Haggling prices

What is the etiquette for haggling a price down in Paris? Can you only do it with street vendors?

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I would certainly do it with street vendors and definitely at the flea markets and antique shops. I did it quite successfully at other stores when buying furniture and equipment for our apartment, but I wouldn%26#39;t try it in a regular department store, clothing shop, etc.

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Oh, and it%26#39;s not really haggling. It%26#39;s more of a polite request. %26quot;Qu%26#39;est-ce que votre meilleur prix?%26quot; or %26quot;Pourriez-vous livrer gratuit?%26quot;.

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I pretty much agree with Truffaut here. If you wouldn%26#39;t %26quot;haggle%26quot; in a shop in Philly, don%26#39;t do it in a similar shop in Paris.

That said, a polite request will sometimes work wonders in a small shop. If you really feel the price is too high, a polite request along the lines of: %26quot;C%26#39;est un peu trop cher pour moi. Pourriez-vous peut-etre me faire un petit rabais?%26quot; (It%26#39;s a little too expensive for me. Could you perhaps give me a small discount?) might work, especially if you happen to be shopping in a small place at the same time as larger stores are holding sales. I have done this in smaller clothing and jewelry stores, sometimes with a positive response, never with anything worse than a polite refusal.

In flea markets and similar places, if you don%26#39;t like the sellers price, make an offer. The worst you%26#39;ll get is a no.

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I was in Paris in February, and in a couple of small shops where I remarked on the price of an item being higher than what I was willing to pay. I said this with regret, not as a challenge, but in each case the owner dropped the price somewhat, around 10%.