Bargaining Chinese

Buyer: Hrm, that’s a funny-looking scarf. How much is it?
Zhè tiáo wéijīn kàn qǐlái hái háng。 Duōshǎo qián ā？
这条围巾看起来还行。多少钱啊？

Whatever price they give, play the role of the shocked customer, and up the drama. Really twist your face up at the price.

Buyer: That expensive? That doesn’t make sense at all.
Zhème guì？Tài lípǔ le!
这么贵？太离谱了!

Vendor: Seriously, I’m already giving you a discount. In most cases I tell people 1000. I’ll be totally frank with you: the lowest price I can take is 700. How about that?
Wǒ yǐjīng ràng zhe nǐ le， gēn biérén wǒ dōu shuō 1000 ne。 Zhèyàng ba， wǒ gěinǐ gè shíjià， qībǎi nǐ náqù ba。
我已经让着你了，跟别人我都说1000呢。这样吧，我给你个实价，700你拿去吧。

Buyer: It is still way too expensive.
Qībǎi háishì tàiguìle.
700还是太贵了。

Now they’ll ask you, as if it’s been scripted out (which it has), how much you’re willing to pay.

Vendor: So how much you want to pay for it?
Nà nǐ yuànyì chū duōshǎo qián？
那你愿意出多少钱？

Don’t reply. Ignore them, as you keep looking around, murmuring to yourself or your friend that the shopkeeper is far too greedy for a sincere, honest customer like yourself.

Buyer: You are not being very sincere.
Lǎobǎn，nǐ zhègerén zhēn bù shízai。
老板，你这个人真不实在。

Buyer: What a rip-off.
Nǐ yě tài bù gōngdào le。
你也太不公道了。

This is a game, and you’re going to have to be bold at this point. Walk to the door, as they continue to ask what your best price is. Don’t be shy. Offer a sixth of the asking price. If you’re clearly a foreigner, that’s probably the actual cost.

Vendor: Do you really want this one? If you do, what’s an acceptable price?
Nǐ chéngxīn xiǎng mǎi ma？ chéngxīn xiǎng mǎi de huà jiù gěi gè jià ba。
你诚心想买吗？诚心想买的话就给个价吧。

Buyer: I’d rather not. Why waste your time offering a price we can’t possibly agree on?
Búyòng le， wǒ shuōle nǐ yě búhuì dāyìng de。
不用了，我说了你也不会答应的。

Vendor: It doesn’t matter, just go ahead.
Méi guānxi，nǐ shuō ba.
没关系，你说吧。

Buyer: It’s only worth 100 kuai to me.
Wǒ kàn tā yě jiù zhí yìbǎi kuài.
我看它也就值100块。

Some shop owners will accuse you, at this point, of not being sincere and honest. They’ll insist the quality is unrivaled, that it was imported directly from the remote grasslands of Sichuan, that the economic downturn is hard on their family, that they need to eat.

Vendor: You must be kidding me. This is such a well-made product. You won’t find something like it anywhere else.
Kāi shénme wánxiào？ Nǐ kànkan zhè zhìliàng，bié jiā de dōngxi méifǎ bǐ。
开什么玩笑？你看看这质量，别家的东西没法比。

I brought it all the way from Sichuan.
Wǒ dà lǎo yuǎn cóng sìchuān jìn de huò.
我大老远从四川进的货。

Look, it’s not easy for me to make a living nowadays.
Xiànzài zuò shēngyi bù róngyì。
现在做生意不容易。

All of these may sound like refusals, but they’re all complete confirmations that your offer was reasonable. Stand firm. Be warned that this stage of the bargaining process, where the price will inch down its way, may last a while.

Buyer: My friend bought exactly the same thing, for this price.
Wǒ de péngyou yě mǎile yíyàng de dōngxi， jiù huāle zhème duō qián。
我的朋友也买了一样的东西，就花了这么多钱。

Anyway, I don’t think the color is quite right.
Zàishuō，tā de yánsè bú tài zhèng。
再说，它的颜色不太正。

If your offer wasn’t reasonable, the reaction will probably be silence, accompanied by a cold stare and a hand pointing towards the door. You will get some of these, and they’ll come off as both offended and offensive, but don’t take them personally—it’s just another part of the play. If you receive this reaction, ask for the lowest price he is willing to offer. At this point, usually it will be a more reasonable price.

If the bargaining battle reaches an impasse, and the vendor offers no white flag of surrender, it’s time to slowly wander to the exit, shaking your head woefully.

Buyer: I’m not in desperate need of scarf, anyway. I’ll check out what some of the other shops have to offer.
Wǒ yě bù zháojí yào. Háishì qù biéjiā kànkan ba。
我也不着急要，还是去别家看看吧。

If all goes according to script, just as you’re stepping beyond hearing distance, the shop owner will yell out to you.

Vendor: Alright, alright! Add an extra five kuai, and it’s yours.
Hǎoba hǎoba， zài jiā wǔkuài jiù gěinǐ!
好吧好吧，再加五块就给你!

Don’t surrender! Don’t give up! You’re only one step from triumph. Take another step away from the shop, with your ears perked up. Listen intently, as you win the prize.

Vendor: Okay already, come back and take it. It’s yours.
Hǎoba， jiāoqián ba! Gěinǐ dài yíjiàn。
好吧，交钱吧！给你带一件。

As he’s closing the deal, the vendor will complain, pathetically, that you’re robbing not only him, but his family as well. He’s doing this for no other reason than he sincerely wants to make friends with you. Don’t feel bad—he’s acting his role, perfectly. You need to act yours, just as well, by acting contrite.

Vendor: You are so good at bargaining. If all my customers were as good as you, I’d go bankrupt.
Nǐ tài néng jiǎngjià le， yàoshì dōu xiàng nǐ zhèyàng， wǒmen jiùyào guānmén le。
你太能讲价了，要是都像你这样，我们就要关门了。

Just don’t tell anyone that you bought it from me for such a low price.
Qiānwàn bié gēn biérén shuō nǐ zhème piányi mǎilái de。
千万别跟别人说你这么便宜买来的。

I’m only selling it this cheap so that we can be friends, and you’ll come back and buy more.
 
Wǒ zhème piányi mài gěi nǐ， wánquán shì wèile gēn nǐ jiāogè péngyou lāgè huítóukè。
我这么便宜卖给你，完全是为了跟你交个朋友/拉个回头客。