Until the past few years, I thought I just had to accept the asking price of an item, whether it be at a store like Sears or a private party sale.  I wince at the thought of how much I surely overpaid all these years.  While haggling at a big box store is not overly common, it is still an acceptable practice and can save you quite a bit of money.

A couple of years ago, we bought a new oven.  We looked at multiple shops and settled on Sears, but only after they agreed to take $50 off the price.  On a $400 oven, $50 is a very reasonable savings, and it wasn’t for a sale or special, so it felt even better to walk out the door with an extra $50.

If you aren’t in a rush to buy something, try offering a really low offer just to see what happens.  If they don’t accept the deal, you can walk away or offer more.  We picked up a vehicle recently for 75 percent of the asking price – that’s a big discount.  It was a private party sale and they had been advertising for some time, so I gave them the offer and let them think on it.  I refused both counteroffers and just waited.  A week later, the vehicle was ours and we got a fantastic deal.

Just because a price is listed does not mean it is set in stone.  Watching the classified ads can give you an idea of potential deals, and by knowing who has been sitting on what for how long can position you to make an offer they can’t refuse.