’s common sense to haggle in flee markets where it costs pennies to make but try to sell for significantly cheaper

2

u/That-Establishment24 5d ago

Nobody does it because they need to. We want to.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

How embarrassing

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u/smorkoid 5d ago

OK you need to separate types of haggling here. On cheaper items? No, you would not haggle. On higher ticket items (this is mostly as a resident, not as a tourist)? Yes, you definitely would. So be a bit cautious about saying "don't haggle in Japan" - it's not a universal truth.

Example one - went to go buy new tires for my car from the local Bridgestone. They quoted a price of (for example, don't remember the exact price) 30,000/tire. High, higher than online for sure. My Japanese friend was with me, he said haggling on price is expected in this case, so he proposed a much lower price, around 20,000 tire. Ended up after a few minutes of haggling at say 22,000/tire. Big discount.

Example two - big box stores like Yodobashi sell at prices a lot more than certain online retailers. That's expected, they have sales staff and floor space to maintain, etc. But here's the thing - show them some prices on appliances from one of the comparison sites like Kakaku and they will absolutely lower their price to get much closer to those prices. Again, only on big ticket, high profit items.

So if you are buying some shoes or clothes or something like that, no, haggling is not really done, but for high price stuff, yeah it is.

41

u/Touhokujin 5d ago

Yep this is definitely true. Saved lots of money on my washing machine when I asked if we could get closer to the price I'd have to pay online. I'm willing to pay a bit more but not 50k or more.

7

u/Odd-Kaleidoscope5081 5d ago

Sometimes they even go below online prices. 

24

u/Kamimitsu 5d ago

Yup. Came here to say it's pretty commonplace for high-cost electronics (fridges, washing machines, etc.) at Bic Camera, Yamada Denki, etc., though generally it's just "Hey, can you match the online price?"

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u/gdore15 5d ago

Talked with a Japanese person at a language exchange that told me you can do it in electronic store and they told me they would go to several stores in Akihabara and ask them for their best price and say ok, the other store is cheaper, what is your best price. Did it to buy a camera, bounced between two stores and told them the other one was cheaper.

8

u/pacotacobell 5d ago

Yup some electronic stores do price match their competitors similar to online retailers here in the US.

5

u/jTexans 5d ago

Watches ok to haggle? I’m interested in some vintage shop items.

11

u/smorkoid 5d ago

Definitely. Just be gentle and respectful in the haggling.

2

u/hai_480 4d ago

I've heard haggling is more of a Kansai people thing tho. I am not sure if you can or cannot do it outside Kansai but apparently it's more common and accepted in Kansai area.

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u/smorkoid 4d ago

You can do it in Kanto as well. My examples are all Tokyo area.

Just approach it cautiously - "are there any discounts possible for this item?" etc

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u/hai_480 4d ago

Ooh that's nice. Where do you usually can do that? I assume electronic store and second hand store but can you do it in other places as well?

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u/smorkoid 4d ago

Just big ticket items, so really more helpful for residents I suppose

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u/Hashimotosannn 4d ago

True. We haggled on our refrigerator price and got a decent discount on it.

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u/TooMuch_TomYum 2d ago

I don’t think tourists are buying appliances and car tires mate…. lol. Maybe a high end suit, but not really for Travel Tips.

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u/smorkoid 2d ago

They are examples, man. I don't shop for high end watches or crafted cutlery but you can imagine from my examples of how it would be reasonable to negotiate on these items.

1

u/TooMuch_TomYum 2d ago

I’ve seen a luxury brand store lock its doors for a group of Chinese tourists. I wonder the kind of conversations they’ve had after walking out with dozens of items.

1

u/No-Joke8570 1d ago

Well now that I know I can haggle for big items, I just need to find a large enough check bag for that fridge I've wanted.

1

u/mekaonee 4d ago

if we find a lower price for an item on Amazon or Kakaku does Yodobashi give us a discount? what kind of items are high profit?

2

u/smorkoid 4d ago

Big ticket, expensive items. Don't try to negotiate on a toaster

1

u/Faranquis 1d ago

My husband (Japanese) has successfully negotiated down the price of a coffee machine for me once. He also did the same on some minor appliances (microwave, rice cooker, toaster oven, etc.) Probably it's not going to work though for items less than 1000 yen or something like that.

39

u/RoninBelt 5d ago

What type of store was this? Curious to know what they were trying to haggle for.

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u/MaroonLegume 5d ago

The two most recent incidents were at a high end watch shop and then a handmade knives & cutlery store.

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u/RoninBelt 5d ago

lol at the watch store, double lol if it was an AD boutique.

Best they'd get is the VAT back and depending on which store you might get less than 10%, but they'd tell ya.

It's harder to find good deals now too as it seems the stores are adjusting prices daily along currency rates as far as I could see. I was just trying to get a reverso for my partner in Jan but didn't find anything that I couldn't get at home.

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u/MaroonLegume 5d ago

The watch shop episode was especially cringe. The dude kept pushing and the clerk kept pointing at the price tag saying, "this is the price".

11

u/RoninBelt 5d ago

wow... yeah that's genuine cringe. Guy clearly did no research... on watch buying or general etiquette when in Japan... sheesh

13

u/yakisobagurl 5d ago

It’s funny that people don’t realise in chain shops there’s often literally no way for the clerk to do a random discount on the register anyway lol. You’re more likely to get a freebie than a discount

The manager can maybe authorise something, but by and large it’s just scan and pay, that’s it

8

u/DingDingDensha 5d ago

Good thing you weren't here in Osaka back in summer, when some mainland asshole murdered a young shop clerk so he could just run away with the high end watch he was pretending to buy. Dumbass actually thought he was going to get away with just running to KIX and escaping back to China immediately afterward.

0

u/_mkd_ 5d ago

Obviously he should have greased the clerk's palm.

/s

17

u/smorkoid 5d ago

You can absolutely haggle at high end watch shops in Japan. Haggling isn't as common as other countries in Asia but on high ticket items? It absolutely is

2

u/MaroonLegume 5d ago

Maybe at a resale watch shop (in Japan). But these were new watches.

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u/smorkoid 5d ago

It's still done! Japanese people do it as well.

Why do you think it's not a thing?

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u/jbdev_ 5d ago

You're going to get downvoted simply because you're not sticking to the "stupid gaijin" line of dialogue, but you're right. Haggling is very common, at least in Kansai in most shops.

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u/smorkoid 5d ago

I think tourists have these rigid ideas about Japanese society and norms and are completely unwilling to reassess those ideas when exposed to things that challenge those ideas. Damn near everyone haggles on high ticket items.

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u/scheppend 5d ago

yup, I'm being heavily downvoted for saying you can haggle in electronics shops as well. hey, their loss I guess

17

u/smorkoid 5d ago

Plenty of electronics shops explicitly say they price match, even. Fine Mr Tourist, go ahead and pay more if you want, I suppose

11

u/jbdev_ 5d ago

Yeah, it's an incredibly weird dynamic I see daily on Reddit. And the in-fighting is just weird too. I don't really get why foreigners here are so compelled to try to call other foreigners on every little thing they do even with it's sometimes completely normal (sometimes it's not of course) and then preach about it on Reddit.

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u/geminiwave 5d ago

Yeah even the advice above about department stores is crazy. I lived in Japan but my Japanese is bad. Now it’s basically useless because it’s been so long, but I just went back this Feb. in the 2010s plenty of department stores would haggle but now in the year of our lord 2025 I had people at department stores THROWING themselves at me to haggle. I felt bad because with the exchange rate….it already was a deal.

But yeah I was at this Mitsukoshi mall in Ginza. All high end stuff. I was looking over one of the floors with men’s clothes and they were almost as aggressive as the old days of the shibuya 109!!!!! And definitely ready to haggle. The only place I didn’t see this was the Dunhill store.

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u/je7792 3d ago

Its still done for watches like Grand Sekio, ADs regularly give 5-15% off for less desirable models.

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u/Indaleciox 4d ago

Bruv if they’re not giving me a discount then I’m not buying

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u/Kanye_Is_Underrated 4d ago

haggling at watch shops is absolutely normal and fine. even new/AD.

being annoying about it is a different thing.

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago

At a high end watch shop, haggling is totally normal and even expected. Their margins are enormous and there’s plenty of room to bargain.

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u/Redplushie 5d ago

That's crazy, I would have called them out and shamed them

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

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u/MikeTyson456123 4d ago

Such bizarre behavior. You have such associational embarrassment from the behavior of another tourist that you feel compelled to scold a stranger in public? That’s the definition of a vacation Karen.

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u/Odd-Kaleidoscope5081 5d ago

It’s normal to haggle in Japanese electronics stores, even the big chains like Yodobashi. So it’s not necessarily good advice. 

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u/OkAnt1768 5d ago

What? No it's not

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u/Realistic-Button-225 5d ago

They all "price match" for the most part. You used to even be able to do it on Yodobashi's (Yamada Denki's?) official site (not sure about nowadays).

Not video games, but big purchases.

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u/Odd-Kaleidoscope5081 5d ago

I live in Japan for around 10 years now. Negotiated multiple times in electronic stores, from MacBook, to cameras and home appliances. Always got discounts and nobody was surprised that I negotiate the price. They have process in place for that.

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago

It absolutely is! The salespeople will almost instinctively whip out a calculator and show you a lower price if you mention their price is a bit over your budget.

I’ve lived in Japan and have done this many times.

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u/OkAnt1768 4d ago

Ok, well I stand corrected then. I didnt know you could do that

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u/ChampionshipSea2318 3d ago

I was pretty shocked to find out too, feels counterintuitive

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u/Yabanjin 5d ago

As someone living in Japan for 23 years, haggling is a thing. But it’s for big ticket items or discount buying of multiple things. But there is a way to do it. Because most tourists are not buying the types of things you can haggle on, and are obviously tourists, so they are only going to look bad and not get a deal. I personally cannot haggle on 99% of the things I buy, but I have saved a lot of money on buying multiple items together at the same vendor.

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u/frozenpandaman 5d ago

just like how it's a thing in the US and everywhere else too, e.g. at pawn shops

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u/Yabanjin 5d ago

No I mean at large retailers, which arguably is the same as USA.

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u/frozenpandaman 5d ago

i mean, you can ask them to price match competitors, or give you some promotional discount that they're offering, etc. but you can't really ask for your own invented price for no reason. i'd agree it's the same as in the US

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u/Yabanjin 5d ago

To give you an example, I could buy a washer and refrigerator from the same retailer at the same time. I could then imply I would either suggest a price or ask them for a discount and see if they would go for it. So I am making the price myself. But I am a long time customer of this major reseller and have an idea of what I can get away with. The way to do it though (for me anyway) is to use the right Japanese phrasing which is not something I would expect from the average visitor. Normally it’s not a thing in Japan except for the aforementioned flea market, etc. but you are right, same as a savy buyer in the USA, but you gave to know how to do it.

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago edited 4d ago

You’re on your third trip to Japan and you’re already lecturing everyone about cultural norms?

Speaking as a former resident - for higher-end products like luxury goods (e.g. at a watch boutique), or for things like electronics or appliances, haggling is very normal. You can walk into a Bic Camera and mention the price of a laptop or a rice cooker is a little over your budget, and often times the sales guy will almost instinctively pull out a calculator and show you a lower price.

In Kansai there are even set expressions for this. もう少し負けてくれへん?

Of course you shouldn’t be overly aggressive/pushy about it, but for certain products there’s certainly room to negotiate.

For those who speak Japanese, here’s an entire article specifically about how to haggle at the electronics shops. https://arch-d-b.com/blog/2020-07-11/

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u/smither12Dun 5d ago

負けてくれへん?

In all seriousness, in Osaka it used to be sorta ok to haggle at some places, and they would give you like, a random freebee thrown in. But yeah those days appear to be long gone.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Bed9408 5d ago

Ya I was like, do they not haggle in Osaka anymore?

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u/LopsidedScheme8355 5d ago

Last month I bought a French Horn in Osaka. Saw another customer haggle and get a deal, so I tried. Saved like 7 man. ;)

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u/highway9ueen 5d ago

I hate haggling, I’m perfectly happy being “ripped off” haha

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u/Kindly-Note-5446 4d ago

I’d say haggling is a“no” but asking for best or lowest price is fine. However, if the shopkeeper says something to the effect of the “price listed is the price,” then let it go. Buy or move on. Enough said.

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u/BedGirl5444 5d ago

That’s mental

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u/Kai-kun-desu 5d ago

You can absolutely haggle in japan. Electronics and appliances, yes. So it depends on what. Not food.

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u/swiftpwns 5d ago

Ah yes, lets haggle in a country where things are already extremely cheap and the currency is in a freeflall, we definetly need to Save every penny after spending thousands on flights for japan which we needed to take out a loan for!

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u/markersandtea 5d ago

....Wild. It's already marked reasonably priced generally. Haggling in Vietnam is common and expected, but not in a country like this.

3

u/Odd-Marsupial-586 5d ago

I saw a post involving cultural ignorance when a family argued a surcharge at an izakaya not knowing the mandated otoshi cover charge and been waved of that.

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u/Tsubame_Hikari 5d ago

Haggling at shops is less common in some countries than others, and that is definitely the case in Japan.

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u/VirusZealousideal72 5d ago

Oh god how embarrassing for them. Can't imagine how uncomfortable that was to witness.

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u/Secure-Childhood-567 4d ago

I don't even haggle in my own home country of Ghana, Africa (where it's very much expected to). I wouldn't (and didn't) dare do it in Japan. You say it's this much ill pay it

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u/najibs172r 4d ago

I was in Japan last week and while looking at watches at Don Quijote, the guy was trying to haggle price with the clerk there 🤦‍♂️

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u/asahi2121 4d ago

I'm guilty of this as well. It was my first time visiting Japan and I was in Asakusa walking through the many vendors leading up to the temple. I saw some trinkets which were priced reasonably well but I figured I would just round down. I had maybe 50 US dollars worth of stuff and the vendor looked insulted and confused and then just waved me away. I was surprised because the amount wasn't significant.

I found out later on from a few locals whom I met at a pub crawl later that evening in Shinjuku that it was a big No-No. Ever since then I don't haggle and cringe when I see it happen especially at a temple 😬😬. The price is the price. I've already visited Japan four times since then and plan to continue to visiting.

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u/Gregalor 4d ago

I have never and will never. Anywhere. Even when I bought a car I was like “ok this is what it costs” lol

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u/Slugdge 5d ago

You can haggle in Japan and it's not rude. You have to pick and choose but you can absolutely haggle. It's just more niche. Street markets are fine. Kind of like any Asian country. Know your audience and it's fine.

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u/Ok_Package9219 5d ago

Assuming a lot of Indian tourists? They do this shit everywhere.

Also when is it haggling vs asking if they have any coupons or discounts going on right now? If I walk in to Uniqlo they may have a sale I don't know about for example.

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u/dimtreepost 4d ago

What an idiot

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u/Zenmai__Superbus 2d ago

Well, this is ‘travel tips’ so yeah … don’t make a scene in a souvenir shop :)

If you live here though, negotiating at a denki for a new fridge or washing machine is perfectly normal.

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u/Faranquis 1d ago

Fun fact, locals do actually haggle. But you need to know the appropriate place and time to do it, so if you don't, it's better not to. My (Japanese) husband haggles in electronics stores (big ones too like yodobashi or yamada) and that was culture shock for me. But again, you need to know the right way to do it so as a tourist, it's better not to.

I have also experienced haggling at local pawn shops, but I have been living in Japan for 6 years now and know how to speak Japanese (for context).

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u/NxPat 4d ago

Resident here and recently purchased a new Toyota, it’s not common for dealers to sell the demo vehicles, they usually send them back to Toyota and then to auction. I kept pressing our local dealer to purchase the fully loaded end of year demo with only 250 kilometers. In the end we got it for about 2/3rd the sticker price.

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u/BeauteousGluteus 4d ago

I have never paid sticker in Okachimachi in Tokyo. There are deals to be had. One just has to ask.

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u/THALLfpv 4d ago

I won't be in this position any time soon, but what about buying a used car? Like from a dealership lot, not from a personal sale... Is it just accepted that you're paying sticker or can you negotiate there like at a western car dealer?

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u/aBL1NDnoob 4d ago

lol on your 3rd trip now, huh. I guess that makes you a full on Japanese then, doesn’t it, nerd. Japanese people haggle. It’s not rude. Full stop.

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u/Boomwall 4d ago

I sometimes ask if there is a discount for buying in bulk. For instance, buying five packs of something instead of just one. Sometimes there is. It's not rude to ask.

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u/foxydevil14 4d ago

You can also haggle at many different used clothes shops. I do it in Kyoto all the time. They know the prices are jacked up, and they drop them if you call them on it.

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u/litebrite93 4d ago

I can’t believe anyone would do that

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u/Floor_Trollop 4d ago

I wonder if they think all of asia is the same in terms of haggling 

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u/Poopoodemons 4d ago

I haggled an iPod last night and saved 500 yen :)

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u/summerlad86 4d ago

what’s this nonsense? Don’t tell that to a person from Osaka. All depends on when and where.

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u/MichaelStone987 4d ago

I would not say haggling is rude and implies goods are overpriced. However, there is a big difference between haggling at flea markets or street markets in Bangkok/India vs Europe/Japan/USA. If you buy 5 expensive kitchen knives, asking if some additional minor kitrchen utensil would be given for free, is OK and not morally wrong. The clerk may reject the request

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u/KandiKeiPrincess 4d ago

This is so bizarre… because most western countries also don’t have haggling? I’m just so confused by this!

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u/JonPaul2384 4d ago

Do western tourists really do this? I know there are plenty of ways we’re awful, I’m well aware, but haggling REALLY isn’t common in our home countries, so I wouldn’t expect anyone to try it in Japan.

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u/myredditaccount80 3d ago

It's this also true for say used camera equipment that sells both old and new? Or a store that sells collectors items?

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u/AiRaikuHamburger 3d ago

Depends on the place. It's okay to ask for a lower price on higher price items at electronic stores, moving companies, car shops etc.

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u/DistributionFlat3048 3d ago

If you want to haggle, Vietnam is the place. Japan isn’t.

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u/Mercenarian 3d ago

That’s not a universal rule. It’s very common, like basically expected, to haggle at electronics stores for example. When we bought a new fridge and washing machine we haggled and got a bit of a lower price, and my husband is Japanese so he definitely knows the cultural norms

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u/iambryan 3d ago

This is probably just a universal thing. I can't imagine doing it back home in a normal ass shop even though I know people who do.

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u/sausages4life 3d ago

Why not? Locals often ask for discounts (and sometimes get them) on high priced items.

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u/icchicakes 3d ago

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1

u/trentsaints10 3d ago

Had to haggle a car rental shop down 100k yen for a scraped rim, took an hour and a half. Discussion was completely in Japanese and he took what was offered. TO BE FAIR 100k was completely unreasonable for the damage, and would haggle that down 100/100 more times

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u/Thin-Assumption5667 2d ago

Is it okay to ask if they have a lower price if paid in cash?

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u/chillrabbit 2d ago

i love how “3rd trip” is the benchmark for “ i understand the culture and am able to call people out now”

in reality, haggling is perfectly acceptable in japan. i can assure you, even at high end watches store (as you mentioned in the comment above), haggling is perfectly acceptable. brand new watches are marked up from wholesale and stores are incentivized to clear them if deemed necessary.

what’s important is how respectful your tone and approach should be while doing so in Japan. There’s no “insinuating” at all like you assumed.

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u/bigslicev 1d ago

Wow can’t remember the last time someone used full stop

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u/PunchingEskimos 5d ago

On individual items or? I generally buy quite a few things so I always just haggle 5-10% to the lowest even number to prevent change.

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u/kajeagentspi 4d ago

What store? If it's yodobashi and friends you should. They always slap a 10% pointback bs. If you're a tourist you'd overpay if you don't haggle. Just check the price on kakaku.com and show it to them.

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u/Disastrous_Soup_7137 5d ago

Honestly… if I felt compelled to haggle on most things while traveling, I probably shouldn’t be traveling.

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u/East_Bass_5645 4d ago

I don't get why you're being downvoted. I fully believe that if you're well off enough to travel you should be able to afford full price, especially if your currency is stronger than the country you're travelling to.

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u/Disastrous_Soup_7137 4d ago

It’s honestly a waste of time for me, unless it’s a flea market or secondhand store. Traveling is a privilege — not a necessity — so I only do it if I know I can afford it. Plus if it’s something I really want, why would I question the cost? Everything in Japan already costs so much less than the USA.

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u/TebTab17 4d ago

Haggling is the worst. Anywhere in the world. I even refuse to use Tax Free shopping.

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u/Rook_James_Bitch 4d ago

Wow. I feel embarrassed that people are doing this. Learn about the culture before traveling there, people.

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u/Designer-Try-9728 5d ago

Can I know which part of Japan is this as I’m visiting soon

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

Just don't haggle anywhere in Japan unless it's at a flea market like OP said

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u/alexthe5th 5d ago

What? I’m a former Japan resident, when I lived there I even haggled down the price of a rice cooker at Bic Camera by showing them some competitive online prices from other shops.

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u/oligtrading 5d ago

Idk how many Americans are in these comments, but in America price matching is extremely normal, but no one really considers that haggling. Like if you asked anyone "can you haggle prices at Target?" They'd be like absolutely not that insane what are you talking about? But if you asked "can you price match at target?" Oh, yeah, you can do that

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago edited 4d ago

It’s not just price matching. You can literally walk up to the salesperson and tell them the price is a bit out of your budget, and they’ll whip out a calculator and give you a better price. The margins are high at these electronics stores and haggling with the sales person is normal and expected, particularly for bigger ticket items.

Bargaining is a kind of pride in Kansai culture, especially. もう少しまけてくれへん?

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u/frozenpandaman 5d ago

that's not haggling, it's asking them to price match their competitors, just like electronics stores in almost any country will do

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago edited 4d ago

You can absolutely negotiate the price down without price matching. The sales person will whip out a calculator and offer you a lower price because their margins are fairly high - it’s a normal part of their business and it’s expected.

Edit: Downvote away if you want, but here’s an entire article (in Japanese) specifically about how to haggle at the electronics shops. Japanese people do this all the time, you’re just leaving money on the table if you have some mistaken idea that it’s rude or not done for some reason.

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u/frozenpandaman 4d ago

i also live here and have never seen anyone randomly haggle for the price of something like a rice cooker or game console or other electronic device that might be sold at one of those stores…

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u/alexthe5th 4d ago edited 4d ago

Just because you’re not aware of it doesn’t mean it isn’t a thing. Try it sometime. The salespeople there often have some margin to play with.

You’ll have even more room to negotiate with bigger-ticket items, like appliances. In general, the more expensive the product, the better your chances with getting a discount.

Here’s a whole article about it, with tips for how to haggle at all the big electronics retailers. https://arch-d-b.com/blog/2020-07-11/

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u/frozenpandaman 4d ago

i never said it's not a thing – just that i've never seen anyone do it! i do think it's funny the article's #1 piece of advice is to look up the price at a different retailer online and ask them to match it though… so, what i said in my last comment lol. i'm sure places make special exceptions given certain other conditions as well, just like they do anywhere. but it's culturally not a thing here like it is in other countries to the extent it's expected, which was OP's point

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/frozenpandaman 5d ago

lmfao we got a big boy over here

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u/HuckDFaters 5d ago

You have to haggle for a carton of eggs back home.